52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 4 "Education"

 

This week's keyword for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is "Education." One story immediately came to mind. "No," I thought, "that story's tie to education isn't strong enough. Keep thinking."  I keep coming back to the same story in my mind so I've decided to share it. 

It all starts with a rather unremarkable event . . . in 1816, in Vincennes, Indiana, the estate of John McCoy settled an invoice from a young teacher, Samuel Risley, for the education of John's children after his death. The administrator of that estate was John's brother, Robert McCoy [1].

Robert McCoy's signature, 1812 (from author's collection)

A fairly common event, right? Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

What makes it a special moment in our family history is that about 150 years later, Robert McCoy's 4th great grandson and Samuel Risley's great great granddaughter were married . . . and eventually became my grandparents!

Each of the men, Robert McCoy and Samuel Risley have stories worth telling so I guess this week is a bonus . . a 2-for-1 of sorts with this ancestral tale.

    We'll start with Robert McCoy. There's a detailed write-up about the McCoy family in History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Vol. II [2]. Here's an excerpt which details the brothers' military service and John's death:

John McCoy, 1st, of Scotch parentage, was a man of parts and thrift and set the example of patriotism for his numerous descendants by serving in the war of the Revolution, holding the rank of captain. At least three of his sons also served in that war, they being William McCoy, 1st, who rose to the rank of general, Robert McCoy and John McCoy ... 

Captain John McCoy had a family of seven sons and four daughters. Some of these sons felt the "call of the wild" and emigrated to the wilderness of Ohio and Indiana. Two sons, John and Robert, settled in Harrison township, Knox county, Indiana... They participated in the hostilities occasioned by frequent attacks of Indians, which culminated in the Tippecanoe campaign, when General William Henry Harrison gathered forces and marched against the Indians under Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet. After a daybreak attack by the Prophet in violation of a truce, the Indians were defeated November 7, 1811, and their strength crushed, their villages burned and their corn destroyed. The whites were attacked in their camp. John McCoy was mortally wounded in the latter part of the engagement, walked to his tent, read a chapter in his Bible and died and was buried there with the others who fell.

Robert traveled from Vincennes back to Virginia to visit family in the winter of 1831. Here's the details from a letter that he wrote to his brother Joseph[3].

State of Knox Co,

March 20, 1831

Brother Joseph,

I have ommited righting to till now, I have not been so well since I come home the hard trip I had getting home. Have been troubled with rumatick pains, my family is well as common and the rest of our relations in this part of the country are fare as I know hoping these may find you and famely enjoying health and hapiness.

I found a most dismall roade across the Alleganey Mountains appearingly not fit to be inhabited by any kind of beings but such as that book you gave me speaks of. Seems if the rocks and stones had grown in size and number at least a hundred to one.

The greater part of the old people died and gone and such as were young men when I was there, looks old and gray headed as myself and a numerous young generation comimg on. I know not where they will settle them for every spot of land is under cultivation.

I see numbers of farms now that I eust to think that no human upon Earth would ever attemt. I had but little time to be there among my friends still in beliefe that when the weather would brake it would be as it turned out.

I started from Benjamin McCoy on the sixth day of December and got home on the night of the 26th. Found my famely well. Had not one pleasants day traveling the hole route, snows, rains, sleet, and mud and high waters. The day we crossed the Ohio river lay that night on top of the nobs, lay flintharted dog of a yankey. The whiskey froze inch thick mush ice. I think that night and the next day was the severest freezing I ever experinced in all my time. It might well be called the cold Tuesday. The hole way the cold norwest winds in our faces. I was purty well weather beaten and to make matters still worse the most extravagant charges I ever met with in all my travils was through the state of Caintuckee.

I wish I could here from you and if you have got your maire saife back again. I left her with brother William McCoy, he said he would have her well taken care of and sent back with the first saife opportunity. I received a letter from William McCoy since I come home which had been rote on Christmas day informing me he had been confined to his bed for ten days after he got to the federal city in consequence of being out in a severe storm the morning he got there but had got able to attend to business.

I have had no farther account from Virginia since I left there. I have rote to William and Benjamin and Harmon Hiner. I don’t expect there has been hardly a possibility in crossing the Alleganey Mountains since I left there.

This has been the severest winter that has been here for twenty-five years. We have had numbers of snow but the ground never covered than six inches deep in these parts. 75 miles up the Wabash above where I live it was two feet and still farther up the deeper. I have no news worth relating. Corn has raised to twenty five cents a bushell. Pork three dollars.

I believe had best quit. I feel fearful you won’t be able to understand or make any sense of what I have been trying to say to you, my fingers cramp me so that I can hardley hold my pen.

My son Alexander was maried a few days ago to a sister of John Reels, my sin in law. I think he has do very well.

I must conclude my best wishes to your and familys health and hapiness. My wife sends her best compliments to your wife and famely and is proud of the present she sent her.

Love and my sincere wishes for your welfare.

Robert McCoy

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Samuel Risley, although much younger than Robert, also served in the War of 1812 [4].

 

By 1830, Samuel and his family had relocated further north to Clay County, Indiana [5]. His daughter Eliza Jane, born 13 February 1820, is recorded as the first white child born in the county [6].  Samuel had a large family and fathered children over a 41 year period! His youngest daughter, Lucretia Alice, born 19 October 1858, is my 3rd great grandmother [7].

[1] Knox County, Indiana, probate case files, Box 3, John McCoy (1811).

[2] Green, George E., History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Vol. II. (Chicago: SJ Clarke Publishing Co., 1911), pgs 352-353.

[3] McCoy, Robert (Knox, Indiana) to "Brother Joseph" [Joseph McCoy]. Letter. 20 March 1831. https://pastvoices.com/united-states/mccoy-robert/

[4] National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers Who Served from 1784 to 1811; Record Group: 94, Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1762 - 1984; Series Number: M905; Roll Number: 2

[5]1830; Census Place: Clay, Indiana; Series: M19; Roll: 32; Page: 271; Family History Library Film: 0007721

[6]Travis, William,. A history of Clay County, Indiana : closing of the first century's history of the county, and showing the growth of its people, institutions, industries and wealth. New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1909.

[7]Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011. (1945), Lucretia Alice Diehl; County Clerk's Office, Terre Haute.