Sylvester M. Lohman was born in Jefferson City on Sept. 19, 1897, and was the third oldest of four children in the family of Louis and Amelia Lohman. His family name was widely recognized in Cole County because of his father's successful mercantile interests and ownership of the Lohman Opera House, while his uncle, Charles W., left his impression when the town of Lohman was named in his honor.