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ciples. Pie was a member of Manchester
Lodge, No. 73, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, and also of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows. He was an
active and faithful member of the Manchester
Center Congregational Church.
He married, June 3, 1837, Mabel Lyman,
daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Millard)
Lyman, of Manchester. Benjamin
Lyman was born in 1778 and died in
1858, one of the most distinguished men
of his day at Manchester Green. He was
a son of Deacon Joseph Lyman, who set-
tled on a farm in that vicinity at an early
date. There were a large family of chil-
dren, Benjamin being the second child.
Several of the boys moved to Medina,
New York, and the only daughter of the
family removed to Illinois. Mr. Lyman
was a skilled wagonmaker by trade and
an extensive manufacturer of ox-carts,
such as were in great demand in that per-
iod. He was the inventor and patentee of
the first cast iron wagon hub to come into
general use. He was also the inventor of
a cast iron plow which was patented in
1826, and records show that it was un-
doubtedly the first cast iron plow on the
market. The product of his little factory
found its way into many States of the
West and South. He represented the
town of Manchester in the State Legisla-
ture many times and also served as selectman.
So well did he stand in his community
for honesty of purpose and up-
rightness that he was often selected to
settle estates. Mr. Lyman cleared and
owned many acres of land, at one time
having holdings in five different town-
ships, although he never resided anywhere
except on the old homestead in
Manchester Green. At that time that lit-
tle neighborhood was a very important
one in the community, having mills and
several lines of manufacture. It was
there that the first glass made in America
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
180
was manufactured. A Samuel Bishop
and one Pitkins received from the government
the privilege of manufacturing
glass. A factory was later purchased by
Mr. Lyman from Mr. Bishop and converted
into "a saw and grist mill." As
can be readily seen, Benjamin Lyman
was a man of affairs and accumulated
considerable property for his day, being
considered at his death one of the wealth-
iest men of that section. He married
Mary Millard, daughter of Andrus Mil-
lard, of French descent, who came to this
country with Lafayette and was at the
battle of Bunker Hill. He married a Miss
Bissell and settled on a farm at Lydal-
ville, where the Bissells were among the
most prominent people. They were the
parents of two daughters and a son, Ben-
jamin, who died at the age of twenty-one.
The elder daughter, Mary, never married,
and the younger one, Mabel Lyman, became
the wife of Aaron Cook, as previ-
ously noted.
Aaron Cook, Jr., son of Aaron and
Mabel (Lyman) Cook, was born on the
paternal homestead in Manchester Green,
September 12, 1842. In his youth he
attended the old brick school house, and
at the age of twelve years entered the
East Academy, which was a famous school
of the neighborhood at that time. He
grew up accustomed to farm life and was
of great assistance "
to his grandfather,
Benjamin Lyman, in the management of
the homestead. At the age of twenty
years, he enlisted in the cause of his coun-
try in the Twenty-fifth Volunteer Regi-
ment, under Colonel G. P. Bissell, for
a nine months' enlistment period, but
served his country a year and four days,
being mustered out, September 4, 1863.
His regiment was attached to General
Banks' forces in Louisiana, and went to
the relief of General Butler at Irish Bend,
where one-third of the regiment was