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Joseph E. Boyd ~ Alice B. Nabb

Shelby Co., Indiana
 

Joseph E. Boyd, Supervisor of Lafayette Township, is the owner of a fine estate containing 154 acres of valuable land. He was born July 3, 1849, in Rush County, Ind., and is the son of John A. and Rebecca (Maze) Boyd. John Boyd was born in Harrison County, Ky., Oct. 12, 1805, and is the son of Arthur Boyd. About the year 1817 his parents removed to Fayette County, Ind., and subsequently to Rush County, where his marriage to Miss Rebecca Maze took place. Mrs. Boyd was likewise a native of Harrison County, Ky., and was born Aug. 25, 1810.

In 1851 John Boyd removed with his family to Illinois, settling in Hutton Township, Coles County. They remained on a farm there nine years, and then removed to North Okaw Township, where Mr. Boyd operated a sawmill one year, and subsequently changed his residence to Humbolt Township. While operating a sawmill in North Okaw Township, he met with an accident which crippled his hands so seriously as to render him unfit for manual labor, in consequence of which he opened a boarding-house at Humbolt. After managing the house five years he was obliged to relinquish active business, and is now passing the closing years of his life in the home of his son, Joseph E. Boyd. He was blesssed with a vigorous physique, and although eighty-two years of age is still hale and hearty. He has recently been bereaved of the beloved companion, who shared the joys and sorrows of a long life with him, her death occurring in December, 1886. They had a family of nine children, five of whom grew to maturity. Their record is as follows: William A. Boyd, deceased; Mary E. Boyd, deceased, was formerly the wife of Dr. V. R. Bridges; Fannie Boyd, deceased, was formerly the wife of David S. Junkin; Robert T. Boyd, a resident of Mattoon, and Joseph E. Boyd, the subject of this sketch.


At the age of fourteen years, Joseph Boyd commenced mercantile life as a clerk, and has been engaged more or less in that business throughout the greater part of his life. Feb. 6, 1872, he was married to Miss Alice B. Nabb. Mrs. Boyd is the daughter of Hamilton and Martha E. Nabb, and was born Feb. 2, 1854, at Lawrenceville, Ill. Mr. Boyd was engaged in mercantile pursuits until the first year after his marriage, when his health began to fail, on account of hemorrhage of the lungs. By advice of his physician, he left the store and carried on a farm six years. At the expiration of that time his health seemed apparently restored, and he again entered upon mercantile life. His abilities and inclinations both led him in that direction, rather than toward agricultural pursuits, but after a trial of six months, his health again failing he found himself compelled to relinquish the mercantile business and return to farming. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd had a family of six children.

Source: History of Coles County, Illinois, 1879 : a history of the county - its cities, towns; a directory of its tax-payers; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics; map of Coles County; history of Illinois, illustrated; history of the Northwest, illustrated; Constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters by Perrin, William Henry: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr. and Co., 1879. FHL Book
 

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