I am French and I am working for my pleasure on a Paul Boyton's biography a famous swimmer at the end of XIX century. I have many difficulties to understand in which archives or in which way to search in Ireland (or USA); I have in my hands several original letters from him whom wrote to her French girl friend; I will like to know, mainly, if Paul Boyton married her. I dont know what can I do for obtain those information; I explored many web sites and I discovered your site. I am searching any information about him particulary his birthday. In some books he says that he bornt in USA. Where is the truth? "The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume I A Bozeman, Nathan page 372 BOYTON, Paul, swimmer, was born in Dublin, Ireland, June 29, 1848. >From his youth he was an expert swimmer, and by the time he was twenty-five had saved seventy people from drowning. He came to America prior to the civil war, and served with distinction in the United States navy until 1865. In 1867 he engaged in the life-saving service on the Atlantic coast...." He died on April 19, 1924 Brooklyn - there is a memorial plaque placed at Luna park in honour of one of his invention of shoot-the-chutes ride. Does anyone have any information on Paul Boyton ? PS : I have many Irish newspapers about him in 1874 : "To test its efficacy, he had himself lowered from the steamship Queen, off the Irish coast during a severe storm, in October, 1874". Thank you very much Michel Lopez PRESIDENT http://scriptmani.univ-lemans.fr http://paysderetz.online.fr