William and Mary Dwyer: Tavern Keepers

Newcomers Timeline
William and Mary Dwyer: Tavern Keepers

(See line 6th up from the bottom): 1840 Census listing for William Dwyer and his household in Lake County, consisting of three daughters, two sons, his wife Mary Murphy Dwyer and brother-in-law Dr. Richard Murphy.

Marker erected to William Dwyer (1800-1846), his wife Mary (1800-1875), and her brother Dr. Richard Murphy at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waukegan.

Marker erected to William Dwyer (1800-1846), his wife Mary (1800-1875), and her brother Dr. Richard Murphy at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Waukegan.

William and Mary Dwyer left Ireland in the 1820s and settled first in New York and then Canada. They arrived in the area now known as Lake Bluff in 1837 with their three eldest children, James, Margaret and Thomas, laying claim to property on the west side of the Green Bay Trail, north of what is now West Washington Avenue. William Dwyer was appointed Supervisor of Oak Precinct, the area containing the Dwyer Settlement, and was named Road Supervisor of the Oak Precinct section of the Green Bay Trail in 1837. In 1845 Dwyer was appointed to the County Commissioners Court to be Overseer of the Poor for the Oak Precinct. William Dwyer died at age 46, in 1846. Following his death, his wife, Mary Murphy Dwyer, played a prominent role in the development of the area. She continued to run the tavern and stage relay, as well as the adjacent family farm.