Washington County, Illinois

Washington County, Illinois

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Honoring Washington County's

Wilbert J. "Bucky" McCoy
Author - Genealogist - Historian - Newspaper Columnist

2 Years of Age 1921		High School Graduation		Wilbert and Mary Wedding Anniversary

To help Honor, one way would be: To join the Friends of the Ashley Public Library District, P. O. Box 246, Ashley, IL., 62808 It is $ 5 a YEAR, $10 per couple, $15 per family, $25 for Patron. Then add in some extra for Bucky's Historical Room.
Ashley Public Library Bucky's Historical Room		Wilbert J. "Bucky" McCoy May 2010

Bucky is Honored with the
2009 "Studs Terkel Hamanities Service Award"

Congratulations from Reprentative John Shimkus :
letter of Congratulations

It is with great pleasure that I take this opportunity to honor Wilbert J. "Bucky" McCoy for all he has undertaken to do for the history of Washington County, primarily Ashley and vicinity. Throughout the years much is lost, but Bucky has struggled to preserve a portion of the county's history with his own time and money along with whatever donations he can muster. To honor a fellow who is constantly giving of himself in these endeavors is an honor in itself.
The above photographs were provided by Bucky, some being taken by others willing to provide a perspective on his "domain" and the work he has put in to make these items and research available to the public.

As a Newspaper Columnist, Bucky writes :
SPIT AND WHITTLE FROM BUCKYS BENCH
A series of articles, many are historical in nature, written for : Ashley News ( Ashley, Illinois )

Bucky was plant manager of the Ashley Candy Factory when it closed.
Bucky does much with genealogy; and has a lot of material about the McKinzies and McCoys.
As an Author, Bucky has furnsihed many items for this website, some that he has written, some photographs, and other material. This is a much appreciated gesture on his part to provide the history of the area for the present and future generations.

As a Historian, Bucky along with researching many items, has created, set up, and maintains
"Bucky's Historical Room" located in the Ashley Public Library.

Bucky
My Life and Times in Ashley, Illinois
By: Wilbert J. "Bucky" McCoy

A house at Fidth and Madison Streets in Ashley, Illinois was the scene of a joyous occassion on the 19^th of June in the year of 1919. I, Wilbert J. "Bucky" McCoy, was born to John and Ferne E. McCoy on this day.

Now I am the eldest living child born to John McCoy [1894-1965] and Ferne E. (nee McKinzie) McCoy [1899-1988]. Most of my life has been in Ashley of Washington County, Illinois. After retirement I have spent a lot of the cold winter months as a "Snow Bird" traveling to the south and warmer weather for a couple of months.

Obituary
Mary McCoy       ASHLEY - Mary L. McCoy, 78, of Ashley died at 4:55 a.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000, at St. Mary's/Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon.
      She was born in Carterville July 7, 1922, daughter of Roy and Julia
(Mann) Bloodworth. She married W. J. "Bucky" McCoy April 18, 1942,
in Hernando, Miss., and he survives in Ashley.
      Other surviors include a son, Larry McCoy and wife Barbara of
Atmore, Ala.; a daughter-in-law, Terri McCoy of Wheeling, Va.; and
grandchildren Ross and Khaki McCoy of Atmore, Ala., Jamie and
Kelly McCoy of Lawrence, Kan., Melissa and Bruce Taylor of
Manitou, Ky., and Lori May and husband of Phoenix, Ariz.
      She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Kim; and three sisters.
      Mrs. McCoy was retired, having worked as a clerk at Bracy's Grocery
Store in Nashville and several other grocery stores in the Nashville and
Ashley area. She was a member of the Ashley Baptist Church, the Rebeccas
and the American Association of Retired Persons.
      Services will be held Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Campagna Funeral Home in
Ashley with the Rev. Ken Qualls officiating. Interment will be in the
Ashley Cemetery.
      Friends may call at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and
from 7:30 a.m. Friday until the service hour.
      Memorials may be made to Ashley Baptist Church will be received
at the funeral home.

      I married Mary Louise Bloodworth
and to this union were born two sons,
Larry and James.

Mary was born on July 9, 1942
and passed away on
October 3, 2000.




Born in Anna, Illinois, Larry E McCoy is in Sales with National Mining Comapny and Draeger Safety and is residing in southwest Alabama.
      Larry attended Southern Illinois University where he majored in Mathematics and minored in Biology Science.
      He also set a Cross Country Track record in 1962, which was still standing forty years later in 2002

            Larry E. McCoy
      Demolitions Speacialist with the 3^rd Engineers
      Photograph taken at Fort Hood, Texas, prior to
      departing for Viet Nam.



      James L McCoy was born Centralia, Illinois on October 30, 1946. James spent his adult life residing in Grand Jct., Colorado as a Longwall Mining Service Engineer. He owned 43 motorcycles and was very fond of racing automobiles. He raced Sprints, Midgets and Stocks Cars. He was a member of B. C. R . A and raced in the East on invitation. He was also a trick motorcyclist.and daring sky diver. Jim lived through one chute malfunction that he packed, with only broken bones. James lost his life on April 17, 1991 in a tragic one car rollover accident in Meeker, Colorado when a wheel broke off his van.

      In the early years I worked for a railroad. After that, I began making candy and most of my career as a "candy-maker" were spent in a management postion. For many of these years I was the Plant Manager for the Ashley Candy Factory, all the way up to the time that the factory closed.
      I have spent many years doing things for posterity. Many things I have searched and researched, people, places and things that many of these are documented at The Ashley Public Library in Ashley, Washington County, Illinois. I have created and set up the "Historical Room" as part of the Ashley Public Library. Many of my hours have been occupied in displaying and sorting this research along many items rescued from the now demolished Ashley School building that housed both Ashley Grade School and Ashley High School. This "Historical Room" now contains a vast amount of history and genealogy for Ashley and the surrounding area.
      Additional time is used writing a column for the Ashley News under my byline with the title of
                        "SPIT AND WHITTLE FROM BUCKYS BENCH".
This column is stories of my childhood and also includes many historical rememberings of the area.
I have provided these articles for inclusion in the Genealory Trails - Washington County, Illinois website,
along with other photos, articles, history and genealogy mateial.
      As I continue to update the "Historical Room", I am always asking for donations of material such as articles, photographs, and historical items to be included in this collection.

Bucky is certainly worthy of a great honor.
He has gathered more History in one little room than one can imagine.
He is a man on a mission with a vision of what that library can be.
Delores Riley

Bucky,
I thank you and blame you for waking my passion for genealogy. You've taught me alot about digging out the infomation and the importance of saving it! It's been an honor and a pleasure and you and I aren't done yet!
As always,
Karla Shreeman Skabialka

Wilbert "Bucky" McCoy is one of the most extraordinary individuals that I have met in my lifetime. I am only sorry that I had not met him much earlier. But I was very glad to know that he was related to me and to the McKinzie family. Bucky was not only a master candy maker in Ashley, Illinois, but he is a superb historian with the keenest of memories, and an accomplished genealogist. His collection of historical materials and facts about Ashley, Washington County, and Southern Illinois is amazing. In addition to manuscripts and published materials, he has amassed a collection of photographical material from days gone by. He has organized all of this information and it is made available in the Historical Room at the Ashley, IL Public Library. I would encourage you to visit the library, enroll as a member of the Friends of the Library, and subscribe to the Ashley News where you can always read a very interesting column of Bucky's "whiddlin" every week.
Dr. Francis L. McKenzie, Anniston, AL

I have been corresponding with Bucky McCoy for many years, and have found him to be a kind, helpful person with an abundance of knowledge on our family history. I am related through the McCoys, and have received so much help from Bucky with Genealogy. He has sent me photo's, and charts and given me info to help continue researching the family. I also love the website through the library.
Amy Terry, Orestes, Indiana

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