Frederick S. Lyman
Encyclopedia
Frederick Schwartz Lyman (1837–1918) was a surveyor, rancher, judge, and politician on Hawaii Island
.
His father was David Belden Lyman
(1803–1868) and mother was Sarah Joiner Lyman (1805–1885). The couple were early missionaries who founded Hilo Boarding School. His boyhood home is the Lyman House Memorial Museum
.
He attended Punahou School
(known as Oahu College at the time) from 1850 through 1860.
He and schoolmate Samuel Thomas Alexander
left briefly to seek their fortunes in California
, but soon returned after finding the California Gold Rush
had already run its course.
In July 1857 he worked as tax assessor for Hawaii Island
. He continued working as surveyor and tax asssessor during school vacations and after graduation.
He was required to record people's ages for the land they owned, but since ancient Hawaii
did not use the Christian calendar, he used oral tradition calibrated with a list of major events. One of these was the unusually explosive eruption of Kīlauea
known as Keonehelelei
, "the falling sands".
He married Isabella Chamberlain (1838–1901), daughter of Levi Chamberlain, another missionary, on February 16, 1861 and had six children. Isabella's childhood home is now the Mission Houses Museum
. They moved to a ranch to raise various livestock such as sheep and goats at Keaīwa in the remote Kaū district
19°13′18"N 155°27′37"W to raise a family.
Lady Franklin was a guest during her search for her husband, the lost explorer Sir John Franklin. Mark Twain
was a guest on his 1866 visit.
Lyman became a judge, first a district magistrate in Kaū in 1867.
However, a series of disasters struck the otherwise quiet bucolic area in 1868.
Letters to his brother David Brainerd Lyman (1840–1914) describe a massive eruption of Mauna Loa
on their ranch accompanied by a series of earthquakes from March 27 to March 31. His eyewitness observations, sometimes called the "best account" of the events, has been used by scientists for many years.
A few days later the powerful April 2, 1868 Hawaii earthquake
, destroyed their house and most others in the area. A massive landslide triggered by the shock killed much of his livestock. From one of the letters:
The resulting tsunami
killed many of the witnesses who were living at lower elevations. It was the largest earthquake in modern recorded history of the Hawaiian Islands
.
This convinced the family to return to town, where he looked for whatever employment he could.
After moving back to Hilo, he started a tanning and saddle business, with William Alfred Todd as partner.
Lyman became a Circuit judge from 1869 through 1893. He was fluent in the Hawaiian language
, and had the Hawaiian nickname "Pele", a pun based on the volcano goddess Pele and the Hawaiian version of "Freddie".
From 1879 through 1888 he acted as secretary for the Royal Governor of Hawaii Island, first Princess Likelike
, and then Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike
.
Although not directly involved in the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, his fortunes grew as he advocated ties to the United States. He invested in real estate, and various agricultural enterprises around Hilo, experimenting in coffee
, cocoa, and arrowroot
.
In 1894 he was a delegate to the convention to write a constitution for the Republic of Hawaii
.
He was elected to the Senate of the Republic in 1895, and reelected through 1898.
He was president of the Hilo & Hawaii Telephone Company (now part of Hawaiian Telcom
), 1882–1885, organizer of the original Hilo Electric Light Company in 1894 (now part of HEI
), and its president until 1911.
From 1897 to 1918 he ran an insurance business. He worked with William Matson to promote Hawaii as a tourist attraction, leading to the establishment of Matson Navigation Company
.
He donated land for use in schools, churches, and parks.
Isabella died on May 16, 1901, and he died in Hilo on April 14, 1918.
Brother Rufus Anderson Lyman
also became active in politics and business (they were partners in several ventures).
Son Levi Chamberlain Lyman was born December 16, 1866, and served 25 years as principal of the Hilo Boarding School, from 1897–1922.
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
.
Other children were teacher Ellen Goodale Lyman (born November 30, 1861), twins pineapple
rancher Frederick S. Lyman, Jr. (also known as Frederick Snowden Lyman, born May 7, 1863), and physician Francis Anderson Lyman (May 7, 1863–October 22, 1917), businessman Ernest Everts Lyman, and Esther Rosalie Lyman (who married William McCluskey).
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
Life
Frederick Schwartz Lyman was born July 25, 1837, in Hilo, Hawaii. His middle name is sometimes spelled "Swartz".His father was David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman
David Belden Lyman was an early American missionary to Hawaii who opened a boarding school for Hawaiians. His wife Sarah Joiner Lyman 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...
(1803–1868) and mother was Sarah Joiner Lyman (1805–1885). The couple were early missionaries who founded Hilo Boarding School. His boyhood home is the Lyman House Memorial Museum
Lyman House Memorial Museum
The Lyman House Memorial Museum, also known as the Lyman Museum, is a Hilo, Hawaii-based natural history museum founded in 1931 in the Lyman family mission house, originally built in 1838.-The mission:...
.
He attended Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
(known as Oahu College at the time) from 1850 through 1860.
He and schoolmate Samuel Thomas Alexander
Samuel Thomas Alexander
Samuel Thomas Alexander co-founded a major agricultural and transportation business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Early life:In November 1831, the Reverend William Patterson Alexander and Mary Ann McKinney Alexander arrived in April 1832 as missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands...
left briefly to seek their fortunes in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, but soon returned after finding the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
had already run its course.
In July 1857 he worked as tax assessor for Hawaii Island
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
. He continued working as surveyor and tax asssessor during school vacations and after graduation.
He was required to record people's ages for the land they owned, but since ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
did not use the Christian calendar, he used oral tradition calibrated with a list of major events. One of these was the unusually explosive eruption of Kīlauea
Kilauea
Kīlauea is a volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, and one of five shield volcanoes that together form the island of Hawaii. Kīlauea means "spewing" or "much spreading" in the Hawaiian language, referring to its frequent outpouring of lava. The Puu Ōō cone has been continuously erupting in the eastern...
known as Keonehelelei
1790 Footprints
The 1790 Footprints refer to a set of footprints found near the Kīlauea volcano in present-day Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii...
, "the falling sands".
He married Isabella Chamberlain (1838–1901), daughter of Levi Chamberlain, another missionary, on February 16, 1861 and had six children. Isabella's childhood home is now the Mission Houses Museum
Mission Houses Museum
The Mission Houses Museum at 553 South King Street in Honolulu, Hawaii, was established in 1920 by the Hawaiian Mission Children’s Society, a private, non-profit organization and genealogical society, on the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Christian missionaries in Hawaii...
. They moved to a ranch to raise various livestock such as sheep and goats at Keaīwa in the remote Kaū district
Kau, Hawaii
thumb|right|300px|The districts of the [[Hawaii |Big Island]]. From Northernmost, clockwise; [[Kohala, Hawaii|Kohala]], [[Hamakua]], [[Hilo, Hawaii|Hilo]], [[Puna, Hawaii|Puna]], Kau , [[Kona District, Hawaii|Kona]]...
19°13′18"N 155°27′37"W to raise a family.
Lady Franklin was a guest during her search for her husband, the lost explorer Sir John Franklin. Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
was a guest on his 1866 visit.
Lyman became a judge, first a district magistrate in Kaū in 1867.
However, a series of disasters struck the otherwise quiet bucolic area in 1868.
Letters to his brother David Brainerd Lyman (1840–1914) describe a massive eruption of Mauna Loa
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, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
on their ranch accompanied by a series of earthquakes from March 27 to March 31. His eyewitness observations, sometimes called the "best account" of the events, has been used by scientists for many years.
A few days later the powerful April 2, 1868 Hawaii earthquake
1868 Hawaii earthquake
The 1868 Hawaii earthquake is the largest recorded in the history of Hawaii island, causing a landslide and tsunami that led to 77 deaths. The earthquake occurred at 4 p.m. local time on April 2, 1868...
, destroyed their house and most others in the area. A massive landslide triggered by the shock killed much of his livestock. From one of the letters:
"It was impossible to stand, we had to sit on the ground, bracing with hands and feet to keep from rolling over. In the midst of it we saw burst out... what we supposed to be an immense river of molten lava (which afterwards proved to be red earth), which rushed down its headlong course and across the plain below, ... swallowing up everything in its way, trees, houses, cattle, horses, goats and men. ... After the hard shaking had ceased, all along the sea-shore the sea was boiling and foaming furiously, all red, for about an eighth of a mile from the shore, and the shore was covered by the sea."
The resulting tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
killed many of the witnesses who were living at lower elevations. It was the largest earthquake in modern recorded history of the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.
This convinced the family to return to town, where he looked for whatever employment he could.
After moving back to Hilo, he started a tanning and saddle business, with William Alfred Todd as partner.
Lyman became a Circuit judge from 1869 through 1893. He was fluent in the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
, and had the Hawaiian nickname "Pele", a pun based on the volcano goddess Pele and the Hawaiian version of "Freddie".
From 1879 through 1888 he acted as secretary for the Royal Governor of Hawaii Island, first Princess Likelike
Likelike
Miriam Kapili Kekāuluohi Likelike was a Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii, sister of the last two ruling monarchs, mother of Princess Kaiulani, last heir to the throne, and mistress of the [[ʻĀinahau]] estate.-Life:...
, and then Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike
Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike
Victoria Kūhiō Kinoiki Kekaulike II was a Princess of the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:She was born on May 12, 1843, the youngest daughter of her father High Chief Kūhiō Kalanianaole of Hilo, and her mother Princess Kinoiki Kekaulike I from Kauai island...
.
Although not directly involved in the 1893 overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, his fortunes grew as he advocated ties to the United States. He invested in real estate, and various agricultural enterprises around Hilo, experimenting in coffee
Coffee production in Hawaii
The only state in the United States of America able to grow coffee plants commercially is Hawaii. However, it is not the only coffee grown on U.S. soil; for example, Puerto Rico has had a coffee industry for some time, although it is not a state but a U.S. territory. Ramiro L...
, cocoa, and arrowroot
Arrowroot
Arrowroot, or obedience plant , Bermuda arrowroot, araru, ararao, is a large perennial herb found in rainforest habitats...
.
Republic of Hawaii
The Republic of Hawaii was the formal name of the government that controlled Hawaii from 1894 to 1898 when it was run as a republic. The republic period occurred between the administration of the Provisional Government of Hawaii which ended on July 4, 1894 and the adoption of the Newlands...
.
He was elected to the Senate of the Republic in 1895, and reelected through 1898.
He was president of the Hilo & Hawaii Telephone Company (now part of Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom
Hawaiian Telcom is the incumbent local exchange carrier or dominant local telephone company, serving the state of Hawaii. It was formed in 2005 by The Carlyle Group, following its purchase of the Hawaii assets of Verizon Communications, which was known as Verizon Hawaii, Inc., and previously as...
), 1882–1885, organizer of the original Hilo Electric Light Company in 1894 (now part of HEI
Hawaiian Electric Industries
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.. is the largest supplier of electricity in the state of Hawaii, suppling power to 95% of Hawaii's population through its electric utilities: Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc. and Maui Electric Company, Limited. In addition, HEI...
), and its president until 1911.
From 1897 to 1918 he ran an insurance business. He worked with William Matson to promote Hawaii as a tourist attraction, leading to the establishment of Matson Navigation Company
Matson Navigation Company
The Matson Navigation Company, a subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, is a private shipping company with roots extending into the late 19th century...
.
He donated land for use in schools, churches, and parks.
Isabella died on May 16, 1901, and he died in Hilo on April 14, 1918.
Brother Rufus Anderson Lyman
Rufus Anderson Lyman
Rufus Anderson Lyman 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:...
also became active in politics and business (they were partners in several ventures).
Son Levi Chamberlain Lyman was born December 16, 1866, and served 25 years as principal of the Hilo Boarding School, from 1897–1922.
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
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
.
Other children were teacher Ellen Goodale Lyman (born November 30, 1861), twins pineapple
Pineapple
Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...
rancher Frederick S. Lyman, Jr. (also known as Frederick Snowden Lyman, born May 7, 1863), and physician Francis Anderson Lyman (May 7, 1863–October 22, 1917), businessman Ernest Everts Lyman, and Esther Rosalie Lyman (who married William McCluskey).