This past month, I had the chance to walk in the footsteps of my Boyd ancestors. What a thrill that was!
I didn't solve all of the family mysteries that I'd hoped to, but I did learn some new things and explored what their lives might have been like during the American Revolution.
They were involved in a variety of ways in that history. Living just down the road from Washington Crossing, they had a first hand look at the action. Providing feed for the horses of the troops, directly serving in military units, hosting Marquis de Lafayette in their home were just a few of the ways our family got involved. I'm sure there are many stories yet to discover concerning this chapter of our family history.
We found the estate papers of Captain John Boyd who died in 1805 in Bucks County, PA. His estate was not vast, as he died at 38 years of age. In today's $s it equated to about $72,000. I'd love to own even one of the 9 Windsor chairs that he owned or the silver pocket watch that he no doubt used as he sailed the high seas.
We visited the Friends Meeting House where Thomas and Susanna (Brown) Yardley attended and were laid to rest not far from Yardley, PA.
Still holding services there today!
We visited the Brandywine Battlefield in Chadd's Ford, PA and the winter quarters park at Valley Forge. These visits gave a new appreciation for the kind of leader Washington had to have been to keep the troops focused on the goal of independence. Supplies were short, accommodations far from the comforts of home that we enjoy today!
Did a little exploring of my Loyalist ancestors who ended up in Nova Scotia as a result of the outcome of the Revolution! Daniel Bessonett must have been quite a guy! He commanded a group of men that was known as "Bessonett's Coy". He received a land grant from the crown for his efforts.
We visited Bristol, PA, home of the Boyds, Yardleys, Bessonettes, Cabeens and Bostwicks.
It was thrilling to walk down main street and locate the placard on the
building that housed the business started by Horatio N. Bostwick and
involving Boyd and Cabeen ancestors, too.
It's a tattoo parlor today! Kinda glad it wasn't open for business while we were visiting downtown.
We visited St. James' Episcopal Church and cemetery while in Bristol. Like most cemeteries back east, they are falling into disrepair due to vandalism, families moving away and just the shear cost of upkeep. We were very grateful that the Priest noticed a couple of gals with cameras in hand and came out to lend a hand! There were over 1,000 buried in the cemetery and they had a great map in the office to help us make sense of the unusual layout! We would never have found the grave sites without their help. Many had illegible or completely removed writing.
Robert and Ann (Bessonett Boyd) Cabeen's Stone (We think!)
Kirkbride family stones. We tried to reset the one, but it was just too heavy to budge.
Church established in the 1720s.
Charles Bessonette's stone. He was the Loyalist Daniel's father.
We also had a little fun with a living relative on the Schlichting side of the family. Cousin Jennifer joined us for a day of touring in Philadelphia. It was great to get to spend the time together. Looking forward to the next time!
Special "box" seats at the Sunday morning services.
 |
| Betsy Ross House |
Ben Franklin's Tomb
Well this long blog post has made up for my lack of posts in the past year!! It was an awesome whirlwind trip. These were only a few of the highlights. . . there were 5 cemetery visits, 10 library/archive/museum tours, 8 states in 10 days! We needed a vacation to recover from the vacation!
Family discovery is a fascinating experience. Getting to walk in the paths of great men and our ancestors was thrilling. Looking forward to reviewing all of the information we captured and seeing where these clues lead us next!!
