Individual Details
John McCoy
(Abt, 1764 - )
"CAPT JOHN MCCOY WAS AN INTERESTING CHARACTER STORY OF HIS ACTIVITIES FOUND IN OLD ISSUE OF ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT - Capt. John McCoy, one of the early pioneers of this county, was indeed a very interesting citizen A recently unearthed copy of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat of the date of February 18, 1901, carried a very interesting story regarding Captain McCoy. From the story; which appeared under a Springfield date line, we pick the following interesting facts:
"Capt. John McCoy, of Bull Creek, Christian County, a veteran of two wars (Indian Wars and the Civil War) and a politician; prominent in Southwest Missouri sixty years ago was one day this week led into Holland's Bank in this city to cash a pension check for $950."
"A few days ago the old man received his voucher for ten years back pay and he will not draw a pension of $8.00 per month."
Capt. McCoy has a very remarkable history. He came to Missouri from Tennessee about 1840, when Springfield had only a few log cabins, and the Delaware, Osage and Kickapoo Indians were still making this section of the country their hunting ground. In 1844 he was a candidate for delegate to the constitutional convention of this state, running against Burton A. James and John W. Hancock, both noted politicians in Southwest Missouri long before the war.
"About 1849 McCoy went to Newton county, Arkansas, and was elected to the State Legislature In the early fifties. He became a leader of the union cause and opposed vigorously the ordinance of secession. He voted against the act under threats that he would be shot down on the floor of the Legislature.
"In 1864 Capt. McCoy resigned his position in the army to take a seat in the Constitutional convention of Arkansas that abolished slavery. He was president of that body and signed the Constitution restoring Arkansas to a place in the Union and declaring all persons free, irrespective of race or color. Arkansas was the first of the seceded states thus reconstructed, and Capt. John McCoy, as president of that convention, signed the first emancipation measure enacted south of the Mason and Dixon line. A gold pen was provided for this occasion and after the president of the convention signed the document it became a valuable historical souvenir. The pen is now in Washington City among the nation's cherished archives.
After the adoption of the new constitution Capt. McCoy was elected to the State Senate and became president of that branch of the Legislature where, as president of the Senate, he administered the oath of office to Gov. Murphy, who was elected under the new constitution.
"After the war Capt. McCoy returned to Missouri, settling on Bull Creek, ten miles south of Ozark, and built with his own hands a little grist mill on that stream.
"In 1876 Capt. McCoy became the follower of Peter Cooper and made his last political campaign. He was a candidate for the legislature from Christian County but failed to get the endorsement of the Greenback convention." (Christian County Republican Vol. 50. No. 49, Ozark, Missouri, Thursday April 7, 1937.)
Percy Bridges, a grandson, has been deeply interested in his grandfather's history, and early this year wrote to the Arkansas History Commission to see what he could find out. The letter from the Commission. Secretary is given below:
Arkansas History Commission Department of Archives and History Little Rock, Arkansas - February 17, 1938 - Mr. G. P. Bridges, Ozark, Mo.
Dear Sir:
In response to your letter of February 14, written to the Secretary of State and referred to us for reply, I wish to say that we have found a record of John McCoy having served as Senator from Carroll and Newton counties in the General Assembly of 1854, also Representative from Newton County in 1858 and Senator from Carroll and Newton Counties in 1864. We have also found a record of John McCoy having been a delegate to the constitution convention in 1864. I am quoting the following from Herndon's Centennial History:
The delegates met at Little Rock on January 4, 1864, and the-convention was organized by the election of John McCoy as president and Robert J. T. White as secretary. Lieutenant-Colonel Chandler administered. the oath of allegiance to the members. A committee of twelve was appointed to draft a constitution: and report. On the 13th this committee reported the old constitution of 1836, with certain changes, "made necessary by the spirit of the times." The preamble declared that "The entire action of the late convention of the State of Arkansas, which assembled in the city of Little Rock on the 4th day of March, 1861, was, and is, null and void, and is not now, and never has been binding upon the people."
Provision was made for submitting the constitution to a vote of the people at an election to be held on the 14th , 15th and 16th of March when state officers and members of the General Assembly were to be elected to take office in the event the constitution was ratified. The convention adjourned sine die on January 23, 1864, having been in session only eighteen days.
We have a copy of the journal of the convention but it cannot be removed from this office.
Sincerely, DALLAS T. HERNDON Secretary.
"Capt. John McCoy, of Bull Creek, Christian County, a veteran of two wars (Indian Wars and the Civil War) and a politician; prominent in Southwest Missouri sixty years ago was one day this week led into Holland's Bank in this city to cash a pension check for $950."
"A few days ago the old man received his voucher for ten years back pay and he will not draw a pension of $8.00 per month."
Capt. McCoy has a very remarkable history. He came to Missouri from Tennessee about 1840, when Springfield had only a few log cabins, and the Delaware, Osage and Kickapoo Indians were still making this section of the country their hunting ground. In 1844 he was a candidate for delegate to the constitutional convention of this state, running against Burton A. James and John W. Hancock, both noted politicians in Southwest Missouri long before the war.
"About 1849 McCoy went to Newton county, Arkansas, and was elected to the State Legislature In the early fifties. He became a leader of the union cause and opposed vigorously the ordinance of secession. He voted against the act under threats that he would be shot down on the floor of the Legislature.
"In 1864 Capt. McCoy resigned his position in the army to take a seat in the Constitutional convention of Arkansas that abolished slavery. He was president of that body and signed the Constitution restoring Arkansas to a place in the Union and declaring all persons free, irrespective of race or color. Arkansas was the first of the seceded states thus reconstructed, and Capt. John McCoy, as president of that convention, signed the first emancipation measure enacted south of the Mason and Dixon line. A gold pen was provided for this occasion and after the president of the convention signed the document it became a valuable historical souvenir. The pen is now in Washington City among the nation's cherished archives.
After the adoption of the new constitution Capt. McCoy was elected to the State Senate and became president of that branch of the Legislature where, as president of the Senate, he administered the oath of office to Gov. Murphy, who was elected under the new constitution.
"After the war Capt. McCoy returned to Missouri, settling on Bull Creek, ten miles south of Ozark, and built with his own hands a little grist mill on that stream.
"In 1876 Capt. McCoy became the follower of Peter Cooper and made his last political campaign. He was a candidate for the legislature from Christian County but failed to get the endorsement of the Greenback convention." (Christian County Republican Vol. 50. No. 49, Ozark, Missouri, Thursday April 7, 1937.)
Percy Bridges, a grandson, has been deeply interested in his grandfather's history, and early this year wrote to the Arkansas History Commission to see what he could find out. The letter from the Commission. Secretary is given below:
Arkansas History Commission Department of Archives and History Little Rock, Arkansas - February 17, 1938 - Mr. G. P. Bridges, Ozark, Mo.
Dear Sir:
In response to your letter of February 14, written to the Secretary of State and referred to us for reply, I wish to say that we have found a record of John McCoy having served as Senator from Carroll and Newton counties in the General Assembly of 1854, also Representative from Newton County in 1858 and Senator from Carroll and Newton Counties in 1864. We have also found a record of John McCoy having been a delegate to the constitution convention in 1864. I am quoting the following from Herndon's Centennial History:
The delegates met at Little Rock on January 4, 1864, and the-convention was organized by the election of John McCoy as president and Robert J. T. White as secretary. Lieutenant-Colonel Chandler administered. the oath of allegiance to the members. A committee of twelve was appointed to draft a constitution: and report. On the 13th this committee reported the old constitution of 1836, with certain changes, "made necessary by the spirit of the times." The preamble declared that "The entire action of the late convention of the State of Arkansas, which assembled in the city of Little Rock on the 4th day of March, 1861, was, and is, null and void, and is not now, and never has been binding upon the people."
Provision was made for submitting the constitution to a vote of the people at an election to be held on the 14th , 15th and 16th of March when state officers and members of the General Assembly were to be elected to take office in the event the constitution was ratified. The convention adjourned sine die on January 23, 1864, having been in session only eighteen days.
We have a copy of the journal of the convention but it cannot be removed from this office.
Sincerely, DALLAS T. HERNDON Secretary.
Events
| Birth | Abt, 1764 | ||||
| Marriage | Mary Welsher |
Families
| Spouse | Mary Welsher ( - ) |
| Father | Henry J. McCoy (1745 - 1838) |
| Mother | Sally Herndon ( - ) |
| Sibling | Frances "Frankey" McCoy (1766 - ) |
| Sibling | Abner McCoy (1770 - ) |
| Sibling | Neely McCoy (1773 - 1851) |
| Sibling | Henry McCoy (1775 - ) |
| Sibling | Wiley McCoy (1775 - ) |
| Sibling | Jeremiah McCoy (1780 - 1858) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth McCoy ( - ) |
| Sibling | Sarah "Sally" McCoy (1782 - ) |
| Sibling | Mary Barbary "Polly" McCoy (1784 - 1824) |
| Sibling | Nancy McCoy ( - ) |
| Sibling | Edmond McCoy (1784 - 1867) |