My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Jefferson County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Thomas W. Boisclair, is a native of Richmond County, Ga., where he was born on September 28, 1829, being the son of Peter F. Boisclair, whose birth occurred in New Jersey in 1796, and who was educated in Augusta, Ga. The latter, after growing up, married Miss Maria Wray, a native of Richmond, Va., and the fruits of this union were ten children, six sons and four daughters, of whom three are now living, two sons and a daughter. Peter F. Boisclair was a farmer and miller by occupation and was quite well off. He owned about 2,600 acres of pine lands near Augusta, Ga., 800 acres of which were under cultivation, and he was acknowledged to be an honest, industrious citizen. He was also very prominent in the political affairs of the day, having served as sheriff of the county for twenty years and as deputy United States marshal for four years. He was a member of the Masonic lodge and held some of the principal offices. During the War of 1812 he served as a private until 1815, when he was discharged and returned home, there entering upon a clerkship in a commission house. He and wife were both church members, he of the Catholic and she of the Baptist Church. They died in 1848 and 1859, respectively. Thomas W. Boisclair was educated in Augusta, Ga., receiving his diploma in 1848, and in 1853 moved to Mississippi, where he married Miss E. E. Murray on June 15, 1854. She was also a native of Georgia, and the daughter of Col. Thomas and Elizabeth Murray. To Mr. and Mrs. Boisclair have been born seven children, five sons and two daughters, but of these only five are now living: Thomas M., Mitchel D., Maria E., Henry S. (deceased), William W., Mary C. (who died in infancy), and Pierre F. Mr. Boisclair moved from Mississippi to Arkansas in 1877, and he, like his father, is a successful tiller of the soil. He belongs to the Masonic lodge, in which he has held a membership since October, 1854. He has discharged the duties connected with the office of magistrate and is a much respected citizen. Mrs. Boisclair is a member of the Baptist Church.

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This family biography is one of 136 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Jefferson County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Jefferson County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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