“Mar. 30, 1823. Watched last night with Thomas Cheever, who is bereft of his senses.”
A good and kindly neighbor was Lye, to watch with the sick.
THE MEANING OF LIFE TO JOSEPH LYE.
The sum of Lye’s view of life is found in this entry in his diary:
“Friday, Sept. 2. Carried out a fishing party. Capt. Z. Atwell, S. Smith and six others. On our return off Bass Neck, Capt. Atwell at the helm, going before the wind, the boom jibed over and knocked Matthew Breed Jr. overboard. I jumped into the small boat and picked him up. He was considerable distance astern and quite exhausted, just ready to sink. Thus was I a feeble instrument in God’s hands.”
That was his view of life. “A feeble instrument in God’s hands.” In that spirit he pursued his useful toil, enjoyed his humble joys, and wrote his simple annals of the poor. His ways were the ways of other days, and will be known no more.
JOSEPH LYE’S EPITAPH.
After the death of Joseph Lye, his family placed a stone on his grave, bearing this inscription:
In Memory of
MR. JOSEPH LYE,
who died
April 10, 1834,
Aged 42 Years.