Amasa Mason Lyman (March 30, 1813 – February 4, 1877) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and was an apostle. He was also a counselor in the First Presidency to Joseph Smith. Early life and conversion Lyman was born in Lyman, New Hampshire, the third son of Roswell Lyman and Martha Mason. In the spring of 1832, Lyman met two traveling Latter Day Saint missionaries, Orson Pratt and Lyman E. Johnson. Lyman was baptized a member of the Church of Christ on April 27, 1832, by Johnson. On April 28, Lyman was confirmed by Pratt. After becoming a Latter Day Saint, Lyman traveled 370 miles to Palmyra, New York, where he hoped to meet Joseph Smith and Martin Harris. (Smith and Harris had lived in the Palmyra area when they published the Book of Mormon and organized the church in 1830). When Lyman arrived in Palmyra, he discovered that Smith and Harris had moved to Ohio the previous year, and that Smith was currently visiting Missouri. Determined to join the Latter Day Saints in Ohio, Lyman found temporary employment on the farm of Thomas Lackey, who had bought Harris's farm. (Harris had sold it to raise money for the publication of the Book of Mormon). After working for two weeks, Lyman earned enough money to take a ship from Buffalo, New York, to Cleveland, Ohio. From Cleveland, Lyman walked the 45 miles to Hiram, where he was told Smith and his family were living. When Lyman met John Johnson, the owner of the house where Smith was living, he discovered that Johnson was the father of the missionary who had baptized him just weeks before. Johnson invited Lyman to live at his house and work on his farm. Lyman did so from June 5 until August 1832. Lyman met Smith on July 1 when Smith returned to Hiram from Missouri. Missionary service and church leadership In August 1832, Smith told Lyman that "the Lord requires your labors in the vineyard". Lyman agreed to serve a mission for the church. On August 23, Lyman was ordained an elder by Smith and Frederick G. Williams. The following day, he departed with Zerubbabel Snow as a missionary. Lyman served with Snow and William F. Cahoon in the eastern United States, preaching as far east as Cabell County, Virginia, in present-day West Virginia. On December 11, 1833, Lyman was ordained