William Boyd, the grandson of Alexander Boyd, who had immigrated from Ireland and Martha Boyd, the daughter of William who had immigrated from Ireland, married Mary McDaniel. William and Mary along with their 10 children moved from Chester County, South Carolina to Marshall County, Mississippi in the fall of 1845 and settled in the Cayce area. They were probably attracted to Mississippi by the availability of land from the Cickasaw Cession.

william the second

Chickasaw Cession

The original inhabitants of northern Mississippi were the Chickasaw Indians. Although the Chickasaws had many conflicts with the early Spanish and French settlers, the English got along amicably with them. In the late 1820s pressure for the removal of the Chickasaws to a reservation west of the Mississippi increased and unscrupulous politicians who wished to make money out of the Indian lands used every means in their power to bring about the migration. The Chickasaws ceded their lands at the Treaty of Pon te tok in 1832.

Marshall County, MS

Marshall County was one of the original and the largest of the 16 counties formed in 1836 from Chickasaw lands, and received its full share of settlers during the early rush of emigration into the newly opened Chickasaw cession. By the year 1840 it had a population of about 17,500, and by 1850 the population was 29,089. Among these were many prominent families and wealthy planters. The county was named for John Marshall, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Holly Springs is the Capital of Marshall County.

Cayce, originally known as Bainsville, was established before the Civil War and is located at Victoria and Collierville Roads, near Collierville. The land was originally owned by Mr. Bain.


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The following description of Marshall County is from Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1890, pages 256-258:
"Marshall county was established February 9, 1836, and was originally settled by a class of planters unusually intelligent, patriotic and public spirited, many of whom became prominent and well known. The merchants who founded Holly Springs were of the same class of large minded men. In ante-bellum times Marshall county was the empire county of Mississippi; its soil was very fertile, and its yield of cotton very large. Its topography is varied, being in the main slightly rolling, and well drained by many streams."

William married Mary McDaniel (1796 - 1881) in August 1825. William was a farmer in Chester County, SC. They had 10 children, 6 sons and 4 daughters:

Of the 10 children, only Ann remained in Mississippi after about 1900. Five of the children died without every marrying. Edward and Charles died in the Civil War. James died of an illness in his 30's and both John and Alexander Pressly died in accidents. Three, Martha, Elizabeth and William Baldridge, all moved to Tipton County Tennessee and Mary moved with her husband to Texas.

Elizabeth McDaniel was married twice, first to Hugh McQuiston (1825 - 1862) on 18 February 1850 in Marshall County, MS with whom she had 4 children. Hugh was born May 1825 in South Carolina and died 2 August 1862 in Marshall County, Mississippi. Elizabeth and Hugh McQuiston are both buried at Salem. The 4 children of Elizabeth and Hugh McQuiston were:

After Hugh McQuiston's death, Elizabeth married Cornelius Baird (1808 - 1889) on 23 January 1866. Cornelius Baird, born in Ireland, was a mechanic and wagon maker. Cornelius apparently lived in Tipton County, TN, so when they married, Elizabeth and her 4 children moved to Tipton County. Cornelius and Elizabeth had one son, who later became the pastor of the Covington ARP Church. The burial place of Cornelius Baird is not known. The one child of Elizabeth and Cornelius Baird was:

Edward never married. He enlisted in the Confederate Army on 10 March, 1862 in Company E of the 34th Mississippi Infantry. The 34th Miss. Infantry (originally known as the 37th) was organized under Brig. Gen. Samuel Benton April 19, 1862 at Holly Springs. Most of its men were from Tippah and Marshall counties. Edward became sick and died in an army hospital in Newnan Georgia during the Civil War. He is buried in Confederate's Cemetery (another link ), part of the Oak Hill Cemetery in Newnan Georgia

Martha was married twice, She first married Empsile White (1822 - 1860) on 22 December 1847. Empsile White was born in Tennessee on 2 December 1822 and died on 29 April 1860. Empsile is buried in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery. Martha then married Marmaduke Braddy (abt 1802- bef 1900) on 3 January 1861 in Marshall County, MS. Marmaduke was born in North Carolina, probably Edgecombe county. Marmaduke, a widow, had been previously been married to Lovina (or Lavina) Biggs with whom he had 3 daughters. Martha had no children. In 1900 and 1910 census, Martha was a widow and was living with her brother William Baldridge Boyd. Martha is buried in the Salem ARP Cemetery in Atoka, TN.

James and Alexander Pressly were never married and worked in Issaquena County, MS where they managed farms for Col. Kit Hampton (Probably Christopher Hampton, the brother of General Wade Hampton, who was later Governor and Senator of South Carolina). Pressly sickened and died 15 October 1867 in Issaquena County, but was returned to Cayce for burial in the Mt. Carmel ARP cemetery. James later died in fall sustained while sitting on a wharf boat at the landing on a hot summer afternoon. James is buried in Issaquena County.


William Baldridge Boyd

Frances Ann Carrington Boyd

William Baldridge married Frances Ann Carrington "Fanny" (1846 - 1940) in 1865 in Marshall County, MS.

Fanny, born in Marshall County on 30 January 1846, was the daughter of Nathaniel Robert Carrington (1822 - 1915) and Elizabeth Ann Petty (1826 - 1894).

William and Fanny had 7 children, 5 sons and 2 daughters. They were all born in Cayce, MS and five of them moved to Tipton County, TN. John Lawrence and Charles Morgan both became Presbyterian ministers and served churches in several southern states. William and Fanny also moved to Tipton County late in life and died there. During her later years, Fanny lived with her daughter, Pearl Boyd Strong, in Brighton. William Baldridge Boyd was a farmer both in Mississippi and in Tennessee. William and Fanny are buried in the Salem ARP Cemetery near Atoka, TN.

The seven children of William and Fanny were:

Ann J. married William T. Millen(1825 - 1903) on February 22, 1858 and they had 2 children:

  • Margaret Belle (1858 - 1900)
  • Bettie A (1868 - 1953)

Both Ann and William Millen are buried in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Cayce, MS.

John H. , at the age of 10, went with his brother Edward to Memphis in a wagon to deliver produce or cotton. While there they camped on a bluff, later known as front row. Some time during the night, it is believed, John got up in his sleep and fell over the bluff, for he was found dead at the bottom of the bluff in the morning. His body was returned home to Cayce for burial in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery.

Mary A. married Robert T. Payne (1837 - ?) on 7 March 1872. Robert was born in October 1837 in North Carolina. In the fall of 1876, Robert and Mary moved to Lovelady in Houston County, TX. The both died and are buried at Lovelady, TX. They had no children.

Charles J. was a private (or perhaps a corporal) in Company A of the 1st Mississippi (Johnston's) Infantry during the Civil War. He got sick and returned home on furlough. He died several weeks after returning home. Charles is also buried in the Mt. Carmel Cemetery.


Mt. Carmel Cemetery (photo taken January 2008)

William Boyd and Mary Dorman
     Alexander Boyd and Martha Boyd
           William Boyd and Mary McDaniel
                 Elizabeth McDaniel Boyd
                 William Baldridge Boyd and Francis Ann Carrington
                      Hugh Ernest Boyd and Bessie Simonton
                 Ann J. Boyd and William T. Millen

Nathaniel Robert Carrington

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