Amasa Mason Lyman Newsletter, Volume 13 Educational ... · August 15, 2015 AML Society 3 Undoubtedly one of the greatest benefits of this volume will be a greater understanding of

This past month, members of the Society have continued to press forward in family history and legacy work. The newest project will be highlighted in this newsletter in an article by Sherilyn Farnes about her work, under the direction of Steven C. Harper at the LDS Church History Department, on a volume called “Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise”: The Selected Papers of Edward Partridge. Like The Joseph Smith Papers, which was in the news this month because of the release of two new volumes containing the printer’s manuscript for the original Book of Mormon, the Selected Papers will be of academic historian quality and a hard cover item of significant value. The content has been identified and publication has been arranged for next year. In addition, electronic publication of the work accomplished so far will be available to Society and other family members this Fall. Donations for the project are needed to pay the wages of the historians involved. Substantial donors will be acknowledged in the volume for their support if they communicate their wish to Sherilyn directly or through me. Voluntary contributions (tax deductible), which will be processed by LDS Philanthropies, can be made out (noting

Partridge Papers in the lower left corner of your check) and mailed directly to:

BYU Religious Education Attn: Susan Bettis, Controller3706 Joseph Smith BuildingBrigham Young University

Provo, UT 84602

So far, voluntary contributions of $3600 have been received this summer, and we hope to obtain another $1900 in the immediate future to pay the contracts. We hope to raise another $5000-$7000 over the coming nine months to pay for a final effort next summer. We will indicate progress in raising these funds on our website and in this newsletter.

This is an exciting project for our Society because a large portion of the membership has a strong interest in the Partridge family, as Amasa married and had families with three of Edward and Lydia Partridge’s daughters: Eliza Maria, Caroline Ely, and Lydia.

To share the progress on this project with the Society, Sister Farnes has been invited to speak at an annual meeting of the Society to be held:

Friday, October 2, 2015, 7:00 PMSunset Heights Stake Center, Chapel

Society Leadership

Presidency Report

Amasa Mason Lyman Educational & Historical Society

Newsletter, Volume 13August 15, 2015

David D. Busath President

Jed LymanVice President

Alisa Lyman Clark Executive Secretary

Jeremy LymanTreasurer

Matthew Lyman Director of Publications

Jody Lyman Fellmeth Director of Membership Development

Thomas King Director of Legal Affairs

Photo of Lyman, N.H., courtesy of Rebecca Brown

By David Busath

AML Society August 15, 2015

Presidency Report, cont’d.

1260 South 400 West (near the University Parkway Exit of I-15)

Orem, UT 84058

The meeting will be preceded at 6:00 PM by a meeting of the Board in the Relief Society Room (NW Corner). Parties interested in serving on committees in the Society or on the Board are welcome to attend the Board Meeting. Our website will be under construction for a time while we make improvements. We are also looking for family members with web design experience who could assist with this work. Please be patient and watch for a fine product to be rolled out over the next few months. The Society meeting will be followed by refreshments and socializing in the Multipurpose Room.

Our Society’s fall meeting, hopefully, will serve as a nice benediction on this summer’s many family activities: reunions, parties, summer outings and visits. As we pass through the seasons of life, the meaning of the Savior’s love, sacrifice, commandments, teachings, and guidance can grow deeper and deeper. As we strive to recognize the hand of the Lord in everything around us, and the whisperings of the Spirit become more constant, until we are in constant harmony with them. As we turn back to the Lord and align our will with His, it can become second nature…part of our being. This is what the Lord asks of us when he asks for us to be complete, to be perfect.

As you reflected on the pioneer sacrifices during the last few months, were you amazed as I was at the depth of their commitment, their determination, their faith, their love of the Lord, their hope? Rewatching “Seventeen Miracles” with my wife made me wonder how they did it. How did they hold up? And of course, I was reminded of the question, “How do we hold up?” With all that presses in on us and tempts us, with all the decay and corruption, with the constant challenges to our values posed by a world bent on “liberty to sin”; it takes courage, determination, and the joyous rejuvenation of covenants in our church meetings and fellowship to hold to the rod.

Many families are having large gatherings last month and this. I have heard of reunions of the Finlinsons in Oak City, the Blanding Lymans, and last week I went to our annual Hanks summer gathering in SugarHouse Park. I’m sure there are dozens more gatherings for Lyman descendants. I hope and pray that they are bringing loved ones together, renewing acquaintances, and helping us all strengthen our resolve to carry on as Pappy Amasy and his family did as the threw their hearts into building the Kingdom of God in Holladay, San Bernardino, Fillmore and surrounds.

These reunions and gatherings, although happening independent of the Amasa Mason Lyman Educational and Historical Society, nonetheless help fulfill the mission of the Society. Any activity that unites Amasa’s descendants or causes them to reflect with gratitude on their ancestors blesses the Society and, I am confident, brings a smile to Amasa and our other forebears.

2

An Introduction to “Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise”: The Selected Papers of Edward Partridge

On July 20, 1833, more than forty angry men stormed one-half mile down the street from the Independence, Missouri, courthouse to the home of Edward and Lydia Partridge. The men took 39-year-old Edward away from his family back to the public square, where a mob of more than 200 additional

men met them. The mob then beat, tarred and feathered Partridge before releasing him.1 Not long after, one of the mob leaders threatened Partridge’s life, stating, as Partridge recalled, “that if he lived till the next teusday night I should die. (that was the day the mob had set for their next meeting.).”2 Refusing to hide from those threatening his life, Partridge awaited the mob’s arrival the following Tuesday, acknowledging, “while I waited for the mob to come and take me, I had many disagreeable sensations running through my mind.”3 Fortunately, despite additional violence directed towards the saints, Partridge lived another seven years.

The forthcoming volume, “Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise”: The Selected Papers of Edward Partridge, contains new details such as these about Partridge’s thoughts and feelings, many from documents previously unavailable or even unknown to researchers. The editors of the Edward Partridge Papers Project are in the process of transcribing, verifying, and annotating every major Edward Partridge document into one volume. The volume currently includes approximately 80 letters, diaries, histories, land deeds, licenses, autobiographical accounts, poems, and other papers.

Fascinating insights into Partridge’s feelings and character appear throughout the volume, such as in his heartfelt plea to his wife: “you know I stand in an important station & as I am occasionally chastened I sometimes feel as though I must fall, not to give up the cause, but I fear my station is above what I can perform to the acceptance of my heavenly Father. . . . pray for me that I may not fall.”4 Reminders that Partridge lived his life amongst real people with ordinary imperfections arise as one reads his comment that his mission companion “preached and was quite lengthy so that I had not time to say much.”

By Sherilyn Farnes

Special Feature

August 15, 2015 AML Society

3

Undoubtedly one of the greatest benefits of this volume will be a greater understanding of Partridge’s relationships with his family members. Partridge yearned for his siblings and parents to enjoy the blessings of the gospel that he enjoyed, but only one of his siblings was known to have joined the LDS Church. After Partridge learned of his father’s death, he wrote, perhaps with some wistfulness, that his father “never was bitter towards the book of Mormon as I know of though he did not receive it.” In fact, Partridge continued, “he appeared to esteem it as a good book, but not equal to the Bible.”6

One can sense in Partridge’s writings a yearning for a physical as well as an emotional closeness to his family. Although Partridge’s youngest brother, James Harvey, joined the church, no evidence suggests that he ever gathered permanently with the saints. In 1837, as Partridge was organizing church members upon land parcels in Caldwell County, Missouri, he wrote to this twenty-seven-year-old brother, “I have reserved a lot or two [of land] for you if you want them. I hope that you will come up here, as soon as convenient, and see us, if you cannot make it convenient to tarry here.”7

Poignant hopes for the future also emerge from the pages of Partridge’s letters and diaries. Some hopes were fulfilled. When he arrived home after being absent from his wife and children for over a year on church business, he wrote in his journal, “I think I felt as thankfull as ever I did in being permitted to again rejoin with my family.”8 Other hopes were not fulfilled. In 1838, he wrote in a letter from Missouri of prosperous crops, noting with apparent relief, “there is no danger of the saints starving this year.”9 Just a few months later, mobs and vigilantes drove the saints from their homes and out of the state of Missouri. Many of the refugees went hungry as they were forced to leave behind most of those valuable crops.

Reading Partridge’s papers, especially back-to-back in one volume, brings him to life, illuminating his courage, love, service and relationships with his family, fellow church members and neighbors of other faiths. With the continued support of the Religious Studies Center at BYU, the Amasa Mason Lyman Society and generous individual descendant donors, the first section of the book, eight historical or autobiographical accounts written by Partridge, is scheduled to be released online this fall—many months before the volume appears in print. Seven of the eight histories have previously been inaccessible to researchers, and many contain accounts of oppressions in Missouri.

Yet despite repeated persecution, Partridge remained faithful. During his life, Edward Partridge’s associates revered him as one of the most admirable individuals associated with the church. One of his contemporaries wrote of him, “Many of the saints are acquainted with [Edward Partridge], and none, I presume, will hesitate to say, that the longer the acquaintance the more desirable the society . . . . If a man was ever persecuted for righteousness’ sake, without casting an anxious look back to the

Special Feature, cont’d.

In the summer of 2010, after becoming aware of the film Treasure in Heaven: The John Tanner Story, I took a trip to Bolton Landing, New York on Lake George to see the land where John Tanner, my fifth great grandfather lived. In 2011 I was able to show seven more family members the same land as we traveled through on the way to Canada. What an inspirational story is John Tanner’s! Bolton and Lake George are gorgeous. I saw his

By Nancy Busath

Lyman, New Hampshire

applause of the world and the flattery of the great, it is bishop Partridge.”10 Today, nearly two hundred years after his death, descendants, scholars and others can once again appreciate the life of the first bishop of the final dispensation.

1 Edward Partridge, Affidavit, 15 May 1839, Edward Partridge Papers, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City (hereafter CHL); see also Times & Seasons (March 1, 1845) 6:819.

2 Edward Partridge, Miscellaneous Papers, CHL.


4 Edward Partridge, Independence, MO, to Lydia Clisbee Partridge, Painesville, OH, 5–7 Aug. 1831, Edward Partridge, Letters, 1831–1835, CHL.

5 Edward Partridge, Journal, 1 Mar. 1835, Edward Partridge Papers, CHL.


7 Edward Partridge, Far West, MO, to Emily Partridge Dow, Pittsfield, MA, 12 Oct. 1837, photostat, State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO.

8 Edward Partridge, Journal, 6 May 1836, Edward Partridge Papers, CHL.

9 Reynolds Cahoon, Far West, MO, to Newel K. Whitney, Kirtland, OH, 23 July 1838, CHL.

10 “Bishop Partridge,” LDS Messenger and Advocate, June 1835, 1:138.


4Special Feature, cont’d.

home near the water’s edge that was built c. 1825. I visited the Huddle, south of there, and became acquainted at least with the land north of there, Wardboro, in both of which places he owned farms, stores, and hotels. I also very much enjoyed seeing his Green Island, very close to the farmhouse in Bolton Landing, which now is the site of the lovely Sagamore Hotel and Resort. I visited the grave of Lydia Stewart Tanner, John’s wife, and my ancestor.

Being where he lived and walked and was taught the true gospel and was baptized was a special experience for me. I’m so impressed by his industry and faithfulness. I honor and revere him for his decision to leave all he had to join the LDS church, and then to give all his wealth and start over in order to bless the early church. The home on 9N was a Bed and Breakfast for some time. It was vacant when I visited, and now it has unfortunately been torn down. I’m just grateful to have been able to see it when I did.

Amasa Mason Lyman, my fourth great grandfather, visited Bolton in his travels as a missionary, and met his future wife, my fourth great grandmother, Louisa Maria Tanner Lyman, there. This June I was privileged to go to Lyman, New Hampshire to his 1813 place of birth. His hardscrabble life, like that of John Tanner’s, undoubtedly was not easy. The landscape has surely changed since he lived there, and with all the modern conveniences, life today can hardly be compared.

I would love to have seen a home, a school, a farm, an exact spot of ground where he walked, but unfortunately records do not exist, to my knowledge, that would direct me there. However,

I still got a thrill to see Mason graves in the four cemeteries, to view the rolling hills of the landscape, to imagine the cows in the pasture and to envision the labors, leisure, friends, family, and spiritual life he experienced. There are lots of trees everywhere now, farm houses spread out, winding roads. Today there are about 550 residents.

I bought a book* in nearby Lisbon, New Hampshire which shows the Lyman Non-Denominational Bible Church, built in 1828. It was great when I found that, as I imagine Amasa attended services there.

I went to the Town Hall (Grange right across the street) and spoke with the Town Clerk who was very helpful with what information she could gather. I saw some artifacts such as a letter from a Corporal Roger E. Mason to his uncle Fred and aunt Etta Mason in 1944, and an Independent Order of Odd Fellows Certificate in payment of $1 by Etta Mason in 1914. The clerk pulled up a record of Parly (Parley) Mason marrying Ruth Paddelford by Jonathon Moulton, Justice of the Peace on Nov. 25, AD 1802, and also a record of Parly Mason child, Philip Mason, born September 6, AD 1805. I took several pictures from the book Historical Sketches of Lyman, New Hampshire, by E.B. Hoskins, 1903. One notable passage states, “The advent of the railroads changed the business centers, and many hill towns which before were prosperous are now deserted and almost forgotten. Lyman is no exception to the general rule, and the ruthless hand of neglect has left its imprint on this once prosperous community.”


Richards merchant, then B. Santy (by Wit’s End Road next to the Center Cemetery which is near the Town Hall). The photo above shows the Santy farm. (2) C 10 F. Mason on Skinny Ridge Road above the Town Hall, above Bobbin Mill. (3) Albert Mason on Hurd Hill Road, 40 acres.

New Hampshire is so green and lush. Amasa’s eventual arrival in arid Utah had to have been a shock to his system. I know of no complaint on his part, for his new surroundings nor for the toil it took to get there, which I find remarkable.

Amasa Mason Lyman was a rare man of principles, courage, faith, determination, stamina, and desire to do good and be good. I love his memory. I thank him for his example.

*Celebrating 250 Years: A Pictorial History of Lisbon, Lyman and Landaff, New Hampshire, Andrea M. Fitzgerald on Behalf of the Lisbon Area Historical Society, 2013. Lisbon Area Historical Society, P.O. 6, Lisbon, New Hampshire 03585 or [email protected] or [email protected]. [Other photos of buildings and items of interest noted in the book are: Lyman Copper Mine (late 1800s), Lyman Creamery (c. 1900; active in the 1800s), Clough Hill Schoolhouse (c. 1902-3), Parker Hill Schoolhouse (c. 1930), Moulton Hill Schoolhouse (c. 1930), Tinkerville Schoolhouse (c. 1930), Under the Mountain Schoolhouse (c. 1930), Barber Farm (late 1800s; built c. 1790), John Moulton Homestead (c. 1930; built in 1796), David Locke Homestead (late 1800s; built in 1812), Simeon Gerry Locke Farm (late 1800s), James Clough Farm (late 1800s), Santy Farm (early 1900s), William Porter Beane Farm (late 1800s; built in the 1830s), Olin farm (c. 1930s), Hanaway Place (c. 1930s), Dodge Pond (early 1900s; built from a dam on a brook in the early 1800s), Ogontz White Mountain camp (c. 1930s; opened in 1923), Lyman Town Hall (built in 1860), Lyman Grange Hall Painted Curtain and Grand Drape (1930s).]

5

Special Feature, cont’d.

“We have been told that the Lord will not plant our grain for us and cultivate our fields. We are here to learn how to do that for ourselves, if we do not know. This part of our education we have to gain, if we have not already gained it; and this will enable us to aid in the building up and development in its greatness and power of the kingdom of God. Let our labor be so applied, that when we bow down before our Heavenly Father to ask him to bless anything we have or do, that we can do so consistently. Let us hoe up the weeds and enrich our fields, and ask God to give us a bountiful crop to reward our toils. We will do all we can do, and then ask God to bless that labor and leave the result with him. If your wagon has been fixed in the mud get hold of the wheel yourself and lift all you can, and then ask somebody else to help you if you need help.”

Lyman, New Hampshire was granted a charter in 1761. The name comes from the fact that 11 Lymans, namely Daniel, Medad, Gideon, Phineas, Phineas, Elijah, Gideon, Gideon, Naomi, Elisha, and Elias, were listed on that charter. In 1776 there were only 8 inhabitants. The biographical index of families represented in Lyman in 1781 did not include any Lymans, nor did the town’s first census

in 1790. In 1790 the population of Lyman was 202. In 1860 it was 619.

Also from the book is one small section entitled “Mormons.” “About 1830 three Mormon missionaries came to Littleton and Lyman and gained several followers. The meetings were held for several years in both towns, in school houses, and at various private houses. Most of them, however, were held at the house of Phineas Parker in West Littleton. In Lyman some of them were held at the house of Parker Stickney, on the hill above Young’s pond; hence came the name of Mormon Hill for that locality.

At last James Parker, Phineas Parker and wife, all of Littleton; and Zadoc Parker and wife of Lyman, emigrated to Salt Lake City. They all remained there through life. Zadoc Parker became a Mormon Elder, and was one of the leading members of the society. He lived to be a very old man. His wife was his cousin, Marriam, a sister of relatives in the East, and none of them ever practiced polygamy.”

The clerk and I reviewed a map of the town with names listed on it. There were three Masons: (1) A 17 C. Mason, then R.

Amasa Anecdotes

Cultivate Your Fields


Society News

6

Society BlogDiane Miller has created a blog “to collect descendant stories, obituaries, and pictures in connection with the Amasa Mason Lyman Educational and Historical Society.” Information on several of Amasa’s descendents is already available, and is searchable by name and organized under each of Amasa’s wives with children. Diane accepts all submissions of stories, obituaries, and pictures as long as they are descended from Amasa Mason Lyman. To share information on her blog, please contact her at [email protected].

Special ThanksTafta Watson and Phil Lyman have needed to resign from their respective positions as 2nd Vice President and Direct of Tax Affairs to pursue other worthy causes. Thank you for your months of service, and we wish you luck in your endeavors.

Volunteers NeededThe Amasa Mason Lyman Educational and Historical Society needs volunteers to help in several areas in order to help grow its mission to promote education of the public on the legacies with which Amasa Mason Lyman, his family and associate colonizers blessed America.

Publishing Committee Member: write or locate articles for the newsletter, and assist with new publishing projects

Deceased Descendents Committee Member: gather family histories of AML descendants

Membership Committee Member: assist the director in drives and projects meant to increase society membership

If you are interested in serving the society and sharing your skills, please contact one of the board members (see front page.)

Society Meeting MinutesEventsSAVE THE DATE

AML Society Annual Activity for all society board members

Friday, October 2, 2015, 7:00 PM Sunset Heights Stake Center, Chapel

1260 South 400 West (near the University Parkway Exit of I-15)

Orem, UT 84058

(Unabridged minutes of society meetings and financial records will soon be available to all members on our Society website.)

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes May 6, 2015

Discussed Progress and Cost of Wild Apricot

Reported on Progress of Renewing 501(c)3 Status

Reported on Steve Sorenson’s biography of Francis Marion Lyman

Discussed the possibility of helping Sherilyn Farnes with finished a project with the Edward Partridge Papers

Board Meeting Minutes July 8, 2015

Planned October 2 Society Meeting

Discussed Progress on Membership Drive

Update from Publication Committee

Votes Approved:

Voted to financially support for a summer project to finish publication of the Papers of Edward Partridge, including donating $1,000 of society funds and soliciting donations from prominent society members.

The society will NOT pay for another year of Wild Apricot. Instead, Dave will establish an internship opportunity for a computer science student or two at BYU (ideally, a Lyman), to build our own site. The goal would be to manage memberships, send emails, use PayPal, Google Checkout, and Shopify to collect membership fees and S&H on gifts and sell society products, and to manage search engine prioritization. Dave projects that he could mentor this project from his office at BYU and that this could be largely finished during Fall semester. In the meantime, the newsletter would probably have to be handled separately.

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes August 5, 2015

Discussed newsletter deadline and suggested articles

Planned for speakers of October 2 meeting

Reported continued efforts of fundraising for the Edward Partridge Papers Project

Discussed new website and suggestions for a new website developer


Publications

7

A Labor of Love Amasa M. Lyman Documentary

Contact Jack Lyman at [email protected]

Francis M. Lyman Biography

Written by Albert R. Lyman

Contact Matthew Lyman at 435.529.6662 [email protected]

Amasa Mason Lyman, Pioneer

Written by Albert R. Lyman


Lyman Family Vol 2 CD

This contains the histories of Amasa Mason Lyman, his wives, and his children.


AML Society Publications

Voice of the IntangibleKindle Edition Ebook $1.99Order at www.amazon.com

Voice of the Intangible was written by Author Albert R Lyman and first published in book form in 1936. It is the story of young Ben Roger, who spends his youth herding cattle with his father in the wild country of western San Juan County. Young Ben first fears then learns to listen to the sweet “Voice of the Intangible” amid the rigors and hardships of the pioneer era.

Edward Leo Lyman Jr. Biography


Other Educational & Historical Material from Outside Sources

Facebook PageLook for the Amasa Mason Lyman page on Facebook at facebook.com/Amasa Mason Lyman

Websitesamlsociety.org - Official society website that has information on the society, including meeting minutes, how to join, ancestory biographies, and available publications.

amasamasonlyman.com - Created by Jack and Amy Lyman, this is a free website for the everyday user who wants to know more about the man Amasa Mason Lyman and his family.

aml.lymansite.us - Created by Carl Lyman, this site contains information about Amasa Mason Lyman and his wives, as well as family history photos and resources.

Amasa Mason Lyman Newsletter, Volume 13 Educational ... · August 15, 2015 AML Society 3 Undoubtedly one of the greatest benefits of this volume will be a greater understanding of

Documents