Mrs. William Hoy, a pioneer woman of Sycamore township, was born in Perry county, Ohio, in 1844. She bore the maiden name of Davison, and was a daughter of William D. and Amelia Davison, natives of New Jersey. There were two other children in the Davison family besides Mrs. Hoy, as follows: Mrs. Martha I. Jeroan, Vanata, Ohio, and Albert W. Davison, Utica, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Hoy were

married in 1869, and the following children were born to this union, who are now living: Mrs. Etta Goodnight, Englewood, Kans.; Mrs. Daisy Roberson, Cassoday, Kans.; Frank B., Cassoday, and Mrs. Ethel Wright, Aroya, Colo.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Hoy resided in Ohio until they came to Butler county and bought eighty acres of land in Sycamore township. This place was slightly improved, and had a small three roomed house and a straw barn. During the first few years here, they met with discouragements, which were the common lot of the pioneers, and they had a great deal of sickness, but Mrs. Hoy says that although the neighbors were not numerous, they were always ready and willing to help each other, for it seems that the sordid and indifferent dispositions, fostered by the almighty dollar, had not, at that time, taken root on the wild and unbroken plains of Butler county. The Hoy home in Butler county was located on the old California trail, and a great many travelers topped at their place for meals and lodging and always found accommodation, none ever being turned away. Indians frequently traveled back and forth over the trail, and, at one time, a band of 250 camped near the Hoy home for two days.

Mr. Hoy was a hard working man and a good citizen. He always looked on the bright side of life, and was naturally of a jovial disposition. He took a deep interest in the welfare of the community, and was particularly a friend of the public schools, and served on the local school board for a number of years. He died in July, 1912. He was a great sufferer for several months before his death, and bore the most excruciating pain with fortitude and resignation. He not only bore the distinction of being a good citizen, but in the dark days of the Civil war, he enlisted as a private and served until the surrender of Lee.

Mrs. Hoy has been deeply interested in Sunday school and church work throughout her life, and is a potent factor for good in her community. She helped organize the first Sunday school in Sycamore township, and is one of the noble, pioneer women of Butler county.

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