The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-09-05

Of the MChawkS. In this way lie secured
an unequalled historical collection of orig
lnal diaries. maps, notes ana manuscripts,
Hiiing about go manuscript volumes, and
covering the whole sweep OF the Anglo
American settlement and border warfare
Of the West from the first fight in the
Virginia Valley in 17i2. to the death Of
Tecumseh at the Thames, in 1913.
In his search for information DR..
Draper ON one journey travelled 500 miles
on foot. Once his feet became SO sore that
he was obliged TO crawl for miles on his
hands and knees to settlement Scores of
times his life was IN danger by swollen
streams, IN sna@ged steamers and from
falling trees. but he never faltercd in his
effort to clear up some obscure point in the
life OF one Of his heroes. One of the most
remarkable things Ill connection with DR..
Draper'S active life is that he has written
few books. Nearly all his works are still
IN manuscript form.
DR.. Draper's greatest labor, aside from
his historical research and writing, was
performed While secretary of the WiScon-
SIN Historical Society. a position to which
he was appointed Ill 1884, after serving a
year on the executive committee. He held
the position thirty-five years. He devoted
a great portion of his time to the work of
the society, aiding largely in gathering the
10000 volumes and documents III the state
library, and editing its pamphlet issues
and its volumes of historical col
lectlons. 1t has, owing Principally,
to DR.. Drap2r'S efforts, one of the nobleSt
collections made by any historical society;
q vast mass of original material, written
mostly by border warriors, pioneers and
yoyageurS-m competent to discuss the
topic on which they wrote. DR.. Drapers
name appears signed to every annual re-
port from first to last for thirty-tiye years:
he raised money, and found rare and curi-
Gus documents. In The fall of 1857 Mr..
Draper was chosen state superintendent of
public instruction. an Office which he held
three years. He was the father of the
school library system. Forty years ago
Granville College conferred on Mr.. Ora
per the honorary degree of master of arts;
and in 1871 the University of Wisconsin
that of Ill. ID. lie was either an hOnora-
ry or corresponding member of every his
torical society in the United States.
DR.. Draper has published several i'm
pOrtant historical works, but they are few
in number compared with his eXtraordi-
nary rich mine of history and biography.
Besides the eight volumes of collections of
the State Historical Society. several
pamphlets and two elaborate school re-
ports, he produced The Helping Hand:
Country 1852: "hing'S Mountain and
It's Heroes t1SS0D; "Mecklcnburg Declara-
tion,' and one or two other works. Dr.
Draper's vast collection OF manuscript viii
not be lost, however. II misunderstood that
he has bequeathed all the results of his
years of labor to the State Historical So
ciety.
DR.. Draper came from good old Puritan
stock. Ills father was Luke Draner. of
the fifth generation from James Draper.
who settled at ROXbury, Mass, about 1850,
while his mother was Harriet fIoisington,
from an equally old New England family.
Lyman c. Draper was born at the mouth
nj EJphtppn 10 81 of
Lake Erie, in the town of Hamburg, Erie
County. y. T., on September ii. 1915
The DraperS of colonial days were loyal
sons of freedom-loylng pioneers and Mr..
Draper's paternal grandfather, Jonathan
Draper. served II the revolutionary war IN
the main army under Washington. His
ancestors on his mothers side were equal
ly loyal, his mother S father beng killed IN
the defense of Buffalo against the British
on December 80. 1913. His own father
was a gallant soldier, fighting through the
war against the right of search. and being
twice taken prisoner by the British on the
Niagara frontier.
Mr.. Draper spent his bOyhoOd al Spring
field, Penn, and LockpoGt, y. Y, where
his parents sucCeSSlVely resided. He
worked year or two on his father farm.
attending the neighhOring school at other
times. and doing the shoe repairing for the
family. lie earned pocket money by pick
ing blackberries and selling them nj t cents
quart. and one summer carried a brick
hod al 10 cents n day. He subsequently
engaged Tor time III clerking in a store.
In lNio he spent some time at Mobile, 4 la,
returning north by way of New Orleans
and the Mississippi River. Immediately aft
erward entering Granville College. Ohio.
where he took years course. Ills par
ents baylng removed from Lockport 10
Toledo. Os. he visited them there and took
part with the Buckeyes In a SklrmisA
with the Wolverines. i'll what is known as
'',he Battle of Mud Creek" IN the suburbs
of Toledo. one of the incidents Of the
hio-MIchigan boundary war. In the au-
tumn of 1896 Mr.. Draper entered the ilud-
son River Seminary. in Columbia County.
y. Y, and after a year took up his resi-
dCnce at Alexander, GeneSee County. y.
\. In 1910 Mr.. Draper went to PontotOe
Miss. where he edited paper Tor q short
time. after 4 year leaving the printing Of
fee for a farm. In 1872 he went TO Buffalo.
living in town in Mississippi. at Baltimore
and near Philadelphia. In 1852 he came
TO Madison. having married the widow of
his friend and patron. Mr.. Rem>en. Here
he resided 10 the time Of his death.
In personal appearance DR.. Draper
would have attracted attention anywhere.
lie was a small, WHY man, with hair and
beard of silver whlteneSs. His eve pre-
served the brightness of youth up to the
time of the stroke that proved to be the be-
ginning of the end. and his step was as
elastic as in boyhooI. In public and pri-
yate life he was always found genial,
straightforward. clear-headed and unoSten-
tatiouS. A proof of his thoroughly un-
selfish nature is the generous use he made
Of ms r3ch stores OF historical acquisitions,
which were always al the command OF
anybody who sought them.