Death Notice of Mrs. William Boyce(nee Cook)
From Baptist and Reflector publication (9th Aug 1900)
Placed by the Union Ridge Church Committee.
BOYCE.- Mrs. William Boyce (nee Cook) died at her home in Bedford County on Monday evening, April 23, 1900, aged 65 years, 8 months and 28 days. She professed faith in Christ in her youth and united with the Union Ridge Baptist Church, and lived a consistent member of the same till she was called from her earthly home to that rest which remains for the people of God. She leaves seven children and a number of relatives and friends to mourn their loss. Her husband was called to his eternal home just eight months ago. Sister Boyce lived a very active life. She was a kind neighbor, a generous friend, an earnest Christian, a devoted mother, never tiring in her efforts of administration in her family. We commend the grief stricken friends to our heavenly Father, who doeth all things well for our good and his glory. Done by order of the Union Ridge Church June 23, 1900. Jane Thomason, Martha Smotherman, Lena Chick, Committee.
Minerva Cook Boyce was the oldest child of William Clifford Cook and Elizabeth Putman Cook. Although the death notice does not identify her by her given name, the information it contains clearly refers to her and reflects a life filled with many roles within her family and community beyond simply that of “Mrs.” She was the second wife of William Moody Boyce. When Minerva married William, his children by his first wife, Elizabeth Smotherman, were all under the age of eleven, and Minerva helped raise them along with the four children she and William had together.
This death notice is the first record I have found that provides evidence for her exact date of death. Photocopies of the family records page from the William C. Cook family Bible record her birth date, while her gravestone lists only the years of her birth and death. Together, these sources now provide complete dates for both events. I could also check for probate files or deed transfers which might also name the date to add to the sources.
Sources:
- Baptist and Reflector, August 9, 1900, p 7, col 4; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-minerva-cook-boyce/193142998/ : accessed March 11, 2026), clip page for Minerva Cook Boyce obituary by user rmbeckman.
- Wm Clifford Cook Family Bible Record, Page Contents covering 1834–1857; "Wm C Cook Bible p 1," digital image of photocopy(1997), shared by Marie Cooke Beckman, 11 Mar 2026, Ancestry (
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/77121678/person/46358454391/media/b3646cdd-dc1a-4e4b-af70-e3601a05099c - Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/134283363/minerva-boyce: accessed March 11, 2026), memorial page for Minerva Cook Boyce (1834–1900), Memorial ID 134283363, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by rmbeckman (contributor 48136157).
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