Prologue:
John Boice was my paternal
grandmother's grandfather. I didn't know my grandmother, Nellie Alnora Boyce, as she passed away in 1937. (Notice the spelling of the last name from Boice to Boyce.) I did, however, have the
chance to know her brother, Leander. My father called him Uncle Lee. He
lived in a large, old, frame house with double front doors. It didn't
look as if it had ever been painted. The was no electricity in the house
and he used kerosene lamps for lighting. There was an outhouse out back
and he pumped his water at the kitchen sink. He walked, rode a horse, or drove
his two-person little red buggy with one horse on harness. It was fun for a little kid my age to ride around
with Uncle Lee. When I knew him, he was already in his eighties. He
had grey hair and a long white beard.
He was very tall and thin, almost gaunt.
The Boice family homesteaded
the Oxford area. Each person, father, mother, and child could and did purchase
a homestead of 215 acres. My grandmother Nellie's homestead was up Goose
Creek draw. After she married Grandpa George in 1900, she opened a
boarding house in town (Oxford), housing the school teachers for Oxford, while
Grandpa ran the farm and dairy.
Biography of John Boice (1814-1886):
John Boice was a man of great honor and integrity. He was a
perfect specimen of physical manhood which enabled him to stand great hardships
encountered in his strenuous work of pioneering.
He was born February 20th, 1814, at Fredricksburg, Upper Canada
[across Lake Erie from Syracuse, New York.] He was the son of Benjamin
Boice and Margaret Hartly and was the youngest of a family of six. He
married Jane Hearms on June 7, 1835, and that same year, he and his wife were
led into the waters of baptism [of the Mormon Church]. Through this ordinance
they were ushered into the rays of living light and their descendants were made
heirs to great blessings.
Shortly after he embraced the gospel he had a dream. He dreamed he saw the temple in place and Joseph Smith, the Prophet, dressed in a long white robe standing with bowed head by the temple, his hands and feet were clear as glass. Looking up and gazing at the temple, he said, "Brethren, the set time has come to favor Zion, and Jackson County is ours; I will take with me fifteen hundred men, and there will not be a man to make afraid nor a dog to bark."
He then awoke because of the dream. In the year 1837 he with
his family migrated to Kirkland, Ohio, and the following year they started for
Missouri, but were driven back by a mob and stopped at Barry Pike County,
Illinois. Two years later they went back to Ohio on business. After
their interest had been transacted, they started for Kirkland. While on
the journey, his wife was taken very ill in the town of Hudson. During
her illness she was permitted to see beyond the veil and for 24 hours appeared
as dead, after which she regained consciousness. She related the
following story, that angelic spirits had declared to her that Joseph Smith was
the great prophet raised up to open this last dispensation, and she bore a
strong testimony of this latter-day work. She said she had only come back
to stay four days as she had promised a certain woman that she was willing she
should rear her three little children, but now she desired that her husband
should rear two of them, as she was going to take one of them with her.
In the evening of the fourth day at eight o'clock, at the same hour
that she became unconscious, she passed peacefully away on February 14th,
1840. After the service and the body had been laid to rest, Grandfather,
returning home found his healthiest son, Thomas, in a dying condition, not from
any perceivable sickness, and soon passed away. Thus her words were
fulfilled.
He resumed his journey and met the Saints at Quincy, Illinois, who
were gathering to hold their first conference after being driven from Missouri.
While in company with Brother Haddock, Grandfather related his
dream while in Canada. Brother Haddock answered, "Well, you can test
the truth of that dream today, for if it was Brother Joseph, you will know him
when you see him." Soon after, Grandfather looked up and saw a group
of men conversing among themselves. As he beheld the sight of one of the
man's faces he said, pointing, "There is the man I saw."
"Yes," said Brother Haddock, "that is Joseph Smith."
After arriving in Kirtland he met Mary Ann Barzee, and they were
married May 7th, 1840. In June, 1841, they sailed by boat to
Nauvoo. Here they were being mobbed and driven from place to place.
Their first son, Chester, was born at Chester, Ohio, April 12th,
1842, and died at Crooked Creek, Illinois. Martin Calvin [was] born at
Crooked Creek, April 7th, 1844, on Sunday at dusk. John, Junior, was born
at McDonough County, Illinois, May 24th, 1846. David was born February
18, 1848, Jo Daviess County, Illinois. Elizabeth Ann was born November
27th at Jo Daviess County, Sand Prairie, Illinois.
At the time of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum,
Grandfather's family was living a few miles from Carthage. He, with
others, were called in haste to Nauvoo by the Prophet as he was going to prison
and he desired to talk to them. They heard his instructions to the people
from time to time. "Brethren, I have great sorrow in my heart for
fear that I may be taken away from the earth with the keys of the kingdom of
God upon me, without sealing them upon the heads of men. God has sealed
upon my head all the keys of the kingdom of God necessary to the organizing and
building up of the Church of Zion and the kingdom of God upon the earth, and to
prepare the Saints for the coming of man. Now, Brethren, I thank God that
I have lived to see the day that I have been enabled to give you your
endowments, and that I have sealed upon your heads all the powers of the
priesthood and apostleship with all the keys and powers of which God has sealed
upon me. And I now roll all of the labor, burden, and care of this Church
and kingdom of God upon your shoulders. I now command you in the name of
the Lord Jesus to round up your shoulders and care of this Church and kingdom
of God before heaven and earth, and before God and angels and man, and if you
do not do it you will be damned."
After the Prophet and Patriarch were slain, most of the Apostles
were on missions. Sidney Rigdon seemed much concerned and expressed the
idea that a guardian must be appointed to lead the Church on. When the
Apostles came home, the people met in a large gathering in the forenoon to
consider who should be the president of the Church. It was not decided
and another gathering was called in the afternoon. In this gathering
Brigham Young rose to speak, and by the spirit of the Holy Ghost which brings
things past, things present, and things to come, fell with such power upon the
people that Brigham Young was transfigured before them in the likeness of
Joseph in looks and speech; the vote was unanimous in favor of Brigham Young.
In the spring of 1852, Grandfather with his family left Nauvoo,
Illinois, with others and started across the plains by ox team, arriving in
Salt Lake.
They were called to Spanish Fork to assist in building a
fort. While there, they met a friendly band of Indians. The chief
asked if they would build him a house inside the fort, which was also
done. Donations were given to the Indians and Grandfather was chosen to
deliver these donations to the chief who in turn distributed them among his
tribe.
Grandmother succeeded in learning the Indian language and was
appointed Indian interpreter. One day a young Indian came to her home
with his three-month old baby saying he would give it to her and never take it
away as his squaw had died. She answered him saying she would let him
know in a little while. After talking the matter over with Grandfather,
he advised her to go to their bishop for counsel. She related the
circumstances to the bishop, telling him she had a family of five children and
could not see her way through, but he said "By all means, Sister Boice,
take the baby, for you don't know what good it will bring." So she
took the baby and when it was about a year old it took seriously ill. All
was done for its recovery, taking it to a doctor in Provo, but finally the baby
died and was buried as if it was their own. The father of the baby was a
frequent visitor during its sickness and death. This was in the year
1855.
Like all colonizers in a new country, their time was devoted to
building and farming while the women provided clothing by spinning wool and
weaving cloth. He remained in Spanish Fork until the year 1857 when he
was called with others to make a settlement 40 miles southeast of Salt
Lake. When they arrived there, they were met by a bunch of hostile
Indians, about 40 in number, on horseback forming a line before their wagons.
Grandfather offered to shake hands with them, but they refused, waiting for the
word of command. When one of the Indians jumped from his horse and went
to the chief telling him how Grandmother cared for his baby during its sickness
and death, the chief listened to the story, then began to talk, telling the
Indians that it was their best hunting grounds, and when the whites came their
game and fish disappeared. Grandmother understood their conversations,
telling Grandfather what they said. He told her to tell the chief they
would not hunt or fish. The chief replied that they will scare them all
away. However, through the pleading of the young Indian, his heart was
softened and the chief said [that] if they would make a treaty to give them a
beef they would not molest them, which was agreed upon. Grandmother said,
"Oh how glad I am that we listened to our bishop and took his
counsel." Grandfather immediately rode to Salt Lake on horseback and
reported to President Young and he advised them to move out.
They then went to Parley's Park and remained there that winter,
being shut in with the depth of snow. This was the winter of 1858 and has
been recorded as the hardest winter in the history of Utah. When spring
came they were destitute, broken in body and mind, for they were nearly
famished from hunger and cold, being deprived of the comforts of life.
From here they migrated north as far as Farmington where another son, Elijah,
was born. Here they remained until 1861, at which time they moved to
Smithfield, living there a few years. Another son, Lorenzo, was born.
In the year 1865 they went north as far as Oxford, Idaho, where his
son, John, age 19, and his brother-in-law, George Barzee, age 23, were frozen
to death one mile from Franklin, Idaho. Here his health began to fail him
and he devoted his time to church work. He, with Grandmother, were called
to work in the Logan Temple. After spending two months there they were
called to the deathbed of their son, David. They returned to the temple,
but he continued to fail in heath. President John Taylor called him to
the office of patriarch and advised him to travel and bless the people.
Many of the sacred prophecies and promises which he made the people are
recorded in Grandmother's diary.
 |
| Boice homestead farmhouse |
 |
| Current condition of the original home. |
He led a life of prayer and honesty. He governed his family
according to the requirements of the priesthood. While on his deathbed,
his tribute to Grandmother, "Ma, you have been faithful with me in rearing
our large family and you have done well; may you always keep the presence of
mind and God will bless you forever."
They reared a large family who are co-workers in the great cause of
Zion.
His mortal activities have been recorded in the annals of Church
history. Surly the rewards for faithfulness is [are] realized in the
numerous posterity which carry on the good teachings and example given them by
such a worth progenitor. He passed peacefully away on March thirty-first,
1886, and his mortal remains were laid to rest in the Oxford Cemetery.[i]
[i] Written
by his granddaughter, Rachel Boice Olson, at the request of her brother,
John. To be read at the family reunion on the seventh day of April,
1931, at Lovell, Wyoming.
Source: Biography of John Boice, typescript, LDS Church
Archives. Grammar has been standardized and spelling corrected from the original.
