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- "Robert McKay, Jr., was the oldest son of Robert McKay, Sr., as shownby the Court Records June 7, 1797. He resided on a tract of 828acres, lying on both sides of Crooked Run, which was granted to him bythe Crown on October 3, 1734. The home of Robert McKay, Jr., is stillstanding today in the hamlet of Cedarville, Warren County, Virginia,about three miles north of Front Royal on the Winchester Pike, and ismarked with a Virginia Road Marker and is said to be the oldest housestill standing west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the oldest portionbeing of Walnut logs and the new part of native limestone."Introduction to The McKays of Virginia. [Transcribed 03 March 2006,SLJuhl, compiler]
THE CASE OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FOR
JOHN MCCOY BEING A MACKAY-MCKAY
Page 1 of 3 pages
#1). Rockingham County bordered Frederick County in the earlier mapsalong Augusta County lines c. 1725-1754 A.D. probably extending untilc.1769 when Frederick County border lines were changed (#2 below).[Pioneers Of Old Frederick County, Virginia, by Cecil O?Dell,Walsworth Publishing Company, 1995.]
The maps show Warren County also bordering Fauquier and FrederickCounties. Robert McKay Jr?s. Plantation was in Warren County on bothsides of Crooked Run at the time, and we know that our John McCoy andNancy were living in Fauquier County, c. 1766 A.D. Robert McKay Sr.lived in Augusta County, Rockingham area c.1744 near the South Forkof the Shenandoah River [The McKay?s Of Virginia, by John W. Rust,Fairfax, Virginia transcribed onto Internet web sitehttp://www.geocites.com].
#2). [20th April 1769, Frederick County, The American Revolution andIt?s Era Maps, as drawn by, J. Moffett (whose ancestors were in theoriginal areas of Virginia mentioned); http://lcweb2.loc.gov Internetweb page.] This United States Government based web site indicated thelocations of various counties in relationship to Frederick County lineboundaries. Of special interest are Rockingham County formed c.1778,Fauquier County formed c.1759, and Augusta County formed c.1738 inrelationship to Frederick County in that all three of the mentionedcounty lines were directly bordering Frederick County at that time.
?The map (map-not pictured here) is a plan of Frederick takenaccording to the Mayor of the Northern Neck of Virginia ? is theAugusta Line the course accurate ? the distance computed. ? accordingto the Blue Ridge of Mountains, which divides the said county from thecounties of Culpepper, Fauquier and Loudon ? J. Moffett. 20 April1769.?
The American Revolutionary Map indicates that the older counties weremuch larger land areas bordering each other until more and morecounties were added to the State of Virginia. This obviously shrunkthe older counties in size as they gave up landmass for the newercounties to be formed; The older counties being Orange, Augusta,Fauquier, Frederick, Rockingham, and Loudoun. It was also notedthat the majority of the older counties stem from Augusta County or arelationship to its boundaries. Augusta County originally took inmost of Virginia, West Virginia, a good portion of Kentucky,Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Ohio areas.
We do know that Joseph Washington McCoy, the son of John McCoy, wasborn in Fauquier County in c.1766. This would place John McCoy nearthe Jost Hite Settlement area, and Frederick Town due to the proximityof the county boundaries in the c.1760?s.
#3). From: [George Washington?s Diaries, An Abridgment, by DorothyTwohig, Editor University Press of Virginia, 1770 Map; 1999.] This isa more detailed map of the Potomac River area showing the Blue RidgeMountains, the Jost Hite Settlement area, the marked boundary lines ofthe counties, the Antietam Iron Works, Harper?s Ferry, and much morewith Fauquier County bordering Frederick County at the time.
#4.) Also, the boundaries of the counties in relation to the area ofinterest versus the Hopewell Church area residence is unmistakable inthe c.1770 map of the Opequon Settlement, also known as the ?BackCreek Valley?. [Frederick County, Virginia Settlement And Some FirstFamilies Of Back Creek Valley, 1730-1830, by Wilmer L. Kerns, Ph.D,gateway Press Inc., Baltimore, M.D.]
In this book the name of McCoy and McKay are used interchangeablyoften. This is the case in many books that are too numerous tosource, however this is an interesting aspect of the surnames.
Here is an example of how the names were interchanged: ?The weddingof Hannah McCoy to George Hollingsworth, the daughter of Robert McKaythe business partner of Jost Hite, was a large social event of theBack Creek Settlers on December 19, 1734 with forty-one witnesseslisted on the marriage record in the Old Frederick?s County of theOpequon Quakers near the site of Gainesboro. ?
Continued: Circumstantial Evidence Page 2 of 3 pages
#A). Excerpt: ?On September 29, 1793, the Rev. Denny Fairfax leased456 acres in Fauquier County to JOSEPH MCKOY of Fauquier County.?[From http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com per Gregg Branum E-mail:gn2g@aol.com noted from correspondence with Anna Gerhart Kier, for #A& #B Excerpts.] #B). Excerpt: ?I learned that a marriage bond wasfiled in Fauquier County, Virginia on March 05, 1787 for a JosephMcCoy and Mary William, with consent being given by their parents --?JOHN MCKEY? and Joseph Williams.? This is John McCoy signing forJoseph Washington McCoy, his son?s first marriage.
Obviously, it?s a high probability that the surnames have beentranscribed incorrectly, but please note also that in both cases theletter ?K? is prominent in the name. This is believed to be correctsince both excerpts do indicate the name was spelled with the letter?K? and not the letter ?C?. The records are from Fauquier Countyrecords and are not words of Anna Gerhart Kier personally, but legaldocumentation. Conceding that it is quite easy to mistake an ?o? or?e? if not properly written for an ?a? when transcribing, but theletter ?K? was consistent in both documents. This would indicatethat the last surname probability of McKay is quite feasible.
#5). [Edmund West, Company. Family Data Collection-Births [databaseonline] Provo, UT:Ancestry.com, 2001. http://www.Ancestry.com BirthRecords of:
McCoy, Joseph Washington
Born. 15 Jan 1766 Rockingham County, Virginia, USA (Did not formfrom Augusta County until c.1788)
Parents. John and Nancy McCoy
Obtained. 15 Feb 2006
McCoy, John Joseph
Born. 20 Oct 1794 Frederick County, Virginia, USA
Parents. Joseph Washington and Mildred Amelia Taylor McCoy
Obtained. 15 Feb 2006
Please note: John Joseph McCoy was born in Frederick County,Virginia. According to the c. 1796 map this is the area of the JostHite Settlement.
#6). Per the c.1782 Tax Census, [Virginia Tax Payers 1782-87, OtherThan Those Published by the United States Census Bureau, by A.B.Fothergill and J.M. Naugle, Baltimore Genealogical Publishing CompanyInc., 1978] owned land in Fauquier County along with four slaves.
Per the 10 March 1787 Tax Personal Property Record Census, [The 1787Census Of Virginia, Compiled by N.S. Yantis & F.S. Love, Vol. I ofIII, Springfield, Virginia] John McCoy is owning land (there is onlyone John McCoy listed in both tax books c.1782-1787 in Fauquier,County), and there are no children under 21 years of age; 2 blackslaves older than 16 years; 5 black slaves under 16 years; 5 horses,mares, etc?; plus 13 head of cattle. At this time John McCoy wouldhave been 40-52 years old. There are no tabulations of women in thetax census.
On the previous day were listed William Wright and William Wright Jr.,and Two days later Samuel Taylor and George Taylor were visited. Allof which were from early pioneer families.
#7). It is apparent that on the genealogy web sites ofhttp://www.rootsweb.com; http://www.familysearch.org; andhttp://www.ancestry.com a son by the name of John McKay is listed forRobert McKay Jr., that there is very little information on, andcertainly no genealogy data. There is only an estimated birth daterange given of from c. 1735 to 1747 depending on the compiler. Inthe case of either date, the time frame is correct for John McCoy tohave been born, and at a minimum to have had a son in
Continued: Circumstantial Evidence Page 3 of 3 pages c.1766making John either 31 or 19 at the time of his birth. In either case,John would have been quite capable of doing so, and did have a son,Joseph. The time frame between Robert McKay Jr. and John McCoy ifvery feasible. After much reduction and elimination to date, JohnMcCoy of Fauquier County is the only John McCoy in the area that fit?sthe time frames, location, and probable name of McKay.
SUMMARY: THIS IS ONLY THE BAREST OF FACTS THAT JOHN MCCOY IS PROBABLYTHE SON OF ROBERT MCKAY JR. THE SUMMARY POINTS LISTED BELOW REVIEWTHE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OF ESTABLISHING THE GEOGRAPHY, PROXIMITY,FAMILIARITY, SURNAME, AND PROBABLE GENEALOGY OF JOHN MCCOY/MCKAY.
A.) It?s been established by geography that the location of JohnMcCoy in Fraquier County in c. 1766 is a certainty; He remained inthe county for many years up to and including to c.1787 which is ourlast documentation of John?s presence in Fauquier County. FauquierCounty did border from c.1725-1754 onto the older counties of Augusta,Frederick, Orange, Rockingham, Loudoun, and Warren Counties. We alsoknow that Frederick County borders did not make a major change untilc.1769, and even then Fauquier County and Augusta County stillbordered Frederick County. This gives John McCoy a positive locationof proximity to the McKay and the Hite Families.
The tax records indicate proximity of John McCoy positively living inFauquier County. He was the only John McCoy in that county area formany years until after c. 1787, was not a poor man, that he ownedland, cattle, and slaves in the area in which he lived as would mostof the McKay families and other early pioneers.
B). John?s grandson, John Joseph McCoy was born c. 1794 in FrederickCounty, Virginia indicating that the family was familiar with bothcounties, Fauquier and Frederick; And, they were probably familiarwith the Jost Hite Settlement in the Back Creek Valley area as well.
C). The time frame of a possible father - son relationship betweenRobert McKay Jr. and John McCoy is quite feasible given the birthdates of both known men, and John?s son Joseph. Also, that aftercareful scrutiny and elimination by usage of dates and living places,John McCoy of Fauquier County out of many John McCoy?s in Virginia isthe only one found to fit the time frame of himself and Robert McKayJr.?s birth dates, and proximity to each other. Genealogists have noindication as to what may have happened to Robert McKay Jr?s. sonJohn. The probability of this John McCoy being that son would thensolve the question of where Robert?s son may have been, plus answerwhat happened to him and his descendants.
D). The surnames McKay and McCoy were interchanged frequently amongthe pioneers and even by many authors over the centuries. Thesurnames used on legal documents in Fauquier County by John McCoy andJoseph McCoy both indicated a letter ?K? was used frequently in it?sspelling as would be the surname of McKay.
Note: It is hopeful that a trip to Fauquier County, Virginia tosearch the court, marriage, birth, and land records will answer manyof the questions, add new information, and confirm the circumstantialevidence put forth in this three page exercise of compiling thecurrent information known on John McCoy, father of Joseph WashingtonMcCoy of Ohio.
[Compiled and researched by, Sandra Lee Elkins McCoy Juhl, 27 February2006]
ADDENDUM:
THE CASE OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FOR
JOHN MCCOY BEING A MACKAY-MCKAY
DATE: 28 February 2006 Page 1
#4. A. and Summary D -- SURNAME
27th Day First Month (March) ?Robert McKoy (Jr.) of Orange County,Providence of Virginia, son of Robert (McKay), and Patience Job,daughter of Andrew (deceased) of Nottingham Twp., Chester County,Province of Pennsylvania, were married the 27th day, 1st month 1735 atPublic meeting of Friends at Nottingham.?
Witnesses: Henry Reynolds, Joseph England, Jno. Churchman, WilliamIves, Andrew Barry, George Lawson, Moses Andrew, Jno. Kirkpatrick,Elisha Gatchell, William McMacken, Jacob Kirk, William White, JohnBeale, Jr., Jno. White, Jacob Beale, Garrett Toole, Rachel Oldham,Dinah Brown, Rachel Gatchell, Rebekah Robson, Katherine Jacob,Prudence Coale, William Coale, Esther Gatchell, Jacob Job, Thomas Job,Caleb Job, Joshua Job, Hannah Job, Elizabeth McKoy (dau. Of RobertMcKay Sr.), Elizabeth Job, Anne Reynolds, John White, GeorgeRobinson, Mary White, Jr., Anne Job, Archabell Job, and Abraham Job -1735.
http://members.tripod.com/
ajobebrown/JobeCaleb.html NottinghamQuakers 1680-1889 By Alice L. Beard 1989 pg. 126-127 27th DayFirst Month (March).
Note: In official Quaker Church records we come across the name McKoyfor the older MacKay family with Robert Jr. This link in surnamescertainly continues to point toward John McCoy being related to theMacKay?s. It is a strong link since we would have John McCoy?sfather, Robert MacKay Jr.?s surname used as McKoy; The surname wasalso used in the court record for lease of lands cited above withJoseph McCoy as a McKoy. In this case, Joseph Washington McCoy -McKoy would then be the grandson of Robert McKay - McKoy Jr., due tothe fact that we know for a certainty that Joseph Washington McCoy -McKoy is the son of John McCoy - McKey. So, the surname with a ?K?shows up again, and is undeniably used in the original ancestors ofthe MacKay?s to Virginia as shown from the Quaker Church records.[SLJuhl, Compiler]
There is a resource that I have avoided to use, but it does haveplenty of evidence showing the same things below. Others have used theresource in their works, but I felt it would be a good idea to alsoadd to that resource for clarification. I have the complete works onCD276 of the Family Tree Maker's Scotch-Irish Settlers in America,1500s-1800s Immigration Records, Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia,Vol.'s, Court Records of Augusta County, and Wills, MyFamily.com,Inc., 2003. Believe me when I tell you that the same things listedbelow are also listed in this source with the surname changes,geography, and land purchases, and wills of individuals, and more....However, I felt it was prudent to not rely on just one source, butused it as a guide for seeking out more information on the family.
ADDENDUM: cont?d
THE CASE OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FOR
JOHN MCCOY BEING A MACKAY-MCKAY
DATE: 02 March 2006 Page 2 #1. -- GEOGRAPHY #4. A. and Summary D -- SURNAME #5. --FAMILY COLLECTION
#4: Source Information: Ancestry.com. Immigration of Irish Quakers toPennsylvania, 1682-1750 [database online]. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com,Inc., 2003. Original data: Myers, Albert Cook. Immigration of theIrish Quakers into Pennsylvania 1682-1750. Swarthmore, Pa.: AlbertMyers Cook, 1902; Index; Part III. The Irish Friends in Pennsylvania.II. Social Life of the Irish Friends. Pages 215 & 463.
Page 463, Index: Under ?M? is listed, McKoy, Mary, 215; Robert, 215.There are no McKay, nor MacKay listed.
Page 215, Social Life of the Irish Friends: From church records.Topic: Courtship ?Whereas I have Made My Mind Known to Mary McKoyUpon ye Account of Marriage before I had her parents Consent Contraryto ye order of friends for which I am Sory as witnes my hand. GeorgeRobinson? Same page: ?George Robinson, of Cecil Co., Md., son ofGeorge and Catharine (Hollongsworth) Robinson, ?of Newark In ye Countyof New Castle upon Delaware? was married 2 Mo., 14, 1726, atNottingham to Mary, daughter of Robert McKoy, of Cecil Co., Md. -- NewGarden Marriage Book, 33.?
#1 -- #5: Source: Smyth, Samuel Gordon, A genealogy of theDuke-Shepherd-Van Metre family : from civil, military, church, andfamily records and documents, Lancaster, Pa.: New Era Print Co.,1909,
480 pgs. The Virginia Grant, And Settlement, pgs. 26-29; The ColonyIn Spottsylvania Co., VA., pg. 29; The Hite Grants And Assignments,pgs. 29-30.
Pages 26-29 excerpts: page 28, para. I. -- ?After Hite had acquiredthe Van Metre grants it appears that he entered into a partnershipwith Robert McKoy, of Pennsylvania. ?5th Aug., 1731, and on thefollowing 25th of October Messrs. Hite and McKoy obtained orders fromCouncil for 100,000 acres of land on the west side of the Blue Ridge ? It was in that year, 1731, that Jost Hite and Robert McKoy madepermanent settlement upon their possessions in Western Virginia (seeW. Va. Hist. Mag., Vol. I., pp. 53, 54; also W.S. Laidley?s letters). Pg. 28, para. 4. -- ??; these grants probably absorbed the whole ofthe Van Metre-Hite-McKoy original interests and the passing title bythese grantors to the many grantees occasioned long years ofcontention and litigation between Hite and McKoy, page 29, para. I.,of the one part and Thomas, Lord Fairfax, of the other part, ? bydecree of Court in Hite & McKoy?s favor, and after the two principalshad laid long in their graves.? Page 29, Colony in SpottsylvaniaCo., Va: para 2: ?Jost Hite and McKay were in 1735, granted extensionto settle ?till Christmas 1735,? to comply with the terms of theirgrants and in the mean time they may proceed to survey [vide. P. 494]? [Date: April 1734; Journal of Councils, 1721-1734, p. 485; StateLibrary, Richmond, Va.]
CONCLUSION:
After a careful review of the information obtained from the abovesources in the three page Exercise and the two pages of theAddendums, I believe a case has been made that Robert McKoy - McKayis the grandparent of John McCoy whose son is Joseph Washington McCoywho settled in Ohio, until such time as proven otherwise to be thecase. The direct linage being such as:
Robert McKoy - McKay Sr.
Robert McKoy - McKay Jr.
John McCoy (McKay)
Joseph Washington McKoy - McCoy
Compiled and Researched by: Sandra Lee Elkins Juhl, 02 March 2006,Rock Island County, Illinois.
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