Isaac Mc Coy - Westward Migration

Westward Migration

Soon after their marriage, the young couple departed Kentucky for Vincennes, Indiana. Although he had no training and little formal education, McCoy became a part-time preacher. In 1808 the Silver Creek Baptist Church, the first Baptist Church in Indiana, granted McCoy a license "to preach the Gospel wherever God in His providence might cast his lot.” In 1809 McCoy became pastor of Maria Creek Church near Vincennes and in 1810 the Church ordained him as a minister.

Despite illness and poverty, McCoy traveled widely on the frontier promoting various causes. In 1817, the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions appointed him as a missionary to the settlers and Indians in Indiana and Illinois territories. His interests and concern for Indians quickly began to dominate his work.