Jul 14

Jul 14 The Joy Boys Attempt to Help America Don't Really Work

John, Benjamin and George Joy went to England with their Loyalist father despite their actual feelings regarding the American Revolution.

John Joy

John Joy was from a prominent merchant family in Massachusetts when hostilities began to emerge between the Colonists and the Mother Country.

Joy had supplied the British Army during the French and Indian War and further helped General Gage with supplies during the Siege of Boston.

In 1776, Joy joined the evacuation of Boston, taking with him his whole family.

Despite being old enough to determine their own fate, and having strong sympathies with the Patriots, Joy’s sons joined him in London.

John Joy, Jr.

All three of Joy’s sons would participate in building the young United States, though most of their efforts came to little.

John Joy, Jr. played the smallest part of the three.

He was an apothecary who sailed back to Massachusetts shortly after the war, carrying on a successful practice.

His most notable contribution was to have Joy Street in Boston named in his honor.

Benjamin Joy

Benjamin Joy would also return to Massachusetts and revive the family’s merchant business.

On several occasions he traveled to India to increase his fortunes.

While there, he was appointed by George Washington as the first Consul in Calcutta. This part of the world was essentially run by the East India Company, a private corporate monopoly who refused to acknowledge Joy’s status.

Though he would return to the United States the following year, Benjamin is credited as the first American to establish diplomatic relations with India.

George Joy

George Joy would remain in London for the rest of his life.

He kept regular correspondence with both British and American leaders.

George acted as a self-appointed ambassador for the United States, attempting to quell hostility between her and Great Britain during the build up to the War of 1812.

Though he did receive responses from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, these became less and less frequent over the years as everyone began to realize that Joy’s opinions were not taken very seriously by either nation.

That being said, George wrote several pro-American propaganda pieces in the British papers which attempted to convince the people of London not to support the War of 1812.

Want to read about other sets of Founding Siblings?

Great! Check out these articles:

The Edwards Brothers Fight Tyranny Together

The Death of a Loyalist Father - James Habersham’s Revolutionary Sons

Since there is no biography of the Joy family, I figured I recommend picking up a t-shirt…because you love Founder of the Day so much.

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