BOYNTON, Captain Joseph

1644 - 1730  (86 years)  Submit Photo / Document

 Set As Default Person

• Name	BOYNTON, Joseph
  Prefix	Captain
  Birth	13 May 1644	Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Gender	Male
  Burial	Dec 1730	Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Death	16 Dec 1730	Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  WAC	7 Dec 1904	LOGAN
  _TAG	Reviewed on FS
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I22477	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
  Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

  
  

  Family ID

  F12517

  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	WOOD, Elizabeth Waite ,   b. 5 Sep 1664, Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United Statesd. 31 Jul 1675, Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States (Age 10 years)
  Marriage	5 Mar 1720	Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  Family ID	F12082	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

  
  

• Photos

  At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

  
  

• Notes

  Captain Joseph Boynton was the son of John Boynton and Elenor Pell. He was born 13 May 1644 in Rowley, Massachusetts. Joseph Boynton was first married to Sarah Swan. After Sarah's death, he married Elizabeth Wood. Joseph Boynton was a captain in Col. Francis Wainwright's 1st Regiment. He was also the town clerk of Rowley and a representative to the General Court for many years. He was a pinder for the northeast field in 1670-1.[1] He was made the constable in 1685, replacing Thomas Lambert, who had died.[5/9:531] Joseph and his wife Sarah and their son Benoni and his wife Ann were dismissed from the church in Rowley to that of Groton 14 Dec 1715[1] but after Sarah's death returned to Rowley.[6/892] Capt. Boynton served in the Port Royal expedition in 1706 and '07. Port Royal was a port on the western shore of what is now Nova Scotia. Many attacks on New Englanders during the French and Indian Wars began in Canada, but since the forests separating New England and Canadian towns were controlled by hostile Indians, the best avenue of attack open to the English was by sea. The Port Royal expedition of 1707, an attack based upon this theme, failed when the attacking forces were repulsed. However in 1710 another expedition was mounted and the French surrended in the face of overwhelming odds. The name of the town was later changed to Annapolis Royal. The military activity in which Joseph was involved was part of the second French and Indian Wars. On this side of the Atlantic it was called Queen Anne's War, named after the English monarch at the time. In Europe it was referred to as the War of the Spanish Succession and was fought over the Spanish Empire, which had been left without an uncontested heir in 1700, when the last Habsburg king, Charles II, died childless. Hoping to preserve the European balance of power, King Louis XIV of France and Britain's King William III had drawn up treaties in 1698 and 1700 to divide up the inheritance of the sickly Charles between the leading claimants, the French Bourbons and the Austrian Habsburgs. However, the dying king bequeathed all his territories to Phillipe, duc d'Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. Louis accepted the inheritance for his grandson, who became Philip V of Spain, breaking the partition agreement. By subsequently coordinating the miltary, commercial, and political policies of Spain and France, Louis upset the European power balance. As a result, an antiFrench alliance was formed. Ultimately Franch, Spain, and Bavaria faced a Grand Alliance of the Austrian Habsburgs, most German princes, the United Provinces, and Britain. The war that began in Europe in 1701 finally spread to New England by 1703. Various settlements in Maine were attacked, and early in 1704 a party of French and Indians surprised Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing many of the inhabitants and taking others into captivity. Attacks the same year in Marlboro resulted in the death of Mary Goodenow, a lame girl who was not able to flee with the others to the safety of the garrison. About the same time the Rice boys were taken captive from a site near the present day Westborough High School. The war continued for many years. Finally France and Spain, much weakened by their exertions against Britain and her allies, was eager for peace in 1712. After lengthy negotiations, an international agreement was reached at Utrecht in the spring of 1713. Spain retained Florida, but France was forced to relinquish Acadia to the British, and it became the new British colony of Nova Scotia. During the uneasy peace that followed, both the British and French resumed their competitive expansion into the transApplachian West. Therefore it was just a matter of time before more trouble broke out between the two. No will for Joseph was ever recorded nor was there an administration of his estate. His gravestone is still standing in the Rowley yard reads: "Here Lies Ye Body of Capt Joseph Boynton who died December 16, 1730 Aged about 85 years Make Christ your friend Before you die that You may live Eternal".[6/893] The age on the stone indicates Joseph was born about 1644 or 1645 making him older than brother John whose birth is recorded in 1647. However, Joseph deposed in 1679 to be aged 30 and other records imply he was younger than John.[6/892]