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| Cosmopolitan, January 1919 |
My maternal ancestors were Catholic so I have no shortage of large families in my family tree: 9, 11, 13, 15 children! But instead of focusing on one of them for this week's #52 Ancestors prompt, #Large, I am instead going to share the backstory behind a recent large family I happened to trip over.
By day I am a librarian and several years ago I became interested in the local history of World War I in my community. This led to curating an exhibit about wartime activities in my area, researching numerous young men and women who lost their lives in service to their county, and most recently teaching a seminar course about pop culture during the World War I-era. In other words, I have been living in the past lane – a century ago to be exact – for some time! As part of this ongoing passion, I regularly scour eBay and other online sites for postcards, and other ephemera, from the era. I recently purchased a magazine from January 1919, with an interesting inscription on the cover:
To Susan D. Lyman — mother of Grant H. Lyman —
one of the 8,000 U.S. Marines
He gave his life for that free-men may live —
He is buried on the sacred soil of France.
Richard R. Lyman Dec 28, 1918.
The issue of Cosmopolitan, with its cover illustration "An American Beauty" by well-known artist of the day, Harrison Fisher, was intriguing to me, in particular, because of the reference to Grant's burial in France. I was lucky enough to win the auction and when the magazine arrived I set out to find more about Grant, and his mother, Susan.
I went to the American Battle Monuments Commission to identify where exactly Grant was buried. His headstone indicated he served from Utah. That detail coupled with his surname, Lyman, made me think his family might possibly be Mormon (or, more properly, Latter Day Saints). My guess proved accurate and I learned Grant was the son of Francis Marion Lyman and his plural wife, Susan Delilah Callister. Both Francis and Susan were connected to many prominent early leaders of the LDS church. Grant was one of at least 22 children born to Francis by three wives. Grant's mother, Susan, was Francis' third wife and she was the mother of five other children. A half-brother of Grant's, Richard Roswell Lyman, was the signer of the magazine which was addressed to Grant's mother.
I went to the American Battle Monuments Commission to identify where exactly Grant was buried. His headstone indicated he served from Utah. That detail coupled with his surname, Lyman, made me think his family might possibly be Mormon (or, more properly, Latter Day Saints). My guess proved accurate and I learned Grant was the son of Francis Marion Lyman and his plural wife, Susan Delilah Callister. Both Francis and Susan were connected to many prominent early leaders of the LDS church. Grant was one of at least 22 children born to Francis by three wives. Grant's mother, Susan, was Francis' third wife and she was the mother of five other children. A half-brother of Grant's, Richard Roswell Lyman, was the signer of the magazine which was addressed to Grant's mother.
Grant Herbert Lyman was born on May 10, 1896, in Fillmore, Utah, the third child from his parents' marriage. He enlisted with the United States Marine Corps in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 6, 1917. He arrived in France in February 1917, and died of wounds received in action near Chateau Thierry on June 17, 1918, just a month past his 22nd birthday. His mother, Susan, was on his mind at the end as a nurse wrote that Grant's final wish was "Will you please write a letter to my mother and tell her she is all the world to me." Susan would visit Grant's gravesite in July of 1930 with a government-sponsored Gold Star Mother Pilgrimage. A chance purchase on eBay led to the story of one young man, from a very large family, who gave all for his country.
Copyright 2019 by Lisa A. Oberg, GeneaGator: Vignettes of Yesteryear. All Rights Reserved.
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