Her genealogical records are used to determine the membership and enrollment of the Smith River Rancheria, the federally recognized tribe of Tolowa people in Del Norte County, California.
[1] Bommelyn was born Eunice Henry on February 6, 1927, in the village of Nii~-lii~-chvn-dvn, located on South Bank Road along Smith River in Del Norte County, California.
[1] She found a job within the local lily bulb farming industry after high school.
There she met her future husband, James Bommelyn, who had moved to Del Norte from Trinity County, California, to find work.
[1] James Bommelyn reportedly jumped on her truck and refused to leave until she agreed to go on a date.
[1] Her genealogy research led to the end of a Tolowa taboo which had traditionally prohibited speaking a deceased person's name.