Born near Nashville, Tennessee in 1828, Sempronius “Pony” Boyd moved to Greene County, Missouri, in 1840. He moved to California in 1849, prospected for gold and taught school, but returned to Springfield, Missouri in 1854, where he served as clerk of the Probate and Common Pleas Court of Greene County. In 1856, Boyd was elected mayor of Springfield. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he raised and commanded the 24th Missouri Infantry, serving as its colonel from 1861 to 1863. In 1863 Boyd was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives, serving from 1863 to 1865 and again from 1869 to 1871.

Boyd founded the famous Springfield Wagon Company in 1872 and served as minister to Siam from 1890 to 1892; he died in Springfield in 1894.

Carte-de-Visite by Hoelke & Benecke, St. Louis, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield-WICR 11508