Springfield-Greene
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RAY C. BOYER. Ray C. Boyer was born at Meadville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, October 27, 1880. He is a son of Lukes Boyer, who was born in Allentown, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. He was a carpenter and contractor by trade, and spent many years of his life at the city of Meadville, where his death occurred in 1888, and he was buried at Sackerton, Pennsylvania. He was about fifty years of age. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also belonged to the Lutheran church. His widow, who was known in her maidenhood as Nancy Beige, is now living in Springfield and is the wife of August Drishaver, a carpenter and contractor. Our subject is the only child by her first marriage, and there are no children by her last marriage.
Stephen Boyer, paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, later moving to Crawford county, that state. He was a tanner by trade, but followed farming in his later life, owning a small farm.
The Boyer family is of French extraction, and upon immigrating to America, settled first at Trenton, New Jersey, later locating in Pennsylvania. Boyertown, that state, was named after members of this old family, which has lived in the United States since before the Revolutionary war, in which conflict several of the Boyer men fought under George Washington.
Ray C. Boyer spent his boyhood in Pennsylvania, and was educated in the Meadville public schools leaving school when seventeen years of age, he began learning the painter's trade, which he followed three years. In 1898 he came to Springfield, Missouri, with his mother and stepfather, and secured a position as hostler in the shops of the Kansas City, Ft. Scott & Memphis Railroad. On June 27, 1909, he was promoted by the Frisco, which company leased the former railroad in 1900, to engineer, after he had been working as fireman for some time, and he is at this writing night engineer in the south side shops.
Mr. Boyer was married twice, first, in 1904 to Nellie Massey, a daughter of Bud and Thressa (Rathbone) Massey. Her death occurred in December, 1905. His second marriage was celebrated in 1908, when he married Eva Massey, a sister of his first wife. Both marriages were without issue.
Mr. Boyer is a Democrat. He is a member of the National Association of Steam Engineers, the Modern Brotherhood of American Engineers and is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He lives on Wassola street, where he built a cosy home a few years ago.
[1840-1842]
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