Notes
Note N452
Index
His will was probated 10 Nov 1817 in Hardin or Nelson counties, according to the LDS microfilm.
Notes
Note N453
Index
Moved from Maryland to Kentucky with his family.
According to Anne Sonne, John Coy Sr appears on the 1785 Tax List for Nelson county, with the listing "8 whites, 2 negros". 1787 Tax List includes John Coy Fr and William Coy. 1788 Tax List includes Daniel Coy. Their lands were along the Rolling Fork River, west of New Haven, known as Atkinson Hill, Nelson county, Ky. This is in the southwest corner of present day Nelson county, some 40 miles south of Louisville.
The name of John Coy and John Coy, Jr. appears on a list entitled "9000 MEN WHO SIGNED THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE AND FIDELITY TO MARYLAND DURING THE REVOLUTION", compiled by Bettie Stirling Carothers, 14423 Eddington Drive, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017. Book from Orlando library. Date of oath is 17 Mar 1778, Washington Co, Md.
SAR papers have been filed on his service under Patriot ID P-140083. DAR also has papers under Ancestor ID A201658 and A205186.
John Coy's name appears on a list of recipients of land in "Early Kentucky Settlers, The Records of Jefferson County, Kentucky" from the Orlando library. On page 19 we read, "At a Court held for Jefferson County the 3d December 1781--it appearing to the Court that the following Persons, are intitled by virtue of an Act of Assembly passed May last, to four hundred acres of land, each, Orders that the County Surveyor lay off to them accordingly viz:". A long list of names follows, including John Coy.
Based on maps I have, Kentucky was composed of only three counties in 1780: Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln. In 1785-1786, Jefferson county was divided into Jefferson and Nelson, Nelson being much larger. Another division occured around 1792 and Nelson county achieved its current boundaries by 1818.
The 1810 Census Index lists on page 19 Benjamin and John Coy in Nelson county and lists a William, Moses, John and Daniel in next door Hardin county. Hardin is one of the daughter counties from Nelson. The location given above by Sonne for the family farm is right on the Nelson-Hardin county line, so it is possible that these are children of John and brothers of Benjamin.
The 1810 Census Index also lists a Christopher and Samuel Coy in Madison county and a Samuel, Thomas and William in next door Garrard county. In the book "Maryland to Kentucky", a Christopher is mentioned. He served in the Revolutionary War in Maryland and the book says later moved up into Illinois. I have no idea if Christopher and John were related or not.
The 1810 Federal Census for Nelson county, Ky lists the Jno. Coy family as being made up of 2 boys under 10, 1 male 25-45, 3 girls under 10 and 1 female 25-45 years old. Benjamin Coy's name appears on the very next line. His family is listed as having 2 boys under 10, 1 boy 16-25, 1 male 45 and over, 1 girl under 10 and 1 woman over 45. Because of the ages, it is possible that THIS John is John Jr and not Benjamin's dad.
According to Roseann R. Hogan (source 3), "your reference to early Jefferson County land court records refers to an act of May 1781 (Henings Stats Chap XXII p 436) that provided an extension of time for settlers to prove their preemption settlements 'owing to being engaged in public service of the country' (probably military service). This empowered the Land Office to grant titles after the first land court had ended.
"The 400 acre tract was common in that this was the amount of land that was allotted to settlers who had lived in KY and grown a crop of corn and built a cabin prior to 1778. Purchase price was $2.25 per hundred acres. Additional adjacent land could be purchased at a higher rate -- $40 per hundred acres up to a maximum of one thousand acres. These rates and the law to which your citation originally refers is the 1779 Land Law passed by the Virginia State Assembly. Note on your case in particular--a quick check in Brookes-Smith Index of Old Kentucky Surveys and Grants shows a John Coy survey for 400 acres in Nelson County on the watercourse known as Rolling Fork on 1/19/1786. However, the grantee was Francis Pairpoint and heirs and grant date was 11/11/1795. You will probably need to examine the original papers to determine if the land was obtained by settlement or by purchase (treasury warrant) and if Coy ever lived on it or simply sold the land to Pairpoint. Copies of original land records are available at the KY Historical Society and the State Archives."
According to Wayne J. Spence, John was born in Somerset, Maryland in 1750. Wayne is a "Coy Connections" subscriber at 4243 Frances Drive, Redding, California 96001-3715.
"I John Coy of Hardon County and State of Kentucky being in a low state of health but of a perfect mind, do constitute this my last will and Testament wich (sic) is as follows to wit: First my Will and desire is for all my lawful Debts to be paid by my Executors hereafter mentioned. I devise and bequeath unto my beloved wife Comfort Coy the one third of my personal estate forever to her and her heirs and all thereon third of the plantation that I now live on during her natural life. I devise and bequeath unto my beloved son Amos Coy the plantation that I now live on, Supposed to be one hundred acres and also one Horse known by the name of the Bay Horse, the Ballance of my Estate to be equally divided among my Eight children towit: John Coy, Moses Coy, Phebe Edlin, Ruth Vanwinkle, Nancy Marshall Margaret Crany and Sarah Sheckles ?? and Daniel Coy's heirs. I do hereby Constitute my son Amos Coy my Executor of this my last Will and Testament, and I do hereby disannul all other wills heretofore made by me,, and do pronounce this my last Will and Testament, and in Testimony Whereof I do afix my hand and seal in the presence of the subscribing witnesses this fifth day of October One thousand and Eight hundred and Seventeen. Sig, Seal in the presence of us. NB The word Moses Coy interlined in the fourteenth line before Sign Saml Miller, Farries Shekell"
Will was introduced into probate on 10 Nov 1817.
Appraisal Bill of the estate of John Coy, Dec'd was entered 4 Dec 1817 as follows:
One cupboard $15.00
One rifle General $23.00
Shoemakers Tools $1.25
Pewter dishes basin plates & spoons $7.00
Crockware $1.50
Rasor and Strap $0.75
Tea ware, boals, knives forks and plates $2.00
Books $1.25
Steely irons $2.00
Three Boocher knives & tomahawk $2.00
One smoothing iron, ladle, shears & ?? $1.50
One Table $2.50
One bed quilt $5.00
Three pair of cards and yarn $3.00
One sheet and bedspread $5.00
Eight Cheers $3.00
One Bedstead, bed and bedding $20.00
Nine children are named in John's will: Eight to get a divided portion of his estate and a ninth to get a portion of his plantation place. These eight are made up of all his daughters, a deceased son and two other sons. There are four other children also widely named as sons, so one wonders why they were not named or if they are possibly not properly assigned to this family. One of the unnamed sons is Benjamin. John signed his marriage license, giving consent for Benjamin to wed, so its very likely that Benjamin was his son. The other three sons were all married and out on their own, so perhaps John felt they needed no assistance from him at this time.