John Loy (1747 PA—3 May 1840 St. Asaph’s District, Orange Co., NC)
md.
Mary Duffie (“Molly”) Holt (born ca. 1750 Berks Co., PA—died after census of 1830 Orange Co., NC)
d/o John and Mary Holt.

John was son of Martin Loy (to America 1741) and wife Catherine (Foust) Loy.

Some records have given John’s birth date as 1 April 1747. This error is due to a 1962 DAR submission by descendant Jean May (Waggener) Chapin. In the DAR application papers, she wrote ancestor’s name, then began to put her 11 April birth date and birth place as Stanberry, MO. Apparently she realized her mistake, that she was to fill her ancestor’s data there, erased hers, typing in 1747 with birthplace PA. Because a faint 1 April can still be seen, many researchers (including author of Know Your Relatives, who used this as a source!) have thought this to be John’s birth date. Another discrepancy I’ve encountered is Mary (Holt) Loy’s death date. The 15 August 1801 date often given as Mary’s death was really the date her father John Holt made a Deed of Gift to his children, including daughter Molly Loy. As of yet, I haven’t found her actual death date. She was not listed in the 1842/1843 baptisms of the dead performed by John’s niece Margaret Ann (Loy) Clapp and her son Benjamin Clapp. Though Margaret’s uncle John was listed as deceased, Mary was not named. But then, these baptisms may have only been for blood relatives. If limited to blood relation, this would explain why John’s brother Henry’s wife Margaret was listed, supporting my theory that this Margaret was also a sister to Margaret (Loy) Clapp’s mother Catherine (Tillman) Loy.

John served in the Revolutionary War, but his pension application was rejected for lack of proof of sufficient service.

John and Mary likely only spoke German, or mainly German, as their sons John Jr. and George attended German-speaking Steiner’s (Stoner’s) Church. Some researchers claim John and Mary had son Solomon, but this was really a grandson, son of their son Henry. This stemmed from an early 20th century researcher who mentioned the Solomon Loy in the 1840 Chatham Co., NC census was a son of John and Mary (Holt) Loy, who was really their grandson.

Besides their seven known children, the 1800 census gives another female in household, which may have been another daughter or else another female relative/friend enumerated with them that year. The two youngest females in 1800 household were in the 1775-1784 birth age group and another in the 1784-1790 birth age group. These would have been Mary Eliza and an unknown female. In 1806, Mary Eliza was married, and the other female apparently left the 1810 household as well. Because Mary’s age was so close to either of the “cutoff” years, it’s just as possible she was the youngest and the other “unknown” was in the older 1775-1784 birth age category.

Some researchers had also given a “Michael Loy” as a son of John and Mary (Holt) Loy. Aside from John and Mary’s sons listed below, which are all accounted for and categorized by age in the pre-1840 census, there are no “extra” males that could fit for another son. There was a Michael Lue in the Orange Co., NC marriage records ca. 1827, but both Michael Lue and John Lue in these records are from another family and not connected to the Loys, according to John Lue’s descendant.

To date, no will has yet been found for John Loy, nor grave sites for him and Mary.

John and Mary’s children:

*Both John and George had the same age groups in census 1800-1840. Through process of elimination, I was able to narrow the window down to a 1760-1765 birth year range. From the earliest family records, John was always listed before George. There is slight chance they could have been twins, but so far no evidence has proven whether they were or not. In 1800 census, George’s wife was in same age category as he was. In 1810 no female his age category was listed, which seems to indicate she died by then.

**In an early 20th century letter to Miss Blanch Dixon of Elkin, NC, Eugene Baker Loy, Sr. wrote that his great-great-grandfather (Henry Loy) was a "large fat man who dropped dead while standing in door talking to someone." He said his own grandfather Haywood Loy was witness to it, being a small boy at the time, their residence being on Varnell’s Creek [Chatham Co., NC]. John Haywood Loy was born December 1844 and Henry is last known in census records in 1830; but it is possible Henry was categorized in someone else’s household in 1840 census and died in late 1840s, before 1850 census.

***Some earlier records had Polly’s death year as 1865. Her modern grave marker gives 1863.