Judge Henry Boyce, Succession Record, Rapides Parish, LA 
Submitted by Houston Tracy, Jr. 

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Usually, when one views the contents of a probate package,
they expect to find papers and loose slips revealing information about the
family and relatives of the deceased. I have so geared myself toward that 
end, that this affidavit of property ownership really floored me as to 
it's genealogical content being of far-reaching relatives not kin to the 
decedent. You'll see what I mean

Verbatim transcript. Added notes appear in brackets.Parentheses
are present in the original text.

Judge Henry Boyce, Succession Record, Rapides Parish, LA 
Probate File # 194, Succession of the Honorable Judge Henry Boyce
of Ulster Plantation [part of which is now the Town of Boyce, La.

The State of Louisiana - Parish of Rapides

On the 9th day of June 1860, George Mason Graham, surviving husband of
Mary Eliza, eldest child of Capt. [Captain] Nathl. [Nathaniel] Green Wilkinson,
late of the U.S. Army, deceased, and of his wife, Georgiana Blanchard, also
deceased, who was the daughter of Mrs. Amy ([wife of] Newton of Norfolk City in
the State of Virginia) Blanchard, also deceased, sold to Judge Henry Boyce the
tract of land on the right bank of Red River, descending, bounded on the upper
side by the Tom Bonner tract, owned by said Boyce, on the lower side by the
plantation of Doctr. James B. Sullivan, and in the rear by the backlands of B.
K. Hunter and others, fronting on the Bayou Rapides, formerly known as
"Solitaire", but more generally and latterly as "The Wilkinson
Place", and which said tract of land had been sold by the said G. Mason
Graham, who had acquired it at Probate Sale of the succession of the late
Colonel Charles T. Scott on 28th day of December 1832.


In this sale to Judge Boyce, the said Graham was acting as the friend and
representative of the Heirs of Mrs. Amy Blanchard, who were Colo. [Colonel]
Edward H. Blanchard, residing in the Parish of Natchitoches; Colo. [Colonel]
Cary H. Blanchard, residing in the Parish of Rapides; and for the children and
heirs of her deceased daughter, Mrs. Wilkinson, who were also the Heirs of their
deceased father, Capt. N. G. Wilkinson.

The price agreed to be paid by Judge Boyce was Thirty Thousand (30,000)
Dollars, of which five (5) thousand each, belonged to the two colonels
Blanchard, five (5) thousand to the children of Mrs. Wilkinson, and fifteen (15)
thousand to the Heirs of Capt. Wilkinson, making Twenty Thousand (20) [20,000]
Dollars in all, to the six Wilkinson Heirs, of whom, Georgiana Ellen, the
youngest, having died, single, on ______ [no date shown], her surviving
brothers: Thomas & Telfair Wilkinson, and sister, Amy, wife of Dr. J. T.
Sanford, then residing at Brazoria, Texas (but both since deceased), as
suggestion of the said G. Mason Graham, united with [repre]senting and acting
for the children of his deceased wife ??? an Act of donation &
relinquishment of their right, title and interest in and to her succession, to
their other surviving sister, Lelia G. Wilkinson, which Act was duly recorded by
the said Graham, in the Clerk's Office of the Court in Rapides Parish; and her
Brother,Thomas B. Wilkinson,
subsequently dying a member of Captn. [Captain] (Doctor) John Pintard Davidson's
Company of Volunteers, Confederate States service, at Corinth in Mississippi,
left a Will in, and by, which he constituted his sister, Lelia G. Wilkinson, his
sole Heir & Legatee, which Will was duly recorded in this Parish of Rapides.


Thus, Lelia G. Wilkinson, became the owner of all that remained due
[$15,000] by Judge Boyce, or his succession, on the original portions of her
Sister, Brother, in addition to her own, and which on 5th June 1874, when
the Executor of Judge Boyce filed his Tableau of Debts, amounted to four
thousand six hundred and sixty six 66/100 (4,666.66) Dollars, but on which no
interest had, or has been paid since January 1st 1868.

On 15th July 1869, Judge Boyce executed, and left in the hands of
Alphonse Baillio, then Recorder for the Parish of Rapides, for Record, an Act
acknowledging, recognizing & establishing his indebtedness for that amount
to Lelia G. Wilkinston, and to Edward Telfair Wilkinson, her Brother, for the
sum of "about $800, the exact amount to be ascertained by reference to
Receipts" (The exact amount was $1000 - G.M.G.) with vendor's Lien 
Privilege on the above described "Wilkinson" tract of Land to secure
the payments of both amts. The said
E. T. Wilkinson being urgent for money which it was not convenient to Judge
Boyce to pay him, and the said G. Mason Graham having in his hands six hundred
(600) Dollars belonging to his children, let the said Wilkinson have it on his
(Wilkinson's) assignment of that amount in the balance due him by Judge Boyce,
and which assignment Judge Boyce accepted in writing, sometime about the period
of execution of the above recited Act (it bears date Jany. 3d 1872 and is
recorded in Mortgage Book C, folio 512; 513) Judge Boyce executed a similar
one in favor of Wm. L. Sanford, as Tutor of the minor children of Doctr. John T.
Sanford; Amy, his wife, in which they fixed the amount of the balance
remainingdue by him to those heirs at one thousand and five 65/100 Dollars, with
interest thereon at eight% from 16th July 1870.

And now, by an incomprehensible sale of this land in question by the
Public Administrator for the Parish of Rapides, and a resale of it at the
instance of the security on the Bond given by the purchaser at that sale, and
apparently by the operation and delays of Law, The Title to this Wilkinson tract
of Land having become vested in Lelia G. Wilkinson, wife of Joseph Hoy, Esqr.,
both residents of the Parish of Rapides, and she and her said husband, Joseph
Hoy, he being present and assisting her herein with his advice, counsel;
consent, being desirous and willing to fairly settle the rights; claims of
the other parties in interest, and who are: Wm. T. Sanford and his sister,
Georgie B., wife of Saml. M. Robertson, Esqr., all of the surviving Heirs of
their mother, the late Mrs. John T. Sanford of Brazoria in Texas, and who are
all now residents of Baton Rouge in Loua., and represented herein by the above
named, G. Mason Graham, acting under their special Power of Attorney of date
29th of April 1882, which is herewith filed and made a part of this Act - and
the three surviving children of the said G. Mason Graham from his marriage with
Mary Eliza Wilkinson, and who are Duncan John Graham, Amy b., wife of David T.
Stafford, all three residents of the Parish of Rapides, and Fergus Richd.
Graham, a resident of the State of Colorado, it is hereby agreed by and between
the Parties to this Act, as follows:

Mr. & Mrs. Hoy agree and do hereby convey to Wm. T. Sanford and
Georgie B. Robertson, jointly, in full satisfaction of all claim on their part
as Heirs of their deceased mother, the quantity of one hundred acres of the said
Wilkinson tract of land, to be taken, and laid off, on the lower side line of
that tract, being the Dividing Line between the said Wilkinson tract and the
tract below, it formerly known as The Sullivan Tract, now said to be owned by
Citizens Bank of Loua., to run the whole depth of that line, and to be included
in a line paralel (sic, parallel) to said dividing Line - the tract, thus
intended to be set off and conveyed, to have such width, and front on the Red
River on a line at right angles with it's two paralel (sic) sidelines, as will
give the quantity of one hundred acres.

And to Duncan J. Graham, Fergus R. Graham, and Amy B. Stafford, the
assignees of Edd. T. Wilkinson, as well as Heirs at Law of one equal third part
of his Estate, the quantity of one hundred and twenty five acres, to be taken,
and laid off, next adjoining the tract now conveyed to the Sanford Heirs, and
between similar paralel (sic), and rectangular, lines, giving such width of
front as shall make the tract hereby conveyed contain the area of one hundred
and twenty five acres.

This expressly understood and agreed that in and by this arrangement all
settlement of accounts between said parties to it is waived, being considered as
closed, settled, terminated - But should the State of Louisiana, and the
Parish of Rapides, either or both, ever claim and collect any back taxes prior
to those of the year one thousand eight hundred and eighty (1880), that then and
in that case, each party hereto shall be liable for, and assume the payment of,
a pro-rata share of said taxes in proportion to the ratio of its number of acres
to the number of acres in the entire tract - and also that each party to this
Act shall pay the cost of surveying and marking their respective tract.

In Testimony whereof we have hereunto affixed our signatures, at
Alexandria, Louisiana on this the 14th day of June A.D. 1882.

Witnesses: E. H. Lovelace, J. A. Crawford

[Parties' signatures]
Lelia G. Hoy; Jos. Hoy; G. Mason Graham, Atty. for: William T. Sanford, and 
for Georgie B. Sanford, wife
of Samuel M. Robertson, and for Samuel M. Robertson; Duncan J. Graham, for self
and assuming to represent and act for: Fergus R. Stafford, Amy B. Stafford and
D. T. Stafford

The State of Louisiana - Parish of Rapides - 
Be it remembered, that on this Fourteenth day of June A.D. 1882, Before
me, Louis V. Marye, a Notary Public in and for the Parish and State aforesaid
duly commissioned and qualified according to law, Personally came and appeared,
Madam Lelia G. Hoy, born Wilkinson, wife of Joseph Hoy, also appeared Joseph
Hoy, authorizing his said wife herein, and G. Mason Graham, acting as attorney
in fact for William T. Sanford, and Georgie B. Sanford, wife of Samuel M.
robertson and for Samuel M. Robertson, as per Power of Attorney hereto annexed,
and also appeared Duncan J. Graham, acting for himself and assuming to represent
and act for Fergus R. Graham and Amy B. Stafford, and D. T. Stafford, and the
aforesaid appearers signed their names to the foregoing transaction and
compromise and voluntary partition in my presence and in that of the two
subscribing competent witnesses, declaring the same to be their voluntary act
and deed, for the purposes therein mentioned and set forth.
Witness my hand and seal of office this 14th day of June A.D. 1882
L. V. Marye, Notary Public
[large red embossed seal applied to this page]