Boynton
Family Background
The first known Boynton ancestor was William Boynton, born 1876 in England. He married Frances Cass in Yorkshire, England in 1820. They settled in Reach Township, Ontario, which today would include Whitby and Port Perry.
Records indicate that William’s father was Bartholomew Boynton (1739-1838) but he remained in England. William arrived in Canada some time before 1844. Their first recorded presence is in 1852, when the 1851 Census of Canada West was taken. The census record shows a daughter, Francis, age 6, born in Canada. The age of Francis may be a data entry error as her mother would have been fifty-six years old when she was born. Francis may have been 16. Other census data on William’s son William, show that he had a daughter Mary born in 1844 Reach Township, so the family must have arrived prior to 1844.
John Boynton, son of William, was an Inn Keeper. He first married Ann Gillespy in 1845. The marriage record is hard to read and was first transcribed as Ann Spilsky. They had one son William G. Boynton in 1848. It appears that Ann disapeared some time before 1858. It is not known if they formally divorced or not. John then married Maria Vickery, a widow, in 1858. She had a son Albert John Wesley from her first marriage. They would have five more children.
The families lived in the Reach Township area and in Kirkfield, Ontario. John Wesley Boynton, my great grandfather was a railroader by trade.