Lucretia Lyon (1807 - 1893)

Born 20 Aug 1807 in Shelburne, Chittenden Co., Vermont, USA

Ancestors

Died 16 Dec 1893 at age 86 in Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan, USA

Biography

Lucreita, born October 20, 1807, was a special friend and confidante of her brother Lucius. It is through many of his letters to here, which were carefully saved, that the modern generation has insight into his thoughts and activities and in to the history of some of the settlements that he founded. She moved to Michigan in 1840 and lived more than 50 years in Grand Rapids. ^[1]

Sources

Census

Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan, USA, 1884 Michigan census, http://seekingmichigan.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16317coll3/id/8869

Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan, USA, "United States Census, 1860," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW63-RFX : accessed 9 August 2015), Lucretia Lyon, Second Ward Grand Rapids City, Kent, Michigan, United States; from "1860 U.S. Federal Census - Population," database, Fold3.com (http://www.fold3.com : n.d.); citing p. 59, household ID 433, NARA microfilm publication M653 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 803,550.

Grand Rapids, Kent Co., Michigan, USA, "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MF8N-HTG : accessed 9 August 2015), Lucretia Lyon in household of Wm L Coffinberry, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan, United States; citing family 322, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

Death

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=82214783

Burial: Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne Co., Michigan, USA, Plot: Sec F Lot 63

"Logansport Pharos-Tribune", December 19, 1893

At Grand Rapids, Mich., Lucretia Lyon, aged 86.^[2]

From the Historical Collections of the Michigan Pioneer & Historical Society

Miss Lucretia Lyon. — Miss Lucretia Lyon died Saturday, December 16, 1893, at the residence of her nephew, the Hon. George W. Thayer, of Hastings street, aged 86 years. She was born in Shelburne, Vt., October 20, 1807, and came to Michigan in 1840 and to Grand Rapids in 1841, with her brother Lucius Lyon. Her brother was territorial delegate in Congress in 1833-35 and looked after the interests of the State when it was admitted to the union. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1836 and served four years, being one of the first two from Michigan. He was a surveyor by profession and made many of the early surveys and acquired large property interests here. He once owned much of Kent plat, the tract north of Lyon street west of Division street and Lyon street was named in his honor. Miss Lyon in her early life was accomplished and is described by those who remember her as rarely beautiful. She spent a season with her brother in Washington and was a popular belle. Since her brother's death in 1851, she has not been farther from the city than to Reed's Lake. She has lived a quiet, retired life, so quiet that probably few have the older citizens knew such a woman was in their midst. She was the last of her immediate family. She was a sister of Mr. Thayer's mother Pamelia Lyon Thayer. The funeral services were, held at his home on Ionia street, corner of Hastings street, Monday, December 16, at 2:30 o'clock p. m., and the body was taken to Detroit and buried by the side of her brother, as she had requested.^[3]"

Footnotes

1. ↑ Lucius Lyon: An Eminently Useful Citizen by Kit Lane, page 11, (C)1991, Pavilion Press, P.O. Box 250, Douglas, Michigan
2. ↑ "Logansport Pharos-Tribune", Logansport, Indiana, December 19, 1893, page 19, http://www.newspapers.com/clip/2979255//
3. ↑ "Historical collections, Volume 26, By Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society, (Memorial Report, Kent Co., Michigan), 1896, page 141

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Cathryn Hondros for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Cathryn and others.