Guide to the Carrie Boyd Family Papers MS 924
Library & Archives staff.
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
2023-11-20
Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: Carrie Boyd family papers
Identifier/Call Number: MS 924
Physical Description:
.333 Linear Feet
1 manuscript box
Date (inclusive): 1947-1957, 1968-1972
Abstract: Contains the familial history of the Boyd family, including correspondence, photographs, and historical narratives regarding
Carrie Boyd, John David Boyd Sr, John David Boyd Jr, and other family members. According to the family's lore, Carrie Boyd
was an infant at the "Golden Spike" ceremony in Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. The collection also includes the historical
narrative and timebooks of Arvil Reid, a railroad boomer who married into the family and who was actively working on the ralroad
during the late 1960's.
Physical Location: Statewide Museum Collections Center: I2.212.V5
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research by appointment.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research by appointment. Contact Library Staff
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Becky Dayton, 2023
Arrangement
MS 924 is arranged into five series:
Series 1. Boyd Family Narratives
Series 2. Correspondence
Series 3. Photographs
Series 4. Timebooks
Series 5. Audio Cassette
Biography
John David Boyd, Sr. (1839-1917) was the son of John Boyd and Jane Callister and was born on the Isle of Man in the town of
Teal. At the age of 15, he traveled to Salt Lake City. In 1856 he went into Oregon and Washington as a packer for the Hudson
Bay Fur Company. Later, he ran a pack train for the government through Oregon and Washington. He left his job and married
Victoria Ladosha Hubbard (1844-1929) in Ogden, Utah on April 3, 1864. They had fifteen children: Almeda Jane Boyd (1865-1890),
Hulda Theodolia Boyd (1866-1866), Ida Melissa Boyd (1867-?), Ida Melissa Boyd (1868-1866?), Carrie Victoria Boyd (1869-1963),
Ephy Collister Boyd (1871-1963), John David Boyd, Jr. (1871-1963), Edward Gracie Boyd (1872-1892), Chester Hubbard Boyd (1874-1879),
Nancy Bell Boyd (1875-1967), Ashley Tilly Boyd (1877-1957), Olive Annie Boyd (1879-1906), Ephriam Callister Boyd (1882-1963),
George William Boyd (1884-1908), and Eda Grace Boyd (1886-1979).
In May of 1869, John and Victoria took their children on the first train headed west to Vallejo, California. According to
family lore, 3 month old Carrie Boyd is held by one of the women on the passenger car of A.J. Russell's photograph "Engineers
of U.P.R.R. at the Laying of the Last Rail, Promontory." They would have been one of the first families to travel West on
the first transcontinental railroad. A year later, the family returned to Utah. John and Victoria would raise their kids in
the area for several years, with John Boyd Sr. and John Boyd Jr. working in the pack train industry around Idaho and Utah.
John Boyd Jr. would help in construction of what is now the Union Pacific Railroad by banking ties that were floated down
the streams and rivers nearby the town of Cokeville, Wyoming. John Boyd Sr. would also help the Union Pacific railroad by
furnishing beef for it as it continued construction nearby. The family would eventually move to Arizona, and continued their
work of pack trains in the area by transporting goods and supplies to various forts in the area through Indian Territory.
During this time John Boyd Jr. and Sr. would be attacked. Carrie Boyd would join the family in Arizona, and eventually marry
a man named William Fbriling Sleworth, whom she would have a child with on October 17, 1913, named Victor Henry Slewort.
Further down the family tree, is Arvil Shields Reid, who was born on November 13, 1922 to his parents: Clarence Reid, and
Winnie Reid. Arvil would marry Ida Lucile Boyd in 1942 in Utah and have two children with her. He was in the Army during World
War Two and fought against the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre. After their marriage the couple worked and ran a Chevron gas
station, before his work began for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad as an enginner and helper around the area of Provo,
Utah. He would also pick up work for both the Union Pacific Railroad and the Utah Railway Company, as he was a railroad boomer.
He suffered a serious injury in 1972, working on the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, when a loaded railcar hit Arvil S. Reid,
seriously injuring him and killing two coworkers named Rupert Lewis and Aubrey Means. Arvil Sheilds Reid would pass away
on April 30, 2020 at the age of 97. He is survived by two children, including Becky Dayton (The great niece of Carrie Boyd),
who donated the family's collection to CSRM in 2023.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Carrie Boyd Family Papers, MS 924, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento,
California.
Processing Information
Many of the original photographs in this collection were taken out and the placed into CSRM's portrait collection. Copies
were retained and can be found in Sereies 3: Photographs.
Scope and Contents
The Boyd Family Papers contains history of the Boyd family, including correspondence, photographs, and family histories regarding
Carrie Boyd, John David Boyd Sr, John David Boyd Jr, Anna Amelia, snf Hulda Theodotia. The collection also includes a historical
narrative and timebooks of Arvil Reid, a railroad boomer who married into the Boyd family and who was actively working on
the ralroad from the 1940's to the early 1970's. These family histories contain details regarding early migration to the Western
part of the United States, life in the early days of the Idaho Territory, as well as details regarding work in the pack train
industry. This family was active in and around the Southeastern Idaho Territory from the decades of the 1860's and the 1870's.
The discussions found within the family histories include details about Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona. These family histories
include their journey to Arizona, where the family settled and lived for many years, following their journey there in 1881.
Arvil Reid's history includes more modern details about working for the railroading industry around Provo, mainly dealing
with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad from the 1950's to the early 1970's.
The collection varies in terms of its format. The family history's are copies of the written autobiographies of the family
member, and if the history was written in cursive the folders also contain a print version, which was transcribed by Becky
Dayton. The collection also contains the timebooks of Arvil S. Reid, and an audio cassette which has contains a family oral
history.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright has been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. Permission for publication must be submitted in writing
to the CSRM Library amp; Archives.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Correspondence--Letters
Transcontinental Railroad
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
Narratives--personal
Series 1:Family history and narratives
Scope and Contents
Contains records of the Boyd family history, including photocopies of narratives, records, and an audio recording.
Of particular interest are the first person narratives of John D. Boyd, Sr. and Arvil S. Reid. John Boyd, Sr. was one of the
first travelers on the transcontinental railroad, along with his wife and baby Carrie. Arvil was the husband to John Boyd's
daughter, Ida. He worked as a boomer for various railroads in the Utah region and recounts his experience working with train
wrecks, Native American employees, and hobos.
box 1, folder 2
Narrative History of Anna Amelia Hubbard (John David Boyd's aunt)
undated
box 1, folder 3
Narrative History of Arvil S. Reid
undated
box 1, folder 4
Narrative History of Hulda Theodotia Hubbard, J.D. Boyd's Grandmother
undated
box 1, folder 5
Narrative History of John David Boyd Jr.
undated
box 1, folder 6
Narrative History of John David Boyd Sr.
undated
Series 2: Correspondence
Scope and Contents
Contains correspondence written to and from Carrie Boyd, daughter of John and Virginia Boyd. The correspondence is also addressed
to other members of the Boyd Family and covers various topics, such as family affairs and requests for money. The correspondence
is organized in alphabetical order.
box 1, folder 7
Letter to Carrie Boyd from Minna and Auguste Vohwinkel
September 23, 1949
box 1, folder 8
Letter to Ida, Orvil, Bev, and Boyd from Mother and Dad
January 24, 1951
box 1, folder 9
Letter to Ida, Orvil, and Leslie Ann from Mother and Dad
February 27, 1955
box 1, folder 10
Letter from Carrie Boyd to John D. Boyd
April 7, 1957
box 1, folder 11
Letter from Carrie Boyd to John D. Boyd
June 20, 1957
box 1, folder 12
Letters from Mother and Dad
(March 9, year unknown)
Series 3: Photographs
Scope and Contents
This series contains 1 folder of photographs. Most of the original photographs were taken out of the collection and placed
into CSRM's portrait collection.
Series 4: Arvil S. Reid timebooks
1968-1972
Scope and Contents
Ida M. Boyd married Arvil S. Reid, who worked as a boomer for various railroads, including Union Pacific, Denver & Rio Grande
Western, and Utah Railway Company. This folder contains the timebooks from his work in the late 1960's.
box 1, folder 14
Arvil Shields Reid timebooks, 1968-1972
Series 5: Audio Cassette
Arrangement
1 folder containing the audio cassette of the narrative history of John David Boyd and Carrie Boyd.
box 1, folder 15
History of John David Boyd and Carrie Boyd [audio cassette]
