I’ve been at this family history business long enough, six years (the equivalent of 56 years in Internet terms), to be considered something of an expert. So I thought I’d jot down some of the worst advice I received during my quest, for the benefit of neophytes who want to embark on a family history […]
J.R. Boyce Sheds Light on the True Meaning of Masonry
Imagine my good fortune after spending nearly a full working day at the Missouri Historical Society to stumble upon a new document written by my Great, Great, Great Grandfather J.R. Boyce (1817-1898). As close followers probably remember, we previously had the good fortune to conduct a graveside interview with J.R., who fled to Montana to avoid […]
J.R. Boyce Asked His Second Wife for a Divorce — Through the Newspaper
I’ve been holding onto this one for several months, not sure how to tell the story. I guess I’m still in shock. While in Montana last summer, reading old newspapers in a Butte library, I ran across an article I could barely believe. Under the headline “Twenty Years After,” the deck read, “James R. Boyce, […]
Vigilantes Turned to Ace Carpenter William Thompson for Quick and Dirty Gallows
The decent, law-abiding citizens of Virginia City, Montana, had had enough. They wanted to send a strong, clear message to Henry Plummer and his road agents who had been robbing and killing the innocent people of this frontier town. With no formal legal system in place, the vigilantes decided to take matters into their own hands. The […]
J.R. Boyce Tells All in Revealing Graveside Interview
This blogger caught up the other day with his third great-grandfather, J.R. Boyce, for a graveside interview at the Benton Avenue Cemetery in Helena, Montana. Though available for only a few minutes before returning to his rightful place in heaven, James Richard (1817-1898) was characteristically gracious and clear-minded during his first contact with a live […]
Confederate Major J.R. Boyce Fled to Montana to Avoid Proscription
Confederate Major J.R. Boyce fled to Virginia City, Montana, in 1864 to avoid proscription after the Civil War. Boyce, who lost his Missouri plantation after the conflict, later told a biographer that while his head sympathized with the Union, and “he loved his country,” his heart sided with the Confederacy. Though Boyce was born in Kentucky, his family hailed from Virginia, where […]