Loy Online Books

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Note: Due to a combination of my WordPress theme’s inability to generate a full-width page, along with Archive.org’s revised format that displays embedded books in a smaller screen, these embedded books display much smaller that they did with my former html site, before I converted to WordPress. Previously, it was quite easy to read these embedded ebooks without needing to enlarge. As a result, these books below will have their titles hyperlinked in my description, which will open to a full-width html page (not a WordPress page) for better in-depth reading. This larger format is easier to navigate, such as for locating the download button, to download your own (free) digital versions of these books.

Matthias Loy: The Story of My Life (1905). This is Matthias Loy (1828-1915), son of German immigrant Matthias (to America 1817) and Christina (Reaver) Loy who lived in Cumberland and Dauphin Counties, PA.


Matthias Loy (above), as listed in The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography Vol. 12 (1892/1904), page 191.


History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families (1914). This county history gives a biographical sketch on the Matthias Loy (to America 1733) and John George Loy (to America 1733) families. According to this source, Matthias and John George were brothers.

D.O. [Daniel Oscar] Loy, descendant of John George (Hans Jurich) Loy, as listed in The Biographical Record of Henry Co., IL (1901) pp. 637-638, by S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. Due to lightness of print, you will need to enlarge and put in one-page mode to make reading legible. D.O.’s grandfather (George) Frederick Loy, Jr. was son of George Frederick Loy, Sr. and grandson of John George (Hans Jurich) Loy. A narrative by D.O.’s grandniece tells more about his family.

These pertain to the Loys of my Effingham County, IL branch.

History of Effingham County, Illinois by William Henry Perrin (1883). The Loys are mentioned throughout the history of Watson Township (pages 202-212).


1893 Portrait and Biographical Record of Effingham and Jasper Counties Illinois by Lake City Publishing, Chicago (1893). The biographical of my grandmother’s father’s uncle Thomas S. Loy is on page 217.


These books pertain to Effingham County, IL. Whether or not they mention Loys, the books are still interesting reading. Most are either Loys that married out of surname, or are in-laws to those of Loy-blood. The “Bicentennial Booklets” (as I call them) were made in 1975-1976 in celebrating the US Bicentennial. These booklets gave a condensed history of certain county events or landmarks. While visiting Effingham in 1994, I purchased three booklets in this series at a mall drug store: Towns of Effingham County, Illinois;Townships of Effingham County, Illinois; and Location of Effingham County, Illinois Cemeteries, apparent sales leftovers from the Bicentennial. Many of the authors/editors/compilers of this series would later become founders (i.e. Peggy Pulliam) or founding members of the Effingham County Genealogical Society (i.e. Lucile James Hoedebecke), with whom I corresponded in the 1980s.

John Marshall Day (Effingham County, Illinois)(4 February 1901).


Illinois College of Photography Effingham, Illinois (1905-1906). This was also known as “Bissell College,” as Lewis H. Bissell founded this college in Effingham County, Illinois, which became famous worldwide. Several of the old photos on my site of the Loys of Effingham County were photographed by Bissell. This booklet was directed toward prospective students, telling them the virtues of the college.

A Farm Philosopher: A Love Story by Ada Kepley (1912). These are basically vignettes of Ada’s life in Effingham County, Illinois.

Souvenir of the Laying of the Cornerstone of St. Francis Church Teutopolis (Effingham County) Illinois (1926). This commemorates the 1856 laying of the church cornerstone, plus a historical sketch of the village of Teutopolis from 1839.

Bicentennial Booklet: Making a Living in the Good Old Days edited by Peggy Pulliam (1975). The original authors were George A. Clark, Paul Taylor, and C.A. (Clem) Thoele.

Bicentennial Booklet: Towns of Effingham County, Illinois edited by Peggy Pulliam (1975). The original authors were Paul Taylor, Ethel Lorton, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Yagow and their daughter-in-law Mrs. Stewart Yagow, and Sarah Lucile (James) Hoedebecke. Lucile and I corresponded in the 1980s regarding our Walls connection, plus the fact her James family was “shirt-tailed” related (meaning, in-law related) to the Loys.