The Boydstun Family Legacy

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This post was a collaborative work between Priscilla Escobedo and Sara Pezzoni.

At the dawn of the second World War, the Boydstun family circle had 8 members: James Jasper Boydstun and his wife, Ivy Ward, and their six children: Ira Seth, Iva Isabel, William, Robert, Ward, and Don Jasper. By the end of the war, nearly half of their family would have laid down their lives in service for their country. 

James Jasper (J.J.) Boydstun was born in LaRue, Arkansas, on May 18, 1887. Ivy Ward was born in Springtown, Texas, on March 12, 1890. The two would marry in 1908 and settle in the Diamond Hill neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas in 1912. 

Ira Seth, their eldest son, was born on May 10, 1908. Iva Isabel, their only daughter, was born on September 28, 1910. William James was born on January 21, 1914. Robert was born on December 29, 1916. Ward was born on August 24, 1919, and Don Jasper, the youngest of the family, was born on June 7, 1922. 

William enlisted in the Army at Fort Sam Houston in 1933, following his graduation from High School. He was stationed in Hawaii in 1935, and obtained the rank of Sergeant. In 1939, he married Tylene Allen in Honolulu. By that time, William worked in the U.S. Army recreation office. 

Ward was a graduate of the University of Texas and worked as a pharmacist before he enlisted in the Army as an aviation cadet on November 2, 1941 in Dallas, Texas. He was stationed in Nashville, Tennessee, that year. In 1941, William earned the rank of Lieutenant while stationed in Hawaii. 

William and his wife were not the only Boydstuns in Hawaii. Don Jasper and a cousin, R. L., were stationed on the USS Arizona in 1941. R.L. was born on June 14, 1923, and was the son of J.J.’s brother Edgar and his wife Verna Boydstun. 

The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 plunged the nation into war and had an immediate impact on the Boydstun family. The Boydstun parents, who at the time lived at 3061 Hale Street, Fort Worth, received a telegraph from William. He informed his parents: “Both safe and well. Don’t worry.” William and his wife were safe from the attack, but the family anxiously awaited word from Don and R. L. 

The USS Arizona had been struck by a bomb a little after 8:00 a.m. on the morning of the attack. The bomb created a cataclysmic explosion by igniting the forward magazines on the ship. Most of the ship burned for two days and sank into the harbor, leaving only the topmost part of the ship above water. 

Don and R.L., both Seamen 2C (Second Class), were still missing by December 23. It became clear that the young men had not survived the sinking of the USS Arizona. Their remains were never recovered, and now rest with over 900 of their fellow shipmates in the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Their names are listed at the memorial for the missing in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, William was made a Captain, and served as aide-de-campe to Major General Gilbert R. Cook. Major Cook was the commanding general of the 104th Infantry Division at Camp Adair.

Ward enlisted in the Army Air Forces on June 23, 1942 and became an Army Pilot. He married Maurene Key of Laredo on July 2 in Tucson, Arizona. He rose in ranks and became a Second Lieutenant and served in the 344th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Group. On January 19, 1943 his B-24 plane was shot down over Tripoli and he was declared missing in action. He is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. He earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart for his service. 

After the loss of two of his sons, J.J.began a writing project dedicated to making sure the young men serving across the country and across the world had some cheerful news and friendly gossip from back home. He had been inspired by the letters he wrote to his own sons and the knowledge that hearing from home could make a positive impact on their experience and help them cope with homesickness. By October 1942, he was writing to around 137 soldiers. J.J. wrote around 50 letters every weekend, and the letters were sent to servicemen from their Fort Worth community. Their home church, Diamond Hill Baptist Church, stepped in to help Mr. Boydstun with his project. They asked him to join the church’s project of writing to church members who were in the service. The church extension department, led by Mrs. Meta Leach, helped address, stamp, and mail the letters out, and the local post office made his letters a priority. The responses to J.J.’s letters were enthusiastic, and many of us can only imagine the joy a letter from home could bring to young men who were far from their families. 

Robert Boydstun followed his brothers into the service and joined the U.S. Marine Corps on November 17, 1942. He rose in rank to become a 2nd Lieutenant and served in the South Pacific as a member of the 4th Division, 25th Marines. 

William rose in ranks and became a Lieutenant Colonel, 317th Infantry 80th Division, in 1944. He was serving at the Battle of the Bulge on January 21, 1945 when he was killed in action. He is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial. He had earned the Purple Heart, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Croix de Guerre during his service. 

Robert, the final surviving brother in the service, went home to Diamond Hill in the Spring of 1945, bearing the rank of Marine First Lieutenant. He had been wounded at Iwo Jima and received a Purple Heart. Reunited with his remaining family and wife, Jeanne Mathis, he vividly described his experience at Iwo Jima to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. According to Robert, the fighting was hard as war could be. He experienced 10 days on the island being under shellfire and saw the raising of the American flag at Mt. Suribachi. After 30 days leave, he was sent to Camp Pendleton. His service would finally end on November 25, 1945. He was the only Boydstun serviceman to return home. 

J.J. Boydstun died on March 9, 1950, leaving behind his wife, surviving sons, Robert and Ira Seth, and his daughter, Mrs. J. T. Guthrie. His devotion to writing letters and making sure parts of home made it to the young Fort Worth men serving far from home became a resounding legacy in the area; one can only imagine how great of an impact the work he and his wife did in the midst of their heartbreak had on the community. 

Ivy and her sister, Mary Curtis, visited Hawaii in 1958. The sisters went aboard the USS Arizona, which at the time was still partially above the water. They laid a wreath in memory of the two Boydstun cousins who lost their lives on that ship, and visited where William had once served. Throughout her life, Ivy was also active in giving back to the Fort Worth community and regularly participated in activities with the Gold Star Mothers group, where she helped prepare gifts to send overseas to those in the service. Ivy passed away on March 17, 1988, leaving behind her son Robert and daughter Iva Isabel, eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and 15 great-great grandchildren.