I am looking for the parents of William Joseph Boyd, who arrived in New York on a ship from Belfast in 1850.  He was approximately 10 years old.  The only other Boyd on the ship with him was Jane, age 20.  I don't know if they were siblings, cousins, aunt/nephew, or what.  Unless the ages on the ship's manifest are wrong, she's not his mother. Family lore holds that William was a soldier in the Ohio 6th Regiment in the Civil War, and there are indeed two William J. Boyd's in that regiment.  However, this doesn't get me any closer to knowing who his parents were. The US and International records available through Ancestry.com have proved useless on this particular problem.  I suspect I need to be looking at Church records in Northern Ireland.  How does one do that, without going to Northern Ireland?  Help? --- On Wed, 6/1/11, Mindy Householder <minzgen@gmail.com> wrote: From: Mindy Householder <minzgen@gmail.com> Subject: [BOYD] John Boyd To: Boyd@rootsweb.com, "Mike Boyd" <mikejboyd@bigpond.com> Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 9:23 AM THE MORNING HEARLD Uniontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania Publication Date: Friday, February 22, 1924 Page: 13 TODAY'S STORY IN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY Service and Captivity of Captain John Boyd, Born February 22, 1750 By Frederic A. Godcharles (Copyright, 1923, by the Author) One of the distinguished patriots of the Continentat Army during the the Revolution was Captain John Boyd, a frontiersman who suffered Indian captivity and lived to rejoin his family and again become one of the foremost citizens of his time. The Boyd family gained a foothold in America when John Boyd, the emigrant from the north of Ireland, landed on these shores in 1744, and settled in Chester County. He married Sarah DeVane, and they removed to Northumberland County, where they continuted to reside until their decease. They were the parent of three patiortic sons, John, born February 22, 1750, Thomas, born 1752, and William born 1755. William Boyd was a lieutenant in the Twelfth Regiment of the Continortul Line, under Colonel William Cooke. He fell at the battle of Brandyline. Thomas Boyd was a lieutenant in General John Sullivan's command when he made his successful campaign against the Six Nations in Northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. In 1770, Lieutenant Boyd was in charge of a scouting detail on the march when he was captured by the Indians and Tories under the command of Colonel John Butler, near Little Beard's Town, on the Genesee. Boyd was surrounded by a strong detachment of the enemy, who killed fourteen of his men, he and a soldier were captured and only eight escaped. When General Sullivan learned of Boyd's fate the advance was quickened in the hope they could reach him, but on arriving at Genesee Castle, his remains and those of the other prisoners, were found sourrounded by all the horrid evidences of savage Barbarity. The torture fires were yet burning. Flaming pine knots had been thrust into their flesh, then finger nails pulled out, their tongues cut off, and their heads severed from their bodies. John, the eldest brother, was born in Chester County, where he spent his boyhood days, je joined his parents and brother in Northumberland in 1773, which was then almost the frontier. He took an early and decided part in favor of the colonists in the struggle forliberty. His commission as a First Lieutenant in the Continental Army is dated in May 1777, which rank he held until February 1781, when he accepted a Captain's commission from the State of Pennsylvania, which had resolved to raise and equip three companies of Rangers for the defense of the western frontier, then sorely distressed by the hostile incursions of the savages. It was to the command of one of these companies that Capt John Boyd was promoted. In June, 1781, while marching his men across the Allegheny Mountains he fell into an ambuscade of Indians near the headwaters of the Raystown branch of the Juniata River, in Hedford County and was made a prisoner with a number of his soldiers, and led captive thru the wilderness to Canada. One of thhe Indian chiefs, who was instrumental in saving Captain Boyd' life, when asked "Why he did not put his prisoners to death?" raised his eyes and pointint to the heavens, replied, "The Great Spirit protects him." Captain Boyd was confined during his imprisonment in Canada on an island in the St. Lawrence, near Montreal. In the spring of 1782 an exchange of prisoners took place and he was returned to Philadelphia by water with a number of his fellow soldiers. Previous to his capture he had been engaged int he battles of White Plains, Germantown, Brandywine, and Stony Point. He was one of the fifty who composed the "Forlong hope, " led by Mad Anthony Wayne at Stony Point, who met within the fort. He was of West Point, and witnessed the execution of the unfortunate Major Andre. The story of Boyd' experiences after his captivity is possby the most accourate of those handed down to the present generation for he lived many years afterwards. At the time of the ambuseade Captain Boyd was wounded during the skirmish, but after his capture and inspite of his wounds he made a desperate effort to escapt by running but was pursued and received three terrible gashes in his head with a tomahawk, when he was recaptured. The wounds to his head ever afterwards caused him to keep up a continual winking. The Indians immediately struck across the country reaching the West Branch of the Susquanhana near the mouth of the Shippenburg? Creek, they also had another prisoner named Ross, who was wounded even more severely than Boyd, and could travel no further. The Indians determined to massacre him in themost cruel manner. He was fastended to a stake, with his arms tied behind his back, his boyd was cut with sharp points and pitch line splinters stuck into the incisions, when the fire was lighted and the savages danced aroundh im in a fiendish glee, all the time uttering the most hideous yells. Heis tortures were terrible before death relieved him. During this tragic scene Captain Boyd, faint from the loss of blood, was tied to a small oak sapling in such a position that he could not refrain from being a silent spectater of the horrible scene: realizing that he was soon to suffer the same tortures. He summonded up all his courage and resigned himself to his fate. Certainly his thoughts must have reminded him of the sufferings ofh is heroic brother only two years before, almost the same manner. While the incarnate fiends were making preparations to torture him to death by tuches?, he sang a pretty Masonic song, with a plaintive air which attracted their attention and they listened to it closely until it was finished. At this critical moment an old squaw came up and claimed him for her son. The Indians did not interfere and she immediately dressed his wounds and attended to his comfort carefully guarding him during their journey to Canada. This old squaw accompanied Captain Boyd to Quebec where he was placed in a hospital and attended by an English surgeon. When he recovered he was turned out on the street without a penny or a friend. He found a Masonic Inn and made himself known to the proprietor who cared for him until he was exchanged. The old squaw who befriended him belonged to the Oneida tribe. Captain Boyd remembered her kindly as one of his bests friends and frequently sent her presents of money and trinkets. On one occasion he made a journey north to visit her in her aboriginal home and personally thank her for saving his life. Captain Boyd was a merchant and in partnership with Colonel William Wilson operated a mill on Chilliaquaque Creek, Northumberland County for many years. He was one of the surviving officers who enjoyed the provisions of the act of Congress, May 1828. He was a delegate in the convention that ratified the Federal Consitution December 12, 1787. He was an elector of president and vice president in 1792, when he voted for Washington and Adams. He was appointed by President Washington, Inspector of Internal Revenue for Pennsylvania. He also served as Registar and Recorder of Northumberland County. Captain Boyd, married May 13, 1791, Rebecca, daughter of Colonel John Bull, famous Revolutionary officer. The were the parents of five daughters and two sons. He died February 23, 1831. I transcribed this article word for word. The paper was very faded and some parts hard to read. Thought it was interested and might help someone. Mindy ______________________________________ House of Boyd Society's (HBS) Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Gathering of the Clan 2012 will be held in Woodland,CA, USA in conjunction with the Sacramento Caledonian Club's 136th annual Sacramento Valley Scottish Games & Festival in April 2012 (unofficial date April 28th and 29th -- to be confirmed by the venue). 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Rebecca You will need to find as much information as you can in the USA before you go to Ireland - north or south. So what other information does the shipping record of 1850 tell you? 2) In 1850, was it through Ellis Island they at they came? If so what records does that give on William Joseph Boyd and Jane Boyd? 3) Have you found their naturalisation records? 4) Did you find where he was living in the 1860 Census? 5) Do you know where they "settled" in America after they arrived? 6) You said that he was with the "Ohio 6th Regiment in the Civil War" & that you found 2 William J Boyd listed. So have you been able to get both their records to see if one is born in Ireland? Hopefully this may tell WHERE in Ireland he was born - at least the County. (Do you know where to find these records.) I am sure that other list members will have other questions about what resarch you have done, so far. You could have a situation, where his parents had already come to the USA or perhaps they may have died in Ireland and he and Jane were coming to the USA to live with relatives - uncle, aunt or cousins? And if he has shipped out from Belfast, there are several Counties that he may have come from - Antrim, Down, Armagh, eastern Tyrone or even eastern Londonderry, just to name the most likely Counties. Hopefully this will help Mike Boyd Historical Committee, HBS ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rebecca Boyd" <rebecca@wisemare.com> To: <Boyd@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 3:02 AM Subject: [BOYD] Brick Wall: William Joseph Boyd b. ~1840 I am looking for the parents of William Joseph Boyd, who arrived in New York on a ship from Belfast in 1850. He was approximately 10 years old. The only other Boyd on the ship with him was Jane, age 20. I don't know if they were siblings, cousins, aunt/nephew, or what. Unless the ages on the ship's manifest are wrong, she's not his mother. Family lore holds that William was a soldier in the Ohio 6th Regiment in the Civil War, and there are indeed two William J. Boyd's in that regiment. However, this doesn't get me any closer to knowing who his parents were. The US and International records available through Ancestry.com have proved useless on this particular problem. I suspect I need to be looking at Church records in Northern Ireland. How does one do that, without going to Northern Ireland? Help?