John Ira Boyes

William Snow/Joseph Young Company (1850 Age at Departure: 8

There is another photograph of John Boyce with his first wife, Elizabeth Ann Keate and daughter, Lizzie Adelle Boyce, under the Media Tab above, which was found on Ancestry.com, along with the following history about him: John's father Benjamin Boyce died when John was only 4 years old. John's cousin Ira Hinkley was about 17 years old, and hearing of his aunts condition, came back from Winter Quarters and drove their team to Winter Quarters. John's mother married Hugh Day in 1847 and in 1850 emigrated to Utah. John was in his ninth year and walked across the plains all the way, helping to drive the loose cattle.

I have not heard him tell of but one incident on that trip. One day he was sassy to an older man that had charge of the herd and John deservedly punished, and he always thought it served him right. John had little opportunity to attend school just a few months in the winter time. In summer he herded cows, taking them for miles along the Jordan River or up to the Warm Springs. John had his endowments when 16.

Then at nineteen years of age a call came in his Ward for volunteers to go back to the frontier and bring in emigrants. He volunteered along with William Newman, a life long friend and others. He took two yoke of oxen and made the trip, also the following year, on this last trip he met his first wife. He did not know it then, nor for several years, after but he always admired her for her good nature and pleasant way under most trying circumstances. Elizabeth was traveling with her father and his wife and child. Her father had come to Utah some years before and her mother had died before he left Wales.

John Boyce spent his young manhood in farming. They rented a farm in Bountiful one or two seasons. He also worked on the Temple block helping break rock for the Temple, also as cabinet maker. He used to go the the canyon for wood and one of these trips he nearly lost his life. He was up on the load of wood binding it when the chain that he was binding it with broke and threw him full force into the rocky road, lighting on his neck and shoulders, causing him to lose consciousness. How long he laid there he never knew, but when he came to he managed to bind his load and drive home but said it was a miracle that his neck was not broken.

After his first marriage in the spring they moved to Coalsville where John ran a farm on shares for Arza Hinkley. They lived there four or five years. Their first boy was born there, John, and died at birth and was buried there. Some time after this they went to Little Cottonwood to haul ore from Alta to old Granite, to some smelters that were there at one time.

About this time John bought a 40 acre farm from Solomon Joseph Despain and built a house and moved his family there, who had been living in Granite for some time. This was the winter. One year from the following January, John married Ella Despain and in November his first wife died, and also their infant son named James. There surely was sorrow in the home then. The mother & baby were both buried in the same casket. It seemed so sad. Her grave was the first in Granite Cemetery.

John's second wife, Ella was living up by the rock Meeting House, not far from where Maxfield's live, at the time but she moved down then and took charge at John's household and cared for him and the children. He married Ella Eugenia Despain January 30, 1879, Salt Lake City (daughter of Solomon Despain and Ruth Amelia Newell, pioneers 1861, David Cannon company). She was born Aug. 27, 1858, Deans Island, Mississippi County, Arkansas.

Their children were: Ira John b. June 16, 1880, m. Pearl Mitchell 1907; Elunie Mildred b. Aug. 25, 1882, m. George Baugh 1905; Benjamin b. March 15, 1884, m. Maud Brown 1905; Verna Maud b. Feb. 5, 1886, m. Benjamin Judd 1902; Mabel Clare b. Feb. 28, 1888; Ella Jean b. April 3, 1890, m. Wallace Clark 1911; Joel Luther b. July 7, 1894; Edith Dora b. June 14, 1896; Daniel b. May 5, 1898; Leona Elizabeth b. Jan. 25, 1901; Laronzo b. June 9, 1903.

Their family resided Salt Lake City and Granite, Utah, and John assisted to bring immigrants to Utah, and was a bishop's counselor for 30 years in the Granite ward. He was also Justice of Peace for two years; and was a Salt Lake county fruit-tree inspector two years.

Parents:

Benjamin Boyce (1812 - 1846)

Susannah Content Judd Day (1815 - 1880)

Spouses:

Elizabeth Ann Keate Boyce (1842 - 1879)

Ella Eugena Despain Boyce (1858 - 1936)

Children:

Lizzie Adelle Boyce Despain (1869 - 1936)

Eliza Content Boyce Quist (1872 - 1953)

Ida Lurena Boyce Winters (1874 - 1916)

James Boyce (1879 - 1879)

Ira John Boyce (1880 - 1961)

Mildred Eluna Boyce Baugh (1882 - 1928)

Benjamin Boyce (1884 - 1962)

Verna Maud Boyce Judd (1886 - 1965)

Mabel Clare Boyce Heiner (1888 - 1973)

Ella Jean Boyce Clark (1890 - 1963)

Joel Luther Boyce (1894 - 1979)

Dora Edith Boyce Whitaker (1896 - 1976)

Daniel Boyce (1898 - 1989)

Laronzo Boyce (1903 - 1990)

Siblings:

John Boyce (1842 - 1923)

Susan Content Boyce Judd (1846 - 1916)

Arza Boyce Day (1850 - 1900)

Laronzo Day (1858 - 1944)

SOURCE: Find A Grave.com