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I have alway been proud to carry the COY name. Maybe it is because the COY family members that I have been lucky enough to be influenced by were people of good character.
All of the members of my family that I have known,or have been told tales about seem to have a few family traits that seem to carry from generation to generation. We are honest,and hard working people ,and could be counted on do what is fair and right,because it is the way to treat others. The treatment of others is a very important thing to us.We still can be counted on as good samaritan's when we see someone needing some sort of help,and I don't mean monetary.
Others don't usually have to ask, we seem to recognize when others may not know how to ask for some sort of support to overcome their situation.
We seem to have all been taught to really live by the the Golden Rule.
On a bit of a religious note, I would saw our family "Walks the Walk"(of Jesus) not just talking the talk. In more current years,the COY's that I have come to know, are not as stringent as the German Reformed as my fore fathers, however,family,friends and doing the right thing have not seemed to have lost any importance in moral values that we have been taught.
My own father has said and done many things to influence my life,but this one seems to stand out most.Perhaps my father being a bit more outgoing than my mother is going to get most of the credit for this statement, but my mother seemed to be in total support with him.
My Dad used to say "A person's Good Name is the Most important thing you can protect".
To this day, if I can't look myself in the mirror, or even let a family member know of some outcome from a decision,then I know I am not living up to the COY name.
If we are not proud of the outcome,we know we have to do something else to be able to face our own self.
My father said his father lived by this rule, and his father lived by this rule.
So,I would like to think this is an element in our family values that did not change over the years.
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I would also like to think our family will always carry the "Pioneering spirit" in whatever we do.There is not any new land to settle,but I am thinking in terms of perseverance.
This is another trait we seem to possess.The family motto has always been where there is a will,there is a way.We always seem to find some way to change the course,and never stagnate.
One Christmas in 1993 my father had spent time making THE COY BOY book for several family members.
My father has always been very creative and imaginitive in his productions.This is without a doubt one of my most treasured possesions he ever gave me. He laid each of the generations out so they each had a section and he told their tale about what was known about them.The more current generations could obviously have photos included. So we have a few really neat ones that am I going to include on my website,thanks to dad.
As a few years passed I asked,but what about the COY GIRLS!!!So, he repeated the project and dedicated it to me. This book of course includes all of the daughters born a COY, and the wives who become COY. The ladies that marry into our family have just as wonderful of tales to tell too.
My Aunt Marilyn has always been interested in their tales in her genealogy searches too.
When David turned over his database that is in Familytreemaker V.8,which has over 5,000 names now..I have added over 500 in 5 months,most are probably from info that I have found out about the spouses side of the family.
The spouses were a very important in my equation too.So this piece I dedicate to my Aunt Marilyn. |
