First of the three brothers to penetrate the Byron wilderness was Nathan Boynton. He located a farm on Section 5 and chose a spot for the cabin at the top of a small hill along Rush Creek (near the present intersection of Ivanrest and 64^th Street). Then he returned to the settlement at Grandville.

Nathan became sick, but sent his brothers, William and Jeremiah, to build the cabin for him. They had difficulty finding the spot described by their brother, but when they did locate it they speedily constructed the cabin.

The early pioneers worked hard and endured a great deal. The days were crowded with work and the struggle to keep their home going. Great energy, a contempt for hardships, privations and dangers, and a fortitude to endure disease and other discomforts familiar to early settlers distinguish them. They worked hard and got what they wanted. They were fighters.

Nathan was 38 when he died. His wife, Sarah, was 66. One of the inscriptions on the cemetery marker at Boynton Cemetery reads:

"Go home my friends drying your tears.
I will arise when Christ appears."

Look just to the east to see stones marking two children at a time and three children at a time. The same stone marks the several children who died very close together. What sadness!

Transcriber: Evelyn Sawyer
Created: 19 October 2002
URL: http://kent.migenweb.net/townships/byron/pioneers/boyntonn.html