CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, ILLINOIS BOYDS
STEPHEN BOYD was born December
17, 1804, in Shelby county, Kentucky. His
father, William BOYD, and
his mother, who was Elizabeth WILEY, came to this
county at the same time that
Stephen himself came, to-wit in the year 1831.
The father was of Scottish
descent, the mother was a German lady. They both
died here, in September, 1838,
there being but a few days between the dates of
their death. Stephen, when
he arrived in this county from Shelby county,
Kentucky, was twenty-seven
years old, and (in 1824) married Jemima KITSON who
died in 1826, in Kentucky.
He settled three miles east of Urbana and lived
there the remainder of his
life, following here as he had in his old home, the
occupation of a farmer. In
1833 he married Eliza RINEHART. His children were
James BOYD, a well-to-do farmer
who now lives at the old home place; John
Matthias, who died in 1838;
Jemima, who died in 1846; Elizabeth, who married
Amos CONWAY now residing in
Dakota; Mary, who mar. Frank CHAMPLAIN now
residing in Cedar Vale, Chautauqua
county, Kansas; Emma; and Al BOYD, both
residing near Urbana. Stephen
Boyd was always a consistent and ardent
democrat. He died August 14,
1873, leaving behind him a splendid reputation
for honesty and square dealing
among those who knew him for the long period of
time he lived among the early
pioneers. He left to his heirs a goodly estate
and did not owe a cent at
the time of his death. His living children have all
done well and are a credit
to the memory of Stephen BOYD, whose record of
honesty we gladly preserve
for future generations.
JAMES BOYD was born 10 Sept
1825, in Shelby county, Kentucky. His father,
Stephen Boyd (above) was born
in same county. His mother was Jemima KITSON,
also a native of Kentucky.
James, subject of this sketch, was only six years
old when he came to this county
in November, 1831, with his father. He was
subjected to the hardships
of pioneer life thus early in his career, and made
of him that hardy and substantial
man the portrait above indicates. At the
age of 22, to-wit, August
19, 1847, young James married Miss Frances RHODES,
who shared his burdens and
partook of his joys until March 22, 1864, when she
died. On 17 Aug 1864, he married
Mary Ann COLLINS; who died the following
winter. On 5 Aug 1866, he
mar. Caroline TURNIPSEED, who is his present wife.
His children are John W.,
William M., Jemima, who married M. M. HARRY, of this
city; Sarah, who married H.
STROVER, now of Bloomington, Illinois; Anna, Frank
and Florence, are living at
home, the eldest being 17 the youngest 13 years
old. Alfred, Stephen
and George are dead. James received early impressions
and education which made him
a democrat until 1856. He says he voted for
James Buchanan in 1856 and
shortly afterward solemnly declared he would never
vote a democratic ticket again.
He kept his word, voting for Abraham Lincoln
in 1860 and in 1864, and for
the republican candidates ever since. He owns a
well improved farm three miles
east of Urbana, and has followed all his life
his present occupation; that
of a farmer. His farm is clear of encumbrances
and he owes no man anything.
Like his father before him, he prides himself in
keeping his contracts to the
letter, thus building up the reputation he has
among those who know him of
a square business man and good citizen.
SAMUEL JONES BOYD, farmer residing
on Sect. 24, Sidney Township, Champaign
County, was born in Rock Castle
County, KY, December 27, 1842, son of David M.
and Mary Jane (Boyd) BOYD,
both natives of Kentucky. The father died when the
subject of this sketch was
a child, and the mother and children subsequently
removed to Putnam County,
IN, in 1857. They remained there four years and
then, in April, 1861, located
in Sidney Township, and began farming on leased
land. Samuel J. was educated
in the public schools of Indiana and Illinois. He
bought eighty acres of land
in Raymond Township, but later sold it. He and his
wife now own 175 acres of
excellent land on Section 24, Sidney Township, on
which they have built a handsome
home. He is a stockholder in the Farmers'
Elevator at Sidney.
On August 26, 1866, Mr.
Boyd was maried to Margaret, daughter of Josiah and
Sarah CLAWSON, and of this
union five children have been born, namely: Josiah,
who died when eight years
old; Walter Scott, a farmer, who has 100 acres in
Indiana, and also operates
a part of his father's farm, which he rents; Alta
May; Ora Ella; and Lulu Stella.
The daughters are all engaged in teaching.
"History of Champaign County,
Illinois" by J.O. Cunningham, Munsell, Chicago,
1905.
SAMUEL BOYD was born in County
Antrim, Ireland 26 August 1802. His parents
were John Boyd and Agnes (MILLER)
Boyd. They were both Scotch and descended
from a long line of Scotch
people. Mr. Boyd was married in a Presbyterian
church, six miles from Belfast,
Ireland, to Sarah MILLER, in October, 1833.
She died in 1848, at Lawrenceburg,
Indiana. In 1843, he, with his family
consisting of wife and his
three eldest children, crossed the Atlantic and
came to Lawrenceburg, Indiana;
there he worked in a flour mill and dis-tillery
until 1851. He spent a short
time at Rising Sun, Ind., and in 1851 crossed the
plains with a six mule team
to California; there he hunted for the golden
nuggets with some success,
although subjected to the hardships and privations
of mining life, until 1856,
when he returned and married his second wife, Miss
Elizabeth STAFFORD, of Aurora,
Indiana, in 1857. In same year he came to
Champaign county, Illinois,
and settled near St. Joseph. He had brought with
him, from California, about
$2,000 as the result of his California mining
operations. This he invested
in land, and for twelve years successfully
followed farming.
His children by his first wife
are John F., now in Missouri; William, now in
Nebraska; James M., who resides
in Indianapolis and is a locomotive engineer;
Mary JOHNSON, who resides
south of Urbana, and Hugh, who resides near Lost
Grove. James M. entered the
army and served gallantly throughout the war for
the Union, and stands high
among the men of his calling as well as among his
acquaintances every-where.
John F., Hugh and William, also served through the
war in the Union army. By
his second wife he had five children, two of whom
are now living, viz; Jennie,
who is living at home, and Rosa, who married
Peter GOOD and resides north
of Urbana. Mr. Boyd was raised a Presbyterian and
through the greater part of
his life was ident-ified with that stalwart branch
of the Christian church. He
and his present wife, however, are members of the
Baptist church. He was forty-six
years old before he was entitled to vote, but
he allied himself with the
whig party upon his arrival in American, and voted
for Zachary Taylor for president,
in 1848, for Gen. Scott in 1852, and for
Fremont and the suc-ceeding
republican candidates including James G. Blaine,
in 1884. He is a hardy Scot
of 84 years, and is as active and industrious as
he has always been. He resides
now about two miles northeast of this city,
where, doubt-less, his remaining
years will be spent.
Early
History and Pioneers of Champaign County, Illinois" Milton W. Mathews
and
Lewis A. McLean, Editors of the Champaign County Herald, published
by the
Champaign
County Herald Urbana, Illinois, 1888.