Mary Garioch Walker Lyon was born on June 12, 1845 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, daughter of David Murray Lyon (1819–1904) and Elspeth Cooper (1821–1858).[1]
A newspaper notice was published in the Gippsland Times (Vic. : 1861 - 1954) Saturday 5 January 1867, Page 3, OMEO, as follows ... Mr. Phipps, the Registrar of Marriages, has a notice posted on the courthouse door to the effect that on Friday next he intends to unite one Allan Duncan and a young lady named Mary Lyons, so if any person wishes to object to the arrangement he may as well speak out, or there will be no chance after the day mentioned.
Mary married Allan Duncan (a.k.a. Charles Duggan) in 1867.[2] Their children were:
Mary Lyon and her first husband, Allan Duncan's marriage soon soured.
Mary (29) then married Stephen Butcher (23) (born about 1851 in England) in 1875 in Victoria.[3] Their children were:
On 4 May 1875, a pregnant Mary Lyon Duncan married again in the Wesleyan Church at Swifts Creek, Omeo.
On her marriage certificate she says she has one child, none dead and is a widow as of July 1867. She also says she is twenty-four when in fact she is one month shy of her thirtieth birthday!
Erasing two children, an on-foot marriage and shaving years off her age, was all done in one fell swoop of her signing the marriage register.
A conclusion can be drawn that her new husband, forty-five year old Stephen Butcher, a bachelor and miner, became complicit in Mary lying about being widowed in order for the second marriage to occur. Saying she had only one son instead of three gave credence to the early widowhood and put distance between her and Allen junior. Putting her age down by nearly six years may be pure vanity or trying to make herself more attractive to her second ‘husband’!
It may be assumed that Mary Lyon Duncan’s second marriage may have been bigamous and both parties to the marriage knew it. Divorce was virtually unheard of in those days. No evidence of a death for Allen junior has been found but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of course. If Allen junior really was dead by 1875 when Mary’s second ‘marriage’ took place, there would have been less need for Mary to tell so many lies on her marriage certificate.
Mary died on November 9, 1922 in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia, aged 77.[4]
Registry of BDM, Victoria. Marriage Certificate. | |
---|---|
Record information | |
Event | marriages |
Registration number | 1114 / 1867 |
Family name | LYON |
Given name(s) | Mary |
Personal detail | |
Spouse's family name | DUNCAN |
Spouse's given name(s) | Allan |
Registry of BDM, Victoria. Marriage Certificate. | |
---|---|
Record information | |
Event | marriages |
Registration number | 1614 / 1875 |
Family name | DUNCAN |
Given name(s) | Mary |
Personal detail | |
Spouse's family name | BUTCHER |
Spouse's given name(s) | Steven |
Registry of BDM, Victoria. Death Certificate. | |
---|---|
Record information | |
Event | deaths |
Registration number | 11677 / 1922 |
Family name | BUTCHER |
Given name(s) | Mary |
Place of event | BAIRNSDALE, Australia |
Personal detail | |
Mother's name | Elsie |
Mother's family name at birth | UNKNOWN |
Father's Name | LYON David Murray |
See also:
Mary LYON's siblings: Janet Murray LYON (1842-1919), Margaret Murray LYON (1847- ), David Murray LYON (1850-1873), Ann Cooper LYON (1852- ), unnamed LYON (1854- ) and Elspeth Cooper LYON (1855- )
Frederick Michael DUGGAN 1870 - 1962
George Charles DUGGAN 1872 - 1950
David Alexander DUGGAN 1868 -
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L > Lyon | B > Butcher > Mary Garioch Walker (Lyon) Butcher
Categories: Bairnsdale, Victoria | Lyon Name Study | Butcher Name Study | Duncan Name Study