Lena Taylor's cremated remains were not initially taken after her death and were available at Oregon State Hospital to be claimed by anyone who is related. Her closest living relatives are descendants of her children. In 2022 a relative received the ashes.

Lena was born on 4/30/1888 in North Dakota. Her full given name was Inga Caroline Backman, but she often went by Lena so that will be used here.

Her parents were Ingeborg Jansdotter/Johnson and Erick Persson Backman who were both born in Sweden. They were married in Sweden about 1867 and immigrated to the US in 1869. They first settled in Pepin County, Wisconsin, then after repeatedly having their crops destroyed by insects, they moved to North Dakota. Their new community was largely made of families from Sweden and Norway. Erick Backman was among the local Swedish immigrants to organize and build the Sunne Lutheran Church near Wilton, North Dakota in 1893.

Ingeborg and Erick had 15 children with 9 being alive in 1900. Lena's siblings included John, Nels, Christina, Hannah, Ole, Emil, Hulda, August, and Carl. At least one child was born in Sweden. Several were born in Wisconsin and the 3 youngest children were born in North Dakota. The family's primary language was Swedish.

During the 1900 census, Lena was 12, attending school and living with her parents and several siblings in Burleigh County, North Dakota where her father was farming. Lena completed 4 years of schooling and was able to read and write. By 1900 Lena's parents were naturalized US citizens.

On 1/20/1907 in North Dakota, Lena (age 18) married 29 year old Johannes "John" Rudolph Ghylin. He was born in 1877 in Wisconsin. His and Lena's families were close knit, having lived near each other in Pepin County, Wisconsin and then moving a roughly the same time to Burleigh County, North Dakota.

Lena and John had two children: Gaylen Bernard Ghylin who was born in North Dakota in 1907, and Mildred Lillian Ghylin who was born in Washington in 1910. In 1908 Lena and John moved from North Dakota to Moab, Spokane County, Washington.

In October 1914 Lena and her family began farming in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada. They were listed in the 1916 & 1921 Canadian censuses in Strathcona, Alberta as Lutherans and US citizens. The family left Canada in 1923 and settled again in the Spokane Valley of eastern Washington.

While Lena were living in Canada her father and mother died in Wilton, North Dakota in 1916 and 1917. They were buried at Sunne Lutheran Cemetery in Wilton.

On 1/8/1929 Lena was granted a divorce from John after she told the judge John struck her during a dispute about her talking in her sleep. John said that what she said in her sleep made him believe she was having an affair. Lena said she had never been unfaithful. When he couldn't be convinced, Lena filed for divorce alleging cruel and inhuman treatment.

Lena moved to nearby Greenacres. On 10/8/1929 in Spokane, nine months after divorcing John, she married William "Roy" Taylor a salesman from Spokane. He was born in 1890 in Missouri. They moved to Portland, Oregon. It appears theirs was a rocky relationship. It is likely they divorced at some point, but on 11/5/1934 in Seattle, Washington Lena remarried Roy Taylor. In 1935 Lena and Roy were living in Portland. In August 1936 Lena sued for divorce from Roy, but they must have reconciled. They were living together in Washington County, northwest of Portland during the 1940 census. Roy was a laborer on a berry farm. He had only worked 20 or 52 weeks in 1939. During the 1950 census Lena and Roy were living in Washington County, Oregon where Roy was a produce salesman.

In 1953 Lena was living in Banks, Oregon near Portland. On 6/5/1953 she was admitted to the Oregon State Hospital, a residential facility in Salem, Oregon for the treatment of people with mental illness. She was a patient at the institution for about 4 1/2 years. She died there of senility with senile dementia on 10/16/1957. She was survived by her husband, her ex-husband, and her 2 children.

Her first husband, John Ghylin died of a heart attack in Bremerton, Washington on 3/9/1961. It is believed her second husband, Roy Taylor, died in May 1983.

On 7/25/1927 Lena's daughter Mildred (age 17) married 21 year old Harry Delford Beck in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Their children were Betty Darlene (born in 1929), Darrel Gail (in 1932), Joyce Elaine (in 1934), Gordon Dale (in 1935) and Delford Larry (in 1944). Mildred died on 5/13/1991 and was buried at Pleasant View Cemetery in Post Falls, Idaho.

Lena's son Galen went by the nickname "Swede." He served in the Army during WWII. He married Anna Bernice (Clark) Krokrich on 12/1/1944 in Texas. She had been married previously and had a child from that marriage. After they were married her son, Donald Krokrich, took the last name Ghylin. Galen and Anna had two daughters. Galen died in Kitsap County, Washington on 5/30/2005. He was buried at Miller-Woodlawn Memorial Park in Bremerton.

More information about the 3500 unclaimed cremains at OSH is available at http://www.oregon.gov/oha/amh/osh/pages/cremains.aspx A book by David Maisel and a documentary by Ondi Timoner & Robert James, both entitled "Library of Dust" also provide more information.