Mary Lyons Smyth

Mary Lyons was born in Cloghfin, Edenderry, Co. Tyrone on November 16, 1850.  She was the daughter of Robert Lyons (1799-1872) and Mary Houston (1810-1872).  She had 4 brothers, James, Robert, John and Andrew.  She had one sister, Letitia.  She married Alexander Smyth, a farmer, on April 18,1876 in Drumnakilly Church. The witnesses to their wedding were William Smith and Joseph McIver. At the time of their marriage Mary was not quite 16 years old and Alexander was 41 years old.  They worked a farm in an area they referred to as Copney located between Omagh and Carrickmore.  Mary and Alexander had 11 children, Jane, Robert (1), Christopher, Alexander, Letitia (Lottie), Robert (2), George, Mary ( Minnie), Joseph, Margaret and Andrew.  Jane died when she was 17 years old.  I don't know what happened to her. None of the relatives I knew ever spoke of her.  Robert (1) died as an infant.  Christopher immigrated to the United States in 1901 and settled in Chicago where he worked in marketing and advertising. Alexander stayed and worked the farm till both of his parents were deceased.  He married Isabella Caves.  While living in Co. Tyrone they had 2 sons Joseph and William.  Alexander and his family immigrated to the United States arriving on July 17, 1927.  They had a farm in Pennsylvania and they had 2 more children Isabel and Gerald. Letitia and Mary also stayed on the farm till their parents were deceased and then immigrated to US and settled in the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania.  Letitia married an evangelist , William Anderson.  I don't know what happened with Mary.  Robert (2) was my Grandfather.  He immigrated to the US in 1905 and settled in Philadelphia.  He married Eleanor Denison, whose parents were also from Co. Tyrone, on July 23, 1919.  Robert ran a corner grocery store.  They had 3 children, Ruth, Thomas and Mary Eleanor.  George arrived in the US in 1907. He went west to Alaska where he delivered mail via dog sled and in his spare time mined for gold.  He eventually came back to Pennsylvania, married  and Lillian Crane.  They had 3 Children Robert, Elizabeth and George.  Joseph became a minister.  He moved to Brighton England but later returned to Northern Ireland to live in Belfast.  He married Cynthia Garnold and they had one son.  Margaret passed away at the age of 4.  Andrew came to the US in 1915.  He was married to Helen Galt who passed away at a young age. Andrew lived in Brooklyn, New York.  He worked in the ship building industry.  In 1934 he married a Scottish lass, Helen Mc Donald.  They had one son.

Mary Lyons Smyth's husband, Alexander, died on November 7, 1924, one month short of being 90 years old.  Mary continued living on the farm with her son, Alexander, Isabella, Joseph, William, Letitia (Lottie) and Mary (Minnie) till her death on Nov. 13, 1926, just 3 days shy of 76 years old.