BOYLE GENEALOGY. JOHN BOYLE OF VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY. NOTES ON LINES OF DESCENT, WITH SOME COLLATERAL REFERENCES. WHOL COMPILED BY JOHN BOYLE, Of St. Louis. ST. LOUIS, Mo. PERRIN & SMITH PRINTING Co. 1909. A 8485 CS 71 37928 1909 INTRODUCTORY The following compilation originated in a wish to support, enter a Social Order founded The requisite evidence being by historic reference, a petition to upon a Revolutionary War basis. supplied, a suggestion was made to collect the genealogic data, and show the lines of descent from that common source, and the inquiries began in December, 1905. It soon transpired that others sought some of the same facts. In April, 1906, I received from Honorable George Du Relle, a prominent member of the Louisville bar, a letter stating that he was preparing a life of John Boyle, late Chief Justice of Kentucky, for publication in a series to be entitled "Great American Lawyers," and asking the communication of such appropriate facts as I might know. Another letter, received the same day from Mrs. Margaret Oldham Doty, informed me that she was connected through marriage with the Boyle kindred, and contemplating the preparation of a genealogic volume which might include, to some extent, collaterally related families, she wished to know whatever I could impart in that behalf. I gave to each a narration of the principal facts within my knowledge, and from them derived material assistance in my own researches. In collecting the facts compiled herein, many contributedMrs. Gay, Mrs. Cornelius, Mrs. Bourne, Mrs. Moss, Mrs. Guitar, Mrs. McGuire, Miss Bacon, Miss Harvey, Messrs. G. W. Adams, Marshall Gordon, Geo. M. Adams, Dr. David Gordon, Benj. G. Webster and others, to a less extent—indeed, nearly all to whom I applied gave me information. To Mrs. Doty I was especially indebted her diligence and patient perseverance, were most admirable and effective. The labor of collecting, arranging and verifying the facts, exceeded my early anticipations, and I now thank all who aided in this effort. A few conflicting dates were found, which, after such a lapse of time, probably can never be wholly, or satisfactorily, explained. Only one fact as herein alleged, rests upon conjecture in opposition to evidence usually accepted in law as imputing verity. Ellen Boyle Banton was buried at the side of her mother. Her tombstone bears an inscription showing her birth in November, 1780. That stone is unlike any other found in the burial lot, or elsewhere in that vicinity. She had lived in Knox county, and I conclude that she died there, and the quality of the monumental stone suggests that it may have been carved there. Her sister, Jane Boyle Gordon, was, according to record evidence, born in November, 1780, while her brother John was born in October, 1774. Ellen died in 1814-Jane survived until 1840. I presume the inscription was ordered at a point remote from those who could have authoritatively established the date of her birth, which, I believe, occurred in the comparatively long interval between that of her brother John and her sister Jane. The imperfections of this little volume are numerous. I might have pursued inquiries to a greater extent in some lines-I may have misunderstood the correlation of some facts, or found additional data by greater diligence, and the employment of more time, but what appears now, may, perhaps, aid a future investigator to correct, or to add to the compilation, if such may ever be desired. In a rare instance, or two, a refusal to impart information, blocked further search in that special line-occasionally, total silence was the response to a courteous inquiry, while once or twice the questions, though explained, were evidently suspected as springing from an unavowed motive. The facts alleged herein were chiefly collected within the period from 1906 to 1909. The continually occurring incidents of life—the births, marriages and deaths-render it impossible to form a record more than momentarily complete-even under the most favorable conditions. Under all the circumstances, I may fairly claim that this record states the facts as they were thought to exist at some date within that period. As this little volume is not for the public, I trust those who see it will allow for its imperfections, and regard it as the result of an unaffected effort, pursued with no idea of personal gain (with the direct reverse, indeed), to preserve in collected form some family traditions, anecdotes and data, with no wish to prejudice the views, or to wound the feelings of any. John Boyle BOYLE GENEALOGY. JOHN BOYLE OF VIRGINIA AND KENTUCKY. * * * "The formation of counties of Virginia, unless one be perfectly familiar with the dates of the formation, and of the exact locality of the home makes it difficult, at this day, to state, with exactness, the county in which was located the home of a person one hundred and fifty to seventy-five years ago." Miller, History and Genealogies, 65, Richmond (Ky.), 1907. In 1634 Virginia was first divided into shires-later called counties-there being eight. One was called Lancaster, and one Charles River. The name of the latter, in 1643, was changed to York, and below the confluence of the Mat-ta-po-ny, the stream thus formed, and bounding its eastern side, was also called York river. In 1654, New Kent was formed from York. Old Rappahannock county-formed from Lancaster in 1656—ceased to exist in 1692, Richmond and Essex counties being then formed from it. It is not to be confounded with the later Rappahannock taken from Culpeper county in 1833. King and Queen county was taken from New Kent in 1691-and King William from King and Queen in 1701. Spottsylvania was taken from Essex, King and Queen, and King William, in 1720; Orange from Spottsylvania, in 1734, and all of it west of the Blue Ridge, was, in 1738, formed into Augusta and Frederick counties. In 1768 the House of Burgesses divided Augusta, calling the |