Lyman Beecher
Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was a Presbyterian minister, and the father of 13 children, many of whom became writers or ministers, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella Beecher Hooker, Catharine Beecher, and Thomas K. Beecher.
Lyman Beecher
October 12, 1775
Minister
Catharine Esther, William, Edward, Mary, Tommy, George, Harriet Elisabeth, Henry Ward, Charles, Frederick, Isabella, Thomas, James
David Beecher
Esther Hawley Lyman
According to his son Henry Ward Beecher, his father was "largely engaged during his life-time in controversy".[1] However, "he was also the most respected religious voice of his era. ...[H]e seemed also to embody all of the nation's moral ideals, in representing the established clergy, who looked to him for leadership."[2]: 94
Early life[edit]
Beecher was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to David Beecher, a blacksmith, and Esther Hawley Lyman. His mother died shortly after his birth, and he was committed to the care of his uncle Lot Benton, by whom he was adopted as a son, and with whom his early life was spent blacksmithing and farming. But it was soon found that he preferred study. He was fitted for college by the Rev. Thomas W. Bray, and at the age of eighteen entered Yale College, graduating in 1797. He spent much of 1798 at Yale under the tutelage of his mentor Timothy Dwight.
Legacy[edit]
Beecher was proverbially absent-minded, and after having been wrought up by the excitement of preaching was accustomed to relax his mind by playing "Auld Lang Syne" on the violin, or dancing the "double shuffle" in his parlor.[4]
Lyman Beecher's house, on the former campus of the Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, became the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. Harriet, his daughter, lived here until her marriage. It is the only Lane building still standing. It is open to the public and operates as an historical and cultural site, focusing on Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Lane Seminary, and the Underground Railroad. The site also documents African-American history. The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is located at 2950 Gilbert Avenue, in Cincinnati, Ohio.[16]
Beecher was the author of a great number of printed sermons and addresses. His published works are:
He made a collection of those of his works which he deemed the most valuable (3 vols., Boston, 1852).[4]
