Lyons Update

Birth Certificate

• Michael Joseph Lyons (1884-1891)

Marriage Certificate

• Michael Lyons & Anne Monahan, 3 February 1867, Manhattan, New York

Death Certificate

• William Henry Lyons (1869-1941)

My Thoughts...

The marriage certificate proves Michael was married before he married Helen (Ellen) Blanchard.  I think it is safe to assume William Henry Lyons, John J Lyons, and Annie Lyons were Michael and Anne's children.  William P Lyons was most likely not their child; however he was connected to the Lyons family.

This information also suggests Daniel Joseph Lyons was not Michael and Anne's child.  At this point I do not know who is mother was.  There is a chance Daniel didn't know either, which is why he listed Ellen Blanchard as his mom on his World War I Draft Card.

Michael Joseph Lyons Birth Certificate

Michael Joseph Lyons' birth certificate is interesting.  I find it very strange that "in wedlock" was written on the certificate.  When I was in vital records I checked, but did not find another certificate with those words written on it.  It seems if nothing was written on a birth certificate, in wedlock was assumed.  So why did Michael and Ellen write "in wedlock"?  Is Michael Joseph's birth certifcate, Michael and Ellen's marriage certificate as well?

Michael Joseph's birth certificate states Ellen was from Nova Scotia, and the state of Maine.  Could Maine be how the family entered the United States?

Finally the birth certificate states Ellen was the mother of two children.  I would like to think the other child was Helen Lyons, but until I can find her birth record I don't think I can be sure.

Tigers and Lyons...

I have been organizing my paperwork in anticipation of my visit to NYC Department of Records.  Next to George Illegitimate, Helen (Ellen) Blanchard and the Lyons' prove to be the most confusing.

I posted Ellen's story about a month ago.  Since then I have stumbled upon new information.  The first thing I found was an old interment list.  The list provided the following names and dates of burials:

• William P Lyons, 7 June 1869
• John J Lyons, 27 August 1872
• Anne Lyons, 28 June 1875
• Annie Lyons, 11 October 1875

On my last visit to NYC Department of Records I found the death certificates for William, John, Anne, and Annie Lyons.  On the death certificates, the places of death were mentioned.  John and Annie died in Manhattan, New York, at 304 Rivington Street.  Anne died at 302 Rivington Street.  William also died in Manhattan, New York, at 125 Goerck Street.

In light of this information, I decided to examine the 1880 United States Census.  I discovered there were still Lyons' living at the addresses.  Michael Lyons, age 32, tailor, and William H Lyons, age 10, were living at 304 Rivington Street.  At Goerck Street, Daniel Lyons, age 5, was a boarder of Mary Lyons.  The ages of Michael and Daniel, as well as Michael's occupation, all correspond to Ellen's husband and son.

After Michael's death in 1891, Ellen and her family moved to Brooklyn.  In 1894 William H Lyons was living with Ellen Lyons, widower of Michael, at 100 1/2 Dupont Street.  William lived with the family through 1900.  William and Daniel Lyons were also connected to Lyons Brother Cigars.  They, as well as the business, were listed under the address 566 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, in both 1897 and 1898.

The other piece of information I found was Stephen Blanchard's baptismal record.  He was baptized in 1880.  Ellen was listed as a sponsor on her nephews baptismal record; however she was not listed as a Lyon, she was Ellen Blanchard.

Based on this new information, it appears Michael was married before Ellen.  It also proves William and Daniel were not Ellen's biological children.

Helen = Storyteller

Family members that change their name, place of birth, and age with great frequency are the hardest to track down.  In one census they might list their age as 41; twenty years later they say they are 50.  This leads to a lot of frustration and uncertainty.  In my family tree, "lying" people all seem to share a common trait, the name Helen, or Ellen, or Nellie, etc.  For a name that means light, they turn it off.

Helen Blanchard (1849-1927)

Helen was born in May 1849.  She was baptized Roman Catholic, 3 June 1849, St. Simon and St. Jude Church, Tignish, Prince Edward Island.  Her baptismal certificate lists her parents as Stephen Blanchard and Catharine Ferris.  Helen, or Ellen as she commonly referred to herself, lived in Tignish, Prince Edward Island, along with her family in the 1861 Canadian Census.

The next time Ellen was documented was 16 May 1891.  She was listed as the mother of Michael Joseph (abt 1884-1891), on his death certificate from that date. At the time of his death Ellen and her family were living at 81 Avenue C, Manhattan, New York.  She was still living there 9 November 1891, when her husband, Michael Lyons (abt 1850-1891), was admitted to the New York City Asylum for Insane, Wards Island, New York.

In the 1900 United States Census Ellen was living on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, New York, with her daughter Helen (abt 1880-1893) and her niece Catherine Blanchard (1896-1965).  In the 1910 United States Census she was living at 83 Third Street in Queens, New York.  She was living with her daughter Helen and Helen's family, as well as Catherine Blanchard.  In 1918 Ellen was listed as Daniel Joseph's (1876- ) mother on his World War I Draft Card.  Her address was 26-84 12th Street.

In 1920 Ellen was living at 912 Crescent Street, Queens, New York.  She was living with her husband, John Ryan.  Ellen died on 30 November 1927 in Wyckoff Heights Hospital from appendicitis.  At the time of her death she was living at 76 McComb Place, Queens, New York.  Ellen was buried in St. John's Cemetery, Queens, New York.

There are so many things I need to do to complete my research on Helen.  My first to do is figure what Ellen was doing between the years 1861-1891.  Obviously she immigrated, married, and had children, but I do not have records on any of these events.