Lynch (Paddock) Family History

Personal Note: I’m beginning with the Sources, rather than ending with them, because they are a good introduction to the Timeline “Facts” and the memories that Robert Lyn Gray has of his grandparents.

[1] Lynch Family Migration. Notes from Maude Lucille Gray, daughter of George Alvey and Clare Maud (Lynch) Gray. (Dennis Lynch). His memories, in full, are attached to his profile page on Ancestry.com in my Gray-Piper Family Tree. There is also a scanned copy of his handwritten letter.

[2] Timothy and Louisa (Paddock) Lynch. By grandson, Robert Lyn Gray, son of George Alvey and Clare Maud (Lynch) Gray.

[3] Find A Grave Memorial created by Daniel Kelley. Record added: 11/28/2010. Note: matches the notes of Maude Lucille Gray except he does not mention the son left in Ireland and the daughter who died at sea (1837).

[4] Letter from Rosabel. to her nephew, Robert Lyn Gray, written Dec. 27, 1958 (Rosabel, age 81). Personal notes: most likely some of the information Robert used in [2] Timothy and Louisa (Paddock) Lynch came from this letter. Her letter is attached to her profile page on Ancestry.com in my Gray-Piper Family Tree. For example, in her letter she states that when her father [Timothy] was nine years old [1847] he was instrumental in bringing them [his parents/family] to Janesville, Wisconsin, and when 19 [1857] he brought them to Minnesota. I find no record of them living in Wisconsin; their last child Hannah was born 2/13/1852 in New York [the listing for her in the 1870 Census states she was born in New York]. She also writes: "When they left Ireland in 1837, they had a boy and a baby girl. The boy was ill so they left him with a priest who promised to bring him over later. He had always wanted the boy. He reported that the boy had died. The family always doubted this. The baby died on the boat and was buried at sea."

 About the marriage and children of Dennis and Ellen (Colhand) Lynch: [3] states that Dennis married Ellen just before leaving Ireland for America in 1834. [2 and 4] states that when Ellen joined him in 1837 she left behind a young son who was ill and a daughter died at sea -if this is true, in order to have conceived two children before Dennis left for America, they were married earlier than 1834; I’m not including a marriage year for Dennis and Ellen.

 The first record I have for Dennis Lynch in the US is a 1834 Passenger List. The first record of Ellen Lynch (age 21) in the US is a 1835 passenger list: Departed: Liverpool, England, Arrived: New York, NY. Ship: Henry Leeds. There is no other Lynch listed before or after her. The second record I have for both Dennis and Ellen Lynch is the birth of Timothy, born in Montgomery County, New York in 1838. Until someone finds Scotland records for their marriage and children born there, I'm not including that information.

   Dennis Lynch (born 1806) emigrated from Cork County, Ireland: departing from Liverpool, England on the ship, Isabella, he arrived in New York on 5/20/1834 (age 27). His wife, Ellen (Colhand), joined him in 1835.

 They settled in Montgomery County, Timothy was the first child born in America, 8/25/1838.  By the time the 1840 Census was taken their family had grown (with the addition of a baby every 2 yrs: age 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 0) to nine members.

 They moved to Dodge County, MN, in a covered wagon pulled by oxen, and homesteaded in Ashland Twp; in the 9/21/1857 Minnesota, Territorial and State Census, Twp 100, Timothy is listed, age 19. In his family history, Robert [2] calls it Ashland Twp, he says that before they could prove up this homestead the land was given to the railroad and they moved to Ripley Twp. In the 1860 Census the family residence is, Ashland (Post Office), Dodge County, MN.

Lynch (Paddock) Family History

   On November 28, 1865 Timothy (age 27) married Louisa M Paddock (age 17) (her family had moved to Dodge County, MN, at the same time as Timothy’s parents). In the 1870 Census their residence is Ripley Twp, Dodge Co, MN (Post Office, Ashland): Stella 2, Laura 6 mo.

Family Portrait of Timothy and Louisa Lynch, Circa 1906). Shared on Ancestry.com by Daniel Kelley
L-R/standing: Lillie, Arthur, Rosabel, William, Dolly, Dennis, Clare Maud
L-R/seated: Timothy, Cora, Louisa
Not Present: Nellie; Stella died in 1888 (age 20), Pearl died in 1890 (age 2)

[2] Robert Lyn Gray’s memories of his grandparents

 Grandpa (Timothy) was a “jack of all trades” (he said if anybody could do a job, he could do it); he built all of his own buildings and many for neighbors; I remember his carving out ax and hammer handles. He harvested his own wheat with a cradle. He hauled wheat and corn to Red Wing to be ground into flour and cornmeal. That was 50 miles one-way, a long trip with oxen and no roads or bridges.

   In 1908, Reed (age 6) and I (age 8) spent quite a lot of time at Grandma’s (age 60), which was just one mile to walk. She had a hard life, but never complained. She milked all of the cows running loose in a small lot. When the cows moved, she picked up her three-legged stool and followed. When she had them all milked, she put the milk in large wooden bowls in the cellar so the cream would come to the top to be skimmed. The cream was churned into butter with a dasher churn. On Saturday, she would hitch old Topsy to the buggy and take her butter to Dodge Center to trade it for groceries. Old Topsy was so old I think you could hang a hat on her hip bones. Reed and I went with her many times during the summer. It took two hours to go six miles. She also made cheese, hominy, and home made soap. She fixed the brine for the pork, but Grandpa tended the fire in the smoke house.

 After her day’s work was done, she would sit in her big rocking chair and sing. The one song that I remember part of was, “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have  purpose firm, and Dare to make it known.”

Louisa (Paddock) Lynch with her Grandchildren
Gray Family Collection; contributed by Louisa's daughter, Rosabel: she writes: This was my mother and her grandchildren.
Glen is near her. Very poor picture of her but good of the kids. Ruth is the baby.
I'm guessing it goes like this: Annie Lou, Reed, Louisa, Robert Lyn
Glenn (on Louisa's left), ? (on her right), Clare Maude holding baby Ruth

Family Portrait, children of George Alvey and Clare Maud (Lynch) Gray
Standing, L-R: Annie Lou, Robert Lyn, Reede, Glen, Ruth

xxx