Boyds ... from Ballymena to Bethany: Conclusion

This will be the final installment of the story of the Boyds who came to Fayette County and settled near Bethany Methodist Church. These Boyds are well documented and their story told in the book, "Our Boyd Family, Allied Families, deGraffenried, Tidwell, Milam, Patton," by George Hugh Boyd and Rosalie Brown Boyd. I found the book at the Coweta Genealogy Library in Grantville.

According to family stories, James Boyd, son of John (Waggoner Jack), grandson of John Jr. (Johnny Buckles) and great-grandson of John Boyd of Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland, came to Georgia about 1829 or 1830 along with his cousin, Hugh.

The 1830 Meriwether County census shows a John Boyd, age 40-50, with only one other person in the household, a male age 20-40. Mr. Boyd believes this to be that old rascal, Waggoner Jack, and his son James.

There also is a Hugh Boyd in the 1830, 1840 and 1850 Meriwether County census. However, the Hugh Boyd in 1850 is definitely my GGGgrandfather, son of Robert Boyd and Rosannah Stewart. Was he the cousin of James mentioned in family stories? I have no idea, but I'm very hopeful that he was.

The 1840 Meriwether County census shows a James Boyd and family with persons matching the ages of our James' family at that time. There is no older male, so if Waggoner Jack was in the 1830 census, he may have died before the 1840 census.

The first provable record of our James Boyd in Georgia is his marriage to Emily (Milly) Tidwell on Sept. 9, 1831, in Meriwether County. Milly was the daughter of William Tidwell and Mary Amelia Jones. Milly's siblings were Benjamin Tidwell, John J. Tidwell, Mark Tidwell who married Frances (Fanny) Boyd, daughter of Robert Boyd and Rosannah Stewart, Grace Tidwell, William deGraffenried Tidwell, Julia Tidwell, Pleasant Madden Tidwell who married Emily Glass, and Littleberry Tidwell who married Martha Westmoreland in 1850 and moved to Arkansas.

Pleasant Madden Tidwell was a physician in Campbell County and is buried in the city cemetery in Fairburn.

By 1860, James and Milly Tidwell Boyd had moved to Fayette County where they remained until their deaths. Their children were: Nancy Jane Boyd (1833-1917), never married; Mary Boyd, b. 1836, died at age 18; Sarah Ann Gracy Boyd, m. John Vineyard; William Hugh Boyd, m. Caroline Matilda Milam; John Littleberry Boyd (1842-1862), never married; Sebra C. Boyd, m. John R. Milam; James LaFayette Boyd, m. Mary (Molly) Harper; and Margaret Frances Boyd (1851-1929), never married.

Sarah Ann Gracy Boyd, b. 1838, third child of James and Milly Tidwell Boyd, married John Vineyard had the following children: Molly Vineyard m. George Harris; James Vineyard m. Genia Travis; Lena Vineyard never married; Nannie Vineyard m. Chillie Hartley; Maggie Vineyard m. John Bannister; and Cuma Vineyard m. Jim Huddleston.

William Hugh Boyd, b. 1840, fourth child of James and Milly Tidwell Boyd, married Caroline Matilda Milam and had the following children: Caroline Elizabeth Boyd (1886-1935) m. Howard Sibley Whitely; Millie Lilla Boyd (1888-1970) m. Linton Alexander Harris; Emily May Boyd (1889-1911) m. Aarron Cloud Tarpley; George Hugh Boyd (1891-1965), m. Rosalie Brown; James Carl Boyd (1893-1941) m. Mary Georgia Spier; John Thomas Boyd, b. 1897, m. Adeline Tarpley; Mattie Jane Boyd, b. 1901; William Seaborn Boyd, M.D., b. 1907, m. Catherine Elizabeth Kreps.

Sebra Caroline Boyd (1845-1919), sixth child of James and Milly Tidwell Boyd m. John Robert Milam and had the following children: Nannie Milam (1873-1953) m. Henry P. Landrum; Emma Mabel Milam (1875-1906) m. John Thomas Arnall.

James LaFayette Boyd (1848-1910), seventh child of James and Milly Tidwell Boyd, married Mary Leah Frances Harper and had the following children: James Franklin Boyd (1876-1935) m. Mary Annette Walker; William Guy Boyd (1878-1962) m. Jennie May Thornton; John Littleberry Boyd (1880-19660 m. Myrtie Thornton; Allie Tidwell Boyd (1882-1935) m. Mary Leona Jones; Millie Viola Boyd (1885-1967) m. William Clark Brooks; Walter Elliott Boyd (1887-1961) m. Clara Elizabeth Jones; Pleasant Madden Boyd (b. 1889) m. (1) Mary Emma Baggett, m. (2) Mary Frances Sharp; George Gardner Boyd (1891-1926) m. Vinnie Leah Lester; Mary Emily Boyd (b. 1893) m. Curtis Jerome Coleman; Benjamin LaFayette Boyd (1895-1968) m. Annie Johnnie Spier; and Fannie Lee Boyd (b. 1901) m. Allison Dudley Abrams.

If you have lived in the south Atlanta area for any length of time, these names will be very familiar to you. If you walk the cemetery at Bethany, you will find many of the above named people. Even today, many of these surnames live on in the membership lists of Bethany United Methodist Church.

The children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of James and Milly Tidwell Boyd have done them proud. Many are, or were, doctors, ministers, school teachers, successful business persons and contributing members of their community. Waggoner Jack be danged ... sweet apples can come from a sour tree.

I hope you have enjoyed the Boyd story as much as I've enjoyed telling it. If you are connected to this family, I'd love to hear from you. If I could make a firm connection to my Robert Boyd, you would all be my cousins.

Do you have ancestors who lived on the south side of Atlanta? Send their stories to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; E-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

Judy regrets that time does not permit her to do personal research for others. She will willingly share research information on her own family lines, including collateral and allied lines.

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