SOLOMAN BOYD, KINGSTON, ONTARIO'S OLDEST CITIZEN
1909
The deceased came from Ireland 1837-Served in the Rebellion--
Sailed the Great Lakes for more than 30 years.
Soloman
Boyd, centenarian, who died at his home
on Albert Street, on
Monday,
was born in County Antrim, Ireland a little over
100 years ago
was without
doubt the oldest citizen in Kingston. Few knew that among them
was one
so full of years.
In his
early days Mr. Boyd served as a salt water sailor.
In the year
1837 he
came to Canada and settled in Kingston, Ontario. He took an active
part in
the rebellion (Canada's fight for freedom from the English
yoke)
of that
time and was witness of the execution on Von Shultz,
the Rebel
leader
and others of the captured band.
After he
received his military discharge he followed his earlier vocation
and sailed
the Great Lakes for over thirty years. In 1852 he married Nancy
Charlotte
Hogan and settled on a farm near Glenburnie, whereby
industry
and
integrity he became a successful agriculturalist,
beloved by his
neighbors
and respected by all who knew him.
Twenty-four
years ago he retired from active life, returning to the city
and
building for himself a comfortable home,
where he enjoyed a well
earned
rest in his declining years. His wife died about 16 years ago. Mr.
Boyd is
survived by all his children, four sons and two
daughters, viz
John Boyd
of Fort William, James Boyd of Toronto, Archibald Boyd of Duluth
Joseph
Boyd a building contractor of Kingston, Mrs. P.A. Haffner of
King-
ston, and
Miss Mary Boyd at home, the latter being his stay and
comfort
since his
wife passed to rest (1893). Full of years and having served his
generation
well, he has fallen asleep and been gathered unto his fathers.
In politics
Mr. Boyd was a conservative and in religion a Presbyterian,
being a
member of Cookes church and a devoted friend of the late Reverand
Samuel
Houston, M.A., a former minister.
Mr. Boyd
was a guard at the penitentiary here in the early days when that
institution
had only a picket fence as a wall. In his sailing days he was
at Buffalo,
NY when that city was practically inundated and vessels sailed
over places
where orchards had formerly been.
During
the Rebellion of 1837-1838 Mr. Boyd was at the
"Battle of the
Windmill".
He had first hand knowledge of the burning
of the Steamer
"Sir Robert
Peel" below Thousand Island Park.
The funeral
will take place from his late residence on Albert Street
on
Wednesday
afternoon, and will be of a private nature. Rev. Dr. McTavish of
Cookes
church will conduct the burial service.
BOYD LETTER DATED 1946
15 January 1946
Kingston, Ontario
Dear Howard (Boyd) and Family
We received your Christmas
greetings from Mildred and Irene.
We also received a letter
from Mildred in October, 1945 telling
us of the death of your
dear mother and of her
burial in Duluth (MN)
beside your father. We missed her
greeting and letter
very much this Christmas. We also
enjoyed your note in
your Christmas greeting card telling us
about your family and
what they were doing and also about
Hazel's boy Wallace.
How about Betty Jane,
you did not mention her, is she in
Duluth? and her father,
where is he and what is he doing? He
was a newspaper man
I believe. I suppose he is still at that
work.
Well, you requested me
to tell you all about the family.
Father Soloman Boyd,
as far as I know, was born in County
Antrim, Ireland.
I think his parents were farmers. There
was a family of five
boys and one girl. The eldest, John
went to Glasgow, Scotland
and took up redidence there.
Samuel and Sarah Boyd,
I know nothing about. Archie
(Archibald) whom your
father was named after was a farmer in
County Antrim near the
city of Larne. That is all I can tell
you about them except
that they are dead several years ago.
Father--your grandfather--
Soloman Boyd, took to the sea and
served seven years as
an apprentice. He sailed the "Briney
Deep" for several years
and finally landed in Kingston in
the year 1837. At the
time of the rebellion here he signed
up and seen service
here. After his discharge he sailed the
Great Lakes for a number
of years. In 1852 he married Nancy
Charlotte Hogan, Canadian
born of Irish extraction, and they
lived in Kingston for
a time when he bought a farm in
Kingston township about
six miles north of Kingston. It was
known as "Oval Hill",
now Glenburnie, the place of mother's
birth.
We were all born on the
farm except brother John, he was
born in Kingston on
or about 1886. He (Soloman) retired and
he and mother came to
Kingston to live. He built a home and
mother and dad lived
there until they died.
Mother died in 1893
at the age of 65 and father died in 1909
aged 101 years.
Of their family; Your
uncle John Boyd and Aunt Susie
(Waller) Boyd are both
dead. They settled in Fort William,
had two children, a
boy and a girl. The boy, Raeford/Reeford
died in his teens, the
girl, Ella Boyd, now Ella Lindhop
lives in Huntington
Park, California. Your Aunt Mary never
married and died in
1921. Your Aunt Kate, Mrs. P.H. Haffner
lived in Kingston, both
are dead. They had two sons, Allan
and Fred Haffner. They
both served in WWI. Allan, after his
discharge, finished
his education at Queens College and
graduated in Medicine
and took a special course and was an
eye, ear, nose and throat
specialist. He died last summer
(1945). When Fred enlisted
he was a bank clerk and at his
discharge got a good
situation in the Income Tax Office and
is there yet. He has
a boy Doug (Boyd) in the military
service in WWII.
He is somewhere in England and his
daughter is married
and lives at Niagara. Your uncle Jim
and his wife Florence
took up residence in Toronto and had a
large family of boys
and girls. The two eldest were the boys
Harry and Walter and
both served in WWII. Harry was killed
in action in France.
Walter lives in Toronto-is married- and
has a family. The other
two boys, Bert and Gordon live in
Toronto. Bert is in
the grocery business and Gordon has a
service station.
The four girls are all married and live in
Toronto.
Your Uncle Jim is dead
and buried in Toronto. His wife, your
aunt Florence is still
alive, and lives at 75 St. Johns Road
in Toronto.
Arch Boyd, your dad,
you know all about him and his family.
Now comes yours truly,
your Uncle Joe Boyd, that is me, and
your aunt Annie are
very much alive and live at 451 Princess
Street, Kingston, Ontario.
We celebrated our golden wedding
anniversary January
30th, 1945 at the home of our son Eldon
Matthews Boyd and his
wife, Elenore. They have two children,
a boy and a girl, Carl
Boyd and Marian Boyd. They are in
school. Carlie is eleven
and Marian is eight years old.
Eldon is a doctor and
is on the staff of Queens College. He
is a professor of Pharmacology
and is in research. That is
about all I can tell
you about the Boyd family.
Now I am going to tell
you a little about mother's side of
the picture. In
her family there was
5 boys and three girls. David Hogan the
eldest settled somewhere
in the state of Michigan. Joe Hogan
enlisted in the army
and fought for the North in the
American Civil War and
was killed in action. Her three other
brothers all resided
in or near Kingston. She and her two
sisters all also lived
there. They are all gone now. Of all
their offspring out
side of mother's family there is only
two first cousins left,
Herbert Hogan of Belleville, Ontario
and Mrs. Amgrove of
Kingston.
That is about all I can
tell you. None of us were wealthy,
nor was any of us beggars,
just honest to God people. About
your sister Stella,
she and her daughter June live here in
Kingston at 27 Kelson,
Street. She is doing practical
nursing and June is
going to the KCVI, Kingston's high
school.
This is about all I can
tell you. Have a very happy New
Year, we remain yours
(S) Uncle Joe & Aunt Emma Boyd
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
(Joseph Hogan Boyd