52 Posts in 52 weeks - Week 1Lieutenant Jonathan Lyman

Dear Grandparents,
Another geneablogger challenged each of us to write something about a different ancestor each week during 2014. Traveling to Salt Lake in both January and February has put me behind in these posts, but I am determined to catch up. Your stories are all so interesting that I could have spent the rest of the year trying to decide who to write about. In the end, I arbitrarily selected an ancestor who had a vital event (birth, marriage, death) during that week.

Lieutenant Jonathan Lyman

Jonathan's ancestry can be traced to High Ongar, Essex County, England. His great grandfather Richard Lyman was baptized there 30 October 1580. Richard, his wife Sarah Osborne and their five children left Bristol, England August 1631 on the ship Lion, mastered by William Pierce, bound for New England. At the mercy of difficult winds, they landed first in Long Island before arriving in Boston November 2nd. Among their fellow passengers were Martha Winthrop, 3rd wife of Governor John Winthrop as well as his eldest son and family.

This map, from www.wikipedia.org, shows the location of High Ongar.

The son of Richard and Elizabeth Cowels Lyman, Jonathan was born 01 January 1684 or 1685 in Northampton, Massachusetts. At age 12, Jonathan and his family relocated to Lebanon, Connecticut.

Lebanon is highlighted in red on this map from www.familysearch.org.

He was admitted to the Lebanon Congregational Church in 1707.  Jonathan married Lydian Loomis sometime before 1609. Born in Hartford 15 April 1686, Connecticut she was the daughter of Deacon Joseph and Hannah Marsh Loomis. They were the parents of eleven children, six boys and five girls.

Like many of his contemporaries, Jonathan made his living farming. He was also involved in the defense of his community. Connecticut records reveal that he was established and confirmed as "Ensign of the North Company of the South Society in May 1726. Though today, the position of Ensign is confined to the Navy and Coast Guard, town militias were organized in Colonial Connecticut under company officers; a Captain, Lieutenant, Ensign, Sergeant and Corporal. These leaders would be responsible for training the men of the community to protect the area. By 1729, Jonathan was promoted to Lieutenant a title he used the remainder
of his life.

Certainly Jonathan will be happy to know that many of his descendants followed his example in service to their communities.

Love,
Cecily Cone Kelly

For family members, our descent from Jonathan:
Jonathan and Lydia Loomis Lyman's daughter Anna Lyman married Isaiah Tiffany;
Their daughter Anna Lyman Tiffany married James Clarke, Jr.
Their son James Augustus Clarke married Parnell Champion
Their son John Champion Clarke married Lydia Hornell;
Their daughter Mary Elizabeth Clarke married Charles Shepard Newton
Their daughter Helen Brown Newton married Frederick Naaman Cone;
Their son Charles Newton Cone married Hazel Bynon Allen;
Their son Charles Newton Cone, Jr. married Betty Lorraine Werst;
I am their daughter.