Allen line: James McCoy, Immigrant and part myth?

James McCoy is almost lost under the weight of the stories surrounding his name.  His early life remains undocumented, so I can't tell you for sure when or exactly where he was born.  He is believed to have been born somewhere in Ulster, Ireland, about the year 1720.  This would fit well with a proposed marriage date of 1745, to Ann Bruce, supposedly in Frederick County, Va. 

An undocumented story says he arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1730.  Either he was very young and traveled with someone, or this isn't our James McCoy.  Other stories say he was a runaway, who became a stow away passenger on a ship to America.  He supposedly ran away because he rode a horse too hard, causing it to stumble and fall.  When the horse had to be put down, James disappeared.  It's only a story, but it's fun and there might be a grain of truth in there somewhere.  Another story is that he at some point prior to his marriage stayed with a "Captain Hyde", whose wife taught him to read and write.  It is possible that the "Hyde" was actually a "Hite" but so far no candidate seems to fit the description exactly.  Again, it's a story, which may or may not prove true.  We know he came to America and we know he married Ann Bruce, daughter of John and Sarah Parrell Bruce, about 1745. 

The couple is credited with having as many as ten children.  Some, as early as 1753, are given birth locations as Union Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania but that is only in hindsight.  In 1753, this would have been Bedford County, and then it was Westmoreland County before Fayette County was finally formed in 1783.

Wherever the McCoy's were (I've found record of them in 1777 in what became Fayette County), they were deeply affected by the attacks of the native Americans in both the French and Indian war and the Revolutionary War.  James replaced his original log cabin with a fort, where neighbors gathered when the area was under attack.  This appears to be Revolutionary War era, but it doesn't say how long the McCoys lived in the log cabin before the fort was built. 

It is most probable that James is a Revolutionary War veteran, and also likely a French and Indian war veteran, although I've not found records yet.  Several of his sons served, and since he was likely still in his mid 40's when the Revolutionary War broke out, he would at least have served in the militia.  The history of this time and place is absolutely fascinating, and one can't read a book about it without feeing a tremendous admiration for the men and the women who settled and lived on the frontier, long before it was "safe" to do so. 

When the first Baptist Church was founded in Uniontown, Fayette County in 1780, James was an early, if not charter, member.  He was also instrumental in the building of another Baptist church, south of Uniontown, in 1787, where he was a faithful member until his death on September 30, 1801 (I've also seen 1802 as his death date).  Ann died February 4, 1808, also in South Union Township. 

As we know, the Baptist legacy of James McCoy lived on through his sons and grandsons and likely there are still descendants of this family who belong to that generation.  There are certainly many who cling to the "Old Rugged Cross". Legacies are important, and religious legacies may be the most important of all.

The line of descent is

James McCoy-Ann Bruce
Wiiliam McCoy-Eizabeth Royse
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants