Boice, Nicholas

Born: 1810-XX-XX Kentucky

Died: 1871-07-12 Macoupin County, Illinois

Nicholas Boice was a merchant, Mason, and early settler in Macoupin County, Illinois. He moved from his native state to Illinois around 1830, settling in Macoupin County, where he opened a store. In December 1836, Boice purchased forty acres of public land in Macoupin County, and in 1851, he would acquire an additional 200 acres. In October 1840, Boice married Marian Winchester. Boice was a member of the mercantile firm Bell & Boice until his partner James Bell's death in 1842. The following year, Boice went into business with Samuel T. Mayo and the mercantile business prospered. Boice also employed Joseph C. Howell until 1856. In 1850, Boice owned $4,000 in real property. By 1860, he had amassed $25,000 in real property, with a personal estate of $10,000.

Charles A. Walker, ed., History of Macoupin County Illinois (Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1911), 1:110, 116, 437; Illinois Public Domain Land Tract Sales, Macoupin County, 339:138, 340:86, 351:67, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, Macoupin County, 6 October 1840, Illinois State Archives, Springfield, IL; Speed v. Boice, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=138289; Williamson, Burroughs, & Clark v. Bell & Boice, Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org/Details.aspx?case=141786; History of Macoupin County, Illinois (Philadelphia: Brink & McDonough, 1879), 106; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Carlinville, Macoupin County, IL, 177; U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Macoupin County, IL, 9; Illinois, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999, 12 July 1871, Macoupin County (Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, 2015).