Editing Boston, New York

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Boston
| official_name      = Town of Boston
| native_name        = 
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| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|Town]]
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = BostonNYflag.gif
| image_seal         = BostonNYseal.gif
| seal_size          = 
| etymology          = 
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| anthem             = 
| image_map          = Erie County New York incorporated and unincorporated areas Boston highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 260px
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = Location in [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] and the state of [[New York (state)|New York]].
| image_map1         = New York in United States (US48).svg
| mapsize1           = 
| map_alt1           = 
| map_caption1       = Location of New York in the United States
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| coordinates        = {{coord|42|37|44|N|78|44|15|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
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| grid_name          = 
| grid_position      = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = [[New York (state)|New York]]
| subdivision_type2  = County
| subdivision_name2  = [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]]
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = 
| subdivision_type4  = 
| subdivision_name4  = 
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = 1817
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| extinct_title      = 
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| founder            = 
| named_for          = [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]]
| seat_type          = 
| seat               = 
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| seat1              = 
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| governing_body     = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = Supervisor
| leader_name        = Jason Keding ([[United States Republican Party|R]])
{{Collapsible list |title=[[Town Council]]|Kathleen Selby ([[United States Republican Party|R]])||Mike Cartechine ([[Conservative Party of New York State|C]])||Jennifer Lucachik ([[United States Republican Party|R]])|Kelly Martin([[United States Republican Party|R]])||}}
{{Collapsible list |title=[[Town Clerk]]|Sandra Quinlan ([[United States Republican Party|R]])}}
{{Collapsible list |title=[[Town Justice]]|Debra Bender}}
| leader_title1      = [[Town Supervisor]]
| leader_name1       = 
| total_type         = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_36.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 4, 2017}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 92.78
| area_total_sq_mi   = 35.82
| area_land_km2      = 92.78
| area_land_sq_mi    = 35.82
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00
| area_water_percent = 
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| elevation_ft       = 925
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| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 7948 {{decrease}}
| population_rank    = 
| population_density_km2 = 86.88
| population_density_sq_mi = 225.01
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| timezone1          = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1        = -5
| timezone1_DST      = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = -4
| timezone2          = 
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| postal_code_type   = ZIP code
| postal_code        = 14025
| postal2_code_type  = 
| postal2_code       = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = [[Area code 716|716]]
| geocode            = 
| iso_code           = 
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 36-029-07454
| blank1_name        = 
| blank1_info        = 
| blank2_name        = 
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| blank_name_sec2    = 
| blank_info_sec2    = 
| blank1_name_sec2   = 
| blank1_info_sec2   = 
| blank2_name_sec2   = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2   = 
| website            = {{URL|www.townofboston.com}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Boston''' is a [[Administrative divisions of New York#Town|town]] in [[Erie County, New York]], United States. The population was 7,948 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/bostontowneriecountynewyork| title=United States Census Bureau Quick Facts Boston town, Erie County, New York| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=June 27, 2024}}</ref> The town is named after [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]].

Boston is an interior town of the county and one of the county's "[[Southtowns]]".  Boston is southeast of [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]].

==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.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|92.8|km2|order=flip}}.<ref name="Census 2020"/>

Geologically speaking, Boston is one of the more interesting places in the Greater Niagara region, for many glacial activities, over many years, caused sufficient pressure indentation to alter dramatically the landscape and even the water table.

[[U.S. Route 219 in New York|U.S. Route 219]] crosses the town. [[New York State Route 277]] (Boston State Road/Herman Hill Road) intersects [[New York State Route 391]] (Boston State Road) in the northwestern part of the town at North Boston.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 686
|1830= 1520
|1840= 1745
|1850= 1872
|1860= 1716
|1870= 1633
|1880= 1617
|1890= 1278
|1900= 1398
|1910= 1535
|1920= 1325
|1930= 1368
|1940= 1710
|1950= 2302
|1960= 5106
|1970= 7158
|1980= 7687
|1990= 7445
|2000= 7897
|2010= 8023
|2020= 7948
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 7,897 people, 2,997 households, and 2,244 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|220.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 3,122 housing units at an average density of {{convert|87.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 98.91% [[White (U.S. Census)|white]], 0.14% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.14% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.20% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.10% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.49% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 2,997 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,315, and the median income for a family was $57,714. Males had a median income of $42,101 versus $27,798 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $21,303.  About 3.6% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Communities and locations in Boston==
*[[Boston (hamlet), New York|Boston]] &ndash; A [[Hamlet (New York)|hamlet]] in the southern part of the town on Boston State Road, NY-391. The community was once called "Boston Corners" and "Torrey Corners".
*'''Boston Forest County Park''' &ndash; An undeveloped conservation area in the southwestern corner of the town, consisting of {{convert|700|acre|km2}} of woodland and meadows.
*[[Creekside, New York|Creekside]] &ndash; A location by the northern town line, north of North Boston.
*'''East Boston Hill''' &ndash; A location near the eastern town line.
*[[Eighteen Mile Creek (Erie County)|Eighteen Mile Creek]] &ndash; A stream that flows northward through the town.
*[[North Boston, New York|North Boston]] &ndash; A hamlet and [[Administrative divisions of New York (state)#Census-designated place|CDP]] in the northwestern part of the town.
*[[Patchin, New York|Patchin]] &ndash; A hamlet located near the town's center on the Boston State Road. The community was once known as "Boston Center". It was named after early resident Talcott Patchin, a tanner and postmaster.
*'''Ski Tamarack''' &ndash; A former skiing location in the northeastern corner of the town.

==Notable people==
*[[Charles Miller (businessman)|Charles Miller]], commander of the organization now known as the [[28th Infantry Division (United States)|28th Infantry Division]] and founder of the Galena-Signal Oil Company, which became part of the [[Standard Oil]] combine, and then part of the corporation now known as [[Texaco]].<ref>H. H. Miller, ''The World To-day: A Monthly Record of Human Progress'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=GXAAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22charles+miller%22+Oberhoffen+1843&pg=PA440 "Soldier, Millionaire and Philanthropist"], Volume 16, 1909, page 440</ref>
*[[Joseph C. Sibley]], U.S. representative from [[Pennsylvania]]
*[[A. Chapin Whiting]], member of the [[Wisconsin State Assembly]]
*[[Ellen Beach Yaw]], coloratura soprano known for her exceptional vocal range.

==References==
{{portal|New York (state)}}
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.townofboston.com/ Town of Boston official website]
* [http://www.boston-ny.com Boston NY website]
* [http://history.rays-place.com/ny/boston-ny.htm  Boston, NY history]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071211085230/http://www.classicbuffalo.com/WNYOutdoors/BostonForest.htm  Boston Forest]}}
* [https://archive.org/details/american-state-trials-thayers American State Trials: The Three Thayers]: A transcript of the 1825 trial

{{Erie County, New York}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Erie County, New York]]
[[Category:Towns in New York (state)]]