FIRST GENERATION

1. David LYONS was born on 10 May 1830 in Harrison County, Ohio. He died on 15 Feb 1896 in Wellman, Washington Co., Iowa.⁽¹⁾ His obituary, as it appeared in the Wellman Advance of 20 Feb 1896 read:

"David Lyons was born in Harrison county, Ohio, May 10, 1830, and died at Wellman, Iowa, Feb. 15th, 1896, being 65 yrs., 9 mos., 5 days old. He was married twice before the war and from those marriages there is one son and one daughter now living. He enlisted in Co. G, 7th Iowa Inf., Feb. 16th, 1864 and was honorably discharged at Louisville, Kentucky, July 12th, 1865 by reason of expiration of term of service. He was married to Mrs. E.A. Cordrey in 1866, and to them were born four children of whom three are now living. He united with the Presbyterian church in Keota, Iowa, in 1876 and since leaving that place had not united with any other church but had lived a consistant christian life and in his last days had said to his many friends that he was prepared and willing to go. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. Maplethorpe, assisted by Dr. Cox at the M.E. church, Sunday at 10 a.m. Burial at the McArtor cemetery in Iowa county."

He was buried on 16 Feb 1896 in McArtor Cemetery, Green Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa. ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾ His grave is next to that of his second wife Sarah Elizabeth Fisher Lyons, and is marked with a large monument, bearing the inscription "LYON," an obvious mistake by the monument maker. Sarah's grave is marked by a smaller, simple stone that reads: "SARAH E., Wife of DAVID LYONS."

He served in the military 16 Feb 1864 to 12 July 1865. ⁽⁴⁾ David volunteered for service in the Union Army exactly five months to the day after the death of his wife Sarah Elizabeth. Leaving their three-year-old daughter in the care of friends or relatives, he enlisted on 16 February 1864 at Marengo Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa, and was mustered into Co. G, 7th Reg. Iowa Infantry Volunteers on 19 Feb 1864 at Davenport, Iowa. The "History of the Regiment," prepared by Lieut. Col. J.C. Parrott reports the following events at the time of David's enlistment:

"On the 20th February [1864, the regiment] commenced to rendezvous at Keokuk, and about the 25th had about two hundred recruits mustered into the regiment. Left Keokuk by steamboat on the 27th February; arrived at Cairo March 1st; took transports for Nashville, and arrived there in three squads from the 4th to the 7th of March. Took railroad for Pulaski, and proceeded from there to Prospect, Tenn., on Elk river, and garrisoned that post until 27th April, when we started on the ever-memorable Atlanta campaign.
"This march was one of continual skirmishing and fighting. The Seventh, upon crossing the Oostanaula river at Lay's ferry, May 15th, was thrown to the front to feel the enemy, who were in strong force, but a few minutes sufficed to bring on the deadly conflict, which lasted but a few moments, and terminated in the complete rout of the rebels, consisting of an entire division commanded by General Walker. The Seventh Iowa did not number four hundred muskets, and inside of ten minutes lost sixty-one men in killed and wounded. No regiment in the United States service ever behaved with more gallantry, and it was with difficulty that the men could be drawn off from a force five times their number. This was about the first severe fighting of the campaign. . ."

Shortly thereafter David contracted dysentery and was left in the division hospital at Kingston, Georgia (near Rome) on 23 May 1864, three days after Lieut. Col. Parrott himself was confined there for illness. David stayed there until September, 1864. By 22 Sept 1864 he had rejoined the Company at Rome, Georgia. Lieut. Col. Parrott's history continues:

"The regiment went from East Point by rail to Rome, Ga., where it arrived about the 20th of September. The regiment was ordered to Allatoona on the 4th of October, but from accident to the cars did not arrive in time to take part in the bloody fray of the 5th, but arrived there just after the repulse of the enemy. Returned to Rome on the 7th of October, where we remained till November 11th, then took up the march through the heart of Georgia, and entered the city of Savannah, Dec. 21st." On 26 December 1864, Lieut. Col. Parrott wrote a detailed report of the march from Rome to Savannah, which is found in the Adjutant General's Report, State of Iowa, Jan.11, 1864 - Jan. 1, 1865 at pages 1054 - 1056.

At the time of his enlistment David was working as a carpenter. He was noted to be 5'6" tall, with sandy hair and complection and blue eyes. A photograph in the possession of Allen Lyons shows him in middle age with a long, full beard.

David mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky on 12 July 1865 at the conclusion of the war.


The 1880 Census of Iowa Co., Fillmore Twp., lists parents' birthplace as Maryland, but as of this writing nothing more is known of them.

He was married to Rachel GARDNER (daughter of Isaac GARDNER and Nancy ROSE) on 30 Sep 1853 in Harrison County, Ohio. Rachel GARDNER was born in 1835 in Harrison County, Ohio. What became of Rachel remains unknown as of this writing. No death record has been found, and there is no indication of a divorce. We only know that David married Sarah Elizabeth Fisher nine months after the birth of his and Rachel's son. David LYONS and Rachel GARDNER had the following children:

+2 i. John McBain LYONS.

He was married to Sarah Elizabeth FISHER (daughter of Nathaniel B. FISHER and McCormick DRUSILLA) on 15 Nov 1856 in Moorefield Twp, Harrison County, Ohio. ⁽⁵⁾ Certified copy of marriage license issued 13 Nov. 1856 for "David Lyons and Elizabeth Fisher."

Sarah Elizabeth FISHER was born on 27 Jun 1836 in Ohio. She died on 16 Sep 1863 in Greene Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa. She was buried in McArtor Cemetery, Green Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa. David LYONS and Sarah Elizabeth FISHER had the following children:

+3 i. Virginia May LYONS.

He was married to Elizabeth Ann HALL (daughter of John Wesley HALL and Eliza Ann WILLIAMS) on 18 Mar 1866 in Greene Center, Iowa Co., Iowa. ⁽⁶⁾⁽⁷⁾ Elizabeth (called Betsy Ann by her family) had returned to her parents home following the death of her first husband, Davis DeW. Cordrey, helping her mother care for her younger siblings. Her younger sister, Mary Jane,had moved with her husband Joseph Hukill to Iowa in 1861, and perhaps it was on a visit there that Elizabeth met David, a soldier just returned from the war; himself a widower with a young daughter the same age as Elizabeth's own daughter, Florinda Cordrey. They were married by the Reverend Willaim Raines, a Methodist minister.

Elizabeth Ann HALL was born on 23 Jan 1838 in New Canal Dover, Tuscawaras, Ohio. She died on 11 Jan 1921 in Hastings, Adams Co., Nebraska.⁽⁸⁾ Elizabeth died at the home of her daughter, Florinda Cordrey Partlow. Her death was reported in the Wellman Advance of Wellman, Iowa, and closed with these words:

"They are not dead who live
In hearts they leave behind,
In those whom they have blessed
They live a life again
And shall live through the years
Eternal life, and grow
Each day more beautiful
As time declares their good,
Forgets the rest and proves
Their immortality."

She was buried on 14 Jan 1921 in Park View Cemetery, Hastings, Adams Co., Nebraska. ^{(9)(10) (10)} David LYONS and Elizabeth Ann HALL had the following children:

+4 i. Melvin Sherman LYONS.
+5 ii. Garrett A. LYONS.
6 iii. Jimmy M. LYONS was born on 18 May 1872 in Greene Twp., Iowa Co., Iowa. He died on 23 Sep 1876 in Keota, Keokuk Co., Iowa.
+7 iv. Ira Monroe LYONS.