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Captain George Lyon (1790-1851)
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| Captain George Lyon was born in lnverurie, Aberdeenshire,
Scotland in 1790, the son of George
Lyon, long time Baillie (Mayor) of that town. He was the
grandson of James Lyon. The younger George was a military man
who was commissioned Ensign in the 40th Foot in 1806 and Lieutenant
two years later. In 1809 he transferred to the l00th Foot Glasgow
Infantry Regiment. This regiment had come to Canada in 1805.
He joined them in Canada in November 1810. |
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War of 1812
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| Serving in the War of 1812, he was present at the capture
of the American gunboats Growler and Eagle at lie aux Noix,
Lower Canada (Quebec), and was put in charge of the American
prisoners who were removed to Montreal. On the Niagara frontier
on this continent at Lundy's Lane and Chippawa (Niagara Falls
area), he commanded the regiment's eighth company at the Battle
of Chippawa on July 5, 1814. At the latter location, he carried
his friend Lt. Maxwell wounded from the battlefield (Lt. Maxwell
would later become father-in-law to George Lyon's son Robinson
E Lyon). George himself was severely wounded at the Battle of
Chippawa Creek but he recovered and continued to serve with
the 100"' (renumbered 99''' in 1816] until it was disbanded
in 1818. |
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| In 1812 (or 1813), George was married at Sorel, Quebec to
Catherine Radenhurst (born 1793 in Lower Canada, also known
as Canada East and later Quebec), daughter of Captain William
Radenhurst. Captain William Radenhurst was born in Cheshire,
England and had come to Lower Canada in February 1776 as storekeeper
to the hospital at Trois-Rivieres. Ten years later in Montreal,
he married Catherine Campbell. the daughter of a loyalist. Captain
William Radenhurst was the Commanding Officer of Fort William
Henry at Sorel, in Canada East, and later served at Fort St.
Johns located on the Richelieu River. His wife, Catherine Campbell
Radenhurst was the sister of Mrs. Thomas Rideout, the wife of
the Surveyor-General and both of them were the daughters of
Alexander Campbell of Adolphustown, Canada West, near Kingston.
Captain Radenhurst died in 1805 leaving eight children under
the sole care of their strongwilled mother. She managed to get
commissions in the army for two of her older sons and later
to have the son Thomas accepted at John Strachan's Home District
Grammar School at York (Toronto). From there lie went oil to
study law in the office of his cousin George Rideout. Thomas
Radenhurst became a prominent lawyer in Perth, Ontario and also
served as a Member of the Legislature for Upper Canada. In those
days, the wives of officers often accompanied their husbands
to the postings and lived in cramped quarters in the fortresses.
This too seems to have been the case with George Lyon. Catherine
obviously moved with him since the Census of 1851 lists his
daughter Ann as born at Chippawa. George Byron was George's
first male child, born back at Sorel in 1815. It is not known
where their third child, Mary Eliza, was born in 1819 (probably
in Richmond), but it is documented that their fourth child was
the first male child born in Richmond, William Richmond Radenhurst
Lyon born in 1820. |
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Settling in Richmond, Canada
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| In the early summer of 1818, the military authorities decided
to demobilize the 99th Regiment of Foot Soldiers, which had
been a consolidation of the older 99th and 100th Regiments and
which had been stationed in Quebec. The members of the 99th
decided to settle in Upper Canada (later called Ontario). Following
his military career, lie received from the crown a grant of
a considerable amount of land in what became known as the Richmond
area of Ontario, later given the name of Goulbourn Township
of Carleton County, just outside of Bytown (later called Ottawa).
He also held property in March Township. The Public Archives
of Canada shows documentation that he held deed to 11.000 acres
of land on the Jacques (later and still known as Jock) River.
Research shows that the amounts of land allotted were according
to military rank: 100 acres to a private, 200 acres to a sergeant,
400 acres to a lieutenant and 800 acres to a captain. Another
document mentions an amount of 800 acres that he received. It
is documented that "In 1820, Captain Lyon built mills above
the village and constructed the great dam which drowned the
country above it for many miles, turning it into a hunter's
paradise for many years." Lyon claimed the mills cost 1.00 pounds
to build. The sawmill was erected about 1821 and by April, 1826
the grist mill was fully operational. To the mill complex, he
added a distillery, which began production early in 1827, a
fullingmill, a forge, and a store at which he sold spirits and
other goods, and he engaged in the potash trade. Given their
backgrounds, it was natural that Lyon and other officers formed
an elite group for leadership and positions of prominence. Officers
were on half pay whereas general settlers were permitted to
draw army rations for the first year, and were issued with the
following tools and stores: 1. To the head of each family: 1
axe, 1 broad axe, 1 mattock, I pickaxe, I spade, I shovel, I
hoe, I scythe, 1 draw knife, 1 hammer, I handsaw, 2 scythe stones,
2 files, 12 panes of glass and 1 pound of putty, 12 pounds of
nails (in three sizes), I camp kettle, I bed tick, and I blanket.
2. For every five settlers: 1 crosscut saw, I whipsaw, I grindstone.
3. For the settlement: 2 complete sets of carpenter's tools.
The foregoing lists suggest a marginal living standard, but
this was not always the case for the community elites. During
the next year, Captain George Lyon, now a storekeeper, imported
luxury items from Montreal such as bone china, crystal glasses,
swan's down silk, fine lawn, and gold jewellery. A further indication
of the community's refinement was the demand for books, including
the current issues of the illustrated magazine Life in Paris.
The principal markets outside the local area for the flour,
lumber, and whisky were Montreal and the Point (Ottawa). For
erecting his mills, George received, in an agreement with the
Quarter-Master General's Department, extra land in the village
and in Goulbourn. He was later allowed to patent even more land
to compensate for the property flooded by his mill pond. Documentation
shows that he and also the Radenhurst family (his in-laws) at
one time owned land in the region of Sorel, Quebec, as well.
George Lyon was noted for many accomplishments: - He cut down
the first tree in the area that would become Richmond. - He
was responsible for most of Richmond's industry, having run
a grist mill, distillery, saw mill and fulling mill - all operated
by water power provided by a dam he constructed on the Jock
River (a.k.a. Goodwood River) near the foot of Fortune Street.
- He served as Justice of the Peace. - He worked as a half -
pay officer for the militia. - |
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| Until the 1840s, he was one of a small group of men, many
of whom lived in or adjacent to Bytown, who effectively controlled
that community. - He served in the assembly of Upper Canada,
elected in 1832. He was defeated in the elections of 1836 and
1844. - He represented Carleton County in the Legislative Assembly
of Canada following the union of Upper and Lower Canada, in
1846 but lost his seat again in 1847 - 1848. Richmond (named
after the Duke of Richmond, Governor General) was a major centre
of influence both politically and economically for several years.
The Richmond "Elite", the core of which was made up of former
military officers, held political control during the 1820's
in this area. It is written in the Richmond Sesquicentennial
Book of 1968 that "Along with Colonel Burke, four other half-pay
officers formed the inner core of the `Elite'. This group included
Captain John Lewis, Captain George Lyon, !Major Sewell Ormsby,
and Lieutenant Maxwell. These men all held various government
posts. All four were Justices of the Peace These men also participated
in commercial ventures of the town. Captain Lyon founded both
the first Mill and Store and continued to be a very successful
businessman_ Lieutenant Maxwell became a leading breeder and
importer of thoroughbred stock in the district "this Elite'
held effective political control during the 1820's when Richmond,
with at least a dozen general stores, four breweries and two
distilleries. a saw-mill, grist-mill and carding mill, comprised
the business and commercial center of the area. From 1824 -
1828 Colonel Burke represented the district in the Legislative
Assembly. In 1828, he was replaced by Thomas Radenhurst, a Perth
lawyer, brother-in-law of George Lyon, and a candidate who had
the sanction of the `Elite"." Unfortunately for the future development
of Richmond, the Rideau Canal was built between Bytown (Ottawa)
and Kingston. This was the major transportation system for the
area. The Jock River was only a small tributary of the Rideau
and was isolated. With the construction of this Bytown canal
in 1826 and the rapid development of the lumber industry along
the Ottawa River. Bytown became the hub of activity and Richmond
gradually lost its commercial position. It should be mentioned
that these two settlements were less than 20 miles apart. During
the building of the canal, Richmond had prospered since the
workers were largely dependent on local supplies. With the completion
of the canal, not only did commercial loyalties switch, but
also political loyalties moved away from the Richmond group.
In the election of 1832, the loyalties came down to a battle
between two "Elite" groups of the area. No longer could the
Richmond group provide the greater number of favours in the
area. George Lyon was the candidate for the Richmond group and
lost out to the opposition. Later due to voter irregularities,
the winner had to resign his seat in favour of George Lyon.
"Although the Richmond leaders, Lewis, Malloch and Lyon continued
to hold office during the 1830's, Richmond's power was gone
and many of the leaders forsook their old home for the rising
young town with a future - Bytown. Thus Richmond's days of glory
were over and its days of memories had begun." This brought
about considerable financial strain on the George Lyon businesses.
In 1841, he seriously considered renting out his mill and moving.
In 1849, he was forced to sell his half pay to discharge a property
obligation. He was gazetted a lieutenant in the Royal Canadian
Rifles that year but immediately sold his commission to another
officer. Captain George Lyon died in 1851 and is buried in St.
John's Anglican Cemetery in Richmond, Ontario. His wife, Catherine
Radenhurst Lyon, died on September 10, 1857 at the age of 64
years and 6 months. She too is buried in Richmond, however the
location of her grave is unknown. Her tombstone was found inside
the cemetery vault and, to this date, has not been repaired
and re-erected near the tomb of her husband. |
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Captain George Lyon & The Soldier Settlers Carving Out a
Home from Carleton Saga
by H. & O. Walker
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The future Capital was largely a cedar swamp with hemlock
and pine-topped ridges of rock cropping out here and there.
Dow's great swamp stretched almost from the Rideau to the
Ottawa. Of the landfall of the flotilla at our Chaudiere and
the forbidding terrain of primeval Ottawa, an early writer
has recorded "The very port they sailed into below the Chaudiere
Falls was called Bellow's Landing, but this, they threw to
the wild tempestuous winds, and called it Richmond Landing.
Here they moored their little boats and landed their families
and household goods. The little store kept by Jehiel, son
of Capt. Collins, furnished some things they required and
they pitched their tents over the plain, known for some time
as the Flats. Here was a collection of fine ladies, many of
them very fair; and gallant gentlemen. "Among the many beautiful
girls, perhaps the most beautiful was the then little Miss
Hill, who afterwards became the wife of Edward Malloch, the
-LP. for twenty years for Carleton. These colonists did not
seem to see any attraction in the surroundings of the Chaudiere,
a settlement where the city now stands. Most of the place
was a cedar swamp, of deep, thick mud, so soft and watery
that trees might be said rather to float than grow on it ..
. "The Government Hill (now Parliament Hill), and Ashburnham
Hill (now the slight rise in the area of Somerset West, Cooper
and Lyon streets) were then covered with hemlock, beech and
maple. The rest of the place was a deep swale, through which
years after, when the cows waded along Bank and O'Connor streets,
they had to be washed before they could be milked." Gourlay's
History of the Ottawa Valley, p. 70. In bark huts and crude
shelters that mushroomed all over the Landing and the Le Breton
"Flats" the families managed to exist while their men folk
under Color-Sergeant Hill commenced their desperate offensive
against the forest, cutting a road through to their locations
20 miles inland. When that was completed they had to construct
permanent log cabins. It was a race against time, for the
winter frosts came early that year, and the pioneers suffered
greatly. Many of them did not move out from the "Landing"
until nearly Christmas. Their first Canadian winter resulted
in two casualties. It is recorded that one man, William Dennison,
of the 99th, died during the sub-zero temperature as a result
of exposure, while a woman named Osborne was frozen to death
while returning from Richmond Landing. Undaunted by the bush
and swamp which stretched away southwestward, the men started
to slash a road through it while the families were left in
their shelters all the way between Richmond Landing and Holts
and Honeywclls. In telling of the tremendous work involved
in this undertaking, one of the early chroniclers states:
"To cut forty logs and draw them for the construction of one
building would be labour for twenty good strong men, even
if the trees stood around the spot where the building was
to be erected. The balsam rafters were to be peeled, fitted,
and the boards sawed, shingles to be made by hand, and a chimney
of some kind put up. How they managed to get so many houses
fit to be occupied by white people before the thermometer
registered zero is a mystery unsolved to this day." By late
November many of them must have reached their wilderness habitation
at Richmond for on November 26, 1818, Colonel Cockburn wrote
Bowies at Quebec that "four hundred heads of families have
already been located in the vicinity of Richmond . houses
are building and seven or eight Half-Pay Officers have fixed
upon it as their place of residence." Colonial Office Records
Q 152 Pt I Archives of Canada.
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| insert picture |
Soldier Settlers of the 99th and Moth Regiments building a
rough road from Richmond Landing at the Chaudiere to their wilderness
settlement at Richmond in the late summer and fall of 1818.
Working against the descent of winter the discharged soldiers
lead also to build shelters for their families until they could
both finish the road and construct homer in Richmond. (Thin
was one of the murals completed before his death by the famous
Canadian artist,
the late Charles W. Jefferys, R.C.A., L.L.D. |
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| The William Dennison mentioned on the previous page as having
perished from exposure has proven to be an interesting puzzle.
In the summer of the year 2000, an e-mail was forwarded to the
writer with information that a query had been received from
a descendant of the Dennison who had died, although the name
given in the query was John Dennison (1 785 - 1819). The confusion
would be easy to make in this sort of research. It was believed
that his wife had died soon after. The Widow Dennison and two
male children appear on both the Census of 1821 and 1822 as
still living in Richmond. After that there is no record so she
too may have died around that time as believed. Nothing is known
of their burials since no cemetery would have been established
at that early time. We know from the query that two orphan sons
- John Jr. (born c. 1811) and William (born c. 18 12) survived,
and according to the writer of the query, were raised by Captain
George Lyon and his family. It is understood that both young
men timber trade in the Bytown (Ottawa) area. Apparently both
brothers were members of the "Shiners", a tough Irish gang employed
by lumber and land barons. Family lore has it that John and
William became separated after the infamous Battle of Stoney
Monday, part of an 1849 bloody riot between the masses of unemployed
"Shiners" and their job competition among the French Canadian
workers, which left much of Bytown in rubble. The brothers evidently
never saw each other again. (The person making the query is
descended from John Dennison's line.) Later John Dennison moved
to Lake Dore, north west of Bytown where he was one of the first
settlers of the area. A respondent to the query mentions a Dennison
couple from that area having a grandson named William Lyon Dennison_
It is interesting that the signatures of Dennisons appear as
having been guests in Perth at the wedding of Catherine Lyon
and Nelson Brown in 1908. The Census shows that a Dennison lived
in the town of Perth at that time and worked as a painter. Could
these have been descendants of the orphan boys? |
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George Byron Lyon-Fellowes - the son of Capt. George Lyon
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| Information provided and
based upon research by Jim McTavish, Barbara Gibson, Reg
Lyon, George Mackenzie, Cynthia Milligan and Wendy Wain.
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Robert Lyon, the brother of Capt. George Lyon,
was killed in last fatal duel in Canada - 13th June 1833
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| see Robert Lyon |
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| George's sister Mary Lyon (b. 1805) died in Kincardine
O'Neil, near Aberdeen. |
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| Also references in Bytown |
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| also reference in Dictionary
of Canadian Biography Online |
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| George Lyon & the Montreal ‘China’ Merchants |
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