B. 18 Mar 1770 in Charlotte, Vermont
M. (1) before 1797 in (probably) Charlotte, Vermont
Wife: Anne Clapp
M. (2) 5 Dec 1805 in (probably) Charlotte, Vermont
Wife: Olive Mead
D. 5 Feb 1813 in (probably) Charlotte, Vermont
Medad was born on March 18, 1770 in Charlotte, Vermont, to Oliver Lyman and Eleanor Lyman, the eighth child in a family of ten. Medad’s parents were first cousins, and his father served as a captain in the American Revolution when he was a boy. Sometime before 1797, Medad married Anne Clapp, probably in Charlotte. They had three daughters; the older two were Minerva and Sophia, but the youngest died as an infant, and Anne died about a week after to giving birth to her. Medad married a second wife, Olive Mead, a widow, on December 5, 1805, and they had one daughter, Anne, born in 1806.
In 1801, the men of Charlotte petitioned to establish a Masonic lodge, and Medad became its first master. Freemasonry had become popular in America during the 18th century, and a chapter was started in nearby Burlington in 1795. The 1801 petition named him as “Brother Medad Lyman,” so he had likely been involved with the Burlington lodge as well.
Then tragedy struck Medad’s world: an epidemic of typhoid fever that swept parts of northern New England beginning in about November 1812. The disease had causes that were unknown to medical people at the time, and so it spread easily among the population. Typically a case would begin with flu-like symptoms and the patient would deteriorate into a high fever by the second week. Some people recovered, but others didn’t.
Medad was only 42 when he passed away from typhoid on February 5, 1813. His brothers Gad and Jared also died around the same time he did, as well as his brother-in-law Zenas Clark, and a daughter of his older sister Abigail. The town of Charlotte was said to have lost 70 people in the epidemic.
Since Medad died so suddenly, he didn’t leave a will, and his probate file was thick (the file is mistakenly mixed in with another man named Medad Lyman who died in 1802). His widow Olive was appointed administrator along with two other men. The inventory of his property taken on April 2, 1813 showed the value of his real and personal estate at $1,879.80, but after paying off his debts, the amount shrank to just $366.75. This was divided among Olive and the three surviving daughters of Medad; the process took over five years to settle.
Tally of the value of Medad's estate.
Meanwhile, oldest daughters Minerva and Sophia were sent to live with other relatives. Olive remarried to a man named Jeremiah Barton; she died in 1836 in Charlotte.
Children by Anne Clapp:
1. Minerva Lyman – B. 3 Mar 1797, (probably) Charlotte, Vermont; D. after 1865
1. Minerva Lyman – B. 3 Mar 1797, (probably) Charlotte, Vermont; D. after 1865
2. Sophia Lyman – B. 21 Sep 1800, Charlotte, Vermont; D. 2 May 1838, Nelson, New Hampshire; M. Abel Kittredge (1798-1882), 28 Jan 1824, Nelson, New Hampshire
3. Anne Lyman – B. 5 Dec 1802, Charlotte, Vermont; D. 18 May 1803, (probably) Charlotte, Vermont
Children by Olive Mead:
1. Anne Marie Lyman – B. 25 Oct 1806, Charlotte, Vermont; D. 1879, Nelson, New Hampshire; M. Abel Kittredge (1798-1882), 29 Nov 1838, Nelson, New Hampshire
Sources:
Genealogy of the Lyman Family in Great Britain and America, Lyman Coleman, 1872
Tombstone inscriptions in Barber Hill Cemetery, Charlotte, Vermont
History of Chittenden County, William S. Rann, 1886
The Kittredge Family in America, Mabel T. Kittredge, 1936
Death certificate of Abel Kittredge, 13 Sep 1882, Boston, Massachusetts
Probate file of Medad Lyman, 1802, Chittenden County, Vermont
