History of Lee County, Illinois - Bushnell Historical Society

344 HISTORY OF LEE COUNTY
giviug freely of Ms meaus to advauce the interests of humanity
aud promote public progress. He was oue of the early and honored
pioneer settlers of the community, having come here before
the Northwestern railroad was built. When it was constructed the
railroad aud highway ran side by side along the border of his home
place at Ashton, and he aided in securing the highway. He lived
to see many notable changes as pioneer conditions gave way before
an advancing civilization, and the change in nothing was greater
than in his own financial condition which resulted from his busi-
ness ability and unfaltering enterprise.
A. F. LYMAN.
A. P. Lyman, engaged in the plumbing aud heating business at
West Brooklyn, is winning sa^iccess by reason of his thorough
knowledge of the trades in which he embarked on starting out in
life on his own accoimt. A native of Lee count.y, he was born at
Amboy, January 21, 1881, and is a son of Levi H. and Frances
(Bruce) Lyman. The father was a locomotive engineer on the
Illinois Central Railroad and volunteered for service in the Civil
war. He died in 1906, at the age of fifty-nine years, and lies
buried in the Pi'airie Repose cemetery at Amboy. His wife now
makes her home in Lee Center.
A. F. Lyman was educated in the schools of Binghampton and
the Amboy high school, but did not complete his course by gradu-
ation. He put aside his text-books when eighteen years of age,
wishing to enter business life, and, going to Chicago, he there
learned the trade of plumbing and heating. He applied himself
diligently to the mastery of the work and became quite expert in
that line. He first located at Paw Paw, whei'o he carried on busi-
ness for three years, but in 1906 sold out there and afterward
worked as a plumber at Rochelle for two years. He then came
to West Brooklyn, where in April, 1908, he opened his present
establishment, which has since brought him a gratifying degree
of success. He is now well prepai'ed to do difficult work along the
line of his trade and a liberal ])atronage is accorded him. He possesses
much natural mechanical skill and ingenuity, which combined
with his efficiency have prepared him for the perfonnance
of any task that devolves upon him in this connection.