Genealogical and Personal
History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania,
supervised by John
W. Jordan, LL.D and James Hadden, New York,
1912 Lewis Historical
Publishing Co.
Pg. 352 BOYD:
The BOYDs came to Fayette County from the Shenandoah
Valley of Virginia, the family
seatbeing near Winchester. They were an
influential family, and of
frequent mention in Virginia Records. The founder
of the Fayette county family
was William BOYD, who moved from the
Shenandoah valley to Fayette
county,Pennsylvania, in 1874, settling in Bullskin
Twp.; there he founded the
BOYD family, made illustrious by his sons,
his grandsons, and his great
grand sons. His farm, "Springhill", on "Mount's
Creek", consisted of 240 acres,
which was patented to him in June 1786, by
the government, is yet owned
in the family. He bore a commission as justice
of the peace, dated 1792.
He was a man of education, and held high positions
in the township. He was a
slave owner and brought with him from Virginia
several slaves, and six Negro
children were recorded as being born to these
between 1795 and 1809. He
died in 1812 and was buried on the homestead farm.
He married and had issue:
Thomas, John, Robert, James, William, Jeremiah, and
a daughter. The oldest son,
Thomas, inherited the farmstead and died in 1855.
John died in 1857. Robert
of further mention (next sending) James died in
Tyrone Township. William moved
to Ohio. Jeremiah became a physician.
Pg. 353 (II) Robert,
son of William BOYD, was born in Bullskin Township,
Fayette County, PA, where
he was educated and grew to manhood. After his
marriage he settled in Menallen
Township, where he became a prosperous farmer
and a leading citizen. He
was one of the associate judges of Fayette county,
appointed in 1841, serving
until 1845. He married and had issue, including a son
William.
(III) William (2), son of Judge
Robert BOYD, was born in Menallen Twp, Fayette
county, Pennsylvania, and
there received his education and followed the calling of
a farmer. He was well to do
and a man of influence in his town. He was a Democrat
and a man of correct Christian
life. He married Jane C. BURGESS, and left issue.
(IV) Albert Darlington, son
of William (2) and Jane C (BURGESS) BOYD was born
in Menallen twp, Fayette county,
Pennsylvania, 31 December 1845. (Continued in next
sending)
Pg. 353 (IV) Albert
Darlington Boyd , son of William (2) and Jane C (BURGESS) BOYD
was born in Menallen Twp,
Fayette county, Pennsylvania, 31 December 1845. He was
educated in the public schools,
alternating his winter terms of study with summer work
upon the farm. He obtained
a good English education, and when a young man taught several
terms in the township schools
of Fayette county and one year in Connellsville. He supple-
mented his public school study
with two terms at Morgantown Academy (West Virginia) and
while still teaching began
the study of law under the able preceptorship of Judge Alpheu
E. WILSON. He prosecuted his
legal study with all the energy of his nature, and in 1869
passed the required examinations
and was admitted to the Fayette county bar. He made
rapid progress in his profession
after locating at Uniontown, was admitted to all federal
and state courts of the district,
and commanded the patronage of the best class of clients.
His natural oratorial gifts
brought him into prominence as a public speaker, which in turn so
impressed the rank and file
of his party that in 1871 he was chosen the Democratic candidate
for district attorney.
He was elected by a handsome majority, serving with distinction until
1874. He then retired to private
practice, and did not again appear prominently in public life,
save as chairman of the Democratic
county committee until 1898, when he was elected state
senator by an overwhelming
majority from the district compromising the counties of Fayette
and Green. He ably represented
his district in the senate, served on important committees, and
as a legislator added to the
fame already gained as a lawyer. He continued in active practice
until his death. Senator BOYD
was learned in the law, and seemingly carried the contents of
his valuable law library in
his head so ready was he with quotation of precedent in cases of
similar import, printed and
used as judicial authority. He had a large practice, and was so
unselfish that his memory
is lovingly cherished by men than young at the bar whom he helped
with their first cases. Among
the older strong men of the bar he stood without a superior in
legal attainment or political
prominence. He began practice at the age of 24, and in his 2nd
year successfully prosecuted
a murderer who was defended by the ablest Uniontown lawyers.
For many years he was engaged
in nearly every noted criminal case in Fayette county, either
for the prosecution or for
the defense. He gradually withdrew from criminal practice and
devoted his talents to civil
law, securing even higher position in that branch of his profession
than as a criminal lawyer.
He was essentially the lawyer, his political offices coming to him as
a tribute from his fellow
citizens, and not as the rewards of a self-seeking politician. He was
very popular and had a host
of loyal friends, to whom he was also most devoted. He was a good
citizen, always interested
and helpful in all public improvement and a willing worker for the
public good. His estate, "Locust
Hill", in the east end of Uniontown, was purchased shortly after
his marriage, and there he
spent his happiest hours. He married, 21 Sept 1872, Annie Elizabeth,
daughter of Robert PATTERSON,
of Uniontown, who survives him, a well-known lady of
Uniontown. (see PATTERSON)
She was born in Uniontown, Penn, educated in Uniontown schools,
now a member of the Presbyterian
church and allied societies. Children, all born in Uniontown:
1. Edward Wilson, a well-known
lawyer, associated with his father until the death of the latter.
2. Samuel Patterson, an attorney,
associated with his father and brother in legal practice until
the latter's death.
3. Albert Darlington, a civil engineer, of Uniontown, Penn.
4. Wallace
Burgess, a civil engineer,
now of Oklahoma. 5. Mary Elizabeth, wife of Charles S.BOWMAN;
one child, Charles S., Jr.
PATTERSON, an excerpt.
Robert PATTERSON, was the 5th son of James and Sophia
(STEWART) PATTERSON, born
on a farm named Enity, 4 March 1808, at Manor Cunningham.
He married Lucinda,
the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Ethelinda (ROBERTSON) WINCHELL.
Pg. 357 - This is another
branch of the BOYD family descending from William
BOYD, of Virginia, who came
in 1784, a land owner and slave owner of Bullskin
Twp, surveyed to him in June,
1786 as "Spring Hill".
(II) James, son of William
BOYD, was a farmer of Tyrone Twp, Fayette County,
PA. He married and had male
issue.
(III) George W., son of James
BOYD, was born in Tyrone Twp, Fayette county,
PA, where he became a prosperous
farmer, retiring late in life to Mount
Pleasant, PA, where he built
a large brick house which was his residence
until death. He was a minister
of the Baptist Church and a man of influence.
He married Martha SMITH 18
Feb 1846; she was also a Baptist. Children (1)
James Smith, of whom later;
(2) Catherine May, b 1848; married George
SHRADER, a farmer, and moved
to OH, both still living. (3) Emily, b 3 March
1851, deceased; married John
MOCK, now a farmer of OH; (4) Smith, b 25 Apr
1853; married and now living
in West VA; (5) Mary, b 11 March 1855; married
Peter LACAS (sp.?), of Scottdale,
whom she survives. (6) Demsey, b 17 Aug
1857; married May McMASTERS;
he is a merchant of Merrittstown, PA; both
living. (7) Martha,
b 7 Feb 1860; married John METCALF, a traveling
salesman, now residing at
Lawrence, KS. (8) George M, b 24 Dec 1861; marr.
And d. in Joplin, MO
Pg. 357 - James
Smith, son of George W. and Martha (SMITH) BOYD, was born
near Morgan Station in Upper
Tyrone Twp, Fayette County, PA 23 Dec 1846. He
attended the local public
school and grew to manhood on the home farm. After
his marriage he lived two
years on his father's farm, then until 1855, lived
at Detwiler's Mills as manager
of Grandfather DETWILER's farm and also did
the mill hauling. In 1855
he moved with his family to Cawker City, Kansas
where he purchased 160 acres
of land. He prospered and in 1893 purchased
another 240 acres on which
he moved and lived until 1906. In that year he
sold his 160 acres and bought
one hundred acres near Wichita, KS. He has
devoted himself to mainly
to raising alfalfa, that wonderful crop that has
brought prosperity to the
west. He also conducts a line of general farming
operations on his two farms.
He is a Republican in politics and has served on
the school board for many
years. He is a member of the United Brethern
church, as is his wife.
He married Susan Catherine
DETWILER, b at Detwiler's Mill's, Bullskin Twp,
Fayette County, PA, 13 Jan
1852, daughter of Samuel and granddaughter of
Henry and Susan (STAUFFER)
DETWILER. (Then there is a long run down on
several generations of DETWILER,
available for any of their descendants)
Children of James Smith BOYD
(and Susan Catherine DETWILER): (1) Albert
Mason, of whom further.
(2) Harry Elsworth, b 3 Oct 1875, now living on his
father's two hundred and forty
acre farm in Kansas; married Della CRAM. (3)
Frank Hanby, b 3 Jan 1878;
now assistant superintendent at the Waltersburg
Coke Works in Fayette county;
married Laura HUMPHREYS. (4) Bessie Marie, b 7
July 1879; married Edward
Anderson, an employee in the freight department of
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad
at Scottdale, PA. (5) Samuel Detwiler, b 31
Oct 1881; now manager of a
plumbing establishment at Denver CO; married
Mattie KELLER. (6) Ruth Van
Grundy, b 14 Oct. 1884, residing with her
parents. (7) John Clyde,
b 22 Oct. 1885; died in infancy. (8) Anna
Josephine, b 12 Sept 1886;
married Mark BOHRER, a tinner, now residing at
Smith Center, KS.
(9) Ralph Harper, b 31 Oct. 1890; residing at home,
unmarried. (10)
Azalia Belle, b 1 April 1893; resides at home. (11) Max
Dewey, b 15 May 1896, resides
at home.
Pg. 358 Albert
Mason, eldest son of James Smith and Susan Catherine
(DETWILER) BOYD, was born
near Morgan Station in Upper Tyrone Twp, Fayette
County, PA, 18 Aug 1874. He
was a year old when his parents moved to
Detwiler's Mills, where his
boyhood days were passed and his early education
acquired at the Gault school
in Buckskin Twp. He was 10 years of age when the
family moved to Kansas where
he completed his studies in excellent public
schools. His father there
was cultivating about six hundred acres of land,
and as the eldest son, Albert
M., soon became his valued and trusted
assistant. He, however, insisted
upon having as education, attended Cawker
City high school, where he
was graduated in 1894. He then attended Kansas
State Normal at Emporia, and
taught school for three terms. He returned to
Fayette County in 1898 and
entered the employ of the Union Supply Company at
Leisenring No. 3, remaining
11 months. He then engaged with the W. J. Rainey
Company in their store in
Elm Grove, Fayette County, as meat cutter. After
two years he was appointed
payroll clerk, serving as such 11 months, then
became yard boss t the coke
works, continuing one year. In June 1903 he was
appointed manager of the Elm
Grove store, a responsible position, which he
now most acceptably fills.
His home is in Elm Grove, and he also owns a tract
of 320 acres in Kansas. He
is a Republican in politics and has served as
school director. He is a Mason
of high degree, belonging to James Cochran
Lodge, No. 614, Free and Accepted
Masons at Dawson; Connellsville Chapter,
No. 283, Royal Arch Masons;
Uniontown Commandery, Knights Templar; Uniontown
Lodge of Perfection, and Pittsburgh
Consistory, ancient Accepted Scottish
Rite, in which he holds the
thirty-second degree. He is a member of Laurel
Hill Presbyterian Church and
interested in all the work of his church.
He married, 19 September 1907,
Melissa McBURNEY, b in Franklin Twp, Fayette
County, PA, daughter of Robert
and Susan (BUTE) McBURNEY. Children: Susan
Mildred, b 15 Sept 1908; Grace
Antoinette, 7 November 1921.