History of the Restoration Movement

Samuel Boyd

1763-1835

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Biographical Sketch On The Life Of Samuel Boyd

Samuel Boyd was born in Virginia, May 20, 1763. In his early life, he with his father moved to South Carolina, where they enlisted in the army of the revolution. Having to carry through all his subsequent life such marks of the long and terrible struggle for independence would instill patriotism in the minds of his children, hence they imbibed in early childhood a deep and abiding hatred of the name Tory, as the Loyalist was called. He fought during the Revolutionary War, receiving an injury from a Tory bullet that struck his temple, putting out one of his eyes. He was left for dead, but was found by a black woman who hid him in the brush and nursed him back to health.

Isabella Higgins, wife of Samuel Boyd, was born in South Carolina, February 13, 1764. Her father, John Higgins was a native of Scotland. Her mother's name was Elizabeth Campbell. She was also of Scotch-Irish descent. Samuel Boyd and Isabella Higgins were married in 1785. She was named in honor of the queen of Spain, and also had the honor of being escorted by Andrew Jackson in her youthful days. Her love settled on the one-eyed soldier of the revolution, who was an honest farmer and afterward became a faithful pioneer preacher. They first became members of the Presbyterian Church and afterward joined the Newlights. It was favorable for their vast progeny that they were inclined to go westward and seek more productive soil. Soon after their marriage, they moved to Tennessee and settled in a cabin home. While living there a great shadow fell across their pathway.

One of Isabella's cousins in Carolina married a somewhat wealthy man and they arranged to visit their cousin in her new home in Tennessee. The road they were to travel was hilly, or rather mountainous, and unfrequented. At that time the only mode of travel was by horseback. They made their visit, but soon after they set out on their return trip they were murdered and their bodies left lying in the forest. Their saddles were left lying beside them, but they had been robbed and their horses taken. This left a sad memory on the minds of the youthful pioneers. They moved from Tennessee and settled in Madison County, Kentucky.

Samuel Boyd was a large and somewhat corpulent man with a ruddy face and dark hair before it silvered with age. The loss of his left eye was a great deformity to his person as he never tried to conceal the blemish by shades or any kind of glasses. I can't say they were not in use for I think it was just about this time, or earlier, that Goldsmith represents the hopeful son of the vicar of Wakefield as making sale of the family nag and buying a whole gross of green spectacles. My grandfather chose to wear a path of black silk over the empty socket and the last time I sat on his knee and was bearded by his kisses I thought he was awfully sweet but still didn't like the looks of that eye.

Oh I wish we had a cycloramic view of those wounded, starving, bleeding-feeted soldiers marching over the frozen ground bowed down with disaster and defeat, yet willing to die in the last ditch to purchase a land of freedom.

In view of all this, will we surrender our rights as citizens of the great commonwealth and allow our country so dearly bought to be ruled by monopolists and millionaires? Will we allow corruption, fraud, sham and boodle to take place of an honest election? What worse chains could England have forged for us?

The author of my history (Elizabeth Martindale) says that when she was seven years old her parents moved from Madison county, Kentucky, to a place on the Cumberland river called "Horseshoe Bend." After remaining there for a while they moved to Adair county, which was then a wilderness part of Kentucky. Samuel Boyd commenced the work of exhortation and soon became an earnest minister of the Gospel, and what is most worth recording, he made a life correspond to his profession, striving to do unto others as he would have them do unto him.

In the year 1811, Samuel Boyd learned that valuable land had come into market in the territory of Indiana. He disposed of his land and some of his stock and with a wife and nine children left for Indiana where they settled at Jacksonburg. Samuel Boyd died 27 November 1835 at the age of seventy-two years.

When Samuel Boyd moved to Indiana he had five sons. Robert, the youngest was thirteen years old. James, John, William and Samuel were stalwart young men, with the exception of a rheumatic affection which seemed to be a family disease. He also had four daughters. All of them settled on farms in Wayne and Henry counties, Indiana. All but Isabel, the youngest daughter lived and died in those counties. Most are buried at the old Jacksonburg cemetery. When Mrs.Edna Swiggert, of Indianapolis, daughter of John and Caroline Smith, and granddaughter of Abiram Boyd, visits that old burying ground, she can stand by the headstones of three generations of grandfathers.

-Source: Clan Boyd International: Boyds from the book "Pioneer Life" "Autobiography and Sermons of Elder Elijah Martindale" also Pioneer History of the Boyd Family" Belle Stanford, 1892 published in Indianapolis, Indiana by Carlon and Hollenbeck, Printers. pages 120ff (Note: Other accounts say Samuel Boyd was born in Cravens Co. South Carolina) Find out more from the following site: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~clanboyd/mdale.htm.

Samuel Boyd.—This minister lived and died in Wayne
County, Ind. He died at the age of eighty-one years.
(Noted in Memoirs of Deceased Ministers, E.W. Humphreys, c.1880, p.63)

Directions To The Grave Of Samuel Boyd

Samuel Boyd is buried in the old cemetery at Jacksonburg Christian church in Jacksonburg, Indiana. The Boyd plot is located at the west end (far end from church building) of the cemetery. Grave is facing west. The actual GPS location of the family plot is: 39°51'01.6"N 85°06'27.1"W / or D.d. 39.850450, -85.107533