while attending virginia union university, boone met eva roberta coles (8 january 1889-8 december 1902), a student at the neighboring hartshorn memorial college for women. eva graduated from hartshorn in 1899, and returned to her hometown of charlottesville, virginia to teach. boone graduated a year after her, and they were married on january 16, 1901. that year they went together to the belgian congo, where he was assigned as a missionary. she died there on december 8, 1902, after their child had died as an infant.