David Joyce (businessman)
David Joyce | |
---|---|
Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
Occupation(s) | Industrialist, lumber baron |
Spouse | Elizabeth F. Thomas |
Children | William Thomas Joyce |
Parent | John Dibble Joyce & Jerusha Jones |
David Joyce (26 February 1825 – 4 December 1904) was an American "
Early life
David Joyce was born at Mt. Washington in the town of Sheffield, Massachusetts on February 26, 1825. His father John D. Joyce operated a blast furnace machine shop and foundry in Berkshire county (moved to Salisbury, Connecticut in 1844). John Joyce gave his son such moderate education as was afforded by the common school, until, at the age of twelve years, David Joyce was hired as the driver of one of his father’s teams. Desirous of learning and of aspiring disposition, he developed a taste for mathematics and for mechanic arts. By working for his father, he not only acquired a knowledge of machinery and the foundry business, but also became a practical civil engineer and surveyor, making the instruments of this profession with his own hands. He continued to work for his father until 1848, when, at the age of thirty years, he started his own mercantile business, assuming full control of two general stores.
Business in Clinton, Iowa (Lyons)
Joyce left his home in Sheffield, Massachusetts, in 1854 to see the developing frontier country that then was Iowa. He spent two years in Lyons, Iowa, engaged in the livestock and agricultural product business, before returning to his general stores in Massachusetts. He enlarged his business in 1857 by purchasing that of his father, John D. Joyce, in what was known as Joyceville in the town of Salisbury. He united the businesses and continued their operation until 1860 when he disposed of his interests and moved back west. David Joyce came to Lyons, Iowa in 1861 and leased the Stumbaugh mill, purchasing his log stock in the raft and disposing of his lumber in a retail yard. In 1869 he went into partnership with S.I. Smith, and "Joyce & Smith" erected a sawmill on Ringwood slough, with a capacity of 50,000 board feet (100 m3) of lumber and twenty-five thousand shingles daily. In 1873, Joyce purchased the interest of his partner and became sole owner. As his operations increased, he became one of the most influential lumbermen of the Mississippi valley, becoming interested in the manufacture of lumber at several other points. In July, 1888, his mill was burned, only to be rebuilt by the opening of the next season. The new mill had a capacity of 100,000 board feet (200 m3) of lumber, forty thousand shingles and twenty thousand laths per day. Joyce operated this mill until his death in 1895, after which his son, W.T. Joyce, carried on the business, which continued to run as the last of the big mills of Clinton, Iowa.
Other business interests
The lumber and other interests of David Joyce spanned almost the length and breadth of the
Joyce was also president of the Trinity County Lumber Co. (
Finally, Joyce was instrumental in securing the construction of the first street railroad between Lyons and Clinton, which railroad was under his general management until the fall of 1891.
References
- "Wolfe's History of Clinton County Iowa Illustrated" Volume I B..F. Bowen & Company Indianapolis, Indiana 1911 p. 381
- "Timber Connections" by Susan Hawkinson and Warren Jewett ISBN 0-9740971-0-1
- "Gold Digger: The Outrageous Life and Times of ISBN 0-8050-5089-2)
- "The Clinton Morning Age" Saturday December 8, 1894 p. 4
- "The Clinton Herald" Wednesday October 26, 1938 p. 19
- "The Iowan" September 1956
- Biography: David Joyce[permanent dead link], Texas Transportation Archive, retrieved on 18 February 2007