Randolph McCoy Sr
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Randolph McCoy Sr (1825 - 1914)

Randolph "Randall, Ran" McCoy Sr
Born in Tug River Valley, Pike County, Kentucky, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of [uncertain] and [uncertain]
Husband of — married 1848 in Pike County, Kentucky, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 88 in Pikeville, Pike County, Kentucky, United Statesmap
Profile last modified | Created 7 Aug 2011
This page has been accessed 49,342 times.
Appalachia Project
Randolph McCoy Sr was associated with Appalachia.
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Contents

Biography

Notables Project
Randolph McCoy Sr is Notable.
Private Randolph McCoy Sr served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 1862
Mustered out: 1865
Side: CSA
Regiment(s): Co C 45th Regiment Virginia Infantry
Roll of Honor
Randolph McCoy Sr was a Prisoner of War during United States Civil War.

Randall McCoy was born on October 1825, in Pike County, Kentucky, United States to Daniel McCoy & Margaret (Taylor) McCoy.[citation needed]

Randolph was also called "Old Randall" and "Ole Ran".

He married Sarah Sally McCoy on 9 December 1849 in Pike County, Kentucky, United States. She was his first cousin, the daughter of Elizabeth Davis and Samuel David McCoy. [1]

Their children were:

He was a farmer and ferry operator who mostly lived on the Kentucky side of Tug Fork, a tributary of the Big Sandy River.

During the American Civil War, he served from 1862 to 1865 as a Private in the 45th Virginia Battalion Infantry, Confederate States Army. [3] Between 1863 and 1865, he was a Prisoner of War (POW). [4] His Confederate Service Record (CSR) states that he was captured in Pike County, Kentucky, on 8 July 1863 and sent to Camp Chase, a Union prison camp in Columbus, Ohio. He arrived there on 20 July 1863 and a month later, he was transferred to the large military prison at Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois where he remained a POW for the duration of the Civil War.

Randolph McCoy was the patriarch of the McCoy clan involved in the infamous American Hatfield-McCoy feud. He lost five of his children to the violence during the almost 30 year feud with the Hatfield clan under their patriarch William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield.

Kentucky was a border state, but both McCoy and Hatfield families were loyal confederates, with the exception of his younger brother, Asa, who enlisted in Company E, [5] of the Union Army. [6] Asa was killed on 7 Jan 1865 [7] by a band called the Logan Wildcats, lead by Jim Vance, in a Hatfield and McCoy family feud. It was widely accepted that this band was led by the Hatfields. Thus began a chain of altercations that would make the names Hatfield and McCoy synonymous with feud.

The next dispute was a legal one in the late 1870s in which Anderson Hatfield and Randolph McCoy's cousin, Perry Cline, both held title to a 5,000+ acre tract of land. Hatfield eventually brought a civil suit against Cline. Hatfield won in what was seen by the McCoys as a Hatfield friendly court.

An even bigger event occurred in the fall of 1878 when Randolph "Randall" McCoy brought charges against Floyd Hatfield (abt.1847-abt.1926) for stealing one of his hogs. [8] This allegation was a very serious offense at the time. The case was decided in favor of the Hatfields, further inflaming the feud. The primary witness in the affair, related to both sides, was believed killed by the McCoys, although the official verdict was self-defense.

Randall's daughter, Roseanna, became romantically involved with Johnse Hatfield, becoming pregnant with his child. Upon learning of the affair, Randolph disowned her and Johnse married her cousin, Nancy McCoy. Roseanna's baby; Sarah Elizabeth McCoy died before her first birthday, and heart broken, Roseanna died at the age of 28.

The peak of the feud was on election day in 1882 in a blood bath where three of Randolph's sons killed Ellison Hatfield. He was the brother of Devil Anse who retaliated by executing Randall's sons Tolbert, Pharmer and Randolf Jr.

One of the most horrible events of the feud happened on 01 January 1888. Randolph's house was burning to the ground and his family was attacked as they tried to escape. His son, Calvin, was killed in the shootout. His daughter, Alifair, was shot to death as she tried to flee the burning house. When Sally attempted to comfort Alifair, she was badly injured, suffering several broken ribs and skull fractures. Though Randall and the rest of his family were able to retreat into the woods, they were unprepared for the freezing weather and suffered frostbite.

In response to this massacre, Kentucky deputy, Franklin Phillips and a posse of McCoys, chased down Jim Vance and Cap Hatfield, killing Vance. Nine Hatfield family members and supporters were hauled off to jail.

By the end of the feud, Randall had lost his brother, seven of his children, and his wife. He moved his family to Pikeville, Pike County, Kentucky, United States where he operated a ferry, spending the rest of his life in bitter grief.

Military Record

Randall McCoy,
Company A, May's Virginia Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry State Line
Company C, Beckley's Regiment 45th, Virginia Battalion
1863/07/08 Captured in Pike County, Kentucky
1863/07/20 Arrived at Camp Chase
1863/Aug/20 Sent to Camp Douglass
1865/Jun/16 Held till
1865/Jul/16 Signed Oath of Allegiance [9] and was released from Camp Douglas.

Death

In 1914 at the age of 89 he slipped near a cooking fire and was severely burned. [10] McCoy died from his injuries on 28 March 1914 in Pikeville, Pike County, Kentucky, United States and was buried there at Dils Cemetery.[11]

Research Notes

A source is needed to confirm his birth date, either 28 Oct 1825, or 30 Oct 1825.

Sources

  1. Kentucky Marriages 1785-1979 index on FamilySearch citing FHL#839,494; v3 p100; for Randolph McCoy and Sarah McCoy, m: 09 Dec 1849 Pike County, Kentucky.
  2. Kentucky Death Records 1911-1961 index on FamilySearch for Rendall McCoy in entry for Samuel McCoy, d: 1921
  3. Civil War Profiles - The Confusing Confederate Service of Randolph McCoy" by Mathew W. Lively; 04 Aug, 2013
  4. Virginia Regimental Histories Series, Soldier Detail for Randall McCoy
  5. 45th Regiment Kentucky Infantry USA,
  6. NPS Civil War with Soldier Detail for Asa H. McCoy
  7. Find A Grave: Memorial #125714392 for Asa Harmon McCoy
  8. Hog Trail Site Marker
  9. Oath of Allegiance attached here
  10. Biography.com for Randall McCoy (1825–1914)
  11. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7422518/randolph-mccoy: accessed 25 September 2023), memorial page for Randolph “Randall” McCoy (30 Oct 1825–28 Mar 1914), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7422518, citing Dils Cemetery, Pikeville, Pike County, Kentucky, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

See also:

  • United States Census 1870 index and images, FamilySearch citing FHL#545,994; NARA#M593; p19; family#121; for Randolph McCoy, res: Kentucky, USA.
  • United States Census 1900 index and images, FamilySearch citing FHL#1,240,548; NARA#T623; sheet#1A; family#3; for Randall McCoy in household of G. W. Pinsan, res: Magisterial District#1 Pikeville town, Pike County, Kentucky, USA.
  • YouTube: "RANDOLPH “RANDALL” “RAN’L” MCCOY GRAVE! HISTORY, ANCESTRY, & GENEALOGY ALL AROUND US!" [1]




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Randolph by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Randolph:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 10

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Oh Boy! Distantly related on my Mom's side, Hatfield much closer on Dad's.
posted by K (Beals) Kready
edited by K (Beals) Kready
Hello Profile Managers!

We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.

Thanks!

Abby

posted by Abby (Brown) Glann
McCoy-11345 and McCoy-576 appear to represent the same person because: Clear Duplicate
posted by Sandy (Craig) Patak
Can someone add Randall's second wife Hannah "Hettie" Steffey Steffey-107 and their daughter Ellen McCoy Gross McCoy-11150 to his profile?
posted by Judith Fry
Hello Profile Managers!

The Appalachia Project now has a Project Profile and Number:

Please add the Project as a co-manager of this profile page so we can both protect this wonderful Appalachia Notable's profile. wikitree-appalachia-project <at> @googlegroups.com

See this page for for help adding to PM.

See this page for information about Project Managed Profiles.

Thank you!

posted by Sandy (Craig) Patak
edited by Sandy (Craig) Patak
Sandy - this is a GREAT Idea! I'd love to see my 1st cousin be co-managed by The Appalachia Project!

Dear Profile Managers of "Ran" - I love this idea, can we do it?

posted by Melissa Maynard
McCoy-2407 and McCoy-576 appear to represent the same person because: dups with same parents and same spouse
posted by N Gauthier
Hello all managers, g2g collaborative profile asked me for recommendations for profile for them to work on Oct 3. Do you have a recommendation for me to submit for it.. Note: to all all profiles need to be privacy white during the sept 26- thought the week the g2g is working on it.

Please submit a suggestion to me, (Mary Richardson-7161 soon.

posted by Mary Richardson