THE UTAH BOYACKS FAMILY HISTORY
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The earliest ancestors of the Utah Boyack family are believed to be a James Boyack and Margaret Boyack. 

The maiden name of Margaret Boyack is not known. IGI records of the LDS Church  show that a John Boyack born to a James and Margaret Boyack was christened on 8-11-1664 (IGI Batch  7528320-78).  IGI records also indicate that in Angus, Scotland, James Boyacks married a Margaret Lindsay in 6-1653, a Margaret Inman on 9-2-1658, a Margaret Duncan on 9-2-1658 (or Mart. Duncane on 10-5-1658) and a Margaret Gilgour on 7-16-1659.   Because of the naming of William Lindsay Boyack (#82 below) one could suspect that the mother was Margaret Lindsay.  Some believe that John was born to, instead of a James and Margaret, to a John Boyack and Christian Smith on 7-22-1669 (IGI Batch 7430529-35).  It might even be that he was born to a John Boyack and Isobell Gourley on 4-11-1666 (IGI Batch 7528320-77).

John Boyack married Agnus Paurie, Pawrie or Powrie on 7-16-1691 (IGI Batch 7605738-55).  They had twelve children:

John Boyack, c. 6-6-1692

James Boyack, c. 4-18-1694

Isobell Boyack, c. 6-21-1696

Margaret Boyack, c. 5-2-1698

Thomas Boyack, c. 2-3-1700 

Mary Boyack, c. 2-1702

Agnes Boyack, c. 2-20-1704

Samuel Boyack, c. 9-1706

Janet Boyack, c. 11-1708

William Boyack, c. 11-14-1708

Allison Boyack, c. 12-1713

Robert Boyack, c. 9-1719

The third son of John and Agnus, Thomas Boyack, a burgess, married Hellen Garden or Gairden (c. 1-24-1693) on 7-19-1716.  They had three children:

William Boyack, c. 6-16-1717

Margaret Boyack, c. 9-24-1721

John Boyack, c. 3-22-1724

The last son of Thomas and Hellen, John Boyack, married Jean Clerk (c. 10-15-1724) on 6-10-1753.  They had six children:

Alexander Boyack, c. 6-5-1755 (married Agnes Ogilvie)

William Boyack, c. 5-25-1757

Ann Boyack, c. 5-13-1759

Agnes Boyack, c. 8-30-1761

Jean Boyack, c. 3-11-1764

John Boyack, c. 4-27-1766

The second son of John and Jean, William Boyack, married Katrine or Catherine Moodie or Mudie on 12-17-1791 in Mains, Strathmartine, Angus, Scotland.   They had seven children:

William Boyack, c. 11-1-1793

Elizabeth Boyack, c. 12-29-1795

Ann Boyack, c. 9-24-1797

Jean Boyack, c. 9-29-1799

Alexander Boyack, c. 6-22-1802

James  Boyack, Sr., b. 7-30-1805, c. 8-25-1805, in Mains, Angus, Scotland.

David Boyack, c. 10-27-1807

The third son of William and Catherine, James Boyack, was the patriarch of the Utah Boyacks.  He was a farmer in Scotland.  He married Elizabeth Mealmaker (born April 6, 1805, c. April 30, 1905) in Mains Parish, Forforshire, Scotland) on November 14, 1827, in Mains, Angus, Scotland.  They had fourteen children, all born in Scotland.  He was converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1845  His oldest son James, Jr., came to this country to earn money for the emigration of the large family.  James, Jr., sailed from Liverpool on March 25, 1853, on the ship Fallon, and arrived in New Orleans on May 18, 1853.  He arrived in Utah on October 5, 1853. The rest of the family then came to the United States on the ship Samuel Curling, arriving in New York on May 23, 1855, bringing Margery Waterhouse, the future wife of James, Jr., with them.

The Boyack family crossed the plains by ox team under the leadership of Milo Andrus, leaving Mormon Grove near Atchinson, Kansas, on August 4, 1855. They arrived in Salt Lake City on October 24, 1855. The older children walked most of the way.

Elizabeth died December 14, 1886, and James died February 1, 1888, both in Spanish Fork, Utah, where they are buried in the City Cemetery. 

The Utah Boyacks are related to Boyacks in Iowa in the following manner.  The James Boyack, Sr. who migrated to Utah had an older brother, William Boyack christened November 1, 1793.  William married a Jane Anderson, then died young, at age 34, leaving a family of six children.  Two of the children of William and Jane migrated to the United States in 1852.  One of them, William Boyack (born January 10, 1822), settled near Indepen­dence, Iowa, and the other, Alexander Boyack (born in 1827), settled at Jessup, Iowa.  Gerald Boyack, 1518 Henderson Drive, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49006,  great grandson of the William Boyack who settled near Independence, has prepared a summary of the Iowa Boyack family.

In Scotland James and Elizabeth Boyack lived about eight miles from the bereaved nephews.  One can speculate on the relation­ship of the two families; why the nephews were not also converted to the faith, whether or not they planned emigra­tion togeth­er, whether they travelled togeth­er.  The passage records for  William or Alexander have not been found.

The descendants of James and Elizabeth Mealmaker  Boyack are here listed, numbering the first nine children 1-9, the tenth "A", the eleventh "B", etc., adding a digit for each succeeding generation.  The descendants are listed in order, giving precedence to the left hand digit.   Children of lineal parents with multiple spouses are numbered in order of birth, relying on last names of the children or the number of offspring given under the parents to differentiate them.  Adopted children are listed with natural children, but noted. 

Picture of the Boyack boys, James Jr - David Doig - Joseph Gibson - Peter Fenton

1- JAMES BOYACK, JR., was born September 14, 1828, in Mains Parish, Forforshire, Scotland.  He was baptized into the LDS church in Dundee February 9, 1851.  James embarked from Liverpool for America on March 17 (5?), 1853, and was nine weeks on the ocean.  His ship, the Falcon, size 900 tons, commanded by A. F. Wade, was held back through calms.  He landed at New Orleans and arrived in Utah on October 5, 1853.  He  worked as a quarryman on the temple at Salt Lake City until the arrival of his family and sweetheart Margery Waterhouse, the daughter of Thomas Waterhouse and Isabella Donaldson.  He married Margery (born December 10, 1833) on November 23, 1855.  They had nine children, moving to Palmyra, then to Spanish Fork.  They lived in a dugout dwelling at first, then built a one-room house, where most of the children were born.  Although James was a stone mason by trade, and was a weaver for about eight years in Scotland, he followed farming as his chief occupation in Utah.   He was on the home guard during trouble with the Indians.  He also went to Echo Canyon in the winter of 1856-7 to hold back Johnson's army.  He was active in the church, and was a member of the Seventy and was later a High Priest.  James died December 19, 1893, of spinal meningitis.  He is buried in Spanish Fork, Utah.  Margery died January 19, 1903. 

11- JAMES ALEXANDER BOYACK was born September 9, 1856, in Spanish Fork, Utah.  He married Sarah Marias Cox Williams (born February 11, 1861) on April 7, 1881.  They adopted two children.  They were very active in temple activities, he being in the seventies.  He died July 10, 1940. 

111- ETHEL BOYACK was born December 20, 1887

112- ROSALIA BOYACK was born March 28, 1894.

12- MARGERY ANN (Nan) BOYACK was born June 23, 1858.  She married Robert Kinder on May 13, 1880.  They had eleven children, the largest family of her sisters and brothers.  One of the children was Margery Ann Kinder Wing.   The family  lived at Lehi, Utah.  Nan died August 28, 1931.

13- ELIZABETH MEALMAKER BOYACK was born April 4, 1861.  She married John Davis Evans on April 1, 1884 (January 10, 1884?).  She died July 7, 1932.

14- MARY JANE BOYACK was born September 3, 1863.  She married William Howells on January 10, 1884.  They had six children.  She died September 26, 1939.

15- JEMIMA ELIZABETH BOYACK was born August 21, 1865.  She married  Richard Fortune Smith on January 1, 1889.  They had nine children.  She died March 15, 1910.

16- DESERET (Dessa) BOYACK was born December 8, 1867, at Spanish Fork, Utah.  She left home when quite young to work and did not marry.  She died in Pennsylvania June 7, 1919, and was brought to Spanish Fork for burial.

17- ISABELLA DONALDSON BOYACK was born December 22, 1869.  She married Charles Henry Peterson on November 17, 1897.  They had three children.  She died March 19, 1924.

Please send additions or corrections to:

Gerald Boyack
1518 Henderson Drive
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49006
616-345-5047
E-MAIL address   gboyack@compuserve.com

I would appreciate information on the parents of the John Boyack who married Agnus Pawrie in Scotlant and on the ship passage records of William Boyack of the Iowa clan who came over about 1852.  I am not sure how the Boyack family genealogist Norma Creer (deceased) of Ogden is related.  Also I cannot connect up Robert Noble Boyack of Provo, Utah, or Ralph Boyack of Arco, Idaho.  I would like to borrow, it if exists, a picture or the elder James who came over.  I would scan it an put it on the title page of printed booklets. 

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