Boyd, Thomas

Searching for John BOYD's Origins

The search for the parents and siblings of John BOYD Sr (1735-1800) has turned up very few leads. It is known that he was born in England, about 1735, and first appeared in Berkeley County, Virginia (now West Virginia), in 1754, as owner of 101 acres, about 5 miles west of Martinsburg. It seems unusual for a 19-year-old to be owner of a large tract of land, with no father or relatives nearby, so I have wondered whether this record referred to an older John BOYD. It also seems doubtful that a young man under 19 would have traveled alone across the Atlantic, with enough cash to buy 101 acres of land.

Thanks to Michael BOYD for informing me of the 1795 will of Thomas BOYD, of Letterkenny, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, northeast and almost adjacent to Berkeley County. Since "John Boyd of Berkeley County, Virginia" was an executor, this leaves little doubt that John and Thomas were somehow related. Here I will present what I have found on the BOYDs of Franklin County, PA. Michael BOYD suggests that Thomas of Letterkenny and John Sr of Berkeley may have been brothers, and their parents Robert BOYD and Elizabeth BUNTEIN.

Brothers

Thomas Boyd (birth and death dates unknown): lieutenant in a Pennsylvania unit; bounty-land warrant (appl. 218) issued 28 February 1795 for 200 acres to John Boyd, brother.

From a list of BOYDS in the Revolutionary War [ET, pp. 107-116].

The key in the above quote is the word "brother." I don't know what evidence the author has for this, but it seems plausible that Thomas BOYD of Letterkenny, PA and John BOYD of Berkeley County, VA were brothers.

Franklin County, PA

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/boyd-thomas/765px-Mdwashington-rot.jpg

Modern map showing Berkeley County, WV and Franklin County, PA highlighting Washington County, MD which lies between. [source]

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/boyd-thomas/franklin%20co%20township%20formation%20-%20crop.jpg

Map of Franklin County, PA showing dates when townships were founded. [source]

Note that Franklin County was originally part of Lancaster County (1729), then York County (1749), then Cumberland County (1750), and became an independent jurisdiction on September 9, 1784. In particular, Letterkenny Township, established in 1762, was part of Cumberland County until 1784.

Thomas BOYD's Will

The will is signed 17 Jan 1795. Executors are “my trusty friends John Boyd of Berkeley County, Virginia, and John Brotherton of Letterkenny Township, Pennsylvania.”

“John Boyd of Berkeley County, Virginia” could be John Sr (60) or John Jr (35).

Mentions son John Boyd, who is not yet “of age”, and daughter Margaret Boyd, presumably unmarried. No wife or other children are mentioned, except that Margaret gets all of her mother’s clothes and saddle. Also refers to Thomas Boyd as a farmer.

Gives 2/3 of real estate and proceeds to son John, when he comes of age, and 1/3 to daughter Margaret. I suppose “of age” means 18, so John Boyd Jr was born between 1777 and 1795, and Margaret Boyd was born before 1777.

Witnessed 12 Feb 1795 by John Boyd and Isaac Parker. At this time Thomas Boyd is “now dec.” So he died between 17 Jan 1795 and 12 Feb 1795. Also John BOYD Jr, from Berkeley County, moved his family to Nicholas County, Kentucky between 15 Nov 1795 and 14 Sep 1797, so he was still in the area until Nov 1795.

The estate was appraised at more than £394, which I believe was a very large sum at the time. There is a long list of recipients of cash payments from the estate, including William BOYD - £40.12.7.1/2 and James BOYD - £12. In addition, there was an extensive inventory, dated 11 Mar 1795. Although we don't have any idea as to the age of Thomas BOYD, this doesn't look like the estate of a young man.

Last, there is a long list of names, goods and prices, which I think means the prices paid for items at an estate sale. Several items were bought by James BOYD, including some livestock. I think he probably lived nearby, as transporting these goods over a long distance would have been inconvenient. Also "John Executors" paid 6s for a Bible.

In summary, Thomas BOYD, of Letterkenny, died between 17 Jan 1795 and 12 Feb 1795. His wife's name is not known, but she must have died before him. He left 2 children: Margaret, born before 1777, and unmarried in 1795, and John, born after 1777.

Tax Lists 1778-1789

The State of Pennsylvania collected taxes during the Revolutionary War, to pay for the war effort. The following table gives the BOYDS found on the lists for Franklin County, in 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782, 1785, 1786. 1787, and 1789.

These lists have a variety of additional information, such as acreage, livestock, and servants or slaves, in addition to the amount of tax paid. The information is irregular, and I'm not sure how to interpret some of it. As a general observation, James always seems to be the one with the most property, and the highest taxes, among the Boyds. He could be the father or older brother of some of the other BOYDs.

The Thomas BOYD who appears in Letterkenny Township in 1786, 1787, and 1789 is probably the same one from the 1790 Census (above), and maybe the same Thomas BOYD who was in Hamilton Township in 1780, 1781, and 1782.

The "Heirs of John Boyd" appear as a taxpaying entity in 1780-5. In [CPW, p. 224] we have a description of the land on which a large furnace was built, in 1785. "This tract of land, containing 1264 acres, had been purchased by Stephen Foulk, from the wife and executors of John Boyd, deceased, during the years 1780, and was afterwards, during the year 1795, conveyed by him to Kettera, Jago & Boyd. In this deed of Stephen Foulk to Kettera, Jago & Boyd, the property is called 'Holly Iron Works.' The furnace was situated near the present site of the paper mill, at Upper Holly, belonging to the Mt. Holly Paper Company."

Incidentally, Robert Boyd was one of three county commissioners in 1788. [HFC, p. 203]

1790 US Census

There were 5 BOYD households in the 1790 US Census for Franklin County. Unfortunately we have no information about the relationships among the families, and very little information about the individual family members. For each household, we have the number of males under 16, the number of males 16 and over, and the number of females. Small households were probably single families, but there are other possibilities.

Thomas BOYD had a household of 5, which appears to be a couple with 1 son and 2 daughters. If this is the same Thomas BOYD whose will is described above, then one of his daughters probably died between 1790 and 1795. Or maybe she was married, and Thomas saw no reason to include her in his will.

The 1790 Census was the First US Census. Its records for Franklin County came in 2 parts. First, there were 15 pages for the townships of Fannet, Hamilton, Letterkenney, Montgomery, and Peters, all grouped together. Second, there were 14 pages with no township mentioned. This presumably covered the rest of the townships. So the John, Thomas and John BOYD householdes were in Fannet, Hamilton, Letterkenney, Montgomery, or Peters Townships, and the Adam and Ellenor BOYD households were elsewhere in Franklin County.

1800 US Census

There were 4 BOYD households in Franklin County in the 1800 US Census. This census gives a little more information about the family structures, but still only lists the names of the heads-of-household, and gives us no clue as to how people are related.

It looks like Andrew, John and Robert are all 26-44, and James is older. If John is 26-44, he would have been at least 21 in 1795, so he is not the John BOYD mentioned in the will, above.

1800 Pennsylvania Septennial Census

Pennsylvania also had a state census every 7 years, starting in 1800, called the Septennial Census. This census listed the occupations of adult males. There were 5 BOYDs. One Andw BOYD is found in Antrim County. The other 4 have occupations written, shown below.

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/boyd-thomas/1800%20Antrim%20Franklin%20PA%20p34%20James%20Boyd%20-%20crop.jpg

James BOYD, Antrim Co.

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/boyd-thomas/1800%20Letterkenny%20Franklin%20PA%20p50%20Septennial%20-%20James%20Boyd%20crop.jpg

James BOYD, Letterkenny

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/boyd-thomas/1800%20Septennial%20Montgomery%20Franklin%20PA%20p24%20John%20Boyd%20crop.jpg

John BOYD, Montgomery

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/boyd-thomas/1800%20Letterkenny%20Franklin%20PA%20p50%20Septennial%20-%20John%20Boyd%20crop.jpg

John BOYD, Letterkenny

I think the occupations are: Blank, Tanner, Farmer, Jobber, Farmer.


1807 Pennsylvania Septennial Census

In 1807 there are again 5 BOYDS in Franklin County. James BOYD in Letterkenny Township seems to be the only one who doesn't move around. David BOYD the Weaver makes his first appearance - he is probably a young man, maybe the son of John BOYD, who could be the son of Thomas.

BOYDs in Early Franklin/Cumberland County

A great many BOYDs lived in Pennsylvania in the 18th Century. Most of the BOYDs in Franklin County were probably related, but how? It might be illuminating to go back to the early years, when the European population was low, and the forebears of Thomas BOYD might be found.

One of the earliest settlers in the area was Samuel BOYD.

"In the settlement commenced by James Chambers near Newville, then known as Big Spring, a group of inhabitants, so numerous as to form and support a religious society as early as 1738, was found, consisting of David Ralston, Robert Patterson, James McKehan, John Carson, John Erwin, Richard Fulton, Samuel McCullough and Samuel Boyd." [HFC, p. 146]

The list of Taxables in Franklin/Cumberland County 1751 and 1752 in [HFC, p. 153] has the following BOYDs.

Hamilton Twp: James Boyd

Lurgan Twp: John Boyd, James Boyd, Robert Boyd

The Earliest Land Titles in Franklin/Cumberland County, from [HFC, p. 584] are:

    • Robert Allison (in right of Andrew Blackburn), February 13, 1753. Neighbors: James Allison, Robert Rogers, James Gordon, John Boyd, James Boyd.

    • Joseph Henderson (in right of Samuel Boyd), February 20, 1754. Neighbors : Christ Irwin, Robert Boyd, John Kirkpatrick, John Irwin.

    • John Boyd, May 24, 1753. Neighbors: D. Jordan, Jeremiah Galvin.

In 1755, after a particularly gruesome Indian massacre, a militia was formed, which included a John BOYD. [HFC, p. 161] Then on April 5, 1756, McCord's Fort was burned and many inhabitants killed and captured by the Indians. One of those killed was a William BOYD. [HFC, p. 169]

John BOYD house burnt

“The 19th of March, 1764, the Indians carried off five people from within nine miles of Shippensburg, and shot one man through the body. The enemy, supposed to be eleven in number, were pursued successfully by about one hundred provincials. The houses of John Stewart, Adam Simms, James M’Cammon, William Baird, James Kelly, Stephen Caldwell and John Boyd were burnt. These people lost all their grain, which they had thrashed out, with the intention to send it, for safety, further down among the inhabitants.” – Gordon’s His. Pa. 614.

Quoted from [IDR, p. 427]

Note: Shippensburg is now partly in Franklin and partly in Cumberland County, PA.