Married Miss Peyton in 1844 in Illinois, left that State in 1849 for Kansas, where he took to farming; the drought knocked him out, and he then went to Missouri, locating near the town of Alexandria on the Mississippi River.

At the outbreak of the war in 1861 he moved his family back to Illinois, and at once took sides with the Union by enlisting as a volunteer soldier from June, 1861 to June, 1864. Mr. Boothby took part in twenty-two battles with the Seventh Missouri Infantry, of which 1,200 men left home, and but 134 officers and men returned at the close of the war. Mr. Boothby fought under Col. Stevens and Generals Logan and Grant. He lived in Illinois until 1872, when he and his family went to Kansas, and in 1879 came to Oregon.

He resided in the Willamette Valley until 1893, and then moved to Eastern Oregon and now lives at Lexington, Morrow county, raising wheat and stock on his large ranch. During the campaign of 1984 he was elected by his county as a Representative to the Legislature on the stand he took regarding the finance question, being one of those men that has given this matter careful thought.

Mr. Boothby says: "I take a stand in favor of the coinage of American silver, and believe the country ought to take the lead in maintaining bimetallism." Mr. Boothby also believes the State should help to open the Columbia River from The Dalles to the upper end of the obstruction, and control it in the interest of the State of Oregon, thereby relieving Eastern Oregon farmers from excessive freight rates.

When Representative Boothby came to the 1895 Legislature he laid a bill before the House for opening this river, and although the Portland Chamber of Commerce attended the Legislature in a body (100 strong) to advocate this matter, yet it was defeated. Mr. Boothby is a Republican, but took a decided stand against U.S. Senator Dolph's re-election, holding out to the last, and thus finally gaining his point.