Born Co. Cork c1827. Parents John Buckley & Ellen Connolly [from St. Peters Care home records where she died in 1902: they specified her birth as 1828]
Lots of marriages of John Buckley in Cork on irishhgen 1800-1832 but none to Ellen Connolly
Have scoured the Mallow Heritage website for anyone matching these criteria; no success She is not the Catherine Buckley1] b.1828 in Ballyclogh, 2] b.26/9/1826 Inchigeelagh, parents John Buckley & Hannah Hurley, 3] b.9/9/1827 Killarney, perents Dl.Buckley & Sarah Sullivan . 2021- no such baptism on RI 1826-1834
http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/news.html [ not a link!!] - these records do not seem to include some that the Mallow Heritage centre have!!
She left Ireland with the famine, 1851-1852, already married to Stephen Lyons, on 31/07/1851 in the Church of St.Marys and St.Annes, Cork, now the Cathedral.
1851-c1888. Life as for her husband, Stephen Lyons.
1888. Her address is 2 Millstream Road when Stephen is admitted to the Workhouse from 15 Snowsfields as 'destitute'. So appears that they are living apart.- 2 sons, unnamed, seem to be at the same address as she. Son Stephen states on joining the Militia in1891 that he had lived at 2 Millstream Road for 2 1/2 years from ~August 1888 - Feb 1891.
1890. Thought maybe she was lliving at 3,Cross Street, address given on husband's d.c.with sons Michael & probably son Stephen & daughter Elizabeth . Or that that she lived with children Stephen & Elizabeth elsewhere and that Michael 'looked after' her destitute husband. But, she, Catherine, might possibly have been in the St. Olave Infirmary for the first 7 months of the year. I doubt this!
[On H3/OLA/11/1/8, St. Olave Union Admission & Discharge Book for the Infirmary, May 1889-March 1890, a Catherine Lyons, charring, R.C., born 1832, was admitted 1/1/1890 [ our Catherine's husband, Stephen Lyons, having been admitted 17/12/1889 and then died 28/2/1890 there] . 1832 is suspect here - & there was another Catherine Lyons, also R C: a Catherine Lyons, b.1833, is in St.Olave Workhouse in 1891C . Also one dies 1899, St.Olave Southwark, but age here given as 60, indicating 1839 birth!!
On H3/OLA/11/1/9, St. Olave Union Admission & Discharge Book for the Infirmary, which starts 9/3/1890, on 22/7/1890 a Catherine Lyons was discharged at her own request .]
1891 Census. Moved to 2, Hanover Buildings . Catherine Lions , 61, no occupation given, b.Ireland, Cork, with children Stephen Lyons 32, single, labourer Waterside, & Elizabeth Lyons, single, 27, bookfolder.
This presumably just before son Stephen moves out to Magdaline Street before joining the Militia 30/7/1891.
1892. A Catherine Lyons, born 1829, R.C., calling Nil, admitted [ again ?] on Friday 4/3/1892, on order of St J. Thomas, to the St. Olave Infirmary. Discharged Monday 30/5/1892 at her own request: LMA St Olave Union Admission & Discharge Book for the Infirmary H3/OLA/11/1/010. She was seemingly still there on 26/3/1892 [in that she had not been discharged] - 556 people in total.. The 1829 birth indicated ties in with the following entry ,so , I am pretty sure this is our Catherine.
On 10/8/1892 she was admitted to St.Olaves Workhouse, aged 63, of 15 Boss Street, due to 'Sons neglect' , relations given as sons Michael of 12 Curlew Street, & Timothy & Stephen, both of unknown address. She was discharged on 18/8/1892 - fiche X104/287, reason illegible. ? sons?
Re the 2 sons of unknown address: Stephen has joined the Militia end July 1891 and presumably is stationed with them. But Timothy, married and with 4 children, aged 1-12, was in Peabody Buildings in August 1891 but then back in Black Swan Yard by 1894 - seemingly a move backwards - so maybe he was completely unable to support her.
What had happened to her daughter Elizabeth Lyons, still unmarried, in this year??
Just 4 days later,
1892. Was living in Dockhead, at a lodging house [ from St.Peter's records- could this 'lodging house' have been at 15 Boss Street] before entering the Little Sisters of the Poor Carehome, St. Peters House, 2A Meadow Road, Lambeth on 22/08/1892. Was recommended by the Sisters of Mercy - link to their site is -.http://www.ourladyofmercy.org.uk/ - who were working in Dockhead at the time.[These Sisters of Mercy still have a convent in Dockhead which JL visited Mar 2010 :" They have a heritage centre which describes the "mercy" story from its beginnings in Ireland around 1839. The stories and social history surrounding the parish were useful background to S & C. The centre does not hold any fh material but I did get the name of the Diocese archivist so I am going to write to him to see if they might have anything on Catherines situation "]. St.Peter's had her " at a lodging house in Dockhead, the widow of Stephen Lyons, born 1828, County Cork, Ireland. Parents John Buckley & Ellen Connolly". There was no mention of next of kin or reasons for admission - this odd as Workhouse knew Michael's address on 10/8/1892!.[ Letter from St.Peters to JL in file].
1901. Inmate in St. Peters House., aged 73, widow, given as retired lodging house keeper,[ is this correct??] b.Ireland. There were about 30 nuns, Little Sisters of the Poor, and about 250 inmates, ranging in age from 61 - 95, so Catherine would have been one of the youngest when admitted in 1892. The nuns came from England, Ireland, France, America, Canada, Germany and Belgium. The institution is still there in 2008, run as a care home for Lambeth Council., a registered Charity , Little sisters of the Poor St Peter's Residence with a Sister Superior. Do not seem able to find an old photo of it.
1902. Died 3/02/1902. Have her d.c. D2.: Died at St.Peter's House, Meadow Road. Aged 74 years Widow of Stephen Lyons, a General Labourer of Dockhead Bermondsey. Cause of death: senile decay. Informant, 4 days later, was M. Brien, present at the death St.Peter's House, Meadow Road. As the address for M.Brien was also St. Peter's House, this is unlikely to have been a relative & a Bridget Brien was a sister, a nurse, there in 1901C.
Was buried , 10/2/1902 ,in St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, [ grave no. 1154E, a public grave, plot has been remade now - letter of 19/2/1981, shown below] Harrow Road, Kensal Green, London NW, not in Leytonstone Catholic cemetery with Stephen. JL discovered her there in 1980s when he failed to find her buried in Leytonstone in the 1980s..
See Stephen Lyons page for her life history 1852-1890.
Places she lived: