Rice McCoy
Baptist Pastor
Written by Helen Burgess for the Salem Newspaper

      Rev. Rice (or Royse) McCoy was the youngest child of Elder William and Elizabeth Royse McCoy. It has been said that he was born on a flatboat, raised in the wilderness, and was truly a child of the frontier. According to his brother John, he was supposed to be the first child born in the North West Territory. He was a veteran of the War of 1812. He served as a Private with the Indiana Militia under Capt. Charles Matthew's Company, 2nd Indiana Regiment.

      Rev. Rice McCoy married Melinda Pound of Charlestown (IN) in 1812 and they, too, settled in Washington County where he was ordained to the ministry on the fourth Saturday in July 1819 at the Old Union Baptist Church. He had three brothers, Elder James McCoy, Deacon John McCoy and noted missionary to the Indians - Rev Isaac McCoy; he also had two sisters, Sarah "Sallie" McCoy Payne and Lydia McCoy Littell.

      His name appears in the minutes of all the Regular Baptist Churches in the western part of Washington County and eastern Orange Counties. It has been said he was a faithful minister of the gospel, indefatigable in his labors and a most humble Christian. His zeal for the promotion of benevolent institutions and practical Godliness made him many enemies in his church.

      He became ill of chills and fever and died in 1834, not many months after his brother James.

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[From Find-A-Grave and other sources. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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