Lyon, Samuel
John M. McDonald interview — 1844-11-01
Samuel Lyon (1760-1849) resided on Hogpenridge Road (present-day Ridge Street) in Rye. He discusses quarrels that took place between British and Loyalist officers, including a disagreement between Banastre Tarleton and Mansfield Bearmore over attacking an American outpost at the Byram River and a quarrel between Andreas Emmerich and James DeLancey. Lyon recounts the postwar activity of Loyalist Thomas Merritt, and states that Samuel Reynolds led the party that killed Thomas’s brother Shubael “Shube” Merritt. He also notes that some deserters and discharged men from American Colonel Stephen Moylan’s 4th Continental Light Dragoons ended up robbing and plundering households that had previously entertained them during their service, including the Brown family.
Manuscript page facsimiles
High-resolution images served from the Westchester County Historical Society's IIIF endpoint. Click any page to view full size.
Transcription
- Hufeland Index Page 076 -
Saml. Lyon. Nov 1. Samuel Lyon, of Rye, Hogpenridge Road: Tarleton was a large heavy man. I saw him with Bearmore. Bearmore wanted Tarleton to give him some of the dragoons to strike an American post near Byram but Tarleton refused.
- Hufeland Index Page 077 -
Saml. Lyon contd.
Thomas Merritt returned and lived in Rye after the war but was sheriff when [Simcoe] was governor of Upper Canada, he went there and was made Sheriff which office he held for many years. Emmerick had a quarrel with Delancey and struck him. Emmerick was disgraced in consequence. – Samuel Reynold’s headed the party that took Shube Merritt. Merritt had taken him prisoner in North Street, and letting him go a number of paces fired at him, wounding him slightly. Two brothers named Quail and many others deserted or were discharged from Moylan’s, &c. turned robbers and plundered the farmers where they had been entertained – e.g. the Brown’s.