Lyons family

TURNER — The Lyons family gathered on July 11 at the home of Roy and Margaret Howes who opened their home to more than 135 family members and friends.

The sand pit was transformed into a giant playground for the young and young at heart and there were plenty of activities for all ages. There was a bounce house, a pie-eating contest, a piñata and hula hoop contests, as well as bingo.

As some participated in the activities, others chose to sit back and watch as they caught up on family news. The entire family contributed to a barbecue and potluck picnic.

Herbert and Mina (Worth) Lyons are the connecting root to all the branches of descendants at the reunion. Herbert and Mina were brought up along the Vermont/Quebec boarder and were married in 1891. They settled in the Holland/Derby Line, Vt., area and began their family. After their 12th child was born in 1913, the family moved to Groveton, N.H.

In 1925, Herbert and Mina moved to the Rumford/Mexico area, following two of their sons, who had moved to the area to find work at the Oxford Paper Co. Ten of the 12 children followed the family’s migration for jobs and settled in the Rumford/Mexico area, found work and raise their families.

The children, 10 of whom are buried in the Farrington-Morton Cemetery in Mexico, are Irvin Lyons, Gladys (Lyons) Hersom Elliott, William Lyons, Harry Lyons, George Lyons, Roy Lyons, Henry Lyons, Raymond Lyons, Ella (Lyons) Cannon, Elmer Lyons Sr., Annie Lyons and Bessie (Lyons) Convery Burgess.

Most of the family members who attended the reunion traveled from all around Maine. Others came from as far away as Massachusetts, South Carolina, Florida and California.