Original Boyd Furniture
Return of the Boyd Furniture
In the summer of 2006, seven pieces of mid-19th-century Boyd furniture returned to The Oaks after more than forty years. Mary Nell Boyd McIntyre, a granddaughter of James Hervey Boyd and Eliza Ellis Boyd, purchased the furniture in 1960. She bought it from the last Boyd descendants to live at The Oaks. This occurred shortly before the sale of the Boyd House to the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Mississippi. After Mrs. McIntyre passed away in 2001, the Oaks House Museum Corporation acquired the furniture from her son, James Boyd McIntyre. He wished to return it to The Oaks. The acquisition was made possible by a gift from the FedEx Corporation and other generous supporters.
Furniture History and Significance
Family history suggests that some original Boyd furniture pieces were crafted by prisoners at the State Penitentiary. From 1840 to the late 19th century, the Penitentiary operated in Jackson, where the new capitol now stands. The Penitentiary also served as a manufacturing hub, providing an abundant supply of native wood. This wood was ideal for crafting stylish furniture for the best bedroom in the Boyd family’s Victorian cottage.
Functional Furniture for Everyday Life
The walnut serpentine flip-and-turn-top card table represents the Boyd family’s pastime of game playing. The family may have played whist, checkers, or chess. The drop-leaf dining table likely served for breakfast or supper. It also provided extra seating in the entrance hall when guests visited for dinner.
A Family Treasure
The walnut, burl wood, cylinder-top secretary, and bookcase were likely a point of pride for Mr. Boyd when he purchased them in the 1870s. Family records show that after the Civil War, Mr. Boyd entered the furniture business and found success.
The Boyd Hall Stand
The original Boyd Hall stand is located by the front door. It was a gift from James Hallam Boyd III, the great-great-grandson of the first Boyd family members to live at The Oaks. This stand features a seat, hat and coat hooks, a mirror, and a marble-topped cabinet. It showcases Victorian whimsy. The McGills likely purchased it for the house in the 1880s when they lived there with the widow Eliza Boyd.
Additional Boyd Furniture
The Oaks collection includes two other pieces of original Boyd furniture. A rocking chair with a shaped and curved back splat and a rustic pine dough board has remained in the Boyd House for over 150 years.
