Inside the AJHS Archives – The Research of Terry Lyons

It is no small feat to collect a family lineage that stretches over two hundred years, but Terry Lyons has endeavoured to do just that. Residing in the Australian Jewish Historical Society Archives is a remarkable thirty-year compilation of Lyon’s personal research early Jewish community of North Queensland. This extensive work is encapsulated in a nearly 200-page document entitled The Launceston Lyons: A little Story of Joshua Lyons and Priscilla Suutton and their 11 Children and Joshua Lyons and Ester Brody (Nee Nathan) and their 2 Children.

Lyons embarked on this genealogical journey in the late 1980s, initially knowing very little about his ancestry prior to his grandfather, John Alfred Lyons. Like many individuals exploring their roots, Lyons faced the common challenge of lost or fragmented history. Despite these limitations, the significance of this research extends far beyond Lyons’s own family history as it offers an invaluable source and vital record for North Queensland Jewish community and similarly serves as an inspiration to others eager to undertake similar challenges.

This collection, now in its fourth and final edition, is more than just a family tree. It represents decades of dedicated research, correspondence, and an unwavering commitment to documenting a rich cultural heritage. In addition to the detailed, self-published text, the donation contained a wealth of supplementary research material including, but not limited to, letters between Lyons and fellow Jewish community members, biographical records, newspaper clippings, birth and death records, interview documentation, scholarly articles, a variety of photographs, transcripts and locations of grave monuments, passenger ship lists, and much more. Collectively, this research covers a date range of 1816 to 2019. The Archives now officially hold Lyons’ incredible journey, including the decades of research and correspondence undertaken to document his lineage.  

The final work itself is is divided into nine chapters, each focusing on a different branch of the Lyons family. These chapters include, The Genesis of Lyonses (Chapter 1), Joshua and Priscilla (Chapter 2), The Nathans (Chapter 3), Joshua and Esther (Chapter 4), Samuel Jones, Jona, Solomon, Deborah, Charlotte Miriram, Rachel Rebeckah and John Jame (Chapter 5), Henry Saul (Chapter 6), Abraham Arthur Brown (Chapter 7), Alfred Aaron (Chapter 8), and Henry Moses (Chapter 9). The text features records, photographs, maps, drawings and diagrams to tell the history, with a detailed reference list and appendix situated at the back. This makes it not only an incredible historical document, but also a key scholarly resource for those interested in Jewish genealogical research.

This collection stands not only as a testament to the history of one family but also serves as a broader testament to Terry Lyons’ commitment to preserving Jewish heritage. The AJHS Archives are honoured to protect its material with the goal to make it accessible to the wider community. It is our hope that others may discover connections to their own histories or simply find inspiration to embark on their own genealogical explorations.