John W. Boyle

     This post is a longer version of the one which appeared on the Oneida County History Center's Facebook page.  

    John W. Boyle was born in 1852 in Glasgow, Scotland. The following year he and his parents settled in New York Mills, NY. He was one of the must successful lawyers in Utica. In February of 1879 John W. Boyle married Harriet E. Combs (who died April 28, 1922).

    In the mid to late 1880's John W. Boyle became involved in the street railroads of Utica. At that time they were horse railroads. It was through Mr. Boyle's efforts that they were made electric and they were connected with suburban villages. He laid out Summit Park. John W. Boyle was also involved in other railroads outside of the state, in 1901, he acquired the controlling interest of the Penobscot (Maine) Central Railroad which he sold the following spring for $74,000.

    John W. Boyle passed away of heart disease in March of 1924 at the Sanford Hotel in San Diego, California. He was buried beside Harriet in Circle "B", Lot 4858, Mausoleum Space 1 at Forest Hill Cemetery. His mausoleum was completed in 1925.

    In 1947, three teenage boys broke onto the mausoleum. When they could not get into the mausoleum through the door they smashed a 2 1/2 and 4 feet $2,500 Tiffany stained glass window. The teenagers also loosened a marble cover from one of the upper compartments which crashed to the floor. Another cover was removed John W. Boyle's casket was pulled out and the bottom of the casket fell to the floor. The reason they broke in was because of a remark one of them made to the others that he had spent the night in the mausoleum but the others doubted him so he wanted to prove that he was telling the truth.






 

Location: 2201 Oneida St, Utica, NY 13501, USA

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