Jane Lyon's

IMMIGRATION TRIALS

We believe that Jane LYON was born in 1666, possibly in Bolten, Lancashire, England. Her parents are unknown, but they may have died when she was young as James HARRISON (from Bolten) was appointed her guardian.

She came to America from Liverpool, England, on the ship "Submission" with her guardian on 5 Sep 1682, but, instead of landing in Philadelphia as they expected, they instead landed in Choptank, MD. Some suspect that this was an intentional plan of a crooked ship's captain. He may have held out for more ransom to take them to the other port, or may even have hoped to sell his hapless passengers as indentured slaves to the out-of-the-way plantations where his former passengers would not easily be found by relatives.

In any event, Jane and her guardian made an overland trip to reach Philadelphia. They arrived on 15 Jan 1683. Jane became an indentured servant to her guardian in order to pay off her debt to him, and ended up working four years. She met Quaker widower Richard LUNDY, Sr., and they married.

He had inherited his first wife's dowery of two hundred acres of land, and should have had a comfortable life. It's not known whether he paid off further debt to Jane's guardian, HARRISON, or whether she had fulfilled her time.