amasa mason lyman newsletter, volume 12 …...his nearly 90 years there. to me, as a boy, he looked...

Two Important TruthsI. I remember George D. Durrant in a World Records Conference35 years ago saying that the truest essence of wisdom, the finalunderstandingofthemeaningoflife,comeswhenyoumakepeacewithexactlywhoyouare;yourexactheritageandparentsandsiblingsandyour own broken road – everything that makes you, you! I heard apreachersayoncethatyour“mess”isyour“message.”Putanotherway,thereisacountry-westernsong,thechorusofwhich,alwaysmovesme:

IfIlivetobeahundredAndneverseethesevenwondersThat’llbealright

IfIdon’tmakeittothebigleaguesIfIneverwinaGrammy

I’mgonnabejustfine‘CauseIknowexactlywhoIam

IamRosemary’sgranddaughterThespittingimageofmyfather

AndwhenthedayisdoneMymomma’sstillmybiggestfan…

(WHO I AM, by Jessica Andrews)

Boththehistoryofyourfamilylineandyourownhistorymakethefabricofwhatwill,with time,becomeabeautiful tapestryandauniquelymeaningful foundationuponwhicheverythingofvaluewillbefitted.

II. Jed in this newsletter last July cited a New York Times piece entitled, “TheStoriesThatBindUs”whichtalksaboutthesecretsaucethatbinds“effective,resilient,happy”familiestogether:“Thesinglemostimportantthingyoucandoforyourfamilyistodevelopastrongfamilynarrative.”

Society Leadership PresidencyReport

AmasaMasonLymanEducational & Historical Society

Newsletter, Volume 12April 15, 2015

DavidD.BusathPresident

JedLymanFirst Vice President

TaftaWatsonSecond Vice President

AlisaLymanClarkExecutive Secretary

JeremyLymanTreasurer

MatthewLymanDirector ofPublications

JodyLymanFellmethDirector of Membership Development

PhilLymanDirector of Tax Affairs

ThomasKingDirector of Legal Affairs

AlisaLymanClarkSociety Newsletter Editor

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

By Greg Lyman - AML Society President, Emeritus

AML Society April15,2015

Presidency Report, cont’d.

Testing was done and the researchers were “blown away” bythe correlation between emotional and psychological healthandwellnessoffamilymembersandtheirfamiliaritywiththeirfamilyhistory.

Thestoriesfromyourpastthatmattertoyouarenotthosethatcanbefoundinabookbutthoseyoucarryinyourhead.HerearefiveitemsgroupedbyindividualsthatIcarryinmyheadandwhichIshare,Iamsure,withmyfivebrothersandalloftheirchildren--togethertheyarepartandparcelofwhoweare:

1. Ourgreat-greatgrandfather(AmasaM.)wasanapostle,a pioneer, a missionary extraordinaire, the founder of a greatfamily.Hewasasolidman,belovedofmany.AsthefounderandfirstmayorofSanBernardino,California,hewasenormouslypopularinaneraofauthoritativeleadership,forhewasmorethelovingequal;whorespectedtheviewsanddecisionsofothers.He led with great respect and empathy notwithstanding hiswisdomandexperience.

2. Mygreat-grandfather,WalterC.Lyman,was also thefounder of a city; Blanding, Utah.There are many stories ofhimthatstandoutinmyhead:a)Hisbreakinganicejamintheditchthatbroughtwatertothetown,returninghourslateonChristmasEve(andsoakingwet)but judging it“allgood”simply towakeupChristmasmorning to thegurgleof freelyflowingwateroutsidehisbedroomwindow.b)Hiskeepingasecretforlifeastotheidentityofthemanwhowasstealingtheprize peaches from his orchard because he promised to sparehimtheembarrassmentifherepentedofhis“thieving”ways.c)Ofhisrefrainingfromangryprofanitywhenhishomeburnedto the ground, stating merely to a listening boy (who wouldlater chronicle the “saga of San Juan”), “Well, it surely camedownfasterthanitwentup!”d)HisgivingawayhisfortuneinacquiredlandaroundBlandingifotherswouldmovethereandsharehisdreamon“WhiteMesa.”

3. Mygrandfather,LynnF.Lyman,whoafullpagestoryintheDeseretNewsinthe80’scalled“Mr.Hole-in-the-Rock”--heknewthe trail and ledmore jeepexpeditions there thanany man alive. He was self-taught and indispensable on anyjeeptrip—becausehecouldfixanythingthatmovedorspun.Helivedtoservehisfellowmanandspenthislifebringingaidandafewofthemoderncomfortsoflifetohisfrontierwesterntown.Hewasbornin1905whenBlandingbeganandfinishedhisnearly90yearsthere.Tome,asaboy,helookedlikeMattDillon,heroofGunsmoke.IthinkthatwhenIwasveryyoungI thought they were the same man. The thoughtful, strong,silenttype!ButLynnLymanwasbestdefined(aswassaidmorethanonceathisfuneral)as“anIsraeliteindeed,inwhomthereisnoguile.”Welovedhimbecausehelovedusfirstandsoverydearly.

4. My father, Gary B. Lyman has been gone nearly adecade.As I amnearlyoutof space Iwillnot try todohimjusticeexcepttosaythatgrowingupsomehowwewouldend

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thecliché:“Nobody’sperfect!”withtherejoinder“ExceptDad!”Theremusthavebeenmorethanalittletruththere;Iremembertellingmybrother Jed recently that inallmy life I couldnotrememberDadeverdoinganythingthatheknewtobewrong.Icanonlyimaginewhattheworldwouldbelikeifallhadthekindoffatherweenjoyed.

5. Of course neglected from all these stories that formour legacy are theLymanwomenwhowere the fabricofourlives.IamsoproudtobedescendedfromthePartridgesisters(Caroline Ely in my case). Were there greater women in thehistoryof thechurch?Theysprungfromtheverybosomandgenesisofwhathasbecomeagrowingnationandmovement.IthinkofElizabeth,andHazel,andJo-Anwithhumility,mirth,andawe!

Don’tletyourstoriesdiewithyou!Findopportunitiestosharethemwiththosewhowilloutliveyou!Itmaybeoneofthemostimportantthingsyoueverdo!

HowtoShareYourStories

LeeNelson,anauthorofover20novelsandhisownautobiographywrote,““Theelementsingreatstories,thestoriesthatneverdie,arethesameelementsweseeinourownlives.Thegreatstoriesparallelthelivesofhumanbeings.Allofusarereluctantheroesorheroinesengagedinlife’sjourney.”Weallhaveimportantstoriestoshare.Thebenefitsofsharingthesestoriesextendfrommakingsenseofourownlives,toprovidingpositiveexamplesforourposterity,topassingdowntruth. Herearesomesimplewaystoshareyourstories:

1. Keep a Personal Record/JournalRecordspecialeventsanddates,suchasweddingdate,birthofchildren,etc.Writeaboutchallengingorsignificantsituations,usingthefollowingthreequestions:1)WhatdidIlearn?2)Whywasitsignificanttome?3)Therefore,what?.Writethewayyouspeak.

2. Interview Family Members Scheduleanappointmentwhenpossible,butbepreparedforopportunitiesatfamilygatherings.Face-to-faceinterviewsaremoreeffective,butdon’tdiscounttheblessingsoftechnology,includingphoneandemail.Preparewithamixtureofopen-endedanddirectquestions.Bringrecordingequipment,notebooks,pencils,andalistofquestions,andreferenceslikepedigreechartsandfamilyphotos.Keeptheinterviewtoanhourmaximum.Spendthelastfewminutesclarifyingnamespellings,dates,andthingsyoudon’tunderstand.Transcribetheinterviewshortlyafteritends,whilethewordsarestillfreshinyourmind.

3. Create a Blog Postyourownfamilystoriesandphotostotheblog,andask

By Alisa Clark - Editor

April15,2015 AML Society

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Amasa Anecdotes

“IfourGodshinesastheperfectionofbeautyoutofZion,Zion must reflect that beauty; it must have an existence inZionreflecting itsbeautyoutwardlyupontheworldaround.ThegloryofZionmustbe createdby the childrenofZion.We cannot attain to this all in amoment.We first begin tomakeourhomestidyandtosubdueeveryenemytoourpeace,thatwemayhavemorecomfort. If we wish our children to have an exalted taste for the lovely and beautiful, create something lovely for them to look upon, let them behold a practical example and exhibition of the beautiful and lovely when they are at home; whentheygointothegardenletthemseethedevelopmentofbeauty,andwhentheycometomaturityandremovefarawaytheywillthinkofthepaternal

home with delight and pleasure as the place where peacereigns, where joy is developed, where the odor of sweetflowersareinhaledbythevisitors,greetingourearlyrisingorcheeringuswhenweretiretoourrest.ThisisthepictureofthehomeofaSaint,ofhimwholovestobeautifyZionandexaltthechildrenofZionaboveallotherpeopleontheearth.”

“It does not follow of necessity that the poor man mustpossess broad acres. If your garden is no larger than thisstand,cultivateitproperly,plantfruittreesandotherusefulplants, and rivet the attention of your growing family tothe contemplationof their duty; let them see an exampleinyou fromday todayand fromyear toyearwhichwillexercise a salutary influence upon the minds of yourchildrenthroughouttheirfuturelives.”

“IwanttoseethekingdomofGodgrowfromthissmallbeginningthatisrightaroundus,untilthewholeearthisfilledandblessedwithitsgloryasitnowblessesandfillsthevalleysofDeseretinadegree.Weareconnectedwithanenterprisethatisgreat,nobleandhonorable,withanenterprisethatisnotsatisfiedwithalimitedacquisition,withasmallvictoryoversin,butitisanenterprisethatgraspstheworld’semancipationfromsin,darknessanddeath;itlooksatnosmallerobjectthantheworld’sfreedomfromsinanditsconsequences.”

Spring-TimeQuotesfromAmasaMasonLyman

Pictured above: Amasa Mason Lyman’s Filmore home

familymemberstodothesame.Rememberthateveryonehasdifferentperceptionsandmemories.Thereisn’tonerightwaytorecordhistory.

4. Create an Online Photo Book with Captions Ifwritingisn’tyourforte,tryuploadingfamilyphotostoadigitalscrapbookserviceandaddsimplecaptions,includingdatesandnamesofthoseinthephotos.Thereareseveralcompaniesthatwilloffertemplatestodesignandprintyourownphotohistorybooks.

5. Record Yourself Setupavideooraudiorecorder,andjuststarttalking!Tellyourchildren,grandchildrenaboutchildhoodmemories,excitingevents,andlikes/dislikes.Ifyouaren’tsurewheretostart,writeupalistofquestionsbeforehand,andanswerthemasyougo.

AML Society April15,2015

Society News

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SocietyBlogDianeMillerhascreatedablog“tocollectdescendant stories,obituaries,andpictures inconnectionwith theAmasaMasonLyman Educational and Historical Society.” Information onseveral of Amasa’s descendents is already available, and issearchable by name and organized under each of Amasa’swives with children. Diane accepts all submissions of stories,obituaries, and pictures as long as they are descended fromAmasaMasonLyman.Toshareinformationonherblog,pleasecontactheratdianemiller@cox.net.

VolunteersNeededTheAmasaMasonLymanEducationalandHistoricalSocietyneedsvolunteerstohelpinseveralareasinordertohelpgrowitsmissiontopromoteeducationofthepubliconthelegacieswithwhichAmasaMasonLyman,hisfamilyandassociatecolonizersblessedAmerica.

Publishing Committee Member:writeorlocatearticlesforthenewsletter,andassistwithnewpublishingprojects

Deceased Descendents Committee Member: gather familyhistoriesofAMLdescendants

Membership Committee Member:assistthedirectorindrivesandprojectsmeanttoincreasesocietymembership

If you are interested in serving the society and sharing yourskills,pleasecontactoneoftheboardmembers(seefrontpage.)

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

Board Meeting Minutes January 7, 2015

DiscussedpublishingcontractsDiscussedprogressonRichardR.LymanManuscriptNewwebsitedomainnameisamlsociety.orgDiscussedongoingwebsitedevelopmentDiscussedcontactinformationdriveforallsocietymembers

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes February 4, 2015

PlannedforAprilBoardMeetingDiscussedcreatingaPolicyDocumentforconsistencyDiscussedpolicyonofferingfreeAMLbookstonewmembersDisucessedtheprocessforaddingnewsocietymembers

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes March 4, 2015

NewURL:www.amlsociety.org

SocietyMeetingMinutes

SAVE THE DATEAMLSocietyAnnualActivity

forallsocietymembersandinterestedparties

October2,2015inOrem,Utah

Moredetailswillfollow.

DiscussedauditoffinancialrecordsProgressonthecontactinformationdriveBeganplanningforOctobersocietymeeting

Board Meeting Minutes April 4, 2015

Reviewedstatusonupdatestoamlsociety.orgDiscussed501(c)3statusPlannedforauditandfinancialreportMadeinitialassignmentsforOctobersocietymeetingDiscussedprocessofaddingnewsocietymembers

Votes Approved:

Thedescendencynumberformatforthecontactinformationdrivewillincludeaspousenumberandusealetterforbirth-orderwithinanuclearfamilyandthechangewillbeaddedtothewebsite

APolicyDocumentwillbecreatedfrompastmeetingminutesandpostedonthesocietywebsite.

NewmemberswillbeofferedafreecopyoftheAMLbiography,LaborofLoveDVD,orLymanFamilyHistoryVolumeIICD,butitwillbeadvertisedasS&Hcostonly.

PublishingCommitteeThe publishing committee is working with Leo Lyman tomakehisbiographyofAmasaMasonLymanavailabletofamilymembers. We are excited to soon be able to offer anotherfantasticrenditionofhislife.

Articles submitted by family members are welcome in thisnewsletter. Articles should be typed single space and ½ toonepage.Ifyouwouldliketosubmitanarticleaboutoneofyour “Lyman” ancestors, or some other family history topicthat may be of interest to family members, please contactMatthewLymanatmmlyman.123@gmail.comortheSocietyNewsletterEditor,AlisaClarkatalisamarielyman@gmail.com.

April15,2015 AML Society

Publications

5

A Labor of Love AmasaM.LymanDocumentary

ContactJackLymanatamasalyman@hotmail.com

Francis M. Lyman Biography

WrittenbyAlbertR.Lyman

ContactMatthewLymanat435.529.6662mmlyman.123@gmail.com

Amasa Mason Lyman, Pioneer

WrittenbyAlbertR.Lyman

ContactMatthewLymanat435.529.6662mmlyman123@gmail.com

Lyman Family Vol 2 CD

ThiscontainsthehistoriesofAmasaMasonLyman,hiswives,andhischildren.

ContactMatthewLymanat435.529.6662mmlyman.123@gmail.com

AMLSocietyPublications

Voice of the IntangibleKindleEditionEbook$1.99Orderatwww.amazon.com

VoiceoftheIntangiblewaswrittenbyAuthorAlbertRLymanandfirstpublished inbook form in1936. It is the storyofyoungBenRoger,whospendshisyouthherdingcattlewithhis father in thewild countryofwesternSan JuanCounty.YoungBenfirstfearsthenlearnstolistentothesweet“VoiceoftheIntangible”amidtherigorsandhardshipsofthepioneerera.

Edward Leo Lyman Jr. Biography

ContactMatthewLymanat435.529.6662mmlyman.123@gmail.com

OtherEducational&HistoricalMaterialfromOutsideSources

FacebookPageLookfortheAmasaMasonLymanpageonFacebookatfacebook.com/AmasaMasonLyman

Websitesamlsociety.org-Officialsocietywebsitethathasinformationonthesociety,includingmeetingminutes,howtojoin,ancestorybiographies,andavailablepublications.

amasamasonlyman.com-CreatedbyJackandAmyLyman,thisisafreewebsitefortheeverydayuserwhowantstoknowmoreaboutthemanAmasaMasonLymanandhisfamily.

aml.lymansite.us-CreatedbyCarlLyman,thissitecontainsinformationaboutAmasaMasonLymanandhiswives,aswellasfamilyhistoryphotosandresources.