Willis C. Boyce Biography

	This biography appears on page 466 in "History of Minnehaha 
	County, South Dakota" by Dana R. Bailey and was scanned, OCRed 
	and edited by Joy Fisher, http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031
.

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BOYCE, WILLIS C., was born in Dane county, Wisconsin, September 16, 
1851.  He worked on a farm and attended school during his boyhood, and 
took a two-years' course in the Madison University, after which he 
graduated from the Northwestern Commercial College at Madison, Wis.  He 
then worked on his father's farm until 23 years of age, when he rented 
and worked the farm for three years.  In September, 1878, he came to 
Sioux Falls and entered into a copartnership with Daniel Scott in the 
feed and fuel business. This partnership continued for one year, when 
Mr. Scott retired and H. A. Fairbank took his place in the business for 
two years and a half.  After this Mr. Boyce carried on the business for 
a short time and then took in W. H. Bryan as a partner for a little 
over two years, when Mr. Bryan retired and Mr. Boyce continued the 
business until in 1884, at which time he sold out and bought a farm a 
short distance west of the citv for $3,235.  In 1889, he sold the farm 
for $24,000, and bought the McGarraugh stone quarry and a half interest 
in the North Sioux Falls quarries; the former of which he operated 
three years and the latter about one year.  In 1892, he became state 
agent for South Dakota of the Aetna Life Insurance company, and in 1894 
became the district agent for the two Dakotas of the Mutual Life 
Insurance company of New York, and in 1895 removed to Fargo, N. D., to 
pursue this business.

Mr. Boyce while in Sioux Falls was active in promoting agricultural 
fairs and expositions, and was marshal of the first territorial fair 
held at Huron.  While upon the farm he bought some very fine stock, 
both horses and cattle.  He brought the first high-bred Short-horns to 
this county, and he is entitled to a great deal of credit for his 
enterprise in this direction, as this locality has been greatly 
benefitted by it.  He was always a good neighbor and citizen.