Lyons

I didn't know much about the Lyons family growing up. We figured we were English. Or French. Most of us figured we came from Lyons, France.

But we lived in Louisiana and talked a little funny, so we considered ourselves Cajuns. My great-grandfather Germain, who died before I was born, spoke very little English.

I know that, sometime in the 1970s or so, a family member had the line traced and reported back that we were related to Queen Elizabeth.

Once I became hooked on genealogy and began looking into things, I learned that the Lyons family has a very rich and fascinating history. And we are, indeed, royalty -- in a way.

 First of all, we're really "Lyon"s, not "Lyons." My great-grandfather was Lucius Cincinnatus Pitt Lyon (and now there is a TV show, "Empire" which has borrowed his name.) His son, my grandfather Druis, was born Lyon, but was baptized and married as Lyons.

But we all began as "de Leonne."

Sir Roger de Leonne, Knight,  was born about 1040 in France.  He was the son of a follower of William the Conquerer who spelled the name LEUOINE.

Roger de Leonne went to England in about the year 1066 and went to Scotland in 1091.  He aligned himself with King Edgar, the son of Malcom II, to regain the Scottish Throne by defeating Donald Bane, Edgar's uncle. For his service, Edgar granted Roger title to lands in Perthshire, later known as Glen Lyon.. 

From there the de Leonne name morphed to Leonibus to Lyouns to Lyoun to Lyon and, in our case, Lyons. 

Meanwhile, the family became further enmeshed in history.

Roger's son was Paganus de Leonibus. He went to the Holy Land with Geoffrey Plantagenet on the first Crusade. Afterwards, he settled in England. He and his descendants became members of the royal court. Paganus' grandson, Enald, is mentioned by John I in 1199.

Nine generations later, John Lyon, Lord Glamis was born in Norfolk, England. In 1376, he married Princess Johanna (Jean), the daughter of Robert II (Robert the Bruce) and Elizabeth Mure.
After Sir John Lyon's death, Johanna married Sir James Sandilands. Sir John Lyon and the Princess had only one child, another Sir John Lyon. On 28 June 1445, his grandson,Patrick Lyon, was created Lord Glamis. In 1606, Patrick, 9th Lord Glamis, became the Earl of Kinghorne.
Sir John Lyon is an ancestor of  Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (nee Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon).

Here is where my generation of Lyon/Lyons can claim our relation to the royal family of England. If this line is, indeed unbroken, it makes me the 20th cousin once removed of Queen Elizabeth II.

Much later down the line, my grandfather, Druis Lyons would marry Pauline Dupre, who had in her line a Duke of Savoy. If correct (and yes, it may not be), I am the 15th great-granddaughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

 But destiny took us elsewhere. ....

The Immigrant

This is NOT William Lyon of Roxbury. 

 

 William Lyon, The Immigrant

A.k.a., William Lyon of Roxbury

born December 13, 1620, Heston, England

died May 16, 1692, Roxbury, Massachusetts

The first Lyon to come to America.

William Lyon embarked for America on the ship Hopewell,  mastered by Thomas Babb, which sailed from England and arrived at Massachusetts Bay.  He is listed  9/11/1635 as William Lyon, age 14. He was alone.

  

The name is further registered in Rolls Office, Chancery Lane, London, as having sailed for New England 9/11/1635 and settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts. 

William Lyon, perhaps an orphan, is said to have been placed in the care of fellow passenger Isaac Heath.  He was baptized at Heston, now part of the city of London, (12/23/1620), the  youngest son of William and Anne (Carter) Lyon of Heston.

In Roxbury land records, the name William Lyon appears as Lion, Lyon and Lyons, and we find all three forms also in the records of the Eliot Church.  He seems to have written it himself sometimes as LION.

William Lyon married 6/17/1646 (Roxbury Church records) to Sarah Ruggles, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Curtis) Ruggles of Nazing, England. She was born 4/19/1629 and came to America as an infant with her parents. The death of Sarah is not found in Roxbury town or church records and probably occurred in Rowley.

William Lyon later married a Mrs. Martha Philbrick Casse (Cass), widow of John Casse.

William Lyon, in 1645, became a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Roxbury, a local military group.  In 1648 he received a grant of six acres of land in Roxbury, and in 1652 of another three acres "upon the common, by John Polly's."  
  
His name also appears as a grantee in deeds of land in Roxbury in 1651, 1658 and 1661, and as grantor in 1658 and 1672.  When the new settlement at New Roxbury, now Woodstock, VT, was determined upon in 1651, he was one of the "goers," and he was assigned a lot there, although he did not actually occupy it.  Several of his grandsons (William, Thomas, John and Jacob) were prominent members, however, of the new colony, and a stepson, Ebenezer Cass, received a grant of land there.

The Nazing Colony in Roxbury included brothers, John and Philip Eliot, William Curtis, the uncle of Sarah Ruggles, and many familiar names. 

 The "Nazing Christians" were distinguished for their devoted piety.  

The Lyon homestead in Roxbury was on what is now Bellevue Avenue, formerly called Lyon Street.  It was on the east side of the street, southwest of Atwood Street.  

William Lyon was admitted to full communion in John Eliot's Church in 1655 and became a freeman (Mason) in 1666.  He lived to age of 72 years.  He was buried 5/21/1692, probably in West Roxbury cemetery, although there is no stone there to mark the spot.  His widow died about 8/4/1694 (Roxbury town records).

Although the Lyon Family did not come over on the Mayflower, the family did become "Mayflower stock" in the 1770s when William's great great grandson Asahel married Fear Cushman, the great great granddaughter of Mary Allerton, who was a passenger on the Mayflower. 

Source: The Lyon Memorial. 

Louisiana Lyons

 

Joseph Lucius Cincinatus Pitt Lyon

13 May, 1823, Essex County, New York

16 October, 1984, Little Caillou, Louisiana

                            

The 26^th generation of Lyon(s)

The 8^th generation of Lyon(s) in America

The first generation of Lyon(s) in Louisiana.

While the rest of his family went to Dekalb, Illinois, Lucius chose to join his cousin, George Newell, in a move to Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana in 1849. George had married a girl named Emily Davis Semple of Terrebonne Parish in about 1840, and they lived on Semple Plantation which was located near Bisland cemetery on Bayou Terrebonne. 

 George and his family did not stay in Louisiana long, but left for California during the Gold Rush. Lucius stayed behind, however, and worked as an overseer on Woodlawn Plantation in Terrebonne Parish for the Cage family.  It was there that he met his first wife, Elizabeth Drumwright of Boydton, Virginia, Mecklinburg County.   Eliza was a friend of the Cages. 

Lucius and Eliza settled in upper Little Caillou in Terrebonne Parish, adjacent to the present Catholic Chapel on Little Caillou.  

On March 21, 1862, Lucius enlisted in the Confederate Army, Company H, 26th Regiment.  He was wounded and captured at Vicksburg, but survived and returned to Little Caillou.   He signed the oath of allegiance to the United States and was released on July 14, 1866.

Shortly after Eliza's death, Lucius swapped his property on Little Caillou for a larger acreage from a Mr. Duplantis.  It was about 25 miles down Little Caillou.  He placed his baby son, Johnny, with a family named Brown, and Joseph, who was about seven years old, with his cousin Molly Newell Bagley and her husband, the school master.

Lucius then married Caroline Whipple and had two more sons. When Caroline died in 1874, the boys were placed with friends, but never given for legal adoption.

Lucius then married Eliza Michel and had two daughters.

Lucius lived 58 years and had 7 children by three of his four wives.   He died on October 16, 1894, and is buried at St. Elie Cemetery in Little Caillou.   At the time of his death, Lucius was living with Joseph and Letitia Lyons.

          *Note that Lucius and all of his ancestors were named LYON.  The "s" was added to his name and the names of Lucius' children for the first time.

From Scotland to England  to Massachusetts to Down the Bayou

 Among Lucius' children was my great-grandfather, John Futch Lyon:

 Born January 27, 1868, in Houma, Louisiana. He was a fisher and trapper in Terrebonne Parish.

He married Emilie Octavie LaBruyere on May 28, 1892, in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. They had 10 children: Augustus Vanus,  Carrie Florence, Druis Narcisse, Eddie, Edward Robert, John Lester,  Leola Lucy, Marie Virginie, Paola Joseph and Paul Leby. 

Druis Narcisse Lyon(s) was my grandfather. He married Pauline Dupre of Houma on February 27, 1930. She was of Cajun descent. Together they had five children: Barbara Marie, Gerald Paul, John Russel, Lionel Paul and Mary June.

My father was Lionel Paul Lyons, born Feb. 23, 1932. He married my mother, Lettie Lee French, on October 11, 1952. Together they had: Rhett Martin Lyons and Lori Ann Lyons.  (Lettie had a daughter, Jo Lee DeLanuville, from a previous marriage.) 

Rhett Lyons (Sept. 29, 1956 - July 25, 2001) married Louella Ann Pitre on October 5, 1982). Their children are: Lena Elizabeth Lyons and Marti Marie Lyons. 
Lena married Clayton Brunet and had children Madison Elise, Carson Edward and Lincoln James.

Louella had a son, Kevin Falgout, from a previous marriage. After Rhett's death, Kevin legally changed his name to Kevin Lyons. He married Samantha Bergeron. Their children are: Job Martin Lyons and Isaac Charles Lyons.

Lionel later married Jean Oliver and had: Astrid Germain Lyons and Justine Isabelle Lyons.

Justine Lyons married Jeremy Smith. Their children are: Sophia Isabel Smith, Eva Marie Smith and Cypress Rose Smith. 

I married Martin Luquet on December 17, 1994. Together we adopted Lora Leigh Evelyn Luquet. 
(Martin had two children from his previous marriage. Daniel Paul Luquet and Courtney Elizabeth Luquet.)

My late brother, my sisters and I are the 30th generation of Lyons traced back to Roger de Leonne.
We are the 12th generation of Lyons to live in Louisiana. There were 13 of us at one time, but only two males with the Lyons name. My brother Rhett and my cousin Ted both died without male heirs.

Ted's sister Becky had a son named Michael Lyons, who will carry on the name, as will Rhett's stepson, Kevin Lyons and his sons. 


But there are plenty of other Lyons cousins in an around the Houma area, thanks to Lucius and John Futch.

During my research I have come across Lyons from Ireland, Lyons from England and Lyons from France. It looks like they all came from one spot at one point.

Lucius wasn't the only ancestor of William Lyon, The Immigrant, to make it to Louisiana. While our line descends from William and Sarah's (Ruggles) son Samuel, there also was a son named Thomas. Thomas (b. 1648) married Abigail Gould and had a son named Thomas (b. 1705). He married Abigail Clark and had Gould Lyon (b. 1706). He married Eizabeth Chapman and had Eliphalet Lyon (b. 1739, in Connecticut). He married Jane Pond and had John Lyon (b. 1770). He married Lucy Bowker and had John Bowker Lyon (b. 1804).  He married Arvilla Alcott and had John Warren Lyon (b. 1850 in Vermont). John Warren Lyon married Eizabeth Carter in Vermont in 1855. Eventually,  moved to Covington, Louisiana.  Elmer Eugene Lyon (b. 1875 in Vermont), became a teacher and eventually moved to Covington, Louisiana, where he taught history and literature at the Dixon Academy. He later became the principal at the Covington School and, later, became Superintendent of Schools. In 1928, the school was renamed to Lyon High School to honor the esteemed educator. In 1945, the name was changed back to Covington High School, when the school board decided no school should be named for a live person.  Elmer Lyon was my seventh cousin, thrice removed. And Covington High is the Home of the Fighting Lions. 

More Lyons Family History (with links):

Among the other historical mentions cited by The Lyon Memorial:

Roger de Leonne witnessed a charter of Edgar to the Abbey at Dunfermline in 1105.

From here, the Lyon(s) family likes to connect itself to the royals, which is reflected in the family crest.

In 1372 King Robert II granted to Sir
John Lyon,, who was called the White Lyon because of his fair complexion, the Thanage of Glamis. Five years later he became Chamberlain of Scotland and married the king’s daughter, Princess Johanna. He was later also granted the barony of Kinghorne.

John Lyon was killed during a quarrel with Sir James Lindsay of Crawford near Menmuir in Angus. .
His only son, another John, was his successor, and he
strengthened the royal ties by marrying a granddaughter of Robert II.

Sir John’s son, Patrick, was created Lord
Glamis in 1445 and thereafter became a Privy Councillor and Master of the Royal Household. His life as a courtier was not all fun and games, however. In 1424 he was sent to England as a hostage for the ransom of James I.

John, the sixth Lord Glamis, was, according to tradition, "a quarrelsome man with a quick temper." He married Janet Douglas, granddaughter of Archibald ‘Bell the Cat’ Douglas.
Lady Glamis was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake on the castle hill at Edinburgh on 3 December 1540. Her death was much lamented, as she was ‘in the prime of her years, of a singular beauty, and suffering all, though a woman, with a manlike courage, all men conceiving that it was not this but the hatred which the King carried to her brothers’. Her young son was also found guilty of conspiracy and sentenced to death, the sentence to be carried out when he had
come of age. Luckily for him, he outlived the king.

But the king had taken possession of Glamis and plundered it.

Sir Thomas Lyon, the eighth Lord Glamis, renounced his allegiance to Mary, Queen of Scots and served under the Regents Moray and Lennox. He was made Chancellor of Scotland and Keeper of the Great Seal for life, and his son, the ninth Lord, was captain of the Royal Guard and one of James VI’s Privy Councillors. In 1606 he was created Earl of Kinghorne, Viscount Lyon and Baron Glamis.

His son, the second Earl, was a close personal friend of the Marquess of Montrose and was with him when he subscribed to the National Covenant in 1638. He accompanied Montrose on his early campaigns in defence of the Covenant, but despite his great affection for the Marquess, he could not support him when he broke with the Scots Parliament to fight for Charles I. Lyon almost ruined his estates in supporting the Army of the Covenant against his friend.

In 1677 Patrick, the third Earl of Kinghorne, added the titles of Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Viscount Lyon, Baron Glamis, Tannadyce, Sidlaw and Strathdichtie. He paid off the debts of his father and was able to increase the wealth and size of the Castle of Glamis.

John, his son, although a member of the Privy Council, opposed the Treaty of Union of 1707. His son was a Jacobite who fought in the rising of 1715 at the Battle of Sheriffmuir in Tulli-bardine’s regiment. He died defending his regiment’s colors.

In 1716 James, the ‘Old Pretender’, son of James VII, was entertained at Glamis.

Thirty years later another king’s son, but a much less welcome one, the Duke of Cumberland, stopped at the castle on his march north to Culloden. It is said that after he left the bed which he had used was dismantled.

The youngest daughter of the fourteenth Earl of Strathmore
and Kinghorne was the late Queen Elizabeth Bowe-Lyon, the Queen Mother.

Another Lyon ancestor, John Lyon (b. 1510), was the founder of The Harrow School in Harrow, England.

Sources: The Internet, web site: (http://www.myclan.com/clans/Lyon_69/default.php); The Lyon Memorial; Wikipedia.

Visit the Lyons Family Association of America!!

Click here for a PDF of  an Outline Descendant Chart of William Lyon, The Immigrant.

Check out the Lyons Oaks in Chauvin.