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Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 12 Jan 2003 11:13PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 3 Feb 2003 7:45PM GMT
Unverified family records show my gggggrandfather
Comfort Coy b. 3/6/1776;
m. 12/25/1803 to Abigail Packard (b. 4/19/1781);
had daughter Polly right away 9/25/1804 in NY;
d. 5/30/1852 in Hartland, MI.
Not a common name, so this could match mention
on the Tolland County board that a Comfort Coy lived
in Tolland County, CT, sometime 1776-1800.
But I have no further info on Coy or Packard families.
Can anyone help? Should I think that Comfort Coy's
mother was Sarah Comfort of Hardin County, KY?

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 9 Apr 2015 6:08PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Coy
I, along with my dad, grandmother, great aunt and a few professional genealogists over the years have been researching Comfort Coy, forever, it seems. I began the hunt in 1976, taking up the question others had asked. I would be most interested in communicating with you. I doubt very much that Sarah Comfort of KY is Comfort's mother, unless she was in Connecticut in the late 1700's. Any evidence for that theory?

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 1:00AM GMT
Classification: Query
I am very new to the search for my Coy ancestors, but nothing ventured nothing gained. My understanding is the Comfort Coy was the son of David Comfort Coy and Drucilla Potter.????? David and his family made the trek from CT to NY settling in the Paris, Oneida NY and then moving onto other counties in NY State. and several families moved on to Michigan.

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 2:28PM GMT
Classification: Query
Comfort Coy's parents are not firmly proved; researchers have been working this brick wall for about 75 years. There are some probable conclusions that could lead to circumstantial evidence, but no documents. Comfort Coy (born 1774 OR 1778) is either the son of David born 1759 and Drucilla, or he may be David's younger brother and a son of David Coy born 1731 and wife Abigail ___. The David who married Drucilla Potter is NOT named David Comfort Coy, so delete the middle name right away to reduce confusion. My father (Cliff Coy) drew some conclusions that were inaccurate, or unproven, so I am working to verify everything. One of these "conclusions" was based on misreading of David's pension signature- he concluded that the curly part of the second D on David, was the letter C. There is no evidence to support that as a middle name or middle initial for the 1759 David. My dad's work is all over ancestry, so MANY of the errors have been copied by others into their trees. However, Comfort has a son named David Comfort Coy who was born Circa 1805. Recently, Gale Ion Harris authored an article in the NEHGS register (2014 spanning 3 issues) on the early Coys. In that article, he was able to prove firmly that Samuel Coy (wives 1 Bethia and 2 Susanna) born 1779 is indeed a son of the 1731 David. And we have family stories that Comfort and that Samuel were brothers- thus my most recent decision to move Comfort to be a son of David and Abigail and NOT David and Drucilla. Another reason for this is the census vs. tombstone. In the 1850 census (in which Comfort and Abigail were enumerated twice, since they moved that summer), Comfort reports his age (both times) to be 76, giving him a 1774 DOB. Comfort's tombstone in Michigan calculates back to a 1778 DOB- so which does one believe- the living person in 1850, or after-the-fact memories of the tombstone sponsors? I lean toward the 1774 DOB as correct, which makes it highly unlikely that the 1759 David was his father. But I am now looking into perhaps getting some DNA testing done to try to get through this brick wall. If we see some of Drucilla Potter's DNA in Comfort's descendants, then we have to go with the 1759 David being a very young daddy, and Comfort as probably being illegitimate and not the brother of Samuel. If you are a Comfort Coy descendent, please consider getting the autosomal testing through Family Tree DNA- we have got several Coys in there already. My email is coygins@comcast.net happy to chat further on this! Cyndy Coy

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 3:15PM GMT
Classification: Query
Thank you for all the Coy information, I have noticed your Father's name many times in my search. I am descendant of Ann Coy eldest daughter of David Coy and Abigail Follet and wife of Ralph Edwards of Paris, Oneida, NY In 1849 Anna Edwards, her husband and son Ira made sworn statement that she was the sister of Lucretia Coy Stedman and that she had attended the wedding in the home of their father in Paris. Samuel Coy of Clarendon< NY also made a sworn statement. So the only two people I can connect to David and Abigail are Anna and Samuel. Thanks again and happy hunting.

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 3:57PM GMT
Classification: Query
Yes, that deposition was cited by Harris in his article, and helped get Lucretia, Deborah, Samuel, and Anna, offspring of David and Abigail, verified. Do you have any evidence that Follett was Abigail's surname? I've seen it a bunch of times on ancestry, but no one has any actual sources. The only thing most people have is the 1759 David's birth from Windsor Ct: "David, son of David Coy and Abigail his wife" which has no surname for her. If you have a source that proves Follett as a sure name, I'd love to know it.

Also, since you are a descendent of Ann Coy, who is a verified daughter of the David born 1731, that would also help greatly if you'd be willing to do the Family Tree autosomal DNA test- my treat, if you are willing! It might help us prove or disprove Comfort's parentage.

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 5:56PM GMT
Classification: Query
yes, I agree about Abigail Follet, I have not seen any proof. The lady who got me going on this branch of the tree again sent me Abigail Follet as well as parent's for her. Most of my cousins believe that Anna Cory married Ralph Edwards, if you look at Familysearch.org every tree that has been submitted Anne/Anna/Ann Cory even though we have the marriage registration.
As far as the DNA I have been looking into it but have not made a decision yet. I am attending the OGS annual conference this week end and will be looking in to the testing. Take care, Merle

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 8:10PM GMT
Classification: Query
Hi Merle, Yes, Anne Coy's (daughter of David Coy and Abigail) marriage to Ralph Edwards "of Coventry" is in the vital records for Somers, Tolland CT 15 Jan 1789. (careful not to type Cory- a common error). Have fun at the conference! I went to the NERGC in Providence in April.

Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 8:33PM GMT
Classification: Query
Now that is a conference I would have like to attend. If you notice, the Anna above the marriage registration for Anne and Ralph reads Anna s of Abraham and Abigail 4 June 1759. It should read Aaron s of Abraham and Abigail. 4 June 1759. so a number of people believed that it was the birth of Ralph Edward's wife and then their marriage registration. For many years I was looking in all the wrong places. Ancestry is unbelievable in many ways but too much copying and too little research. Take care, Merle







Re: Need help re Comfort Coy 1776-1852 ?>CT>NY>MI

Posted: 28 May 2015 11:35PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 28 May 2015 11:36PM GMT
I assume you are referring to the Barbour transcribed page from the Somers Vital records. Yes that is confusing! "Anna son of" How do we know if the error is in the name and not the gender? This is a twin child- so were the twins named Aaron and Miriam or Anna and Miriam? The Harris' article listed the twins b. 4 June 1759, as Anna and Merriam, taking the names from Barbour's transcription of the Somers records. A very old LDS family group sheet by Mrs. Rhean Beck had the twins as Aaron and Miriam, and she showed Aaron marrying Mary Bicknell. I wonder where she got the name Aaron? How firm are you in thinking that the twins should be Aaron and Miriam vs. Anna and Miriam? I'll add this to my to-do list for a CT road trip to try and have a look at the original docs.

Agreed- too much copying on ancestry- however it is a great tool for a suggestion of some info- and then one needs to follow up with the real sources. I am slowly adding my tree to ancestry- I've had it offline for so many years. But I figure if I can help someone else- good. Many have helped me.

Meanwhile, my Comfort Coy is nowhere to be found in Barbour. Sigh.


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