Thomas James Lyall

The source of this information is Ancestry.com. There are other photos of Thomas under the Media Tab above. Thomas James Rollins Lyall was named for his father's friend and brother-in-law Tom Harbo Rynning. Rynning is famous in Arizona History as a Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba; Head of Arizona Rangers; and Warden of the Arizona Territorial Prison in Florence. Jesse Rollins was with Rynning on many of these adventures. Rynning married Jesse's sister, Margaret Eve Rollins.

Thomas James Rollins was born January 13, 1911, in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, the son of Jesse West Rollins, 38, of Florence, Arizona, a guard at the Territorial Prison, and Ruth Smith Rollins, 19, of Phoenix, Arizona, a housewife, per the Arizona Territorial Board of Health. When Tom was 5 years old, he was adopted on July 7, 1916, probably in Phoenix, Arizona, by Fred Lyall (his mother's second husband, who Tom hated). Ruth's marriage to Fred Lyall was short lived. According to her brother Jack, Ruth may have had another marriage after Lyall. Her final marriage was to Jim Houck. Tom's father, Jesse, was an expert 'tracker' and was chasing bad guys across the desert when his son was given up for adoption to another man. When Jesse returned he visited Tom through the fence at school until someone complained and he was made to stop.

RESIDENCE IN 1984: 6361 North Lemon Avenue, San Gabriel, California.

OCCUPATION: Draftsman - Evans-Johnson Engineers. National Park Service - park attendant.

AFFILIATIONS: Masonic Lodge, Power Squadron (boats).

MILITARY: No, he tried to enlist in the Sea Bees but he didn't qualify because of medical problems.

CHURCH: Methodist

MEDICAL: Diabetes, hypertension

DEATH: Certificate of Death, registered April 30, 1984, Los Angeles County, California.

CEMETERY: Cremated, ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

OTHER INFORMANTS : Tom Lyall personal interview, Ruth Smith Houck, Jack & Bessie Smith, Kay Lyall/Finkler (first wife), Kay Lyall Lack and Jack Lyall (2 of his children), Eleanor Hamilton Lyall (second wife) and numerous family documents including a Memorial card from mortuary and his obituary.

MARRIAGE: Arizona Territory, Maricopa County, published 1989 page 10 - Marriage License Book # 1, May 28, 1871 to June 14, 1987.

SOURCE: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/11127568/person/-522462825/media/1?p...|pgNum

In the 1940 U.S. Federal Census Tom was 29 years old and living in Coconino, Arizona, in the Grand Canyon Village, with his wife, Alberta K., 24, and his two children, Marlee K., 5 and Thomas J., 2. He was working as a surveyor for the National Park Service, and for the 48 weeks he worked in 1939 at 40 hours per week he earned $1,680. His previous residence in 1935 was in Sequoia National Park in California. His daughter Marlee K. was born in California and his son Thomas J. was born in Nevada.

Previously in 1930, Thomas had been living in Montebello, California, with his uncle and aunt, John (aka Jack) Morgan Smith, 43, and Bessie E. Smith, at 746 Horfuer Street, which was a home owned by Jack, and was valued at $3,500. Jack was working as a contractor building roads and Tom as a civil engineer in road construction. Tom was 19 years old in the 1930 census.

Previously in the 1920 census Thomas was living at 128 Eighth Avenue, Yuma, Arizona, with his mother and adopted step-father, Fred Lyall, who was working as a switchman for the railroad.

Thomas and his first wife divorced and he married Eleanor Jeanne Hamilton June 10, 1950, in San Mateo, California. He was living in Temple City, Los Angeles County, California, in 1955. In 1962 per a California Voter Registration Record, he and his wife Eleanor, were living at 6361 N. Lemon Avenue in the Rio Hondo section of Los Angeles County, California.

Tom's mother, Ruth, passed away October 24, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona, and Tom himself passed away less than 3 years later on April 27, 1984, in either Alhambra or San Gabriel, Los Angeles, County, California.

I wish I would have known Tom because I lived about 5 miles from where he was when he died in San Gabriel or Alhambra. At the time I was living in Rosemead, California, which is not far away. He was my first cousin twice removed. His father, Jesse West Rollins was the brother of my great-grandfather, John Henry Rollins, Jr.

Rest in peace cousin!

Della Dale Smith

September 8, 2013

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Feb 18 2019, 13:27:17 UTC