Born in 1810 in Pepperell, Mass., Boynton attended Amherst and Andover academies in preparation for Middlebury College, from which he graduated in 1835. The boy suffered bouts of ill health which prolonged his academic career, and at some point suffered the loss of a hand, for one of his letters refers to learning of a man skilled in making artificial limbs who might be able to craft a hand for him. (folder 8) After teaching in Jericho, Vt., for a year and becoming discouraged by the poor wages, Boynton took the advice of friends who had gained lucrative teaching positions in the south and accepted a post in Mississippi Springs, Miss. He taught here from 1837 to 1838, then moved on to Sharon Academy in Brandon, Miss., for a year. Boynton died in Pepperell on September 18, 1839, shortly after returning home.
From the guide to the Boynton family papers, 1827-1863, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
