Joseph Boyd Family
BOYD FAMILY
When the 1850 census was taken in Henry County, Tennessee, Joseph Boyd, age 49, gave his occupation as farmer and his birthplace as Virginia. His wife, Hannah Boyd, age 45, gave her birthplace as Kentucky. They listed ten children. The oldest two were boys whose birthplace was given as Tennessee. Their names were Paschall C. and Hiram G. The next four children, James F., Joseph B. B., Miranda and Alfred were listed as having been born in Kentucky. The four youngest, Mordicia, Calvin V., Berstamente and Darinada O. were listed as having been born in Tennessee. On December 5, 1853, Joseph Boyd bought approximately 950 acres of land from John L. Hughes in the S. M. Rainer Survey, Abstract No. 740 and the D. Anglin Survey, Abstract No. 2 for Fifteen Hundred Dollars (Volume G, Page 116, Collin County Deed Records).
At this time, there was no community known as Lavon. To the north, Miles Cope, his brother James and his father Mason had settled in 1848. The settlement took the name of Copeville in honor of Miles Cope, their first postmaster. Stambaugh and Stambaugh, History of Collin County, Texas, Page 74 lists Joseph Boyd as one of the early settlers in this community. To the south of the present town of Lavon, D. Anglin had established his headright in about 1846 and had started a settlement that later became known as Millwood. On May 21, 1851, when James Smith was made postmaster at Millwood, there was only one community that had a postmaster and that was McKinney. Joel F. Stewart, having been appointed on May 31, 1848. The land purchased by Joseph Boyd was an 800 acre tract in the D. Anglin Survey, the south part of which was very close to the Millwood settlement. The 150 acre tract was bound on the west and north by Bear Creek and on the south by the south boundary line of the S. M. Rainer Survey and the north boundary line of D. Anglin Survey and on the east by the line between the Wayne and Irene Watkins farm and the Hill farm, which is now being developed by W. R. "Sport" Feagin, as ranchettes. This includes the southeast corner of the present Boyd homeplace and Tollett-Geren homeplace. It is believed that this 150 acres was purchased by Joseph Boyd in order to get the hill on which the Geren home now sits, as a home site, since this terrain is very similar to the home site that Joe Boyd and his family left in Tennessee.
Joseph and Hannah’s oldest child did not move to Texas with them. He remained in Henry County, Tennessee, where some of his descendants now live in Paris, Tennessee. The second oldest, Hiram G. Boyd, did move to Texas with the family. In 1857, the settlement of Millwood consisted of two homes, a blacksmith shop and a general store. James Smith, the first postmaster, lived in one of the houses and Hiram Boyd in the other. In 1857, a saw mill was built in Millwood and this became one of the major towns in the county. The first flour mill was built by the postmaster, James Smith, and was powered with a 30 foot inclined wheel which was the footing for 8 oxen to walk, thereby creating the power. This mill burned about the time of the Civil War. Col. Johnson owned the first store in Millwood with J. D. Nailor as Clerk. Just before Christmas in 1862, four brothers in a robbery of Johnson at his home, murdered him. Jim Reed, the Sheriff of Collin County, tracked them down and hanged three of them. The old road through Millwood is believed to be the earliest road ever established in the county that is still in existence.
On August 9, 1860, when the census was taken at Millwood, Texas, Joseph Boyd and wife, Hannah, listed four children, Alfred R., Mordicia M. C., Calvin V. and Buster M. as living at home.
The seventh child born to Joseph and Hannah Boyd was named Mordicia. He was born in Tennessee in 1840. On March 25, 1861, he volunteered to protect the frontier of Texas north of a line running west from Plano and east to Jefferson. He pledged to be ready at the call of the Governor. The organization was called the Farmersville Calvary Company No. 1, 15th Brigade under the command of Harrison Brummitt. On March 1, 1862, Mordicia M. Boyd, together with his older brothers James F. and Alfred R. Boyd volunteered as privates in Capt. James D. Nailor’s company in the 16th Regiment of the Texas Calvary Volunteers, commanded by Col. William Fitzhugh, which had been called into service by the Confederate states.
According to the marriage records of Collin County, Mordicia M. Boyd was married four times. First, January 6, 1862, to Rebecca Martin. Second, November 13, 1866, to Mary J. Graves. Third, May 4, 1877, to C. C. Harless. Fourth, on July 2, 1879, to Nancy Katherine Warden Baugh. Nancy Katherine’s first husband had been killed at Shiloh [Collin County], where the Old Turnpike crossed East Fork two miles west of Millwood, while assisting the Sheriff in the arrest of a man wanted for bank and train robberies in Missouri. In the latter part of December, 1874, M. M. Boyd purchased 60 acres of land from A. J. Lewis in the S. M. Rainer Survey for $800 and there established the home where his and Nancy Katherine Warden’s children were born. This is just east of the present town of Lavon and just across Bear Creek north of the Joe Boyd homestead.
Four children were born to Mordicia M. and Nancy Katherine Boyd. William Francis born May 30, 1880; Bessie Candus Boyd born April 10, 1882; Todd Henry Boyd born February 7, 1884, and Claudie May Boyd born May 3, 1885. All of the children except Todd Henry were born on the homeplace. Mordicia and Nancy Katherine took their two children, William Francis and Bessie Candus, in the latter part of 1883 and moved to Red River County near Clarksville for one year. It was there that Todd Henry was born February 7, 1884. Mordicia died in Red River County in the latter part of 1884 and Nancy Katherine brought her three young children back to the family homestead just east of Lavon where Claudie May was born on May 3, 1885. She later married Tom James and they had four children. Hezzey Edward, Yancy Allen, John I. and Anie Ione. After Tom James’ death, Nancy Katherine married Tom Boone. Their children were Freeman Boone and Connie Walker Boone.
When the 1850 census was taken in Henry County, Tennessee, Joseph Boyd, age 49, gave his occupation as farmer and his birthplace as Virginia. His wife, Hannah Boyd, age 45, gave her birthplace as Kentucky. They listed ten children. The oldest two were boys whose birthplace was given as Tennessee. Their names were Paschall C. and Hiram G. The next four children, James F., Joseph B. B., Miranda and Alfred were listed as having been born in Kentucky. The four youngest, Mordicia, Calvin V., Berstamente and Darinada O. were listed as having been born in Tennessee. On December 5, 1853, Joseph Boyd bought approximately 950 acres of land from John L. Hughes in the S. M. Rainer Survey, Abstract No. 740 and the D. Anglin Survey, Abstract No. 2 for Fifteen Hundred Dollars (Volume G, Page 116, Collin County Deed Records).
At this time, there was no community known as Lavon. To the north, Miles Cope, his brother James and his father Mason had settled in 1848. The settlement took the name of Copeville in honor of Miles Cope, their first postmaster. Stambaugh and Stambaugh, History of Collin County, Texas, Page 74 lists Joseph Boyd as one of the early settlers in this community. To the south of the present town of Lavon, D. Anglin had established his headright in about 1846 and had started a settlement that later became known as Millwood. On May 21, 1851, when James Smith was made postmaster at Millwood, there was only one community that had a postmaster and that was McKinney. Joel F. Stewart, having been appointed on May 31, 1848. The land purchased by Joseph Boyd was an 800 acre tract in the D. Anglin Survey, the south part of which was very close to the Millwood settlement. The 150 acre tract was bound on the west and north by Bear Creek and on the south by the south boundary line of the S. M. Rainer Survey and the north boundary line of D. Anglin Survey and on the east by the line between the Wayne and Irene Watkins farm and the Hill farm, which is now being developed by W. R. "Sport" Feagin, as ranchettes. This includes the southeast corner of the present Boyd homeplace and Tollett-Geren homeplace. It is believed that this 150 acres was purchased by Joseph Boyd in order to get the hill on which the Geren home now sits, as a home site, since this terrain is very similar to the home site that Joe Boyd and his family left in Tennessee.
Joseph and Hannah’s oldest child did not move to Texas with them. He remained in Henry County, Tennessee, where some of his descendants now live in Paris, Tennessee. The second oldest, Hiram G. Boyd, did move to Texas with the family. In 1857, the settlement of Millwood consisted of two homes, a blacksmith shop and a general store. James Smith, the first postmaster, lived in one of the houses and Hiram Boyd in the other. In 1857, a saw mill was built in Millwood and this became one of the major towns in the county. The first flour mill was built by the postmaster, James Smith, and was powered with a 30 foot inclined wheel which was the footing for 8 oxen to walk, thereby creating the power. This mill burned about the time of the Civil War. Col. Johnson owned the first store in Millwood with J. D. Nailor as Clerk. Just before Christmas in 1862, four brothers in a robbery of Johnson at his home, murdered him. Jim Reed, the Sheriff of Collin County, tracked them down and hanged three of them. The old road through Millwood is believed to be the earliest road ever established in the county that is still in existence.
On August 9, 1860, when the census was taken at Millwood, Texas, Joseph Boyd and wife, Hannah, listed four children, Alfred R., Mordicia M. C., Calvin V. and Buster M. as living at home.
The seventh child born to Joseph and Hannah Boyd was named Mordicia. He was born in Tennessee in 1840. On March 25, 1861, he volunteered to protect the frontier of Texas north of a line running west from Plano and east to Jefferson. He pledged to be ready at the call of the Governor. The organization was called the Farmersville Calvary Company No. 1, 15th Brigade under the command of Harrison Brummitt. On March 1, 1862, Mordicia M. Boyd, together with his older brothers James F. and Alfred R. Boyd volunteered as privates in Capt. James D. Nailor’s company in the 16th Regiment of the Texas Calvary Volunteers, commanded by Col. William Fitzhugh, which had been called into service by the Confederate states.
According to the marriage records of Collin County, Mordicia M. Boyd was married four times. First, January 6, 1862, to Rebecca Martin. Second, November 13, 1866, to Mary J. Graves. Third, May 4, 1877, to C. C. Harless. Fourth, on July 2, 1879, to Nancy Katherine Warden Baugh. Nancy Katherine’s first husband had been killed at Shiloh [Collin County], where the Old Turnpike crossed East Fork two miles west of Millwood, while assisting the Sheriff in the arrest of a man wanted for bank and train robberies in Missouri. In the latter part of December, 1874, M. M. Boyd purchased 60 acres of land from A. J. Lewis in the S. M. Rainer Survey for $800 and there established the home where his and Nancy Katherine Warden’s children were born. This is just east of the present town of Lavon and just across Bear Creek north of the Joe Boyd homestead.
Four children were born to Mordicia M. and Nancy Katherine Boyd. William Francis born May 30, 1880; Bessie Candus Boyd born April 10, 1882; Todd Henry Boyd born February 7, 1884, and Claudie May Boyd born May 3, 1885. All of the children except Todd Henry were born on the homeplace. Mordicia and Nancy Katherine took their two children, William Francis and Bessie Candus, in the latter part of 1883 and moved to Red River County near Clarksville for one year. It was there that Todd Henry was born February 7, 1884. Mordicia died in Red River County in the latter part of 1884 and Nancy Katherine brought her three young children back to the family homestead just east of Lavon where Claudie May was born on May 3, 1885. She later married Tom James and they had four children. Hezzey Edward, Yancy Allen, John I. and Anie Ione. After Tom James’ death, Nancy Katherine married Tom Boone. Their children were Freeman Boone and Connie Walker Boone.
