At times, fulfillment or purpose must be discovered either in another locale or in another profession or both. For Lyman Hall, it was the latter. Born in New England, he found purpose in Georgia. He began his career in the pulpit, but found fulfillment bringing healing to people’s bodies rather than their souls.  

Mr. Hall was in born in Wallingford, Connecticut on April 12, 1724. His family was the fourth generation of Richard Lyman who came to Boston in 1631 on the famed ship, the Lion. After graduating from Yale, he studied theology under the tutelage of his uncle, Rev. Samuel Hall. Two years later, he to lead a local congregation in Bridgeport. In 1751, he was chastised by the local ecclesial governing body, Fairfield West Consociation, for immoral action. (The preciseness of the action is unknown.) He confessed. The Consociation deemed his repentance sincere and restored him to a position of good repute. 

After preaching for two more years, Rev. Hall changed his vocational focus and began studying medicine. Upon receiving his degree in medicine, he served his hometown of Wallingford for a short time. Around 1755, he and his wife moved to South Carolina to join a community of Puritans who had settled in the area in 1697. They had moved there to establish a foundation of the religious life and promotion of Christian virtue. Due to sustainability worries, the group of northern transplants moved in 1756 to the Midway settlement in St. John’s Parish, Georgia. Dr. Hall and his family joined them.   

In Georgia, Dr. Lyman Hall became the owner of a plantation in addition to practicing medicine. In general, land clearing produced health hazards for those living in the area. To prepare the land for the most profitable crop, rice, it had to cleared of trees and brush. Then it was ditched. Finally, it was drained for it was swamp territory. These efforts resulted in polluted soil that bred an environment ripe for malaria in the summer and autumn and pleurisy in the winter and spring. Consequently, there were a fair number of people for Dr. Hall to treat and care for.

Georgia was late in joining the push for liberty as a colony due to its relationship to England. There had been much investment by Parliament in developing the colony and the royal party had a strong presence. As a result, St. John’s Parish sent Dr. Hall to the Continental Congress as an independent delegate. A few months later, state leadership decided to join the other colonies and sent delegates to Philadelphia. On July 2nd, Dr. Hall voted for the resolution for independence and signed the Declaration on August 2nd with his Georgia colleagues, Button Gwinnett and George Walton.

Lyman Hall experienced the same fate as many who led the fight for independence, personal loss, and endangerment. The war eventually came to Savannah, and his residence was burned and the town was captured by the British. Seeing he was accused of high treason against his old country he fled to Charleston. Soon enough, this town was also taken over by the British. General George Washington advised him to flee and that he did to Connecticut with his wife and son until the British completely retreated from Georgia. He returned to Savannah in 1782 to rebuild and lead his state in the new era. 

Dr. Hall resumed practicing medicine. Work was interrupted, however, by the call of public service in January 1783. The people of Georgia asked him to serve as their governor. Under his leadership, the retirement of public debt was arranged, payment of officers and soldiers for services rendered on behalf of the state was met, the establishment of courts and schools were accomplished, and other vital civil matters were created. After he led the state for one year, he dedicated his energies wholly to his medical practice for the remainder of his life. In 1790, Dr. Hall moved to a plantation in Burke County that overlooked the Savannah River. He died later in the year October 19, 1790.

Lyman Hall lived to be 66 years of age.