Editing Boston, New York (section)

==History==
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2021}}
The [[Iroquois]], under various names, lived here until the European immigrants became predominant.

In 1804, brothers Charles and Oliver Johnson and their families became the area's first settlers. The first Christian church was the Free Will Baptist Church, founded ''circa'' 1811. On April 5, 1817, the town of Boston was formed from a portion of the town of [[Eden, New York|Eden]]. The first post office opened in 1832 on the north side of town.

In 1843, the town suffered an epidemic (28 of the 43 residents were affected, 10 of whom died) believed to be [[Typhoid fever|typhoid]] fever, possibly from a local well.<ref>{{Cite web |author=((Collaborative project in Plagues and Pandemics (HIS 390), University at Buffalo (SUNY), spring 2022)) |date=January 11, 2023 |title=Typhoid in North Boston, NY, 1843: Small Town, Big Story |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/57ec116f8c574de6ab833ef09c5eb61c |access-date=June 26, 2023 |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |language=en}}</ref>

This town has much history that can be found on the headstones in the Maplewood Cemetery across from the Boston Town Hall. There are many old gravestones that show some of the first settlers in the town and the infamous "Love" murder.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sun and the Erie County Independent 11 Dec 2008, page Page 3 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/49863306/ |access-date=June 26, 2023 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Murder of John Love===
John Love, a seaman on the [[Great Lakes]], came to Boston in October 1824 with the prospect of buying grain futures from local farmers. He rented a room from lumberman Nelson Thayer. The Thayer family, which included Nelson and his brothers Isaac and Israel, were infamous for their profanity and crude behavior. Despite owning large tracts of farmland in Boston, they found themselves indebted to neighbors, and eventually to Love, due to their spendthrift habits. Facing financial ruin, the Thayers decided that murder was the only option.

On December 15, John Love was talking with Nelson Thayer when Isaac came up to the window from outside and shot Love in the head with a rifle. When this failed to kill him, Nelson struck him several times with a meat axe. He and Israel then dragged Love's body to a ravine behind Israel's house and hastily covered it with dirt.

Neighbors grew suspicious after Love hadn't been seen in several weeks, and the Thayers, now having far more money to spend than usual, rode around on Love's horse attempting to collect debts owed to him by others. When questioned, they would say that Love had gone to Canada and had given the Thayers power of attorney to collect debt payments. Foul play was eventually suspected, and a $10 reward was offered to whoever found Love's body. On February 23, 1825, Love's body was discovered in the ravine behind the Thayer cabin, in a grave so shallow that his feet were sticking out. The three brothers were arrested, as was their father Israel Sr., and taken to jail in Buffalo.

At trial, the Thayers were linked to the crime based on strong circumstantial evidence; neighbors testified to hearing a gunshot on December 15 and never seeing Love again after that date. The Thayer brothers were all found guilty of John Love's murder and sentenced to death. The charges against their father had been dropped. On June 17, 1825, all three were hanged from the same gallows in [[Niagara Square]], the only public hanging ever to take place in Erie County. It is said that a crowd of about 20,000 people witnessed the event, far greater than the population of Buffalo at that time.