Born July 27, 1739 in Bavaria, Germany, Johann Jacob Coy, Jr. came to America with his parents and siblings. Unfortunately, both of Jacob’s parents passed away on the voyage over. Jacob’s father had negotiated a labor contract for the cost of the passage, and upon his death, Jacob as the oldest son was now expected to fulfill the contract. The ship’s crew seized all of their belongings and left the Coy children without anything, and upon arrival in Philadelphia in 1757, the siblings were all sold into servitude to work off their debts.

Jacob worked for six years in Pennsylvania to free himself and his siblings. He then moved to Maryland, where he married Susannah in 1776 then later fought in the Revolutionary War. Jacob and his family moved to Ohio in 1801, where they built a small log cabin on 3000 acres of land.

The cabin was one of the first log homes built in Beavercreek Township and was used for the first schoolhouse, as well as for the first Reformed German Church services. The cabin is still standing and was purchased in the 1940s and moved to property owned by the Hagenbuch family. The cabin was declared a historical landmark in 2001 (see photos of the dedication here).

Jacob died on December 12, 1832 and is buried in the Coy Cemetery (the southeast corner of Shakertown Road and North Fairfield Road, adjacent to Kirkmont Presbyterian Church).

In 2013, Jacob Coy Elementary School opened, named in honor of Jacob Coy (or possibly his son, but it’s unclear).