Johnston Robertson (Joe) BOYD Big Horn County, Wyola, MT USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. "List transcribed and organized by Jo Ann Scott, scottj@onyx.xtalwind.net All rights reserved." Copyright, 1997 by Jo Ann Scott. This file may be freely copied for non-profit purposes. All other rights reserved. A biography of my Grandfather, as told to me by my father, Johnston Phillips (Sonny) BOYD, July, 1970 Big Horn County, Wyola,MT. Johnston Robertson (Joe) BOYD: Joe came to the U.S.A. from Glasgow, Scotland, when he was two years old. He was the youngest of four boys. They settled in Johnston, P/a. He survived the ill famed "Johnstown Flood" May 31, 1889 by being wrapped in the American Flag and clinging to a church steeple as the church was washed two blocks down the street. The family's two story home was filled with silt, and fine, fragile glassware remained on the shelves, undamaged, surrounded by tons of silt. Young Joe attended N.Y. Military Academy, there met and courted Miss Cecile Kissam Phillips from Albany, N.Y. In 1905, Joe came to Sheridan, WY by train. He worked at the Kendrick Ranch, broke horses for a Mr. NcNabb. Later he went to work for Mr. George Tschirgi, where he made a life long friend of George's son, Matt Tschirgi. At the Tschirgi ranch, he met a wolfer named"Buck" Smith, a brother of Bob Smith who ranched near Wyola, MT many years. He went into partnership with "Buck" Smith. They became such good trappers and expert marksmen, they were allowed to hunt on the Crow Indian Reservation. White men were banned from the reservation without a permit. (my notes, Dad showed me the hole in the Little Horn Canyon near the entrance-where Buck and Joe had their "dug out" and spent the winter--keep in mind the temperatures dropped to 40 below zero!!) The partners build a cottonwood log cabin on the Little Horn. In 1910 Joe purchased some Indian Land on the Little Horn. He owned a few cattle, a grizzly bear and a wolf he had chained for pets. In 1909, he left for Albany,NY to marry Miss Cecile Kissam Phillips, but made Buck Smith promise to kill his pets as he deemed them a little dangerous for an Eastern bride. They were married Nov. 17, 1909 and moved onto the ranch on the Little Horn. There was no post office nearer than Parkman, WY . (40 miles) An engineer by the name of "Bill Toy: would pick up their mail at Parkman, put it in a sack and throw the sack from the engine into a choke cherry patch on certain days. Joe would pick up the mail as he came by running a trap line. A son and a daughter were born to Joe and Cecile Boyd. Johnston Phillips was born Feb. 24, 1914 and Mary Anna was born Aug.28, 1917 both at Sheridan , WY. In 1923, a fine new home was built on the Boyd ranch, a place that later became famous for the quality of flowers Joe raised. Some of his dahlias were as large as dinner plates. Exceptional gladiolus received prizes at many flower shows when displayed. The Chinese Pheasant was introduced as a wild game bird in this area by the efforts of Matt Tischirgi and Joe Boyd. In 1926, Cecile underwent an appendectomy, followed by a stroke on her left side. She passed away June 27, 1927. In the early twenties, J.R. Boyd and Henry Stevens of Sheridan formed a ranching partnership called "Boyd and Stevens" which lasted until Joe;s death, Dec. 23, 1945. H.C. Steven then formed a partnership with Joe's son J.Phillips Boyd which lasted until Steven's death Jan. 5, 1951. J.R. boyd ran cattle on the ridge between the main canyon of the Little Horn river and the West fork of the Little Horn before there was a forest reserve. When the forest preserve was created, J.R. Boyd was the first permittee on that range. The range is know on the forest reserve maps as the Boyd range. Joe Boyd served in the 29th Legislature of Montana as Senator from Big Horn Country, from Jan. 1945 until his death. He as a Mason, thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Consistory member and a Shriner. since 1938, Joe occupied top position for production and improvement of Poland China Swine,. He was President in 1944-45 of the Midland Empire Swine Association, also instrumental in getting the South Side Livestock Yards in Billings, underway. He as director for the Central Livestock Exchange. He also raised excellent Percheron horses. Joe and Cecile are buried in the Sheridan WY cemetery. Joe said, as he bought the cemetery lot, "Here he would feel at home, as he could rear up on one elbow and see the elk in the Sheridan Park across the valley. (the elk can still be viewed-(not the same ones of course, it is a beautiful spot) __________________________________________________________________ From SHERIDAN JOURNAL, FRI. JULY 1, 1927 Sheridan,WY. PASSING OF FIRST WHITE WOMAN ON DEEDED LAND IN THE UPPER LITTLE HORN VALLEY: At the ranch home on the headwaters of the Little Horn, above Wyola, on Wed. evening of this week, Cecile Phillips Boyd, 42, wife of Joe R. Boyd, passed away, During January last, Mrs. Boyd was overcome with paralysis of such a nature that little hope was held for her recovery. However, she was contented back at the ranch and was making a strong rally up to two weeks ago, when her last severe illness came. Mrs. Boyd was resigned and calmly awaited the end, knowing it was coming, talking and helping to plan for the future of their children, Johnston Phillips, age, 13 and Mary Anna, aged 10. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd were married in NY in 1910, her home and coming west was immediately taken to the mountain ranch, where she was the first white woman on deeded land in the upper Little Horn valley. Mrs. Boyd's parents preceded her in death and she has two half-brothers living in NY and no sisters. The funeral will be held from the Reed mortuary Fri. afternoon at 2:00 wit interment being made at Mount Hope. It was her desire that burial be made in Sheridan ___________________________________________________________ FROM SHERIDAN PRESS, DEC. 24, 1945 (Sheridan, WY) BOYD, WYOLA STOCKMAN, DIES AT HIS RANCH. J.R. BOYD, 59, PROMINENT WYOLA STOCKMAN AND BIG HORN COUNTY STATE SENATOR, DIED OF A HEART ATTACK LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT HIS LITTLE HORN VALLEY RANCH HOME. Boyd had been in a ranching partnership with Henry C. Stevens of Sheridan for approximately 20 years specializing in purebred Hereford cattle and registered Poland China hogs on the extensive ranch holdings. His son Johnston Phillips Boyd owned a ranch nearby and was wit his father at the time of his death. Boyd was born No.v 17, 886 in Glasgow, Scotland and came with his parents to American when a small boy. The family first settled in Pittsburgh. Boyd came to the west when a y young man and settled on the ranch, located about 10 miles from Wyola, about 40 years ago. His was the first white family to settle on the land then owned by the Crow Indians. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and of the Shrine Temple of Sheridan. He is survived by two children, his son and daughter, Mrs. Harold McGovern, both of whom live at Wyola; two brothers in Pa and one in NY and five grand children. His wife preceded him in death a number of years ago. Funeral arrangement, not yet complete, are under the direction of Champions' funeral home ____________________________________________________________.