Susanna Content Boyce (Judd)

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel 1847–1868 William Snow/Joseph Young Company (1850

Age at departure: 35

Find a Grave

Birth: Feb. 25, 1815 Leeds Ontario, Canada

Death: Apr. 11, 1880 Salt Lake City Salt Lake County Utah, USA

Susannah is the daughter of Arza Judd and Lois Knapp.

She married Benjamin Boyce on Feb 8, 1836 in Bastard, Leeds Canada.

He was later a policeman in Nauvoo Illinois. He was kidnapped by Missourians. Benjamin Boyce was one of the men that was taken by a mob to Missouri and whipped with hickory writhes until nearly dead, from the effects of which he never entrily recovered and which caused his death some months later. Susannah and Benjamin had 4 children at this time. John was about four years old. This left Susannah without any one of her own to look after her. A little girl was born some months after - Susan. The first child, Alma, was drowned when about three years of age. Ira Hinkley one of Susannah's nephews a boy about 17 yrs old, hearing of his aunts condition came back from W.Q. [Winter Quarters] and drove their team to W. Q. This kindness she fully appreciated. In 1847 at Florence, Douglas, Nebraska she married Hugh Day. They had six children together, three died in infancy.

Family links:

Spouses:

• Benjamin Boyce (1812 - 1846)*
• Hugh Day (1809 - 1886)*

Children:

• John Boyce (1842 - 1923)*
• Susan Content Boyce Judd (1846 - 1916)*
• Arza Boyce Day (1850 - 1900)*
• Laronzo Day (1858 - 1944)*
• Calculated relationship

Burial: Salt Lake City Cemetery Salt Lake City Salt Lake County Utah, USA Plot: C_3_3_1/2_E

Created by: L Despain Record added: Jun 13, 2008 Find A Grave Memorial# 27524131

The following information is from another source, FamilySearch.org:

"History of Susannah Content Judd Boyce (Day) 15 Feb 1815 – 11 Apr 1880; wife of Benjamin Boyce"; The Boyce Family History by Dan & Echo Boyce published in Provo, Utah, 1973, pg 55-58. (Written for Vilate Kimball Camp Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Nov. 24, 1952.) Susannah Content Judd was a descendent of Thomas Judd who came from England in 1633 and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was her fourth great grandfather. We find the family later in Farmington, Waterbury, Crown Point, Essex Coounty, New York, Connecticut and Canada. The family seem to be very sincere, honest and respectable, intelligent and religious.

Thomas Judd, a substantial farmer and influential man, was one of two of the first deputies sent by Farmington to the General Court in 1647 and subsequently until May and October 1678 and 1679. He was one of the seven pillars of the Church and was a Deacon when he died (November 12, 1688). During the Revolutionary War, they remained loyal to their native country, England, and underwent many hardships and incidents due to their convictions. At its conclusion with hundreds of others who lost their possessions and were unable to withstand the indignities heaped upon them, they emigrated to Upper Canada about 1783.

Here they located in the vicinity of Johnston, Leeds County. Susannah Content was born in Leeds County, Ontario, Canada, February 25, 1815, the daughter of Arza Judd and Lois Knapp, being the youngest of ten children, six sisters and three brothers. One of her elder sisters married Nathaniel Hinckley whose later experiences somewhat paralleled hers. Her young life in this rugged country was similar to that of other pioneers.

The houses were made of logs hewn from the forests and each had a Dutch fireplace into which was placed a log of immense size, while upon hand irons or large square stones was heaped the light dry wood which sent forth a cheerful blaze, by the light of which were performed the various household duties. Each family was more or less dependent upon itself for sustenance. The wife, besides attending to her household work, carded and made the cloth or linen for their clothes which she sewed mostly by hand. The daughters helped by darning, mending and as they grew more proficient, helped to make the family clothing. The men, during the long winter days or evenings, brought their work into the house. The farmer was employed by making or mending harnesses, boots or some other objects. The sons fashioned an axe handle, ox yoke or whittled a whip handle.

Their meals were simple, consisting of the foods they raised and meat from the fruits of their hunting. Their greatest recreation was visiting with neighbors and an occasional stranger. When company came everything was put aside to make the visitors enjoy themselves. They would form a circle around the fire where the latest news was exchanged, stories of experiences told and conversation in general, to the delight of all, both young and old, while apples, cider, nuts or other treats were passed around. Sometimes they would form in groups, young and old, or sometimes the young folks would get together at one home and the older in another.

Courting or sparking was done generally on Sunday as that was the only day the fellows could get away. Visits were made without invitations. All sorts of "bees" were held. Sometimes a bee would be for the purpose of helping to put up the log house, clearing the land by a certain time, for logging or husking; and the women too held their quilting bees. On these occasions the work was done with a will followed by amusements or dancing and sumptuous meal. Holidays were rare. Christmas was seldom observed but Easter Sunday was great event when they feasted on the eggs that had been gathered and hidden, mostly by the younger people.

And thus Susannah Content spent her childhood and youth. When she was twenty-one years old she married Benjamin Boyce, son of Robert and Phoebe Fairchild Boyce, on the 8th of February, 1836. They lived in Bastards, Canada and it was here that her first child, Alma, was born, July 31, 1837. At that same time they were investigating a new religion that was being preached by missionaries from the Mormon Church, one of whom was John E. Page. A short time later he married Susannah's niece, Mary Judd. Many of the Judd Family joined the Church during this period and emigrated to the United States in the John E. Page Company in 1838.

Their journey to Missouri was like that of the other pioneers. T he covered wagon with its household goods of necessities, the ox team, the slow progress in all kinds of weather over poor roads. But the Boyces were young, full of life and strength, with their hearts set joining the main body of the Saints and the true worship of their God. How nice it would be to settle down and rest after their long strenuous journey. They brought with them the following letter: Bastards, Canada February 20, 1838: To all the Latter-day Saints: This may certify that Brother Benjamin Boyce and his wife, Susannah, are members in good fellowship of the Saints in the East Branch of Bastards, Canada, of the Latter-day Saints. This is to recommend them to the care and fellowship of the Saints whence God is his providence may cast their lot by vote. (Signed) John Hughes – Clerk John E Page – Elder James Blakeslee.

They settled at DeWitt, Missouri, and found to their sorrow that the people here were harassed by small factions of men who were determined to make them leave the country by every means in their power. They were again to begin another journey and fled for their lives to Far West after the mob had ordered them to leave the country by October 1st or be exterminated “without regard to age or sex.” T he mob, having driven off their cattle and consumed them, the Saints had lived in a state of siege for some time and on the afternoon of October 11, 1838, destitute, hungry, and cold they left their homes, many already dead, many dying in that fifty mile march.

Their stay in Far West was of short duration, too, as the outlaws and mobsters were determined to carry out orders to drive all Mormons from the State of Missouri. Again the same routine, pack their few belongings and in dire poverty and distress move on. Their second child, a girl, was born during these hardships on December 17, 1839, somewhere in Missouri. At last they were located in that beautiful city of Nauvoo where they settled down in peace and quiet. But again sorrow overtook them in the drowning death of their nearly 3 year old son, Alma, on the 1st of April, 1840.

Just recovering from the sorrow and shock, the father left his home to go to Adams County where he had lived the previous summer to pay some debts. He met a Mr. Brown who was out looking for some lost horses. They were walking and in a short time were hailed by twelve armed men who demanded to know where they going. They informed them. Then the men asked, "Are you Mormons?" "Yes, we are," was the answer. " Then, you can go no further. We are sworn to kill all the Mormons we can find. They were taken prisoners, bound with ropes, put in a boat with four of the men and rowed across the river to a little town called Tully, in Missouri where they were put under guard and held until eleven o'clock that night.

Three men came in with a long rope and tied it around each of their necks. When asked what they were going to do replied, "Take you to the river, kill you and make catfish bait of you." They were then led to the woods and separated. Boyce was stripped naked, tied fast to a tree, and one of men cocked a pistol, placed it close to his ear and swore that if he attempted to get away he would blow his brains out. They then began beating him with gads made of large hickory wood and literally mangled his body from his shoulders to his knees. He was left tied to the tree in this condition for an hour and a half.

In the meantime, Brown had been hung in a tree until he was all but dead. Brown was brought to the place where Boyce was, a consultation ensued, Boyce was released and both men were taken back to town and led into a room with two other men, Noah Rogers and James Allred, back to the same room later that night. Rogers and Boyce, after a mock hearing, were ordered to prison, placed in irons and held for almost three months.

According to their word, "When thru the kindness of God we made our escape and returned to Nauvoo." Brown and Allred were liberated after the trial. Susannah and the rest of the families lived in terror during the entire time. Her husband never recovered from the effects of this brutality. The rest of their lives in Nauvoo were more or less full of apprehensions. The Temple was finally ready and she and her husband were privileged to do work in it for themselves and near relatives. On February 22, 1842, their third child, whom they named John, was born; but on September 17th the little girl died, thus leaving this baby boy their only child surviving.

Life was a hard struggle as her husband could not do any heavy work and when they were driven from Nauvoo it seemed like the last straw. The father was very fond of his little son and having so much time on his hands and a spelling book, he taught him to spell, pronounce and define words. This stayed with him through his life although he was only four and a half years when his father died. They managed to get as far west as Mt. Pisgah on the journey when her husband died (August 18, 1846), just three weeks prior to the birth of a baby whom she called Susan.

Grief stricken and sick at heart she had to face life alone. Her hopes of carrying on battle were brightened by kind relatives and friends. Ira Hinkley, a nephew about 17 yrs old, heard of his aunt’s condition and came back from Winter Quarters and drove their team to Winter Quarters. During the next year 1847 at Florence, Douglas, Nebraska she married a widower Hugh Day who had three daughters who needed a mother's care. They were not able to reach the valley until 1850 and in the meantime she had given birth to a daughter and son, the daughter dying soon after their arrival to the valley.

She lived nearly thirty years in Salt Lake City and had two more children, a daughter and a son. Her son, John, although only eight years old when they came to Utah, walked nearly all the way herding the loose cattle. As he grew to be a big strong man he was called upon to make two trips east across the plains to bring emigrants back. On one of these trips he brought back a rare gift for his mother - the first cook stove she had ever owned and which she prized very much. It finally became the possession of her daughter-in-law who had it for many years.

Who could be more worthy of a blessing pronounced upon her head by John Smith, the Patriarch of the Church, when he said: "In the midst of the Saints, thine offspring shall be numerous. Prophets and Seers shall come forth of thee, and thou shall save thy father's house according to the desire of thy heart." She died on the 11th of April 1880, in Salt Lake City, one of the noble women whose burdens were many but who overcame them and remained steadfast to her convictions and faith.

Here is another bit of information about Susannah also from FamilySearch.org:

Susanna Content Judd Day from "Pioneer women of Faith and Fortitude"

Susannah was born in Canada, 1815. At age twenty one, Susannah married fellow Canadian Benjamin Boyce, February 8, 1836. They embraced the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and left Canada in May of 1838, with their son, traveling to St. Lawrence County, New York. They were part of the Canada Camp and by May 14, 1838, they started for Kirtland, Ohio, but changed course and joined the Kirtland Camp near Dayton on July 29, 1838. Before reaching Far West, they decided to settle in DeWitt, but were soon driven out. They fled to Far West on October 15th but on October 28th they moved to Shoal Creek. In February, 1839, they reached the Mississippi River by Quincy. In the Fall they moved to Adams County and then on to Nauvoo, Illinois, where they were at peace for awhile.

By February, they were in Sugar Creek, Iowa with Benjamin becoming increasingly ill. They started across Iowa towards Winter Quarters. On this journey, Benjamin became weaker and on August 18, 1846, he passed away and was buried near Mt. Pisgah. In Winter Quarters, Susannah met Hugh Day, a former Canadian and a widower with three children; Almeda, Maria and William. On September 7, 1847, they were married in Florence, Nebraska. After the winter, they returned to Little Pigeon, Pottawattamie County, Iowa were Hugh had settled. He was a wheelwright and farmer and they called this place home for two years.

In 1850, they joined the William Snow Company and traveled to Utah on October 6, 1850. In Salt Lake City, Susannah and Hugh set up residence at 5th West on South Temple in 16th Ward. She did much weaving of woods, carding and spinning, as well as making candles and soap, while Hugh was cabinet maker and wheelwright. They evacuated south at the time of Johnston's Army, and later returned home. She and Hugh became the parents of six children. Susannah died at the age of sixty-five on Apr 11, 1880, in Salt Lake City, where after enduring many hardships and moves she had and maintained for herself and family a permanent home.

Birthdate: 25 Feb 1815 Leeds Co., Ontario, Canada

Death 11 Apr 1880 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Parents: Arza Judd and Lois Knapp

Pioneer: 6 October, 1850 William Snow Co Wagon Train

Spouse: Benjamin Boyce

Married: 8 Feb 1836 Leeds Co., Canada

Death Spouse: 18 Aug 1846 near Mt. Pisgah, Iowa