Skip to main content

Edmund Lyon family papers

 Collection
Identifier: A.L98

Biographical / Historical note

In 1830, Harrison Armstrong Lyon (1815-1900), then 15, left his parents' home in Burnt Hills in Saratoga County, New York, to follow his eldest brother Edmund, who had settled in Rochesterville in the Genesee Region of Upstate New York some 10 years before. Through hard work and diligent saving, he managed to "make a name of himself" in Rochester, becoming identified with the milling, carpet and dry goods trade businesses. Successful and independent, he yearned for the peace and tranquility which he had not known since he had left his parents' farm. Finding that hop growing was a successful venture much in demand (beer and ale being very popular at the time), he sold his business interests in the city in 1848, and purchased several acres of land in the vicinity of what is now Culver Road and East Main Street, but what was then a choice farming area.

In 1851, Harrison Lyon married Fannie Minerva Gale, daughter of Justus and Philanda Root Gale of the nearby village of Brighton. They had two children: Elizabeth, born on September 25, 1852, and Edmund, born on June 4, 1855, and named after his father's eldest brother."Eddie" had his preparatory training in the Brighton District School, Hale's Private School for Boys, St. Mark's Academy on Clover Street (Brighton), and the DeGraff Military School of Rochester. He entered the University of Rochester as a member of the Class of 1877; his career there was marked with high honors. He won first prize in Mathematics in his Freshman year, and honorable mention in his examination. As a Sophomore, he was the first College Precentor Commencement Orator, and he graduated with honors. He studied law at Columbia University, receiving his LL.B from that institution in 1880. He was admitted to the Monroe County Bar the same year, but he soon turned from the practice of law for travel, investment, business operations, and philanthropic work. He occupied an important place in local business affairs; the city of East Rochester owes its inception in part to his enterprise, the Vanderbilt Improvement Company. Edmund Lyon Park in East Rochester is named in his honor.

Lyon was also an inventor; he submitted numerous inventions to the patent office in Washington, and received patents for most of them. Of these, the most notable were a locomotive turntable in which the power of the locomotive itself, operating through the driving wheel, was made to rotate the turntable, and a mechanism for starting automobile engines, eliminating the need for the starting hand-crank. This second device ensured the success of the Northeast Electric Company, which eventually became the Delco Division of General Motors. Several of his drawings and patent applications may be found within this collection.

Lyon's interest in public matters and philanthropic endeavours was broad and varied, but he was particularly interested in supporting education for the deaf and hard of hearing. In 1887, he became a volunteer teacher at the Western New York Institute for Deaf-Mutes (later the Rochester School for the Deaf). It was here that he met Carolyn Hamilton Talcott (herself partially deaf due to a bout with diphtheria), who had taught at the school since 1879; they married in 1896. He served at the school for seven years, during which time he developed the Lyon Phonetic Manual for use in promoting the teaching of speech to the deaf, or oralism. In the course of this work he became close friends with Alexander Graham Bell.

In 1895, Lyon was appointed Secretary of the State Board of Charities, and a year later was appointed by that Board as State Examiner of the nine schools for the deaf in New York State. Together with Carolyn, he devised and put into operation a scientific method of examination and comparison of the mental attainments of deaf pupils with the aim of improving teaching and learning across the board. He also invented several devices for the aid and advancement of the handicapped, such as a mechanism to enable the blind to write in a perfectly uniform style of modified script, a mechanical apparatus for teaching numbers, and a complete system of shorthand line writing illustrative of his manual. The first item was designed with Helen Keller in mind; its presentation to her as a gift won Lyon her "undying gratitude and eternal friendship." He was a lecturer and writer on Phonetic analysis, and on the development of elemental speech sounds in the educational work among the deaf.

Edmund and Carolyn Lyon had five children: two sons, Edmund Jr. and Edmund Harrison, both of whom died in infancy; and three daughters, Elizabeth Hamilton, and twins Carolyn Sibyl and Linda Gale, nicknamed "May" and "June" (because they were expected in June, but were born in May of 1902). The Lyon family remained close to the Institute for the Deaf and contributed generously to the school and various other philanthropic causes. Edmund Lyon died on April 23, 1920. A more detailed account of the lives of the Lyons and the Talcotts is given in the book Vibrant Silence, by Carolyn Sibyl (Lyon) Remington.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of the personal, business, and family papers of Edmund Lyon (1855-1920), a noted Rochester inventor, humanitarian, philanthropist, and manufacturer. It includes family and business correspondence, diaries, notebooks, manuscripts of books and articles, financial records, photographs and memorabilia of Lyon, his wife Carolyn Hamilton (Talcott) Lyon, Harriet E. Hamilton (her aunt), and a few other members of the family.

The first nine boxes of the collection consist of correspondence to and among members of the Edmund Lyon family. A majority of the letters are to or from Carolyn Talcott ("Carrie") or Harriet Hamilton ("Aunt Hattie"), but there are others, especially between Edmund Lyon and his parents. There is a large number of letters exchanged between Edmund and Carolyn during the six months or so before they married on June 2, 1896, as he spent most of that time in Albany and New York City on business. The letters are mostly personal in nature, but some business concerns are occasionally mentioned; quite a bit is mentioned about the Western New York Institute for Deaf-Mutes, where Carolyn and Harriet worked and Edmund had much interest. Boxes 1 through 8 contain dated letters, from 1863 to 1949; the letters in box 9 are undated. The rest of the collection (boxes 10 - 17) consists of diaries (of Carolyn and Harriet), business records, mining reports (Edmund had later developed an interest in the search for metals and ores), notebooks, some school materials (from the University of Rochester), and other various papers relating to the teaching of speech to the deaf, Edmund Lyon's several inventions, and donations to different missions and charities. A copy of The Lyon Phonetic Manual may be found in box 17.

Creator

Dates

  • Creation: 1863-1949, undated

Language of Materials

English

Extent

22 box(es)

Access

The Edmund Lyon family papers are open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was placed on deposit in the University Library by Mrs. Francis Kirk (Lyon) Remington, April 18, 1951. Additional material received during 1965/66.

On November 11, 2008, the postcards found in Box 19 were received from Allis and Louis D'Amanda.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Edmund Lyon family papers, A.L98, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Related Materials

Carolyn Sibyl (Lyon) Remington. Vibrant Silence. Lawyers Co-operative Publishing Co., Rochester, NY. 1965. RBSCP call no. F130.2 .L99r.

Title
Edmund Lyon family papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by Rare Books and Special Collections staff
Date
undated
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Library Details

Part of the Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation Library

Contact:
Rochester NY 14627-0055 USA