A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog entry about the perhaps, maybe, possibility of having an ancestor who traveled to the New World on the Mayflower. In that blog, I explained that my 5th Great Grandfather, Christopher Coy, was thought to have been the son of John Coy, who was thought to be the son of Jonathan Coy, who was thought to be the son of Matthew Coy and Ann Brewster. With Ann Brewster being the actual Mayflower descendant.
I came to find out that there were a lot of people with the surname “Coy” back in the early days of America. I felt reasonably sure that my lineage back to Christopher Coy was correct as numerous DNA connections had been confirmed. I didn’t feel that confident about John Coy, Jonathan Coy or Matthew Coy as the line led back in time. My 5th GG Christopher Coy is likely the son of John Coy but my John Coy was married to a Sara Woodbury. The John Coy who descended from Matthew Coy and Ann Brewster (Mayflower) never married a Sara Woodbury and there is no record of the Mayflower John Coy having a son named Christopher. I know this because the “Mayflower Society” told me so. I had written to the Mayflower Society and asked them to check my lineage to learn if that particular family line had been verified. When I heard back from them, they regretted to inform me that my particular lineage had not been established. They were kind enough to point out the broken branch in the family tree… My John Coy is a different John Coy from the Mayflower descendent John Coy – two different guys. Now you might think I am disappointed. I’m not! Not at all. I suspected that my John Coy was a different John Coy. I would have never thought my John Coy originated from the Mayflower, if a researcher through Family Ancestry hadn’t sent me the information. It seemed wonky, but I was willing to do some detective work. Well actually, I wasn’t all that willing to do any work, but I was willing to have the Mayflower Society do a little work and check it out. Question answered – I am not a descendent of the Mayflower. Cool – No is an answer too! Over all, my experience in determining my family tree has been fun and informative. It is truly remarkable that so much material is available online. In just a few seconds and a couple of “clicks”, you are connecting with long forgotten family members. Instantly revisiting history through the lives of my ancestors is enthralling … bringing to life the events of their time. Reading about and learning more about the Mayflower and the pilgrims was a fun and enlightening experience… now I’m ready for the next adventure into the past – wherever that may or may not lead. Right now, I’m in search of “Jewells”. I have found a few. Henry Lancaster Jewell – my 6th Great Grandfather fought in the French & Indian War, was wounded in the leg in “The Old French War” , captured in Quebec and died from measles upon his return from war. He was only 30 years old at the time of his death. I have to admit, I haven’t retained much information pertaining to the French & Indian War, so now I need to check that out. So much history – so many people – so many possibilities – so much to learn…
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Hi – I’m Sue Reyzlik. In 2017, I realized my life-long dream of building a writing hut in the backyard. The writing hut serves as a creative space and home office for Oma Publishing. In this blog, I will share stories of my family history, varied life experiences, insights on being a Grandma (Oma), as well as, my “retirement” career as a self-publisher of children’s stories. Perhaps I will share a political opinion or two and maybe a little bit on the 32 years I served as Executive Director for Keep Fremont Beautiful. I just plan on writing and figuring out later if I feel comfortable sharing… I guess we shall find out together.
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