An article on page 2 in the Lansing State Journal, dated 8 October 1862, stated that Harvey Lapham, soldier in Company G of the 12^th Infantry Union Army, had been sent to the hospital at Mound City, Illinois. The article also included the latest reports on General Grant and a Union war skirmish that had not gone well.

Harvey Lapham, born New York in 1840, came home to Meridian, Ingham County, Michigan after the war, although he would long suffer with rheumatism for many years from his nearly 5 years of war duty, where he rose to the rank of 1^st Lieutenant in the Union army. Harvey married Miss Maria (or Mariah) Morrison at Okemos 27 November 1867. Both the Morrison and Harvey families were established in the area, being enumerated in Meridian, Ingham County in the 1850 US Federal Census. Harvey and Maria's first born son, Jesse, was born in 1869, Kalamazoo County. Their next child, also a son, was born 10 April 1874, Okemos, and they named him Macy Harvey Lapham. Sadly, eight days after giving birth to Macy, Maria succumbed to “child bed fever.”

Harvey remarried childless widow Mrs. Nancy Catherine “Kate” (Sowle) Rounds in Okemos, 13 April 1876. Mrs. Rounds had lost her husband, Corodon T. Rounds, in 1872. Corodon was buried in Union Chapel Cemetery, Wayne County. Kate before her marriage to Corodon had taught school in the early 1860's at the Bath school #1, so she was well acquainted with the Meridian and Okemos area as she and her parents were also enumerated in the Meridian, Ingham County 1850 US Federal Census. Kate would be the only mother known to both Jesse and young Macy. Harvey, a farmer, was much involved in Union veteran organizations, local Ingham County politics and at one time served as a Justice of the Peace in Okemos. Kate was involved in her church and area women's groups. Kate, born 1844, never had children of her own. She died at her home in Okemos in 1916. Harvey died in Washington DC at the home of son Jesse in 1919. Harvey and both his wives, Maria and Kate, were interred Riverside Cemetery, Okemos.

Lapham, Kate (2nd wife of Harvey Lapham) obit, Lansing State Journal, 13 Sept 1916, Page 2

Lapham, Harvey, father of Macy Lapham, obit, Evening Star (Washington DC), 9 Feb 1919

Macy was on the 1888 list of attendees for Okemos Union School. He would go on to further his education and graduate from the State Agricultural College (present day Michigan State University) in 1899. He submitted, the same year of graduation, a thesis, “Examination of Lawn Grass Mixtures,” that many believe to be the first turf grass research thesis ever written. After graduation Macy became a soil mapper for the US Department of Agriculture, the government agency which began overseeing soil mapping in 1899. Macy's earliest mapping involved the use of horse and buggy in Arizona. The MAC Record (then Michigan Agricultural College), Vol. 8, No. 27, dated 24 March 1903 recorded under the title, “Alumni,” a brief notation, “The present address of Macy Lapham is Rima, Arizona.” Later Macy would map soil also in Colorado, Washington state, California and other western states.

Lapham, Macy, soil management, The Delta Independent (Delta, CO), 26 Dec 1902

Interestingly, Macy's older brother, Jesse (1868-1954), also spent a good part of his employment career conducting soil surveys but in the Mid-west; Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana and also even North Carolina. Jesse would marry, 1904, a young woman in Ontario Province, Canada and by 1910 was living with wife and a young daughter in Washington, DC. He also was employed by the US Department of Agriculture.

Macy married Beulah M. Haskins on 8 April 1902 in La Junta, Otero County, Colorado. Born 2 August 1880 in New York state, Beulah by age 2 was living in Colorado where she grew to adulthood and would be a graduate of the University of Colorado. Her father Franklin was a physician and surgeon. According to a passport and pension record, Franklin Haskins was a Colorado Union Cavalry soldier during the Civil War. The right side of his face was partially paralyzed. It is unknown if this was an injury during the war or not but it was significant enough to be noted in his passport description. Dr. and Mrs. Haskins would have two children, Earl and Beulah. Beulah would follow her husband Macy's USDA career throughout the west. They finally settled in California. Their daughter, and only child, Mary Kathleen was born 17 March 1910 in Washington, DC. Mary Kathleen (1910-1982) would graduate from a California college and wed Dr. Angus E. Taylor who, at a later time, became Professor of Mathematics at University of California at Los Angeles.

Lapham, Macy (married Beulah M. Haskins 1903 Clara Belle Hoffmire 1956) marriage announcement, La Junta Tribune (La Junta, Colorado), Saturday, April 11, 1903

Macy was busy traveling, sampling and testing in his 45 year career. He published numerous brochures, pamphlets and books under the arm of the USDA; “Soil Survey of the Stockton Area,California”, Soils of the San Luis Valley, Colorado”,”Soil Survey of the Redding Area, California” and others. A Bureau of Soils employment record dated 1905 listed Macy's income for the year as $1600 or about $61,200 in 2026.

Lapham, Macy, The Willows Review (Willows, CA) March 22 1907

Lapham, Beulah, wife of Macy, La Junta Tribune, (La Junta, CO) 31 Aug 1907

Lapham, Macy, The Willows Review (Willows, CA), 22 Jan 1909

From the early years of the 20^th century, Macy made his headquarters and office in Oakland, Oakland County, California. His title was of senior soil chemist and field inspector for USDA in the western states of America. Macy also had a unique hand in helping promote the role of women in soil science. In 1901 a Miss Julia Pearce was appointed to one of the first USDA Soil Survey field parties (Hanford, California) as an assistant to Macy. Working with group she copied maps. Later Miss Pearce was transferred to Washington DC to work in the physical laboratory.

Lapham, Macy Harvey (married Beulah M. Haskins 1903, Clara Belle Hoffmire 1956) employment for Bureau of Chemistry and Soils of the US Dept. of Agriculture Daily Nevada State Journal (Reno, NV) Saturday June 1, 1907

Macy's early necessary equipment, needed for doing field soil surveying, included, a compass, odometer, geologist's hammer, a chain scale, one or more soil augers, extra pipe to permit occasional boring, a plane table, base maps, sacks, tags for soil samples, colored pencils and cards for recordings along with notebooks. Depending on where the survey was being done, pipe wrenches, a filter pump and even a 50 foot metallic tape might be included in with the standard equipment. In western states an “alkali outfit” was also included due to the alkali content in soil. All was packed into the back of a buggy drawn by a horse. Roads, trails, lanes, paths, and tracks were traveled up and down all the while looking, stopping, mapping, sampling, labeling and making notes.

Lapham, Macy Harvey (married Beulah Haskins 1903, Clara Belle Hoffmire 1956) employment for Bureau of Chemistry and Soils of the US Dept. of Ag. Porterville Evening Recorder (Porterville, CA) Friday January 11, 1935

After 45 years, with hands covered in soil, eyes that had analyzed all types of soil and a continuous writing about soil, Macy retired in 1944. He continued on with his numerous memberships in technical societies and with the American Soil Survey Association but turned his attention to personal writing and the publishing his story, “Criss-Cross Trails.” The book was widely read and praised for its descriptive and sometimes humerus narrative on soil surveying.

Lapham, Macy, Retirement, Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA) 24 March 1944, Page 8

Beulah Lapham died, after a lengthy illness, in her home, Alameda County, California, 22 August 1953. Macy, than at age 83, married Miss Clara Belle Hoffmire, a retired spinster school teacher. Clara, born 23 July 1876, Kansas, taught elementary students and music. She was a graduate of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado and at one point was the college's supervisor of music. Clara retired from the Berkeley, California school system in 1946 after a many-year career. Macy and Clara had less than 3 years of wedded bliss together when Macy died 11 February 1960, Alameda County. Clara died 21 August 1961, Alameda County.

Haskins, Beulah M. (married Macy Lapham 1903) obit Berkeley Daily Gazette (Berkeley, CA) Monday August 23, 1954

Lapham, Macy Harvey (married Beulah M. Haskins 1903, Clara Belle Hoffmire 1956) obit part 1 of 2, Berkeley Daily Gazette (Berkeley, CA), Saturday, February 13, 1960

Lapham, Macy Harvey (married Beulah M. Haskins 1903, Clara Belle Hoffmire 1956) obit part 2 of 2 Berkeley Daily Gazette (Berkeley, CA) Saturday February 13, 1960

Lapham, Macy, obit, Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA), 12 Feb 1960

Hoffmire, Clara Belle (married Macy Harvey Lapham 1956 2nd marriage for him and first for her) obit, Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA), Thursday, August 24, 1961

Macy left behind invaluable research that future generations have been able to use in agriculture, water filtration, climate change mitigation and commercial product exploration. His name and published works are still mentioned today in US western soil studies.