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David Belden Lyman (July 28, 1803 – October 4, 1884) was an early American missionary to Hawaii who opened a boarding school for Hawaiians. His wife Sarah Joiner Lyman (1805–1885) taught at the boarding school and kept an important journal. They had several notable descendants.


Family life

David Belden Lyman was born in on July 28, 1803, in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
. from a family with a long
Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...
history. He attended Lenox Academy and
Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...
from 1824 to 1828. He then went to
Andover Seminary Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...
and graduated and was ordained on October 12, 1831. He married Sarah Joiner (1806–1885) on November 2, 1831. Only a few days later they sailed from
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
in the fifth company of missionaries from the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian mission, Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the l ...
to Hawaii. They reached
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
in May 1832. They had eight children including sons David Brainerd (1833–1836), Henry Munson (1835–1904), Frederick Swartz (1837–1918), another David Brainerd (1840–1914),
Rufus Anderson Rufus Anderson (August 17, 1796 – May 23, 1880) was an American minister who spent several decades organizing overseas missions. Personal life Rufus Anderson was born in North Yarmouth, Maine, in 1796. His father, also named Rufus Anderson, ...
(1842–1910), and Francis Ogden (1847–1915). Daughters were Ellen Elizabeth (1845–1868) and Emma Washburn (1849–1934). David Belden Lyman died in
Hilo, Hawaii Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...
on October 4, 1884. Sarah died on December 7, 1885.


Hilo

After arriving in Honolulu, they were assigned to work at the mission in Hilo under Reverend Joseph Goodrich. The Scottish botanist and explorer David Douglas stayed with the Lymans between his historic climb to the summit of
Mauna Loa Mauna Loa (, ; ) is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Mauna Loa is Earth's largest active volcano by both mass and volume. It was historically considered to be the largest ...
, and his death exploring
Mauna Kea Mauna Kea (, ; abbreviation for ''Mauna a Wākea''); is a dormant Shield volcano, shield volcano on the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii. Its peak is above sea level, making it the List of U.S. states by elevation, highest point in Hawaii a ...
in 1834. Mrs. Lyman made a note in her diary about the unusual customs of drinking hot coffee, tea, and "English dinners". Sarah Joiner Lyman's journal recorded earthquakes felt in Hilo and volcanic eruptions of Kilauea and Mauna Loa. It was used as an informative record on the frequency and strength of tremors and of volcanic activity for subsequent researchers. Mrs. Lyman kept it between 1833 and her death in 1885, and it was later maintained by other members of the Lyman family up to 1917. The journal was referenced during Mrs. Lyman's lifetime by members of the
United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
in 1840. She also published a letter in the ''American Journal of Science''.
Titus Coan Titus Coan (February 1, 1801 – December 1, 1882) was an American minister from New England who spent most of his life as a Christian missionary to the Hawaiian Islands. Early life and family Titus Coan was born on February 1, 1801, in Killingwo ...
and his wife Fidelia arrived in 1836 and officially took over preaching duties at the Haili church. However, Rev. Coan was often traveling through nearby districts, and Lyman continued to run the church during these trips.
Lorrin Andrews Lorrin Andrews (April 29, 1795 – September 29, 1868) was an early American missionary to Hawaii and a judge. He opened the first post-secondary school for Hawaiians called Lahainaluna Seminary, prepared a Hawaiian dictionary and several works ...
had established the Lahainaluna Seminary in 1831, but primary and secondary schools were also needed on each island. The small school that had operated since 1828 in Hilo could only handle about 60-70 students. The Lymans founded the Hilo Boarding School in 1836 with a grant of $500. After the first year, only $140 of the grant was spent on two grass huts for only about 12 boarders. By 1837, six graduates were sent to the seminary and the school continued to expand. In 1838, the students were put to work on another project: building a new wood-framed building for the school and a house for the Lyman family. Mrs. Lyman opened a school for girls in 1839. Students tended a garden to grow their own food, and to raise some cash crops to support expenses. By 1840 thousands of pounds of sugar and molasses were being produced each year. Before any hotels were built in Hilo, they often welcomed visitors into their home.
Chester Lyman Chester Smith Lyman (January 13, 1814 – January 29, 1890) was an American teacher, clergyman and astronomer. Early life and education He was born in Manchester, Connecticut, to Chester and Mary Smith Lyman. Chester is the descendant of Richard ...
, a distant cousin who was a professor from England, visited in 1846. In 1846, King
Kamehameha III Kamehameha III (born Kauikeaouli) (March 17, 1814 – December 15, 1854) was the third king of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854. His full Hawaiian name was Keaweaweula Kīwalaō Kauikeaouli Kaleiopapa and then lengthened to Keaweaweula K ...
granted the school water rights to the
Wailuku River The Wailuku River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 28, 2011 water course on the Island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the longest river in Hawai'i an ...
. In 1848 the school was officially incorporated, and the
Great Mahele Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
formally acknowledged property of . Dr. Charles Wetmore became the first doctor in Hilo and taught some classes at the school, moving into the former house of the Lymans. By 1849 the Lahaina seminary became a government public school (as it is today), and the Hilo school shifted its emphasis to educating teachers and other vocations. The Lymans enforced strict discipline, dismissing students at a high rate because of the large demand to be admitted. However, the native population kept declining due to epidemics and emigration. In 1853, despite Lyman's protest, instruction in the English language was added to that in the
Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...
. On November 2, 1853, the school and church were destroyed by a fire. There were no deaths and only one serious injury; arson was suspected. Local businessmen such as
Pitman Pitman may refer to: * A coal miner, particularly in Northern England * Pitman (surname) * Pitman, New Jersey, United States * Pitman, Pennsylvania, United States * Pitman, Saskatchewan, Canada * Pitman Shorthand, a system of shorthand * Pitman ar ...
raised funds to rebuild, aided by an appropriation of the
Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom () was the bicameral (later unicameral) legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom. A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term Legi ...
. An entire ship-load of lumber from the west coast of North America was purchased. It went into building a new wood-framed church, new boarding school buildings, and a new wing and second floor on the house to accommodate the growing family. The third and final school campus opened in 1856 about inland from the church and Lyman house. Lyman retired as head of the school in 1873. Native Hawaiian Reverend J. Makaimoko Naeole next became Principal for about five years. William Brewster Oleson (1851–1915) was principal from 1878 to 1886, when he was called upon to organize the
Kamehameha Schools Kamehameha Schools, formerly called Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate (KSBE), is a private school system in Hawaii established by the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate, under the terms of the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who was a formal membe ...
as a similar boarding school, using the resources of the vast
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop KGCOK RoK (December 19, 1831 – October 16, 1884) was an '' alii'' (noble) of the royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii and a well known philanthropist. Ancestry, birth and early life Pauahi was born in Hon ...
estate. Author
Isabella Bird Isabella Lucy Bishop (; 15 October 1831 – 7 October 1904) was an English explorer, writer, photographer and naturalist. Alongside fellow Englishwoman Fanny Jane Butler, she founded the John Bishop Memorial Hospital in Srinagar in modern-da ...
stayed with the Lymans and Coans during her stay in Hilo during the 1870s, and published a book about her experiences.


Legacy

The school became the first building with electricity in Hilo when a dynamo was installed on the river in 1892. They would later sell the power to the new company formed by the Lymans' son. Similar "manual training" schools would become popular on the mainland many years after the Hilo school. Samuel C. Armstrong (1839–1893), Hawaii-born son of Richard Armstrong, the Minister of Education in Hawaii during the Lyman period, founded what is now
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
in Virginia in 1867 based on this model. Henry Munson Lyman graduated from Williams College in 1858 and became a physician in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, then married Sarah K. Clark and moved to Chicago. In 1870 he joined the faculty of
Rush Medical College Rush Medical College is the medical school of Rush University, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1837, it is affiliated with Rush University Medical Center, and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County. ...
, and published medical books and articles. He died in
Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
November 21, 1904. He wrote a book on his childhood in Hawaii. Frederick Swartz Lyman, born July 25, 1837, married Isabella Chamberlain, daughter of
Levi Chamberlain Levi Chamberlain (Hawaiian name, Mikamalena; 1792–1849) was an American Protestant missionary, teacher of penmanship, and examiner of the native schools in Hawaii, as well as an expert accountant. He served as secular agent of the Sandwich Is ...
, another missionary, on February 16, 1861, and had 6 children. He died in Hilo on April 14, 1918. Frederick's son Levi C. Lyman served 25 years as principal of the Hilo Boarding School, from 1897 to 1922. After a fire in 1927 destroyed the original 1856 building, Levi Lyman phased out church control of the school in favor of public schools of the
Territory of Hawaii The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Panalāʻau o Hawaiʻi'') was an organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from Apri ...
. During World War II the dormitories were used by the military, and were finally torn down in the 1960s. David Brainerd Lyman was born March 27, 1840, and named for missionary
David Brainerd David Brainerd (April 20, 1718October 9, 1747) was an American Presbyterian minister and missionary to the Native Americans among the Delaware Indians of New Jersey. Missionaries such as William Carey and Jim Elliot, and Brainerd's cousin, the ...
. He moved to the U.S. and served in the Civil War, graduated from Yale in 1864 and Harvard law school in 1866. He married Mary Cossitt in 1870 and became a lawyer in Chicago where he helped develop the village of
La Grange, Illinois La Grange ( ; often spelled LaGrange) is a village (United States)#Illinois, village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,321 at the 2020 census. History The area around La Grange was first s ...
, serving as the first village attorney. He named a street "Waiola Avenue" which means "Water of Life" in the
Hawaiian language Hawaiian (', ) is a critically endangered Polynesian language of the Austronesian language family, originating in and native to the Hawaiian Islands. It is the native language of the Hawaiian people. Hawaiian, along with English, is an offi ...
. He returned to visit in 1910, and died April 8, 1914, in Chicago.
Rufus Anderson Lyman Rufus Anderson Lyman (June 23, 1842 – July 4, 1910) was a son of a missionary who became a lawyer and politician in the Kingdom of Hawaii, founded the Paauhau Sugar Plantation Company, and had many notable descendants. Life He was born on Jun ...
born on June 23, 1842, was probably named after
Rufus Anderson Rufus Anderson (August 17, 1796 – May 23, 1880) was an American minister who spent several decades organizing overseas missions. Personal life Rufus Anderson was born in North Yarmouth, Maine, in 1796. His father, also named Rufus Anderson, ...
who was foreign secretary of the mission board and visited the mission in 1863, married Chinese-Hawaiian Rebecca Brickwood, became a local politician and judge, and had fifteen children. He died July 5, 1910. Francis Ogden Lyman was born August 6, 1847. He moved to the U.S. in 1866, graduated from Harvard in 1871 and married Ruth Charlotte Dana (daughter of
Richard Henry Dana Jr. Richard Henry Dana Jr. (August 1, 1815 – January 6, 1882) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of a colonial family, who gained renown as the author of the classic American memoir ''Two Years Before the Mast'' a ...
) in 1876. He became a lawyer in Chicago with his brother David, and died December 16, 1915. Emma Washburn Lyman, born September 16, 1849, married Samuel Whitney Wilcox (1847–1929), son of missionary Abner Wilcox (1808–1869) on October 7, 1874. He was a politician and businessman on the island of
Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...
. She died July 28, 1934. The original Lyman house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
on March 24, 1978. The restored house and a modern addition was opened to the public as part of the
Lyman House Memorial Museum The Lyman House Memorial Museum, also known as the Lyman Museum and Lyman House, is a Hilo, Hawaii-based natural history museum founded in 1931 in the Lyman family mission house, originally built in 1838. The main collections were moved to an ad ...
in 1931.


Family tree


References


Further reading

* * * (Author is a great-great-grandson of Sarah Joiner and David Belden Lyman) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, David Belden 1803 births 1884 deaths Congregationalist missionaries in Hawaii American Congregationalist missionaries Williams College alumni People from Hartford, Connecticut American expatriates in the Hawaiian Kingdom American missionary educators