John Boyle was a descendent of an Englishman of the same name who established a sailmaking business in Brooklyn, New York in 1860. The business was quite successful. Today, John Boyle & Co. is a leader in the industrial fabric industry.
John H. B. Boyle had little interest in the business and is known to have moved to Bellport in the 1920’s. Here he established a reputation as an avid hunter and decoy maker. He is one of the organizers of the 1923 Bellport Decoy Show which is credited with being the first ever held in the United States.
The decoys carved by Boyle were made of natural cork patterned after the work of George Robert of Mastic, New York. Boyle’s decoy’s are sturdy works, practical for shooting over in the waters of Long Island. Boyle is known to have made a large number of black duck and broadbill decoys for his own use and that of other hunters who frequented the area.
For additional information
Gunners Paradise: Wildfowling and Decoys of Long Island, 1979 by Jane E. Townsend
Wild Fowl Decoys, 1934 by Joel Barber