Boyd Porterfield (abt. 1748 - 1778)

Born about 1748 in Duchal, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Died 11 Nov 1778 at about age 30 in New York, New York

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Biography

Boyd's birthday is estimated to be about 1748 based on his matriculation from Glasgow University at the age of 20. He was the middle of the three sons of Boyd Porterfield and Christian Cunningham.^[1][2]

Family

Boyd was never married.^[1][2]

Education

Boyd (Bodius) matriculated from the University of Glasgow in 1768. His father, older brother Alexander, and an uncle also attended the university. ^[3][2]

Military Career

Captain Boyd Porterfield served with 71st Regiment of Foot during the American Revolution.

Boyd Porterfield served in the American Revolution on the British side. While many of his distant Porterfield cousins whose families had come to America in the early 1700s served in the Continental Army. Reports vary as to his service.

In British Officers Serving in the American Revolution 1774-1783 (1897), three commissions are mentioned as follows. His service starting as a Lieutenant in the 17th Regiment on 18 September 1775, moving still as a Lieutenant to the 22nd Regiment on 23 November 1775 and finally on 5 December he made a Captain in the 71st Regiment of Foot.^[4][2]

The Scottish Register in 1794, while reporting on the death of Boyd's father, who was also named Boyd, mentioned the son Boyd served as Lieutenant of the 71st Regiment and simply mentions he died overseas and that he never married.^[1]

MacLean's (1900) An historical account of the settlements of Scotch Highlanders in America prior to the peace of 1783 indicates Boyd was one of eight captains in the British second Battalion in the 71st Regiment. This battalion was also known as Fraser's Highlanders, as Simon Fraser was responsible for raising the regiment.^[5]

His Glasgow University (1835) records indicate he served as a Captain in the 71st Regiment. and died at New York on 11 November in 1778.^[3]

Crawfurd (1818) indicates he served in 22nd Regiment of Foot.^[6]

1778 Raid on the Saltworks at Sandy Hook

On April 5, 1778, Boyd was on a ship anchored at Squam Inlet. His personal account indicates he led a detachment ashore. They proceeded to destroy a sizable saltworks, including at least one hundred houses with eight to ten kettles per building (many of which were copper). They also destroyed beef and bacon, a great deal of ready made salt. And finally the destroyed a sloop loaded with flour and grain.^[7]

Loyalist Thomas Okerson served as a guide for Captain Boyd Porterfield and also gave his account of the mission. His men, along with some British marines and the First New Jersey Volunteers to which Okerson belonged, destroyed at least one hundred houses employed in boiling sea water for salt at the Union Saltworks at Squan. We were unopposed and went on to destroy provisions, stores of salt, a quantity of grain, and a sloop from Boston.^[8]

Death

Multiple accounts of his death have been found.

Crawfurd (1818) states a date of death of 1780 or1781.^[6]

His Glasgow University (1835) records indicate he died at New York on 11 November in 1778.^[3]

Murray indicates Boyd died in America in 1780. ^[9]

The Porterfields (1947) indicate a date of death of 1780.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} The Scottish Register Or General View of History, Politics & Literature for April, May, June 1794, Vol II (Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute, 1794), p. 346, digital images, https://books.google.com/books?id=ZbZSAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA346. Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 20 November 2016).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Frank Burke Porterfield, The Porterfields (Roanoke, Virginia: Multiprint Inc, 1947), p. 12, digital images, https://archive.org/details/porterfieldsbyfr00port/page/12/mode/2up?q=boyd. Hathi Trust Digital Library (https://babel.hathitrust.org: accessed 26 December 2022).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} W. Innis Addison, The matriculation albums of the University of Glasgow from 1728-1858 (Glasgow: James Maclehose and Sons, 1835), p. 13, digital images, https://archive.org/details/matriculationalb00univuoft/page/86/ The Internet Archive (https://archive.org: accessed 26 December 2022).
4. ↑ Worthington Chauncey Ford, British Officers Serving in the American Revolution 1774-1783, (Brooklyn, NY: Historical Printing Club, 1897), https://books.google.com/books?id=A5I_AAAAYAAJ&vq=Porterfield&pg=PA145&q=porterfield
5. ↑ J. P. MacLean, An historical account of the settlements of Scotch Highlanders in America prior to the peace of 1783 (Glasgow: John MacKay, 1900), p. 13, digital images, https://books.google.com/books?id=7hUOAAAAIAAJ&vq=porterfield&pg=PA342#v=onepage&q=porterfield&f=false. The Internet Archive (https://archive.org: accessed 16 November 2016).
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} George Crawfurd, A General Description of the Shire of Renfrew (1818), p. 63-64, 402; scanned image, (https://books.google.com/books?id=bpnmAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA402&q=boyd%20porterfield).
7. ↑ "Captain Boyd Porterfield, British Army, to Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton, April 7, 1778", Naval Documents of the American Revolution, https://ndar-history.org/?q=node/29270
8. ↑ Todd Braisted, contributor, Larry Kidder, editor, "Thomas Okerson, 1749-1792?", Crossroads of the American Revolution, https://revolutionarynj.org/rev-neighbors/thomas-okerson/#full-bio1aff-eca3
9. ↑ James Murray, Kilmacolm: a Parish History, 1100-1898 (1898), p. 240; scanned image, Open Library (https://archive.org/stream/kilmacolmparishh00murr).