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Jasper County, Iowa
Historical and Genealogical Data Exchange
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William
M. Boyd We
of the present generation do not fully realize what it meant for the young men
of half a century ago, with life's bright promises before them, to leave
business, the comforts of home and the pleasures of associations with family and
friends and go out to do or die in the world's greatest war, in which they
suffered indescribably, at times, during four long, dreary years, "in order
that the nation might live." But
they, our honored sires, did it, gladly and well, and today no man should be the
recipient of greater esteem by us than the old veteran, who wore the blue.
One such was William M. Boyd, long a highly respected citizen of Jasper
County, who was born in Center County, Tennessee, January 22, 1843, and he was
the son of John and Sarah (Beldon) Boyd, the father a native of Tennessee and
the mother of North Carolina. The
latter came with her people to Tennessee with her parents when young and there
met John Boyd and they were subsequently married by the noted "Parson
Brownlow," a prominent preacher and politician of his time. Mr. Boyd
devoted his life to farming and carpentering and his death occurred in
Jonesborough, Tennessee, at the advanced age of ninety years.
He was influential in his community in public matters, and he and his
oldest son were soldiers in the Mexican War, the father rising to the rank of
first lieutenant. He was twice married and William M., of this review, is one
of three brothers by the first marriage; Samuel T. died in Tennessee in 1909;
James I. lives in Shelby County, Iowa. Nine
children were born to the second marriage. William
M. Boyd left home with his father's brother when fifteen years of age and came
to Illinois where he worked as a farm hand four years, then in 1854 he came to
Jasper County, Iowa, when the country was new, settling in Poweshiek township
where he worked as a farm hand until he responded to his country's call and
enlisted in Newton, in Company B, Forty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in the
western division of the Federal Army, under "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
He was sent to Davenport, where he did guard duty, and later sent to
Chicago to prevent a possible attempt to free a number of Confederate prisoners
held there. Returning to Rock
Island, he was honorably discharged at the close of 1864 and returned to Jasper
county, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land, raw prairie,
having long since transformed it into a splendid farm, well improved and under a
high state of cultivation, and on which he was very successful as a general
farmer and stock raiser.
The
first wife of Mr.-Boyd died in 1863 and in 1865, upon returning from the war, he
married Margaret Martindale, a widow, and to this union seven children were
born, all of whom are living, namely: Dr. F. E. of Colfax; Edward, who conducts a "bus"
line in Newton; L. J. is a trading salesman, out of Beatrice, Nebraska; H. C. is
a druggist in Mason City; Bertrus is the wife of Sumner Baker, a merchant who
lives in Maringo, this County; Theodosia is unmarried and is living at home;
Linnie is the wife of Richard Sharp, a miner of this County. Until
seven years ago Mr. Boyd carried on active farm work, then retired and moved to
Colfax, where he purchased a neat, substantial and comfortable residence in
which he spent his old age in the midst of plenty as a result of former years of
activity. His death occurred on
July 3, 1911. He
was always a man who had the public welfare at heart, and he served in nearly
all the township offices. He was a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Colfax, and he belonged to the E. D.
Duncan Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he was commander for
several years. He belonged to Riverside Lodge No. 53, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons at Colfax, and he belonged to Oriental Commandery No. 22, Knights
Templar, at Newton, and to-the chapter of Royal Arch Masons; he had been Mason
since 1863. He was the recent overseer of the poor at Colfax and one of the
commissioners of the soldiers' relief commission, and he was a member of the
city council. In every capacity in
which he served the public he acted conscientiously and won the approval of all
concerned. The Past and Present of Jasper County, Gen. James B. Weaver, Editor-In-Chief, 1912 B.F. Bowen Co., Indianapolis, IN, p. 514. W.
F. Boyd was born in Carter County, Tenn., June 8, 1840, and is a son of J. R.
and Elizabeth (Boyd) Boyd. His
father was of German ancestry and was born in White County, Tenn., about 1818,
being the eldest of five brothers. The
name of the original emigrant or the exact date of his arrival in this country,
we do not know, but it is known to be before the Revolutionary War. As far as we have been able to trace the family in this
country we find them in Tennessee, where doubtless the first representative in
America made settlement. Both
the paternal and maternal grandfathers of our subject served in the War of the
Revolution. Though
a resident of Tennessee, the father of our subject was not a slave owner; in
fact, he was opposed to human slavery. In
politics he was an old-line Whig; in religious belief, he was a member of the
Methodist Church, in which he was an active worker.
His wife was born in Carter County, Tenn., about 1822, and was a member
of an old Scotch family. In 1852, Mr. Boyd brought his family north to Illinois, where
he settled in Sangamon County, about twelve miles from Springfield. In 1857 lie
came to Iowa and settled on the farm now owned by our subject, and located in
the northern part of Jasper County. There
the wife and mother died in May 1882, and the father in September 1890. Our subject is the next to the eldest in a family of ten children, of whom all but one brother and one sister are living. Cornelia L. married Leonard Booth, who was killed in Polk County, Iowa; she afterward married John Simpson, and died in Polk County; her son, James A, Booth, now resides in Springfield, Ill. George W. has a meat market in Nevada, Story County, Iowa; Harriet J. married John W. Hendricks, and after his death she became the wife of Holdon Gist; her third husband, John Clements, is a farmer residing five miles west of Newton. Nathaniel T., a private in Company B, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry, participated in the battles of Iuka find Corinth and died during his service at Marietta, Ga.; Eva, widow of William Harsh, resides near Newton; Mary E. married D. W. Clayton and lives in Nevada, Story County, Iowa, where he is engaged in the lumber business; James I. is a resident of Des Moines; Ellen married C. F. Ordoway and lives in Le Mars, Iowa; J. H. is a prominent attorney and land agent at Nevada, Iowa. Although
his advantages for obtaining an education were limited, our subject early
applied himself to his studies, making use of every spare moment, and in this
way he provided himself with a good store of knowledge. For some time he was a teacher in the public schools.
His first work for himself was at the age of eighteen years, when he
began to work out on a farm for fifty cents per day.
In that way he earned sufficient money to pay for his first forty acres
of land. In July 1863, he married Miss Cynthia A. Newhouse, who was born in
Michigan, being the daughter of Jonathan Newhouse, a prominent farmer, and for
some years Justice of the Peace. After
his marriage Mr. Boyd taught school and also worked on his farm. Being an
excellent financier, he has accumulated a large fortune and is now recognized as
one of the wealthy men of the county. He
has been more or less interested in local politics and is a staunch Democrat.
For three years he filled the office of Deputy County Treasurer. In the
fall of 1891 he was a candidate for the position of County Treasurer, and had
previously been a candidate for Sheriff and County Supervisor. While he has
always been ahead of his ticket, the Republican majority has been too great for
him to secure an election on the Democratic ticket.
He has served his township as Assessor and has been chosen to fill the
responsible position of Postmaster at Newton.
A free and forcible writer, for many years he was a correspondent for
different papers, but his attention has been devoted principally to his life
occupation, that of a farmer and stock-raiser.
He still continues to super intend his farm, although since 1887 he has
resided in Newton. Mr.
and Mrs. Boyd are the parents of three sons. Charles E., a graduate of the
Newton High School, Baltimore Medical College and Cleveland Medical College, is
a rising young physician, and is now filling the head place in the
University Hospital at Cleveland, Ohio; he is an active member of the Christian
Church. Walter, who was educated at the high school of Newton, is a printer by
trade and is employed on the State Democrat, at Newton. Alva L., the second of
the three boys, died when he was eleven years of age.
Though not identified with any religious organization, Mr. Boyd attends
the Christian Church and contributes liberally to its support.
His wife, a noble Christian woman, is actively identified with that
denomination. The first deed ever
recorded in Carter County, Tenn. was the deed from William Sharf to William Boyd
in 1796, the latter being a great-grandfather of our subject. Portrait and Biographical Record, Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, IA, Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, IL, 1894, p.247 |
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