Lyons Family Correspondence
Includes letters addressed mostly to Mary Lyons or her brother Frederick D. Lyons about friends and family in Greenfield and Colrain, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Topics discussed are sickness, death, accidents, an instance of probable wife abuse, recipes, Greenfield scandals, clothing, quilting, Methodist/Universalist bickering, and Aunt Mary’s investments.
The Lyons family correspondence consists mostly ofletters addressed to Mary Lyons or her brother Frederick D. Lyons regarding their friends and family in Greenfield and Colrain, Massachusetts, and in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Among the topics they discuss are sickness, death, accidents, allegations of spousal abuse (see Elkhart, 1883), recipes, scandals in Greenfield, clothing, quilting, bickering between Methodists and Universalists, and Aunt Mary’s investments.
Mary’s cousin J.L. Lyons of Greenfield, a frequent correspondent, was an undertaker and owned a furniture store formerly known as Miles and Lyons.
The collection is open for research.
Cite as: Lyons Family Papers (MS 133). Special Collections and University Archives, W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Acquired from Scott Peterson of Kenilworth, Illinois in 1986.
Processed by Linda Seidman, October 1986.