Valentine Boyer puzzle...

Valentine, where are you? He is another hidden member of my haystack!

I have been looking or should I say, relooking at Valentine Boyer. He is my GGGGrandfather on my father’s side of the Family. Lillian Losee Smith was the daughter of Mae Evelyn Boyer Losee. Valentine was Mae’s grandfather. I have one photo of Mae sitting on her Grandfather’s lap which I used in the Tombstone Tuesday – November 1, 2011 post.

The family stories which has been shared about our Boyer Family states that Valentine came to America from Germany with his brother, Artemis Boyer. It does not say when they arrived. It is reported that they came to New York where Valentine met and married his wife, Nancy Leet. I have not found this marriage record in New York yet. It is reported that they traveled to Florida with Artemis before leaving for Michigan where they settled. They lived in Rose Township, Oakland County Michigan for the remainder of their lives. It is such a long journey to travel to Michigan by way of Florida. I keep searching of evidence to verify this story and so far I have found none.

I have repeated looked for the Boyer brothers, Valentine and Artemis, on ship passenger lists and still have not found them. I do not have firm dates of when they arrived so I have searched from the early 1800 until about just before 1840 hoping to find their names. I stop at about 1840 because I have found land grants issued to Valentine Boyer on November 1st and 10th of 1840 for land which he received in Oakland County, Michigan. The fact that Valentine seems to have settled in Michigan by 1840 can be verified by the birth record of his first daughter, Amy in 1843 in Michigan. In the all the Federal Census Records(1850, 1860, 1870, 1880), Valentine’s birth place is listed as New York. Valentines’ death record indicates that he was born in New York “about 1803” and died in Rose Township, Oakland County Michigan in July of 1887.

It is interesting that Valentine’s age is listed as 40 years old for the Federal Census years of 1850, 1860 and 1870. In the 1880 Census, his age is listed as 73 which would have meant he was born in 1807 much closer to the “about 1803” which is indicated on the death records. There is so much conflicting information that I have to continue to search to find out what is true.

I do find Boyer families in New York and Valentine was a popular given name with some of these families. I find no evidence of a brother named Artemis. None so far…Not that he did not exist…or that his name is different or Artemis was a middle name…..but so far there are no records that I have found which show me his existence. I find that to be so strange after all these years of searching…

Happy Hunting!