Years ago while researching my Coyan family line I stumbled up the website coyan.info hosted by Anthony Coyan (1954-2017).
When I reached out to Anthony, he responded warmly and generously. We communicated often over the years, but unfortunately we never met in person before he passed away. I will always be grateful for Anthony’s generous spirit as he shared his research with me over the years.
Genealogist today have a wealth of information available at our fingertips without leaving our homes. Anthony’s website can still be accessed in part through the Wayback Machine on Internet Archive.
In honor of Anthony and his generous heart and with permission from his son, I am including portions of his research here on my site for new family members to find. While the majority of the text on Anthony’s website is still available on Internet Archive, most of the images are not. I hope that over time to be able to find many of his files or connect with other family members that may have copies. The links in Anthony’s original content still point to archived pages on his website. Not all pages are accessible today. Over time, I will update the archived content with links to new ancestor profiles on WikiTree. As appropriate, I will include any updated information alongside Anthony’s research.
Do you have Coyan family members? I’d love to have your help.
Written by Anthony Coyan:
Welcome to the Coyan family genealogy website
This website is dedicated to the memory of Floyd “Boone” Coyan Jr. (1930-1999) who along with his wife Joy (Masters) Coyan, provided the inspiration for my interest in this addictive and fulfilling hobby. It is also dedicated to my parents, Norman (1929-2007) & Hazel Coyan (1922-2008). The website was last updated in August 2008.
My name is Anthony Coyan and I am a life-long resident of Jackson, Ohio. This small southern Ohio town is significant in the Coyan family history in that NINE generations of us have resided here, beginning in the early 1840’s when my 4th great-grandparents, Hugh & Elizabeth Coyan left Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and came to southern Ohio.
Our now-confirmed Revolutionary War “Patriot” immigrant Coyan ancestral parents, Edward & Sarah Coyan, left Maryland with their children and headed west for the frontier of Washington county, Pennsylvania in the mid/late 1790’s after the end of the Revolutionary War. When Edward and Sarah’s children were grown, several married and migrated west to Columbiana county (ca. 1805-1820) and Jackson county (ca. 1842) Ohio.
The Coyan Family Tree – 10 generations in America and counting…
My 4th great-grandparents, Hugh and Elizabeth Coyan, made their home near Jackson for over 20 years from early 1842 until 1863 (when they moved to Iowa) and it is also in Jackson, Ohio, that several children were born to their son and my 3rd great-grandparents William & Elizabeth Coyan. The 7 children of William & Elizabeth Coyan were:
- Jackson Coyan (1840-1898) – my gg-grandfather and pictured at top of page
- Hugh John Coyan Sr. (1842-1928) – I’m still seeking a picture of him! He is the only sibling of William & Elizabeth (except for John & Robert – of whom most likely pictures do not exist) for whom I do not have a picture.
- William James Coyan II (1843-1905) – left Ohio in 1863. Buried in Mapleton, Kansas
- John Coyan (1845-bef. 1850) – likely to have died before the 1850 census
- Mary Ann (Coyan) Garrett (1848-1919) – left Ohio in 1863. Buried in Taylor county, Iowa
- George W. Coyan (1851-1919) – left Ohio in 1863. Buried in Mapleton, Kansas
- Robert Coyan (1854-unknown) – left Ohio in 1863. Robert’s fate remains unknown, as he disappeared in 1875. Read about this mysterious and tragic story!! 8/22/2000
By the spring of 1863, the Civil War was intensifying. With oldest son, Jackson Coyan, bedridden in a Union army hospital in Tennessee and with a first cousin, William H. Coyan, already killed during the war, I believe that my ggg-grandparents William James Coyan Sr. and wife Elizabeth made the decision to escape more family tragedy due to the likelihood that two other sons (Hugh John & William James II) would soon be drafted.
William and Elizabeth sold their land near Jackson, Ohio in March, 1863, and took the rest of the family to Wapello County, Iowa. They purchased an isolated farm there in May 1863 and remained on it until 1879 when William and Elizabeth moved west for the final time, this time purchasing a rural farm near Mapleton, Kansas. Accompanying them were sons Hugh John, William James Jr. and (later) George W. Coyan.
William and Elizabeth, these three sons, and many of their descendants are buried in Mapleton, Bourbon county, Kansas. Their oldest son, Jackson Coyan, is buried in my native town of Jackson, Ohio. Daughter Mary Ann Coyan Garrett is buried in Gravity, Iowa. I’m still looking for Robert….
| Due to Edward Coyan’s patriotism, I am PROUD to have been accepted as a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. 7/19/2003 |