THOMAS BOYD FAMILY HISTORY
                                                     (see photo below)

Thomas and Sarah (Sherlock) Boyd came to the United States sometime between 1 April 1830 
and 30 June 1830 according to Passenger Arrivals at Port of Baltimore - 1820-1834 by Tepper (page 65).  The name of the ship is not given.  The family came from Antrim County, Ireland.  The destination listed was USA.  The members and ages of the family in the order listed on the passenger list were: Thomas (50), Samuel (10), James (8), Thomas (87) Sarah (35) Jane (13) Barbara (11) Sarah (4) and Matilda (2).  No occupation is given for Thomas.

Parish records from the Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church in Belfast give somewhat diff- erent birth dates than those calculated from census records and in some cases with what is on 
thetombstones.  The ages given on the ship's records correspond more closely to the church records
than those on the census and tombstone dates.

A story passed down but not been proven says that the family traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and that Thomas had been working in the fields, came to the well for a drink of water and dropped dead.  This supposedly happened within two weeks of the family's arrival in the USA.  In my research I have not been able to locate any data to support this story.  I did locate a land record where a Sarah BOYD purchased a "certain Lot or piece of Ground situated in Ross
township..." (Allegheny County, PA) on August 10, 1831.  The Registry of Deeds was searched
through 1880 for Ross Township and no record of property being sold by Sarah BOYD was listed.
It is possible that she sold it under the name of WILSON since in June 1834 she married Thomas
WILSON who owned the farm adjacent to hers in Berlin Township (19 June 1834).  However, I
have not been able to connect this land in Pennsylvania with Sarah SHERLOCK BOYD.

On 4 August 1832 for the sum of $785, Sarah BIRD assignee of Hugh SHERLOCK (Sarah’s
brother as listed in the Sherlock Family Bible) purchased "Lot number twelve in the first quarter
Township number nine herein, in Range number six of the Connecticut Western Reserve School
Lands containing one hundred sixty and 50/100 Acres be the Same more or Less." (The farm was
from lands reserved for schools and part of the United States Military District.) This parcel of land has been in the family ever since.  The original deed is in the possession of the present owners, Paul and Eleanor TROYER BOYD and Shirley BOYD gr-gr-grandson/daughter of Sarah BOYD. It is signed by Governor Duncan McArthur and is recorded in Volume 4 pages 468-469 of the Deed Book in the office of the Holmes County Recorder but lists the name as Sarah BIRD.
Perhaps when the purchase was made BOYD was misunderstood as BIRD.

On 19 June 1834 Sarah Arch Hanna married BOYD to Thomas WILSON. (This marriage is recorded in the Probate Court Records of Holmes County.)  He was the owner of Lot 13, which lies west of the Boyd farm.  Sometime prior to 1841, Thomas and Sarah BOYD WILSON moved to Iroquois County, Illinois.  When Thomas WILSON died on 1 Aug 1848, Sarah returned to Holmes County and lived the remainder of her years with the three children that remained in Holmes County, Samuel, James and Matilda.  (Thomas WILSON is buried in the Bickel-Yates Cemetery in Iroquois County, Illinois.)

Five of the children were married in Holmes County.  Barbara married Robert LAUGHEAD (later legally changed to Lawhead) on 18 June 1835.  Jane married James T. LAUGHEAD on 18 May 1837.  Matilda married Abner MAXWELL on 16 December 1847. Samuel married Lydia RUDY on 18 May 1848 and Rachel SHIDLER in 1858, the latter wedding took place in Jennings County, Indiana. James married Mary LEWIS on 24 August 1852.  Young Sarah was married in Iroquois County, Illinois to Humphrey HUCKINS on 12 January 1843. 

It appears that Jane and James LAUGHEAD did not move to Illinois before 1840 since their children were all born in Ohio---Amanda, Hiram William, Alfred C. and Robert Fulton. James was a doctor. He died 27 April 1845 near Plato, Iroquois County, Illinois.  Both he and Jane are buried in Onargo Cemetery in Iroquois County.  After James died, Jane married a farmer,
Joseph C. SMITH, around 1847.  They had at least one child, Samuel C. born ca 1848. Amanda
married Hiram Darst. They had five children Perry H., Benjamin F., Andrew H., Artinsa Jane and
Eva Eveline. Hiram was a photographer in Onarga, Illinois. He married Lillian Belle Dayton late
in life. They had no children. Alfred C. married Catherine W. They had ten children, Melvin M.,
Avicia, Emma, Carrie, Jennie, James E., Lester A., Bertha, William and Clyde. Robert married
Eliza Jennie Skeels with whom he had four children Etta Belle, Charles Alfred, Bessie Mae and
Robert Emmett.

Barbara and Robert LAWHEAD had four children--Phineus B, Sarah Jane, Matilda and Rachel.  An article in the Watseka (Illinois) newspaper, 7 October 1882, telling of the death of Robert LAWHEAD indicates that he moved to Illinois in 1842 and settled on the farm where "he  lived and prospered until 4 years ago having become infirm...and unable to work he removed to this city." Barbara and Robert had four children, Sarah Jane, Phineus B., Matilda and Rachel M.
Sarah married Daniel Gilchrist. They had three children, Theodore, Alice M. and Eva. After
Daniel died, Sarah married a Mr. Watters the father of their daughter Rachel. Matilda married a
Mr. Harwood. They had five children Theodore, David Eugene, Etta Geneva, Mary Viola and
Lillian M.

Samuel BOYD married Lydia RUDY and lived on the home farm.  They had six children before
Lydia died.  It is said that Lydia died in childbirth.  The children were an unnamed infant, Sarah
(Sadie), Sophia, Mary, Henry W. and another infant.  (This last child is supposedly buried in her
arms but I have found no evidence to support this story.)  After Lydia died, Samuel married Rachel SHIDLER with whom he had two sons, James Mahlon and John Hulbert.  Sarah married John Hoover with whom she had two sons, Boyd and Orvie U.  Sophia married Urias J. Beeghly. They had six children, Hattie Elmont, Nevada Ann, Samuel Boyd, Joseph Henry, Ethel Lorena and Sadie Delsie. Sarah's and Sophia’s families lived in Kansas. Mary Elizabeth married James Lemmon. They had four children Gilbert Monroe, Rachel Lavina, Hod Oscar and Berrell Andrew.  Berrell was one of the first World War I casualties from Holmes County.  Henry married Nevada Snyder but they had no children. J. Mahlon married Olive Lewis.  They had two sons, Leo and George. The latter died at age 2.  Leo married Ada Burkey with whom he had one daughter, Phyllis. John married Ida Gurwell and had three children, Floyd, Mildred and Blake.
 

James and Mary LEWIS BOYD lived on a farm close to the original farm.  They had seven children--William Thomas, Minerva, Hunter, Umphrey Huckins, Samuel DeSilva, Alice and
Alvin E.   Minerva and Hunter died on the same day at a young age from scarlet fever. Dauughter [Alta] of Umphrey says that he chose his own name.  It comes from his aunt's husband Humphrey HUCKINS.)  William Thomas married Mary A. Kerr. There were three children, James Earl, Elva Lois and Alice (Allie) Margaret. Umphrey and his wife Belle Armstrong had four children, Alta Marie, Helen Louise, Edythe Irene and Fletcher Armstrong.

Young Sarah BOYD probably moved to Illinois with her mother and stepfather since she was married in Iroquois County on 12 January 1843. Her husband, Humphrey HUCKINS, was a
farmer and stock-dealer of Chebanse.  They had four children--Guy, Carrie (Caroline), Mary and
Frank. Guy married Lucy. I know of one child, Fanny born about 1866. Carrie married Monroe A.
Swift. They had four children, Fred, Mary, Willis and Monroe. Mary married Edward Green Fish
and had three children, Edward Green, Jr., an infant that died at birth and Guy Alonzo who married Belva Elizabeth Stingly. Frank married Ida Root.

The History of Iroquois County (Illinois) (pp 348-349) calls Humphrey HUCKINS one of the pioneers of the county having come there in 1839 and "his wife's family in 1841.  They relate
numerous anecdotes of the trials and tribulations incident to a pioneer life.  Neighbors were scarce and at very great distances apart. Danville was the nearest point accessible for marketing. An Indian would now and then be seen, all peaceable, but they soon disappeared after the settlers began to come in. Prairie wolves were abundant, and many a sheep fell a prey to their ravenous appetites. When the railroad was being built they boarded the hands, as no other places at a reasonable distance could be obtained, and it was actually forced upon them.

"Mr. Huckins carried the hands' dinner, as they progressed, for a distance of several miles. An ordinary coffee-mill was brought into requisition for the purpose of grinding their meal, and
hundreds of other modes of 'roughing it' they were compelled to go through."

Matilda and Abner MAXWELL lived all their lives in Berlin Township, Holmes County, Ohio.  They had five children--Sarah Isabelle, Minerva Ellen, Samuel Boyd, Thomas Miller and Ada Zillah. Abner died in 1887 and Matilda in 1907.  Both are buried in the Berlin Cemetery, Holmes County, Ohio. Sarah Isabelle married Martin S. Weaver.  Samuel was married three times. His first wife was Margaret Warnes (d 1890) with who he had five children, Minnie Ada, Herman Abner, Florence Ellen, Guy Boyd, and Elfie Caroline.  His other wives were Zelina Geaugue (d. 1895) and Anna Lawrence.  Samuel died in 1915. Minerva married Samuel S. Yoder who became a judge in Allen County, Ohio and later a Congressman. They had five children, an infant who died when two days old, Leon M., Early D., Effie Ada who married a Mr. Shea, and Samuel S., Jr. Thomas died 
at age 7 and Ada married Edward D. Lang who was a marble cutter in the Canton, Ohio area.   They had two girls, Pearl Matilda and Neillie E. Pearl married A. P. Richard and Neillie married a Mr. Shearer.

Samuel Boyd (deceased), son of THOMAS and SARAH (SHERLOCK) BOYD, was
born in County Antrim, Ireland, September 10, 1814, and came to America with his parents.  He received an ordinary education and took up farming as an occuptation. In 1858 he was united in marriage with MISS RACHEL SHIDLER, daughter of John Shidler, a native of Washington County, Penn., an early settler of Berlin Township, and two children were born to this union. Mr Boyd was formerly married to MISS LYDIA RUDY, a native of Pennsylvania, who born him six children, four of whom are still living.  He was an active member 
of the Democratic party, and filled various township offices.  He died in 1883, having become one of the wealthy and influential men of the township.  The children by the first marriage are: SARAH, wife of John HOOVER, in Kansas; SOPHIA, wife of Joseph LEMON, in Benton, Salt Creek Township; HENRY W., a farmer in Berlin Township, married to Miss Nevada SNYDER, daughter of Alfred Snyder.  The children by the second marriage are: JAMES MAYLAND, a farmer on the homestead, married to Miss Ollie LEWIS, daughter of Alfred Lewis, in Berlin Township, and JOHN H.  Mrs Boyd carries on the farm in connection with her children.  She is a devout and consistent memeber of the
Presbyterian Church.

Note: Samuel Boyd is my gr-grandfather. There are several errors in this 
biographical sketch. Samuel was born in 1820 not 1814. His son, James, went 
by his middle name which is spelled Mahlon. His daughter Sophia married Urias 
J. Beeghly and lived in Kansas. His daughter Mary married James Lemmon of 
Benton.   Shirley Boyd
 
 

JAMES BOYD, one of the well-known farmers of Berlin Township, was born in County 
Antrim, Ireland, in 1818. His parents were THOMAS and SARAH (SHERLOCK) BOYD, who immigrated to America about 1828, and first located in Pittsburgh, where the father died about one week after their arrival.  The mother and her six children remained in Pittsburgh about three years, when they came to Holmes County, Ohio, and located in Berlin Township.  The mother afterward married THOMAS WILSON, and moved with him to Illinois; he died there, and she returned to the home of James, where she died in 1872.  Four of her children are yet living: MATILDA, wife of Abner MAXWELL, of Millersburgh; BARBARA, wife of Robert LAWHEAD, of Illinois; SARAH, wife of Humphrey HUCKINGS, of Chicago, and
JAMES, our subject,, who was about ten years of age when brought to America.  He received an ordinary education, and began life single-handed.  He has always followed farming, and has made himself well-to-do by his own efforts, his energy and good management being
rewarded. In 1852 he was united in marriage with MISS MARY LEWIS, daughter of William Lewis, of Berlin Township. Seven children were born to this union, five of whom are still living: WILLIAM THOMAS, a farmer in Berlin Township, married to Miss Mary KERR, and has two children; and HUMPHREY, DESILVA, ALICE and ALVIN, all at home.  For several years past Mr Boyd has been engaged in raising fine horses for the market.  He operates a farm of 400 acres, upon which are excellent improvements.  He is a supporter of the Democratic party, and has filled various township offices, and he and his famnily are adherents of the Presbyterian Church.

Source: Biographical Record of Holmes County, 1889.

NOTE: James Boyd was a brother to my gr-grandfather. There are several inaccuracies 
in this account which appeared in the book. James was born in 1822. His family came to the USA in 1830. His sister Sarah was married to Humphrey Huckins (no "g"). The two missing children in the account were Minerva and Hunter who died the same year from scarlet fever.
These errors in county histories point out the need to research the original documents.