John Milton McCoy was a nephew of John C. McCoy. John M. McCoy was an early resident of Dallas, moving to the area in 1870. McCoy served as Dallas’ first city attorney. McCoy also wrote the 1871 charter for the City of Dallas.
John M. McCoy (1838-1922) was the son of Lewis C. McCoy (1806 – 1874) and Rebecca Hester McCoy (1808 – 1895). He was one of at least four siblings and was born in Clark County, Indiana. He earned a Bachelor’s degree and a law degree at Indiana University.
McCoy first married Laura G. Henderson (1841 – 1870) in 1862. No children were born to this union. Laura died after they had been married about eight years and was buried in Bloomington, Indiana. Soon afterward, McCoy came to Dallas County to practice law with his uncle John C. McCoy. In 1873, McCoy married Mary Alice Peel (1848 – 1892) in Richmond, Indiana. No children were born to this union. Mary Alice died of unknown causes in November, 1892. She is buried at Oakland Cemetery in Dallas.
McCoy was single for many years until he married Marie Alice Ostrom (1868 – 1920) in early 1904. To this union were born at least four children, three of whom lived to be adults. Marie Alice died of pneumonia in 1920. She is also buried at Oakland Cemetery in Dallas.
McCoy is said to have purchased the first, if not, then one of the first lots in Oakland Cemetery in Dallas. Many family members were either initially buried there or McCoy provided for them to be reinterred at this location. These family members include John C. McCoy, his wife and daughter (both named Cora), McCoy’s brother Dr. William Addison McCoy, his wife Elizabeth McClain McCoy and numerous others.
McCoy came from a religious family. Some of his close relatives were missionaries or otherwise active in their Protestant denominations. McCoy was a long time active member of Dallas’ First Presbyterian Church. He died after a long illness in 1922 and is buried in the family plot at Oakland Cemetery.
In 1982 the Dallas Historical Society published “When Dallas Became a City: Letters of John Milton McCoy, 1870-1881” containing the text of McCoy’s letters during this period. It is a limited edition and long out of print, but copies may still be found.
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