Frederick Lyman was born on November 23, 1807, in Vermont. He eventually moved to Ohio, and he married Hannah Chandler there on September 19, 1830. They had at least ten children: Rhoda, born around 1831; Luke, born on October 30, 1832; Oliver, born around 1833; Adelia, born around 1837; Francis, born around 1839; Philip, born around 1841; Maria, born around 1844; Harriet, born around 1848; Millie, born around 1850; and Alton, born around 1855. They lived in Washington, Ohio, and Lyman worked as a miller. They moved to Delaware, Ohio, in the 1850s, and by 1860, he owned $100 of personal property. By 1870, he was working as a cooper in Columbus, Ohio. He died on July 5, 1871.