The family of William McCoy 1754-1813

 Learning just a little bit about this family has been so very interesting to me.  William is the son of James Thomas and Ann Bruce McCoy, and a Revolutionary War veteran, and a Baptist pastor.  He is also a survivor.  In learning about his family, I was able to see life breathed into the history books I've been reading, and since I've briefly visited southern Indiana, some of it really hits home.

William's story starts in 1754, in either Virginia or Pennsylvania.  I am unable to find documentation for an earlier date than his father's deed in 1769 near Uniontown, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.  There were not many settlers that far west in 1754, and of course later many people who had gone west were forced to return east due to the many raids and battles of the French and Indian War.  William married Elizabeth Royce, said but not yet proven to be the daughter of John and Hannah Royce.  (There are records for a John Royce who married Hannah Bellamy in Wallingford, Hartford County, Connecticut in 1751.  The dates fit.  There is also a John Royce who died in 1808 in what is now Hampshire County, West Virginia.  But are these the same man?  I can't tie them together-yet.  Can you?)

I have found varying lists for William and Elizabeth's children, and for their grandchildren, and also varying birthdates.  I have not proven all of them, especially the grandchildren, so this is another family that needs further research.  However, what I have found is, to me, exciting. 

First, I've found three daughters listed on some sites whom I can't confirm.  They are Mary, who lived from 1777 to 1787, Ann, given a birth year of 1779, and Rachel, given a birth year of 1781.  Mary may well have been their child; Rachel is more likely to have been the daughter of Isaac and Lydia Gaddis McCoy, so a niece to William and Elizabeth.  About Ann, I haven't a clue.  

James, however, is their son.  He was born in 1777, and married Nancy Ann Lane in 1800 in Shelby County, Kentucky.  She is the daughter of Lambert Lane and possibly Nancy Ann Anderson, although the jury is still out on that.  Their children are Vincent, Priscilla, Isaac, Thomas, Elizabeth, John, Nancy, Christiana, and Sarah.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  James and Nancy both died in the cholera epidemic of 1833 in Salem, Washington County, Indiana.  

William was born in about 1778, and may be the William who died in 1842 in Spencer County, Indiana.  He may have had a first wife, currently unknown, and they may have had two children, Lucinda and John.  He also may have married a Nancy Craycraft, the daughter of Charles and Eleanor Atkinson Craycraft.  Their children are Reuben, John, Susanna, Thomas, William, James, Nancy, Uriah, Eveline, and Lucy (unless she is the same as Lucinda, mentioned earlier.)   Clearly, this family needs further research.

Sarah, also known as Sallie, was born in 1779 and died in 1851 in Washington County, Indiana. She married Jeremiah Payne, the son of Samuel and Mary Stilwell Payne.  Their children are Elizabeth, Lewis, Indiana, William, Simon, Priscilla, James, Sarah, Mary, Christiana, and Martha.  

John McCoy was born in 1782 and died in 1859 in Clark County, Indiana, where his parents had died.  He married Jane (called Jincy) Collins, the daughter of Spencer and Jane McClure Collins.  Their children are Lydia, Lewis, Spencer, Isaac, Thirza, Mahala, Eliza, William, George and John.  John was a major in the War of 1812, mainly against native Americans who raided the area, and was also a pastor.  

Isaac seems to have been the next born, in 1784 and died in 1846 in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.  He was a Baptist missionary to several native American tribes, and I've written about him previously.  His wife was Christiana Polk, the daughter of Charles and Delilah Tyler Polk.  Their children are Isaac, Mahala, Rice, Josephus, Delilah, John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Spencer, Christiana, Nancy, Eleanor, Maria and Charles.  

Lydia was born in 1787 and died in 1857.  She married Amos Littell, the son of Absalom and Mary Norris Littell.  Their children are Lucinda, Elizabeth, Naamah, Malinda, Ozena, Hiram, Lydia, and Abraham.  

Rice, also seen as Royce, was their last child.  He is said to have been the first white child born in Cincinnati, when his parents were enroute from Pennsylvania to their new home in Kentucky.  Whether or not he was the first white child in Ohio, he was born in 1789 and died in 1834.  He married Malinda Pound, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Stark Pound.  Their children are Elizabeth, Ann, Eusebius, Christiana, Elizabeth again, Priscilla, Isaac, Sarah, Adoniram, William, John, Rice, Josephus, Melinda, Sarah, and Ann.  Rice was also a Baptist pastor and, as his brothers did, fought in battles with the native Americans.

Almost all of these people were Baptists, with their home or mother church being Silver Creek in Clark County.  They were pastors, missionaries, and clerks for the church.  They came to Indiana at an early date and fought for their families and their homes against the native Americans who did not want white people on their lands.  In their time, they were heroes, fighting both secular and spiritual battles.  We owe much to this family.