Persona

Boyce, Herbert Frank

1864-1951

Herbert Frank Boyce was born in India in December 1864. His father was an engineer who built bridges for the British in India. Boyce immigrated to Manitoba around 1882. The following year, he moved to Abernethy, Saskatchewan where he farmed. He served as a scout with the North-West Field Force under Captain John French during the armed conflict of 1885. In 1888, Boyce married Elizabeth Ward-Pridden and they had two daughters and two sons. Boyce moved to Qu’Appelle in 1892 where he operated the St. John’s College farm, where new British immigrants were taught farming skills. In 1907, Boyce became the librarian at the Carnegie Library in North Battleford. Upon his retirement in 1920, Boyce moved to British Columbia. After his wife died in 1928, Boyce moved back to Saskatoon around 1930. He spent his winters in Saskatoon but spent his summers at his cottage at Ladder Lake in the Big River area. Boyce was a lay-reader for the Anglican Church for 57 years and was involved in a number of organizations including a leader in the Brotherhood of St. Andrew’s, a life member of the Canadian Guild of Health, a Commissioner of the Boy Scouts, and a member of the Saskatoon Old Timers’ Association. Boyce had many hobbies including a noted stamp collection and a large collection of self-made walking sticks. Boyce died in Saskatoon on December 29, 1951. (“Veteran of Riel Rebellion, H.F. Boyce Dead at Age 87”, Saskatoon "StarPhoenix", 29 December 1951, p. 3).