Boyden - Alaska

[Tazette]

Shushanna Stampede - 1913 - Alaska

Henry Boyden November 13, 1884 (Staffordshire, England) - March 1968, Alaska, USA

Henry Boyden's original intention upon emigrating from England (landed in Quebec June 15, 1907) may have been to mine for gold in the Yukon Territory, perhaps hoping the Klondike Gold hadn't been entirely depleted by 1907. Upon hearing of the excitement in Alaska over the Shushanna (now called Chisana) Gold in 1913, Henry promptly left the Yukon Territory for McCarthy, Alaska; an area that eventually thrived around John E. Barrett's mining claims on McCarthy Creek between 1906 and 1910.

Henry Boyden is enumerated in McCarthy, Alaska as an unmarried freighter for a copper mine in the 1920 Federal Census, and a divorced freighter in the 1930 Federal Census of Alaska. Whom he married, for how many years they were married, and why the couple were divorced is not known.
In 1922, Henry Boyden claimed the mineral rights for Ermine Mineral (Rock), Yukon Government File No: GOV 2058 33531, and little else is known of his life between 1930 (last census enumerated) and his SSDI listing of death in March of 1968; recorded as last residing in Gakona, Valdez Cordova, Alaska, United States of America.

* Henry was drafted for WW1; card indicated year of birth as 1887 - however this is incorrect, as it is clearly the same Henry Boyden as enumerated in the 1920 & 1930 Federal Censuses, as well as the 1911 Canadian Census in the Yukon Territory.

* Henry's younger brother Herbert (1893-1970) may have followed Henry to Canada (immigration June 1911) with the intentions of joining his older brother in the Yukon, however either the arduous journey through the ice and snow proved to be too much, or perhaps life took him in another direction as he died in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1970.

I have all of the usual information that can be found in the Censuses and Border Crossings, as well as Immigration and Henry's return (visit) home to Stafford in 1931 (Ships' Lists).

Any suggestions out there as to how I can learn more on Henry, or his brother Herbert in Alaska, Yukon, Alberta, or British Columbia?

[Jacquie in Canada]

One correction for you... Filling out a WWI draft registration card does not mean that he was drafted to serve. Draft registration in the US occurred in three stages. Men born between 6 June 1886 and 5 June 1896 were required to register for the draft in stage 1. For stage 2 it was for births between 6 June 1896 and 5 June 1897 and for stage 3 it was men born between 11 Sept 1872 and 12 Sept 1900. However, as I said, registering for the draft does not mean he served.

Herbert Boyden did serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Here is a link to his attestation papers at Library and Archives Canada:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/06hu/
There are instructions at that link on how to order a copy of his file. The cost depends on how large the file is.

Jacquie

[Tazette]

Thanks for the correction, Jacquie.

I am looking for information on either Henry or Herbert between censuses, military records, and the usual- as I have most (if not all) of those documents.