John C. Boyer (abt. 1844 - aft. 1920)

Born about 1844 in Woodward Township, Clinton, Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Luella Ruth (Brown) Brent — married 21 May 1897 in Butte, Silver Bow, Montana, United States

Died after 1920 after about age 76 in Seattle, King, Washington, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Margaret Summitt [send private message]

Biography

John Boyer is a part of US Black heritage.

Son of John Boyer and Sarah unknown. Brother of Samuel Boyer, Mary Boyer and Ann Boyer.

John C. Boyer, Luella’s first husband, moved with the frontier westward in search of business opportunities and likely networked with black barbers through his connections in the East. Barbering was a fraternity to which aspiring young black men could rise in social status by offering luxurious services to their customers.^[1] Boyer was born into a family of free blacks in Woodward Township, Clinton County, PA in 1844. His father John Boyer is listed in the 1850 Census as a laborer, in the 1860 Census as a grocery man,^[2] and in the 1870 Census (by which time the family was living in Lock Haven, Crawford Township) as a farmer, with personal estate valued at $500.^[3] According to a history of the county, more African Americans lived in Lock Haven in 1850 than in any other community, and they held a wide variety of occupations.^[4] This history lists four black men in Lock Haven who were barbers in 1850, the trade that John C. Boyer would follow.

In 1870 John C. Boyer is listed as age 24 and still living at home.

Since leaving his native Pennsylvania, John Boyer worked as a barber and traveling salesman in various towns on the Western frontier. In 1880 he was in Central City, Dakota Territory, where he had a barber shop for which he ordered a pier glass, a swivel chair and a marble countertop.^[5] Single, male, black, occupation barber, b 1845 PA. ^[6]

An item in the Winfield, KS Courier for Thursday, 19 November 1885, related that J. C. Boyer, alias Jumbo, a boarder at Thomas’ boarding house in the first ward, was fined four dollars and costs (total $11.25) for fighting. Boyer and another man accused each other of being lousy, went into a back yard and fought over it. If this is the same man as our John C. Boyer, I can imagine that for a barber to be called lousy was an insufferable insult.^[7]

In Wallace, Idaho, on July 27, 1890, J. C. Boyer lost his barber shop in a disastrous fire that burnt several blocks of downtown Wallace.^[8] By 1910, when the second big fire struck Wallace, the Boyers were already in Washington state.

It is unknown how he met Luella Ruth Brown. They were married in 1897 in Butte, Montana. The following newspaper item tells how: "J. C. Boyer and Miss Lulu Brown, both colored, were united in marriage in Justice Burns’ office at South Butte last night, the court tying the nuptial knot in the presence of a few spectators. Judge Chapman, the famous bear hunter, acted as best man and also performed the function of maid of honor for the dusky bride." ^[9]

In 1900 John and Luella were living in Lewiston, Nez Perce, Idaho.

By 1902 they had located to Everett, Snohomish, Washington, and were traveling to Seattle to attend a performance of "Sons of Ham," by the African-American entertainers Bert Williams and George Walker.^[10] This may have been where Luella met Williams and Walker and she may have been the one who invited them to give a performance of "In Dahomey" in Everett in 1905.^[11]

At that time, Luella was advertising in the Seattle Republican for help for her hairdressing business. Items in the Republican indicate that John Boyer was on the road much of the time as a traveling salesman. “Mr. John F. Boyer of Everett passed through the city en route to Roslyn this week, where he will spend several days in the camp, after which he intends to journey on to Thunder Mountain, where he till tarry to the latter part of November.”^[12]

Through his business connections, John Boyer and Luella sponsored Miss Gertrude Chrisman (she was born in Pennsylvania and her father was a barber) to come from Moscow, Idaho to Seattle. Miss Chrisman had graduated from the State University in Idaho.^[13] She lived with the Boyers in Everett in 1903-1904. By July of 1904, the Republican was announcing the engagement of Miss Chrisman to Lawrence Sledge, a young black attorney of Tacoma; their marriage took place in 1904 in Everett.^[14]

By 1910, John and Luella's marriage had broken up. Luella was a single head of household, listed as widowed, in the 1910 Census for Everett, Snohomish, Washington. John Boyer is not found in the 1910 Census.

What became of John C. Boyer after he and Luella parted? He turns up again in the 1920 Census, lodging at 911 Hiawatha Place in the 230th ward of Seattle, listed as black, aged 75, and single, born in Pennsylvania (as were his parents), and his occupation is wig maker for a hair goods company.^[15]

John C. Boyer in Census Records

1850 Census, Woodward Township, Clinton, PA:

• John Boyer age 36 male black b PA laborer
• Sarah Boyer age 30 female black b PA
• Saml Boyer age 7 black b PA
• John Boyer age 5 black b PA
• Mary Boyer age 2 black b Pa
• Ann Boyer age 13 black b PA
• Ellen Johnston age 8 black b PA
• Daniel Mills age 19 black b PA
• Jacob Hensbarger or Hensbayer age 45 black b PA
• Jane Hensbarger age 45 female black b PA
• Henry Drewl age 18 (race blank) b Germany

^[16]

In Lewiston, Nez Perce County, Idaho in 1900 Census (11-12 June) ED 107, sheet 10, stamped page 122, 215 5th Street

• John C. Boyer, Black, male, age 55, barber, b. Oct 1844, married 4 yrs, b. PA as were parents
• Luella Boyer, Black, female, b. Sept 1869, age 30, married 4 yrs, no children, b. IA, parents b. VA

^[17]

Sources

1. ↑ The social history of black barbers has been researched and analyzed by Douglas W. Bristol, Jr., in Knights of the Razor: Black Barbers in Slavery and Freedom (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009). According to Bristol, the 1890 Census showed that there were 17,480 black barbers.
2. ↑ 1860 Census, John Boyer, age 12, black, b. PA, living in household of John Boyer, age 47, b. PA, grocery man (wife Sarah age 44, also b. PA), Woodward Township (Youngwomanstown P. O.), Clinton Co., PA. Series M653, Roll 1097, page 440.
3. ↑ 1870 Census, John Boyer, age 24, black, b. PA, living in household of John Boyer, age 58, b. PA farmer (wife Sarah age 51, also b. PA), Crawford Township (Lock Haven P. O.), Clinton Co., PA. Series M593, Roll 1328, page 433.
4. ↑ “Black History in Pennsylvania: Communities in Common” www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/change/18093/labor_and_occupation_to_1860/673924
5. ↑ The Black Hills Daily Times from Deadwood, South Dakota, Saturday, April 2, 1881, page 4.
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCV7-WQ3 : 22 August 2017), J C Boyer, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 119, sheet 238C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 0113; FHL microfilm 1,254,113.
7. ↑ These 1885 files from the Winfield, KS Courier are transcribed online at: www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/cowley/oldnews/papersup/885_11wc.htm
8. ↑ Miss Julia Pardoe, An Illustrated History of North Idaho: embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, 1030 (p. 258 online in http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/miss-julia-pardoe/an-illustrated-history-of-north-idaho--embracing-nez-perces-idaho-latah-koot-ewl/page-258-an-illustrated-history-of-north-idaho--embracing-nez-perces-idaho-latah-koot-ewl.shtml)
9. ↑ The Anaconda Standard, Saturday, May 22, 1897, page 5.
10. ↑ From the New York Clipper, 17 May 1902 Seattle--…at the Grand Opera House…Williams & Walker presented their Sons of Ham to the delight of immense crowds.
11. ↑ From the Seattle Republican newspaper, 2 May 1902, page 4, News article: “Mr. and Mrs. John Boyer were in the city from Everett Sunday to attend the Williams & Walker engagement.”
12. ↑ From the Seattle Republican newspaper, 27 June 1904, page 2
13. ↑ From the Seattle Republican newspaper, 27 June 1904, page 2
14. ↑ From the Seattle Republican newspaper, 15 July 1904, page 5
15. ↑ 1920 Census, Seattle, King County, WA, 230th Ward, Seattle, Series T625, Roll 1930, page 134, sheet 10A, Supervisor’s District 151, Enumeration District 292. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHNY-TF8 : accessed 24 April 2019), John C Boyel in household of Joseph Y Moss, Seattle, King, Washington, United States; citing ED 292, sheet 10A, line 43, family 245, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1930; FHL microfilm 1,821,930.
16. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4HQ-691 : 12 April 2016), John Boyer in household of John Boyer, Woodward, Clinton, Pennsylvania, United States; citing family 14, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
17. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM5T-QFF : accessed 23 April 2019), John C Boyer, West Lewiston Precinct Lewiston city, Nez Perce, Idaho, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 87, sheet 10A, family 231, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,234.

Marriage certificate of J. C. Boyer and