Surname Saturday: McCOY from Ireland to DE to LA

Today we have my McCOY line, one of my few Northern lines, originating from my maternal great-grandmother. Corrections, additions, and questions welcomed; this is a work in progress. Numbers refer to ahnentafel (pedigree chart) numbering. Sources are available--just ask!  See my blog ("about me" on the right sidebar) to contact me for more info or to share info.

Immigrant ancestor Alexander McCoy's plot in Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery, Wilmington, Delaware.  Digital photo courtesy of J. Marler, Nov. 2009, all rights reserved.

(The direct line is in bold; spouses in bold italic.)

1. Liz HALL MORGAN - me
3. Mom STEVENSON
6. Alvin Jasper STEVENSON (Sr.) (1897-1974)

13. Maggie Elizabeth McCOY.  Born on 16 Aug 1876 in LA. Maggie Elizabeth died in Minden, Webster, LA, on 11 Aug 1937. Buried in Athens, Claiborne, LA (Tulip Cemetery near Athens). On 30 Nov 1893 in Athens?, Claiborne Parish, LA, she married:
12. John William STEVENSON. Born (to James W. Stevenson and Hannah E. Kilpatrick) on 9 Jul 1871 near Homer, Claiborne Parish, LA. John died in Caddo Parish, LA, on 29 Apr 1942. Buried in Athens, Claiborne, LA (Tulip Cemetery near Athens). 
Children: Ethel Gertrude Stevenson, Alvin Jasper Stevenson (Sr.), John T Stevenson and Vera Mae Stevenson Frye.

26. James McCOY. Born abt 1841 in Wilmington, New Castle, DE. A cabinetmaker and then a cotton mill worker, James died in Wilmington, New Castle, DE, on 26 Jan 1906.  Buried in Wilmington, New Castle, DE (Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery). Between 1865 & 1872, prob. in LA (where he reportedly moved to be a supervisor in a cotton thread mill in the Arizona community near Homer, LA), he married:
27. Rebecca “Jane” HARRELL. Born (to Levi Thomas Harrell ("Billy") and Rebecca A. Smith) abt 1854 in AL. Rebecca Jane died in Lincoln or Union Parish, Louisiana, abt 1881.
Children: (son) N. McCoy [died young?] and Maggie Elizabeth McCoy Stevenson.
Note: We'd love to know more about Jane if anyone has more info.

52. Alexander McCOY. Born in 1816 in IRELAND.  Alexander was a cotton weaver and farmer and died prob. in Wilmington, DE, in 1872.  Buried in Wilmington, New Castle, DE (Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery). Before 1838, prob. in PA, he married his first wife:
53. Margaret ALLEN. Born in DE. Margaret died in 1849, prob. in Wilmington, DE.  Buried in 1849 in Wilmington, New Castle, DE (Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery).
Children: Martha Jane McCoy Garey or Geary, Ann or Anna McCoy McCartney, Mary McCoy, William "Will" McCoy, and Emily McCoy Colwell.
(Alexander's second wife was Margaret BRANNEN or BRANNON, whom he married 4 July 1850, in Loveville, near Wilmington, DE. They had children Catherine B. "Kate" McCoy Johnson and Alexander McCoy (Jr.).)

Treasure Chest Thursday: My Newest Treasure

My most recent "treasure" acquisition is also a convenient excuse for blogging only sporadically until now: it's my wedding gown, which I donned October 10 to marry my longtime sweetie. (I would also consider him my latest "treasure," but I'm not sure he's ready for blog stardom. :) )


Wedding gown in ivory with champagne lace and sash; furry genealogy assistant Roux.

Genealogy hounds will no doubt be amused to hear that we are 7th cousins once removed, our common ancestor being a Stevenson born about 1700, probably in Scotland (father to James and William of N. Ireland & the Carolinas). Some online trees have the ancestor as Henry Stephenson, b. 1698 in Roxburghshire, Scotland, but I don't know if this actually has been proven, and I haven't been investigating the Stevenson trail lately.


Wedding gown, back view.

We'd been dating 10 years before I even discovered we were related. I decided to visit his mom's online tree one day, spotted a familiar surname, and before you knew it, we were "kissing cousins"! Of course, at the 7th-cousin level, there's not really much "ick" factor to worry about, as we'd have only a speck of genetic heritage in common.


Bodice detail

Still, it makes a good story, doesn't it? His parents and siblings always made me feel like part of their family; little did we know, I already was! :)


Train and sash detail.

All text and images copyright 2009 by the author.