The First Permanent House in Lyman Township

George P. Lyman, of Lyman Township, says that his father built the first permanent house in that township on Section No. 2.
This house was raised July 4, 1856.  There were several temporary or pre-emption shanties built the year previous.  He thinks his father's was the only house at that time between Spring Creek and Oliver's Grove, the only road or trail running through his farm.  Land seekers and travelers came in great numbers, stopping over night at the Lyman homestead.  This same year, a colony from Connecticut took up several thousand of acres in this immediate vicinity.  This event was hailed with grate joy by the Lyman family.  Among these colonists were S. K. Marston, who afterward taught the first singing school, and his estimable wife was the first public school teacher in that township; E. L. Havens, Capt. A. C. Maxon, S. C. Burt, John T. Forbes, Lyman Peck, J. M. Wyman; later came G. H. Thompson, G. B. Winter, H. J. Gamble and others.  The first Sunday school was held at the house of Mr. Peck.  First preaching was by Rev. Bishop Hall, Methodist, and Rev. Lemual Foster, Congregationalist, and then Rev. Mr. Needham.  These services were held at the various homes of the farmers.  A series of meetings were held a year or two later, by Revs. Foster and Needham, and many, including nearly all the young people, united with the church.  A union church was organized and continued several year, but finally merged into a Congregational Church.

--Historical Atlas of Ford County,  1884.  Page 13.  

--Atlas of the State of Illinois.  Chicago.  1876.

Samuel Lyman

Death of a Pioneer of Ford County. Died, at Roberts, on Christmas at 5:45 P.M., Samuel Lyman, aged 64 years.
Mr. Lyman was born in Southampton Mass., where he lived until his removal to Lyman township, in May, 1856, where he located on a farm and built one of the first homes in the town. In '69, he sold his farm and removed to Onarga, where he resided until the death of his wife, which occurred in September, 1875, since which time he has made his home with his sons in Onarga and Roberts. He was attended in his last sickness by Mrs. Dorcas Loomis, his sister, from his old home in Massachusetts. He leaves a family consisting of S. B. our present Sheriff, Geo, P., in business at Roberts, and Edward, who is farming near Chatsworth. Mr. Lyman was a consistent Christian abounding in charities and kind deeds, whose word was his bond in all transactions in life. His death will be regretted by a circle of friends possessed by few men in this world of envy and strife.

--Paxton Record. 27 December 1877.
   

 --The Weekly Record.  Paxton, Illinois.  29 December 1877.

Early Days in Lyman #1

Bela Foster of Roberts wrote about 50 different "Installments" for the Roberts Herald in 1935.

 

EARLY DAYS IN THE TOWN OF LYMAN

Bela Foster who is one of the early settlers in the community which is now Lyman Township has consented to write some of his impressions of those early days. As he came to the community in 1865 the earlier incidents were gotten by him from conversation with those who preceded him. Even the events of the later dates he secured in many cases from others... and many from his own personal observation.
In 1856-7-8 many people of the New England States came to Illinois some of them stopping in what is now Ford County, others going to other parts of this state. Some remained here and many returned to their eastern homes. It is very interesting to read of those early settlers who came to make a home for themselves and their posterity.
There were about fifteen or twenty families settled within the limits of the present town of Lyman during that period. One company of them came from New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. S. K. Marston was chosen captain of this group. They stopped at Chicago and ordered 100,000 feet of lumber to erect the necessary buildings. There were no houses here then except the Lyman House. Each family erected a temporary shanty to use until their houses could be erected. The land was bought from the Illinois Central Railway Company and the lumber was shipped on that road to Onarga. This road had recently been built and received a grant of land as mentioned later in this article.
The houses were framed in Chicago and were all alike except the slant of the roof and the ell and lean-to. These houses are all gone now except the one north of the L. G. Chambers farm and the one known as the Iler home.

 

--L. G. Chambers Farm, Section 4. 1916 Plat Lyman Township.

 

--B. F. Iler Farm.  Section 10.  1916 Plat Lyman Township.

 

The last three years of the sixth decade of the nineteenth century were very severe on these early settlers. Crops were short and the people were poor. The interest on their land purchases was due and they had no funds. It was said that the only man who had a respectable suit of clothes was Mr. Marston. He was sent to Chicago to interview the railway officials and succeeded in getting an extension of payment. By the use of faith and a large portion of economy they pulled through. Peas and rye were used for coffee, red root for tea, sorghum for sweetening, corn meal for bread, and meat was secured from the wild animals.

In the summer of 1859 feeling that they had a part in this great country they concluded that they ought to celebrate Independence Day. Collecting their best clothing and with rushed needle and thread made them look as neat as possible for the Fourth of July. They were to meet their neighbors perhaps dressed in their best. To the surprise of all they were all dressed alike, none void of patches. They collected at School Section Grove where Lyman Park is now which was then in heavy timber. (This was an error.  Bela F. describes in next issue.) Being their first public meeting they were shy of each other but soon became sociable. Mr. Eno read the Declaration of Independence. Their dinner consisted of baked beans, wild turkey, and corn bread. After this they had frequent public meetings.

(To be continued)

--Roberts Herald. 13 March 1935. Bela Foster.

Lyman Township

Lyman Township was named after Samual Lyman, the descendant of Richard Lyman who came to Connecticut in 1631. Samual, his wife Lucretia (Burt) and five children moved to what was to become Lyman Township and built the first permanent house there in July of 1856.
In 1857 a colony of Connecticut people settled in the area and took up about 7,000 acres. Among the settlers listed in the colony were the following: S.K. Marston, E.L. Havens, Captain A.C. Maxon, S.C. Burt, John T. Forbes, Lyman Peck, J.M. Wyman, G.H. Thompson, G.B. Winter, H.J. Gamble, William S. Rossey, William Bentley, Daniel Hutchinson, Enoch and Moses Morgan, Robert Eggleston, Sam Birdsley, I.N. Newton, N.C. Ball, James Sellick, W.S. Larkin, Reuben Pearson, R.A. Hungerford, and Henry Dennis.
At a meeting of the board of Supervisors held September 9, 1867 a petition was presented to form a new township out of part of Brenton, described as town 25 north, range 9 east of the third principal meridian. The petition was granted and the township took its name after the first resident settler. In April 1868 the first township meeting was held and the following officers were elected: Samual Woodward, supervisor; A.M. Haling, town clerk; Daniel Woodward, collector; A.V. Burcham, assessor; A.V. Burcham, James Roberts, and P.S. Gose, highway commissioners. Samuel Woodward and T.A. Ireland, justices of the peace; Daniel Woodward and Daniel Althen, constables. At the same meeting four road districts and nine school districts were designated.
The first child born in the township was Rosa Bushor. The first marriage was celebrated in 1860 between James Crow and Kate Birdsley. The first death was that of Mrs. Henry Dennis, who was buried on the A.M. Peck farm, Section 4.

--History of Ford County Illinois. 1985.