THE BOYD FAMILY OF YORK COUNTY, MAINE
Arthur Sumner Boyd Jr. 1924
(excerpt used with permission)
1. Captain James Boyd (1),
son of William Boyd, the 1st Earl of
Kilmarnock, was born, probably
in Kilmarnock, about 1670. He
went to Ireland in 1696,
landing near the Giant's Causeway,
in County Antrim, but
it is not known in just what town or
locality he resided.
He probably went there as a soldier of
fortune, as his chance
of inheriting the Earldom was remote,
or he might
have been an officer in one of the Regiments
stationed there. It
is possible that Captain James Boyd took
part in the Jacobite Rebellion
in 1715, because we lose track
of him during this time,
and having escaped from death or
capture, was either
exiled or compelled to flee to America,
although supposed to
have died in Ireland. Who Captain James
married is not known,
but he had at least three sons; James,
William, and John.
1. (Capt.)
James was baptized 6 May 1669 [Scottish Church records
of Kirkintillock,
Scotland.] He was Captain in Sir Charles
Graham's
Regiment of Foot in the Scots Dutch Brigade in 1692
according
to "The Scots Peerage" edited by Sir James Balfour Paul.
See Boyds in the Scots Dutch Brigade
page 52.
THE FIRST GENERATION IN AMERICA
2. James Boyd (2), son
of James Boyd (1), was born in Ireland
about 1700, as he came to
America with his brothers William
and John about 1720. He landed
in Boston and settled in the
town of York, in York County,
in what is now the state of
Maine. Maine was then
part of the Colony of Massachusetts
Bay and all of what is now
Maine was then known as the County
of York. Whether he went there
immediately or lived elsewhere
at first is not known. York
is but a few miles from Ports-
mouth, and in the "Point of
Graves" Cemetery there is buried
Andrew Boyd, son of James
and Margaret Boyd, died May 8,
1727, aged 10 years. Also
a James and Margaret Boyd are wit-
nesses to a deed dated 18
October 1725, in York. The will of
James Boyd, of Portsmouth,
dated October 9, 1739, proved
November 22, 1739, mentions
a brother, also John.
James Boyd (2) finally settled
in Berwick, a short distance
from York. Although in what
year cannot be determined as the
records of the town from 1736
to 1748 are lost. The town of
Berwick "alias Newgewanac",
incorporated in 1713 (from which
the towns of Berwick, North
Berwick, and South Berwick are
formed), was the upper part
of the town of Kittery, in Unity
Parish, and was made the Parish
of Berwick in 1681, but a
division of the town, for
certain purposes, had been made ten
years before that, and a church
was there as early as 1702.
It is in York County, and
the town of York is bounded on the
northwest by South Berwick,
and on the southwest by Kittery.
In 1723, Berwick, was the
most inland town next to Canada;
and in 1830 the towns of Berwick,
North Berwick, and South
Berwick were formed from it.
The site of James' farm stands
in what is now South Berwick,
about one mile south of North
Berwick railroad station, and
has been known as "Boyd's
Corners" as far back as anyone can
remember. Mr. Elmer Boyd still
occupies part of the old place
but the original buildings
were burned in 1869, so many
valuable records must have
been lost.
James Boyd married Mary (or
Margaret) Whitten (Whiton?), and
they had five children: James
(5), William (6), Joseph (7),
Sarah (8), and another daughter
(9) name unknown. There may
have been other children who
died at an early age.
3. William Boyd, son
of James Boyd (1), came to America with
his brothers, James and John,
but is said to have left the
ship at Block Island, before
its arrival at Boston. Block
Island (formerly Manisees)
is about 10 miles from the main-
land of Rhode Island, being
part of that state, and forming
the township of New Shoreham.
William
may have been the William Boyd on the list in King George's
War
of 1744-1748 (Georgia and Virginia) below.
BOYD,
William
Residence-
Rhode Island
Master
on Privateer Prince Frederick in 1743
page 53.
Leonard
Boyd says that some years ago he met a Charles
Boyd,
of Block Island, whose father and grandfather were both
named
William Boyd and they concluded that he was descended
from
that William. He lost track of this Charles Boyd but
says
that he has a daughter living in Boston.
Leonard
Boyd was born at South Berwick, Maine, and served
aboard
the USS Ohio and the USS Wando during WWI. He
died
at Newtonville, Massachusetts, aged 96, on August 19, 1939.
http://home.coffeeonline.com.au/~tfoen/burials.html
4. John Boyd (4), son
of James Boyd (1), landed with his brother
James, in Boston, and further
record of him is lost. * Trad-
ition says that he was killed
in a Naval action under John
Paul Jones, but it must have
been another John of the family
as this John would be seventy
or eighty years old at the time
of the Revolution. The Navy
department has no record of a
John Boyd serving on any of
Jones' ships, but then the re-
cords of that period are very
incomplete. A John Boyd (prob-
ably from Maine) was killed
at the battle of Kings Mountain,
October 7, 1780 but is not
identified as John (4).
*This
John Boyd (4) is my ancestor. See his descendants
THE SECOND GENERATION IN AMERICA
5. James Boyd, son of James
Boyd (2), was probably the eldest
son, and must have been born
shortly after 1720, as he and
his brothers were of military
age in 1740. The names of James
and David Boyd are included
in the Tax List of Berwick in
1772, which leads me to believe
that one of the brothers of
James (2) must have had one
or more sons, as David, the son
of James (5), was not born
until about 1783, and even if born
prior to that year certainly
would not have been of taxable
age in 1772. In the Journal
of Captain John Allen, while in
Eastern Maine and Nova Scotia,
under date of December 6, 1777
is entered: Received a letter
from.......James Boyd.....
James married Elizabeth Garland,
and they had six children:
James (10), David (11), John
(12), and three daughters (13),
(14), and (15), names unknown.
Neither do I know the dates of
the deaths of James and his
wife, nor the place of their
burial, though probably in
the family plot in South Berwick.
6. William Boyd, son of James
Boyd (2), served with his
brothers James and Joseph,
in the third French and Indian War
(1740-46), known as "King
George's War", and is said to have
attained the rank of Captain.
For carrying on the war against
the French, two regiments
were raised in Maine. One regiment
of 1290 men, under Colonel
Samuel Waldo, was from the
vicinity of Falmouth (now
Portland); and the other, of 1565
men, under Sir William
Pepperell, was from the towns ad-
joining Kittery. Pepperell
lived in Kittery, a few miles from
York and Berwick, and in a
letter dated 21 February, 1745,
wrote: "yesterday I heard
that Captain Busted had enlisted 50
soldiers in Berwick". Also,
James, Lord Boyd, commanded a
company in Pepperell's Regiment
in 1754.
1. See "A History of the Boyd Family", R.G. Boyd, 1993
54.
The Maine troops sailed 400
strong, on March 24, 1745, for
Cape Breton Island, on which
was situated the fortress of
Louisburg, considered impregnable,
and on June 15 it was
captured, the loss of the
colonial troops being 130 men.
Tradition says that William
was a Captain, that he was
wounded, and that after the
war he settled in or near Wis-
casset, Maine., and was ancestor
of all the Boyds through
that section, Wiscasset, Bristol,
Boothbay, etc. But I have
no definite record further,
although there is a Wiscasset
family of Boyds descended
from a William Boyd.
7. Joseph Boyd, son of James
Boyd (2), was killed at the
taking of Louisburg in April,
May, or June, 1745. Tradition
says that he was unmarried.
8. Sarah Boyd, daughter of
James Boyd (2), married John
Merrifield (son of Samuel
Merrifield, first of that family
to settle in America, 1765.
They had tree sons: John (16)
Thomas (17), and David (18).
9. .......Boyd, daughter of
James Boyd (2), married a man
named Robinson.
THE THIRD GENERATION
IN AMERICA
10. James Boyd, son of James
Boyd (5), was born in South
Berwick, May 10, 1785, and
lived on the old place with his
brother David. He married
Ruth RICKER, of Berwick. Ruth
RICKER was the daughter of
Reuben RICKER (b. 1759 d. 1838)
and Hannah GOULD of Elliott.
Reuben RICKER was a mariner and
served for seven months on
the "Bonne Homme Richard" with
John Paul Jones in the Revolution,
and received a pension
from the government for his
service. Thus he is the Revol-
utionary ancestor (of record)
of all the living descendants
of James Boyd (10).
James Boyd died September 30,
1824, aged 41, and is buried in
the family plot. He had six
children: Serena (19), Charles
(20), Emily (21), Leonard
(22), Hannah (23), and Stillman
(24). In 1830 his widow moved
by ox-team from Berwick to the
home of her brother, Isaac
RICKER, in Monroe, taking four of
the children with her. She
later lived with her son, Leonard
Boyd, and died, aged 86, at
the home of her daughter Emily,
in North Monroe, being buried
in the lot of Leonard (22) in
North Monroe, Maine.
55.
11. David Boyd, son of James
Boyd (5), was born in May 1784,
as his gravestone in the family
plot states that he died 11
December 1855, aged 71 years,
6 months, and 21 days. He re-
mained on the old place, gave
it to Charles (20), and lived
with him until it was sold,
and then moved to North Berwick
Village, where he owned a
house. He was a Baptist minister,
and I find mention of a marriage
ceremony performed by him in
Waterborough, Maine., on April
3, 1815. He was a member of
the County Committee of York
County in the years 1831-32-33-
34; and one of the selectman
of South Berwick in the years
1837-38 and 1846-47. He was
several times in the Massa-
chusetts Legislature from
Maine, and was a member of the
Maine State Convention. He
married Susan JAY, and they had no
children. She died March 2,
1861, aged 79 years, 7 months,
and 26 days.
12. John Boyd, son of James
Boyd (5). I have no information
on him except that he had
no children.
13. .......Boyd, daughter of
James Boyd (5), married a
SARGENT, but the Sargent Family
History mentions no Boyds
until the marriage of Wingate
P. SARGENT, as his third wife,
on December 5, 1894, to Elizabeth
H. Boyd, who was born in
Greenfield, New Hampshire.,
March 6, 1834.
14. .....Boyd, daughter of James Boyd (5), married a STEVENS.
15. .....Boyd, daughter of James Boyd (5), married a VEAL.
16. John MERRIFIELD, son of
Sarah Boyd MERRIFIELD (8), said
to have gone West.
17. Thomas MERRIFIELD, in 1804,
deeded to his brother a ninth
part of his father's estate,
and later went West.
18. David MERRIFIELD, married
Dorcas BOSTON, of Wells, Maine
on December 6, 1798, and settled
on his father's homestead.
They had thirteen children
(25-37), of whom I have no record,
but a number of their descendants
are mentioned on page 933
of "Saco Valley Settlements"
by G.T. Ridlon, Portland, 1895.
THE FOURTH GENERATION IN AMERICA
19. Serena Boyd, daughter of
James Boyd (10), was born in
1809, and married Reuben Morril
MANSUR on January 23, 1833.
They settled in Houlton on
the day of their marriage, later
moving to West Houlton, where
they lived for 43 years at the
time of the celebration of
their Golden Wedding in 1883.
They had nine children: John
(38), Morril (39), Susan (40),
Charles (41), Velzora (42),
Hickory (43), Helen (44), Lydia
56.
(45), and Adelbert (46). She
died November 24, 1883, aged 74
years and six months. Mr.
MANSUR remarried, Margaret
McGINLEY (who died July 31,
1923, in Houlton), and he died in
1894.
The descent of Rueben MANSUR
is as follows: Robert MANSUR,
bearing an old Norman name,
is supposed to have come from the
Isle of Jersey prior to 1670,
as he married Elizabeth BROOKS
on June 6, 1670, and settled
in Charlestowm, Mass, represent-
ing the first generation of
MANSUR in America. John MANSUR
(born about 1671) is supposed
to have been his son, and his
son John MANSUR (b. Nov 10,
1705) was the third generation.
This John had a son John (d.
about 1776), 4th generation, who
had a son, John MANSUR (b.
July 17, 1776, died 1835), 5th
generation, whose son Reuben
(6th generation) married Serena
Boyd. Reuben MANSUR was born
7 March 1811.
20. Charles Boyd, son of James
Boyd (10), was born in South
Berwick, March 13, 1812, married
Margaret DAVIS, and they had
eight children, all born in
South Berwick: James (47), Tirzah
(48), David (49), Susannah
(50), Charles (51), Leonard (52),
Sabara (53), and Philander
(54). Charles lived at the old
place in South Berwick, moved
to South Jackson, and then
(about 1852) to Newport, Maine.,
and he died in East Newport,
January 24, 1901, where he
and Margaret Boyd are both buried.
21. Emily Boyd, daughter of
James Boyd (10), was born in
South Berwick, 14 March 1815,
and married, in Monroe, Maine.,
on March 14, 1832, Alvin DODGE
(b. in Berwick, March 17, 1810
son of Benjamin) who had 160
acres adjoining his father's
farm in North Monroe. They
had ten children all born in North
Monroe: Matilda (55), Syrena
(56), Aurilla (57), Emily (58),
James (59), Philander (60),
Maria (61), Emma (62), Elnora
(63), and Albert (64). She
died 4 October 1890, in Plymouth,
at the home of daughter Emma;
and Alvin died in North Monroe,
18 Feb 1885. They are buried
in the same cemetery in Monroe.
22. Leonard Boyd, son of James
Boyd (10), was born in South
Berwick, in 1818, and married
Mary (Polly) DODGE (b. 1822) in
Monroe, in 1840, and they
had three children: Gilman (65),
Charles (66), and Marrianna
(67). Mary Dodge Boyd died in
1873, and he married, in 1875,
Susan DANIELS (b. Monroe), and
they had no children. His
occupation was that of farmer and
house-carpenter, and in his
later years he was a millwright.
There is an apple named for
him, the "Boyd Baldwin", which is
grown all over Maine. He died
in Monroe in 1883, and is
buried there; and Susan DANIELS
Boyd died there 24 Mar 1890.
57.
23. Hannah Boyd, daughter of
James Boyd (10), was born in
South Berwick, December 27,
1819, and married Gilman GOULD on
10 Apr 1838. They lived on
a farm in Monroe next to that of
her brother Leonard, and they
had six children, all born in
Monroe: Helen (68), Angelina
(69), Hannah (70), Alma (71),
Marietta (72), and Cora (73).
Gilman GOULD died March 29,
1875, and Hannah died August
3, 1890, both buried in Monroe.
24. Stillman Boyd married Louisa
HILTON 27 July 1851. Stillman
died 23 April 1894 at age
71y 2m 2d. Louisa died 4 May 1920 at
the age of 90y 2m 2d.
Her parents were Frederick Hilton and Lette
Gray.
For more data on these Boyds contact:
Veronica Hall or Richard G. Boyd
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