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BROOKLYN, Mich. — A teenage boy from Michigan just celebrated his "first birthday" when he turned 19 years old.
Noah Boyce had a secluded lifestyle growing up in Jackson County because his father, David Brian Boyce, does not recognize government authority, according to mlive.com.
David Boyce said he is a religious man who believes that the land he and his family lived on belonged to God, not to him or the county, according to an article he wrote in the Citizen Patriot in 2011.
As a result, Noah has lived an unrecorded life with no documents to prove his birth, citizenship or education history.
David refused to pay property taxes for three years in Jackson County and in November 2011, Columbia Township Police forcibly evicted David, Noah and his mother, Marilyn, from their secluded 97-acre plot.
"Nobody should pay to live on their own land," David told the Citizen Patriot after the eviction. "A tax on land is unlawful. It makes you a tenant, not an owner."
It was pretty awesome to have a birthday. I didn't know what to expect, but people started giving me presents and birthday cards.
–Noah Boyce
Noah was 17 years old at the time of the eviction. He went off on his own and began living with friends and members from a local church.
Community member, Chuck Chapman, helped Noah gather documents to establish who he was, and to help him integrate into society. After never knowing when his birthday was, Noah had his first birthday party when he turned 19.
"It was pretty awesome to have a birthday," Noah told mlive.com. "I didn't know what to expect, but people started giving me presents and birthday cards."
Noah was awarded a one-year scholarship by Reading Writing Connection to help him further his education, according to 6 News.
"I've taken control of my own life now and things are starting to look up," he said. "I wish I had been able to go to school when I was younger. I'd be in a better place now. It's hard to catch up, but I'm still young. Like they say, you're never too old to learn."
