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History of Joseph Alvin (Jody) Lyman and Nellie Grayson Roper


Joseph Alvin (Jody) Lyman
Born: 13 December 1856 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, USA
Parents: Amasa Mason Lyman and Eliza Maria Partridge
Married: Nellie Grayson Roper 25 Apr 1878 at Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Died: 18 Dec 1925 at Mayfield, Sanpete, Utah, USA

LIFE SKETCH OF JOSEPH ALVIN (JODY) LYMAN AND NELLIE GRAYSON ROPER

Joseph Alvin was born December 13, 1856 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT. His parents were Eliza Maria Partridge and Amasa Mason Lyman. He married Nellie Grayson Roper 25 Apr 1878 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah.

Near the end of September 1881, two men stole most of the horses belonging to the Bluff settlers from the range in Cottonwood Wash. (See History of San Juan County, Chapters 13-14 for the detailed story. Jody, Lem Redd and Hyrum Perkins rode cautiously after them hoping to find an advantage to retrieve the animals. They stayed out of sight while they followed the trail, but steadily gained ground. After crossing the Colorado, at Hall's Crossing, they took a secondary trail above the one the outlaws had followed and came across their animals, along with those of the thieves, tied up alongside the main trail. Realizing that the thieves were waiting in ambush along the main trail, but nearer the river, the three drove all the horses, including those of the thieves, back down the second trail hoping to get them across the Colorado before their release was discovered. Just as they were coming ashore on the east side of the river (October 2), shots from the west rang out, and Jody was hit in the leg shattering his femur. Redd got Jody out of the line of fire and Perkins raced for help at Bluff. Before Perkins could return, a Navajo named Pahlilly and some of his friends happened upon the injured Lyman. The Navajos directed Redd to much closer water than he had known about, and how to make a poultice of prickly-pear leaves to place on the wound.

Before reaching Bluff, Hyrum Perkins met Mrs. Thales Haskel, George Hobbs and others, going back in a light wagon to the settlements near Cedar City. After hearing his message they hurried along to the camp where Redd attended Lyman arriving there October 5th. The wounded man had lain three nights on his blankets without his wound having been dressed. Mrs. Haskel being an excellent nurse, proceeded at once to attend this matter, after which he was placed in the wagon, his leg in the wooden trough the Halls brothers had made for him, and they started slowly away for Bluff.

At Clay Hill they met Bishop Nielson, Jody's mother, Eliza Partridge Lyman, and his brother Platte's wife, Annie Maud, who had rushed from Bluff upon Perkin's arrival. In this company he was taken to Bluff, a journey described as a nightmare. Nellie had previously taken an opportunity to go to Oak City to visit her family, and returned to Bluff as soon as she learned of the shooting. Despite their best efforts to pick out the splintered bone, he suffered for 25 years with a weeping, crippling wound.

Early in 1884 Nellie escorted him back to Oak City where he could receive care under improved circumstances. He found work in the Lyman Store, and was county assessor and tax collector. His mother travelled with them, as did others feeling they had been released of their mission obligation. But, Jody held onto the feeling of being called to San Juan, and returned to Bluff with his family in 1901.

Joseph along with Platte and Walter C Lyman and Kumen Jones had formed a corporation to create a White Mesa Canal Company in 1897 (Saga of San Juan p 136). Jody bought the L.C. Ranch about 1902 from Walter and Jim Woods of Colorado. He became the first postmaster of Grayson at this time. He named the first post office, Grayson after his wife; the future town of Blanding also carried her name until 1915. The mail was delivered on horse twice a week, going to and from Bluff (Saga of San Juan p 139). They had to pitch tents to live in, as the Lacey house had burned down some time before.

Along with his wife came their young children: Henry M. Alton A., Carlie, Ezra De, Wayne R., Lucy, Angie. His married son Alvin and his wife, Vin and their adopted son Joseph Platte Callister also moved to the ranch as did their daughter Nellie May and her husband Hans C.H. Bogh. Some alfalfa had been raised on the ranch earlier, and the Lymans expanded those fields and also planted vegetable gardens, and some wheat. The ranch at this point served as headquarters for those working on the Johnson Creek ditch, until spring of 1903 when water finally ran through the completed ditch into the "park land" above Grayson (Saga of San Juan p 137).

In Oct. of 1904, Joseph moved his family from the L. C. Ranch to the Mesa, four miles north of where the town was to be, to an area called the "Park" He also moved the cabin for the Grayson post office to the same area. In about 1905 Benjamin Perkins, or his hired men, brough the mail there in a buckboard (Saga of San Juan p 139).

On Nov. 13, 1904 the first branch of the LDS church was organized in Grayson. The meeting was held out doors on the Hans Bogh lot west of the 2nd reservoir. Joseph was the 1st president of the branch, Bogh was superintendent of the Sunday School and Albert R. Lyman was president of the YMMIA. The next year, in 1905 AR Lyman's family became the first to settle in Blanding, and Jody and Nellie's family joined them, moving the post office cabin yet again, placed north of the South Chapel near the corner of Main and 2nd south (Saga of San Juan p 140). Joseph died 18 Dec 1925 Mayfield, Sanpete, Utah.

(See Article: The Prickly Pear Poultice: How Baililly Saved Jody Lyman, And Taught the Mormons Some Medicine, Blue Mountain Shadows Vol 11, p. 44)

Nellie Grayson was the 12th of 14 children of Henry Roper and Mary Ann Grayson who were from Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. (Were they the prototypes for the Dickerson family in Undaunted?)

She was born 13 Apr 1862 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah and died 22 Dec 1931 Place Mayfield, Sanpete, Utah Sources:
1 FamilySearch Memories for Joseph Alvin Lyman
2 FamilySearch Memories for Lucy Lyman Redd
3 History of San Juan County, Chapters 13-14
4 Nellie G Lyman life sketch (unpublished document Bluff Fort files).

Photos

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Jody and Nellie Lyman

Joseph (Jody) and Nellie Lyman with their daughter Nellie May