Boyle, Cornelius, 1817-1878

Dates

• Existence: 1817 - 1878

Biography

Dr. Cornelius Boyle (1817-1878) of Washington, D.C., joined the Confederate Army following the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861 April, and served until 1865 May 19. Owing to his reputation as a Confederate spy, Boyle was barred from returning to Washington--he instead left for Mexico, during which time he met Mexican businessman Eustace Barron ( -1867). In 1866, Boyle mapped Barron’s lands in Nayarit and Jalisco. He later laid out Barronville--a town intended for 200 families--near Tuxpan and San Lorenzo. These plans were scrapped upon the deposal of Emperor Maximillian in 1867, causing Boyle to leave for the United States. He soon reopened the Fauquier White Sulphur Springs at Warrenton, Virginia, but eventually returned to his medical practice in Washington, D.C. He married Fannie Greene Boyle ( -1869) in 1852; the couple had 7 children. He married Cherry Bethune Boyle circa 1875.