By the 19th Century, the Joyce descendants of Thomas Joyce (1722-1780) had firmly established themselves in North Carolina. It had been 77 years since Thomas first appeared in Louisa County, Virginia, but this wanderlust was still very much alive. As the frontier opened up to brave pioneers, the desire to embrace this adventurous spirit could not be resisted. Answering the call to settle in the untamed mid-west, Henderson Joyce, a great-grand child of Thomas Joyce, accepted this challenge. The son of John Joyce (1790-1844) and Sarah Young (1787-1862) of Stokes County, North Carolina, he was eager to see the world..
Upon his departure for Indiana, Henderson Joyce was well-aware of the troubles that surrounded this journey. By then, the railroads had expanded deeply into the wild west. As a consequence, political and armed conflicts with the Native Americans became one of the controversies of the day. However, despite this, Henderson continued Westward as he envisioned building a homestead on the beautiful Indiana plains.
By the end of his life, he and his wife, Marath E. Binner, had raised eight children. Included among these children were seven sons and one daughter. From John Presley Joyce (1846-1928), George Harvey Joyce (1847-1925), James Joyce (b. abt 1849), David Oliver Joyce (1851-1933), Martha Ellen Joyce (1853-1897), Marion Francis Joyce (b. 1856), Elisha Edward Joyce (1858-1938), and Noble Jasper Joyce (1861-1919), they helped settle the Mid-West.
Even though, Henderson Joyce (1821-1903) died in Barron County, Wisconsin, his children had moved to Hanover county, Virginia, Shelby, Indiana, and Barron County, Wisconsin. Because of his decision to travel westward, Henderson Joyce had helped plant the lineage of Thomas Joyce (1722-1780) outside of North Carolina.