Davis Town

[garthur]

I'm trying to trace my great grandmother.  Unfortunately all I know at present is that her married name was Mary Lyons and she was born in Davistown, Co. Wicklow.  I don't even have her maiden name!  I believe she was born 1842 and, on the 1891 census, resided at 38 Sweden Street, Waterloo (Liverpool) with her husband, Peter Lyons (Born 1842 Liverpool), 3 sons and two daughters.

I am currently going through other census returns from 1861 onwards (assuming she may have been about 20 or 20+ on her marriage).

Any ideas would be appreciated!!

Many Thanks

Glenys

PS just as an afterthought I believe Peter Lyons' parents were from Southern Ireland - possibly the Youall area - but with a name like Lyons....it's like looking for Jones in Wales!

[aghadowey]

Without Mary's maiden name you will not be able to trace her family in church records (birth registration started 1864) so you really need to find the record of her marriage to Peter Lyons- which will give you her maiden name, father's name & occupation & residence at time of marriage (but not her date or place of birth or mother's name).

[garthur]

Thank you!  It's back to the old drawing board for me, then.

Seems I have located the right family this side of the water, just a case of tracking it on the other side!

Sadly, Mum (whose grandmother Mary may have been) died on 22 October.  She scarcely knew her father  (James) who died when she was only 4!

I'll keep my eyes peeled...

Glenys
xxxx
(And I was born on 17th March - they called me Glenys?!!!)

[garthur]

Only now getting back to sourcing the Irish links.

When I revisited the 1891 Census, Mary Lyons' place of birth was just given as Davis Town, Ireland.  I have just discovered there's a Davistown in Co. Offaly?  So I may have been looking in the wrong area anyway.

Still not got a definite on her maiden name.

[hallmark]

http://www.logainm.ie/en/54847  Davidstown

[dathai]

I presume this is them
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:7QSS-8T2

have you tried to get one of the childrens birth certs which should give her maiden name.

[dathai]

they are pretty consistant with the childrens ages, Amy is now Annie and Mary jnr is missing  1901
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9K2-NBB

[gaffy]

I've seen the 1891 census "Davis Town Ireland" reference, however another census return cites Mary Lyon's birthplace as "New Ross Wexford" (near the border with County Kilkenny). So "Davis Town Ireland"  and "New Ross Wexford" are as specific as it gets, unless you know otherwise.

And just to manage expectations, even if you manage to more conclusively establish birth location and maiden name, there's no guarantee you will find a church baptism record for Mary.

That said, from what I can see in the census returns, Peter and Mary's oldest child was Mary born c.1868. A couple of census returns cite "Lyon" rather than "Lyons". Either way, the closest potential "matches" for a marriage couple that I could find on Freebmd were:

- Peter Lyon and Mary Ann McConvill, both listed under "Marriages Sep 1865", Liverpool registration district, volume 8b, page 190; and

- Peter Lyon and Mary Hamilton, both listed under "Marriages Dec 1866", Liverpool registration district, volume 8b, page 228.

An online family tree suggests it is the Lyon / Hamilton marriage (***health warning, information placed online by individuals may be inaccurate!). That marriage took place on 10 December 1866 in St. Nicholas Church Liverpool, both Peter and Mary were living in Slade Street at that time, groom's and bride's fathers were recorded as Peter Lyon and James Hamilton, both labourers.

As Dathai mentioned above, you need one of the children's birth certificates to confirm Mary's  maiden name, unless someone can post something more here to move things forward (here's hoping).