1. JOHN¹ BOYNTON was born 1614, and died Bet. 1669 - 1670. He married ELLENOR/ELLEN PELL. She was born 1612, and died 1689.

Child of JOHN BOYNTON and ELLENOR/ELLEN PELL is:

2. SGT. CALEB² BOYNTON (JOHN¹) was born 1649, and died 1708. He married HANNAH HARRIMAN. She was born 1655, and died Bet. 1725 - 1726.

Child of SGT. BOYNTON and HANNAH HARRIMAN is:

3. EBENEZER³ BOYNTON (SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1688, and died 1761. He married SARAH GROUT.

Child of EBENEZER BOYNTON and SARAH GROUT is:

4. JEREMIAH⁴ BOYNTON (EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1711, and died 1754. He married PATIENCE SANDERSON.

Child of JEREMIAH BOYNTON and PATIENCE SANDERSON is:

5. CALEB⁵ BOYNTON (JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1749. He married SARAH FLAGG.

Child of CALEB BOYNTON and SARAH FLAGG is:

6. CALEB⁶ BOYNTON (CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1775, and died 1821. He married ASENATH HILL GARFIELD. She was born 1778, and died 1851.

Children of CALEB BOYNTON and ASENATH GARFIELD are:

7. NATHAN⁷ BOYNTON (CALEB⁶, CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1809, and died 1847. He married SARAH HARMON. She was born 1813 in Ohio, and died 11 Sep 1879 in Georgetown, Ottawa, MI.

Children of NATHAN BOYNTON and SARAH HARMON are:

8. JERRY⁷ BOYNTON (CALEB⁶, CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1814, and died 1871. He married HARRIET WILSON. She was born 1818.

Children of JERRY BOYNTON and HARRIET WILSON are:

9. WILLIAM⁷ BOYNTON (CALEB⁶, CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1818, and died 1873. He married ORPHA JEWELL. She was born 1825, and died 1863.

Children of WILLIAM BOYNTON and ORPHA JEWELL are:

10. JERRY H.⁸ BOYNTON (NATHAN⁷, CALEB⁶, CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1834 in Ohio, and died 06 Jul 1896 in Georgetown, Ottawa, MI. He married MERCY M. SMITH. She was born 1833 in New York, and died 09 Apr 1902 in Georgetown, Ottawa, MI.

Children of JERRY BOYNTON and MERCY SMITH are:

11. NATHAN WALLACE⁸ BOYNTON (NATHAN⁷, CALEB⁶, CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 1844. He married ESTHER A. DAVIS.

Children of NATHAN BOYNTON and ESTHER DAVIS are:

12. WILLIAM SCOTT⁹ BOYNTON (JERRY H.⁸, NATHAN⁷, CALEB⁶, CALEB⁵, JEREMIAH⁴, EBENEZER³, SGT. CALEB², JOHN¹) was born 06 Nov 1873, and died 24 Jul 1934 in Georgetown, Ottawa, MI. He married EDITH MAY COMSTOCK. She was born 18 Dec 1888, and died 07 Aug 1982 in Georgetown, Ottawa, MI.

Children of WILLIAM BOYNTON and EDITH COMSTOCK are:

In 1835 the area south of Grandville called the South Woods was surveyed.

In 1836 Nathan, Jerry and William Boynton, whose family originally came from England, came to Byron Township from the state of New York and built the first log cabins there. Nathan was the first to come and the brothers soon followed.

Nathan’s homestead was along Rush Creek near 76^th Street and Ivanrest Avenue. His cabin was built by William and Jerry as he became ill.

Homesteading was a hard but rewarding life. Farming was done with oxen and a wooden plow. Hay was harvested by hand – cut with a sickle or scythe and allowed to cure on the ground. Then it was raked into windrows. Seed was sown by hand, and grain was cut with a sickle or cradle and threshed out with a flail.

For many years, the woods supplied most of the food – wild game, nuts and berries.
The women spun wool from sheep into yarn. Then wove the cloth to make clothing for the family. Cow hides and calf skins were used for homemade shoes.

Some items had to be purchased from neighboring settlements, such as salt, meal, flour and ammunition.

At that time there were many encounters with wild animals – wolves, bears, panthers, wildcats and venomous snakes. One time William was walking home from Grandville, where he worked part time, when he was attacked by wolves. He was paid with pork and for a time, he threw pieces of the meat at the wolves but about a mile from his cabin, he ran out of pork and climbed a tree. His cries for help brought his wife who scared the wolves off with torches of pine knots.

Despite the hardships and privations, or perhaps because of them, the early settlers had social time with housewarmings, house and barn raisings, quilting bees, sleigh and hay rides plus activities in the local churches and schools. The Boyntons were active in the Methodist Church.

The Boynton family traces its ancestry back to farmers and landowners in England. William and John Boynton emigrated from England to Rowley, Massachusetts in 1638. The father of the three brothers, Caleb, settled in St. Lawrence County,
N. Y. in what was known as the "Wilderness of New York".