The Lyon branch of the family, which includes the Broom branch, is one of the most interesting, partially because it contains several well-documented individuals who played important roles in the early years of America.
Some early members of the Lyon branch played an important role in pre-Revolutionary War days and helped found Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Jacob Broom, great-grandfather of Ella Lyon, was a one of the Founding Fathers, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention from Delaware. One of his ancestors, William Brinton, was an associate of William Penn, and one of the earliest settlers of the Philadelphia area.
It was also this line, through William Brinton’s wife Ann Bagley, that provided the most likely “link to royalty”, the subject of decades of debate among genealogists, and in our family, a persistent story. It was well-researched due to former U.S. President Richard Nixon also sharing this line. Until a few years ago, the link was considered proven. Then, new information surfaced casting doubt on the link. After many, many hours of research, it is my conclusion that this link falls into the category “possible but not probable”. However, the Bagley family was at the very least intimately connected with Lord Sutton, and related by marriage. The story surrounding the question is fascinating in and of itself since it provides a glimpse of 16th and 17th century life in England, and so I have included more about this in the Bagleys of Dudley section.