Pilgrim and witch!

Shirley Stirling

Q: What do a Mayflower passenger and an accused Salem “witch” have in common?  

A: Jerri McCoy!

Retired state employee Jerri McCoy, of Olympia, has proven ancestry (12 generations back) to William Brewster, a 1620 Mayflower passenger, and leader of the Plymouth Colony in New England, and to Sarah Cloyce, a woman accused of witchery in Colonial America, 1692-1693 who later sought legal justice for herself and her two sisters (see the 1985 three-part PBS series, "American Playhouse: Three Sovereigns for Sarah").

On the witchcraft side, Jerri is a member of the Associated Daughters of Early American Witches and on the Mayflower side, she is a member of the “Mayflower Society,” a group officially named the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, with nearly 475 members in Washington State, who affectionately call each other, “cousins.”

Volunteers come in a wide variety; Jerri McCoy shines as a genealogist! The several groups to which she holds membership depend on her as a rock, a backbone of their societies regarding genealogy, organization, and technology.

Genealogist for hundreds of Mayflower descendants

Jerri currently serves as the statewide historian for the Washington State Mayflower Society. She works on new applications, and she has processed a total of 411 successful applications of Mayflower descendants since 2013. This involves researching, proving, and assisting applicants in their quest for eligibility proof. It is an immense job. The demands for processing just one Mayflower application are tremendous, and she has done hundreds!

Deputy Governor Jocelyn Paulson, Mayflower Society, comments on Jerri’s involvement, “Jerri McCoy is really the backbone of our Society’s genealogical foundation. Her knowledge of both genealogy and internet research is unmatched. We are all indebted to her for her years of true service to our society.” 

Andrea Arnold, the society’s assistant historian, said she appreciated working with her, saying, “Jerri is a key member of the WA Society of Mayflower chapter. She is our first point of contact for those wanting to learn about their Mayflower roots and helps new applicants get started on the process of proving their Mayflower ancestry, providing guidance all along the way. What impresses me most about Jerri is her knowledge of genealogy records and resources, her technical and problem-solving skills, along with her patience and willingness to share. I’ve learned so much from Jerri, and the Mayflower Society is truly lucky to have her as Historian.”

Jerri has also written several books and helped to research others, one for the Daughters of the American Revolution, My Father Was A Soldier: Real Daughters of the American Revolution, a group for which she has proven nine ancestors who aided in achieving American independence. She has also completed considerable scholarly work, including publication in the prestigious The Mayflower Descendant, Winter 2008, Vol. 57, No. 1, “Huldah Gross, wife of Jehiel Gates of East Haddam and Litchfield, Connecticut.” This was a ten-page article with 107 source citations.

A techie, too! 

Jerri was born and raised in San Diego, California. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from San Diego State University and worked in the computer industry for 30 years before retiring as an IT manager from the Washington State Patrol. Her husband Bob, a railroad history enthusiast, is a retired park ranger and internal auditor. They have two grown sons, Brian, in Olympia, and Jon, with his wife Carla, in Oak Harbor.

In past years, Jerri has volunteered to help the county coroner and police identify unknown decedents and find next of kin, to allow proper burials. She used both her skills in genealogical research and information technology for this work, while helping agency staff develop the skills needed to conduct their own research. Through the Olympia Genealogical Society, she helps anyone in the public with obituary searches.

Jerri assists many nonprofit groups as a webmaster helping them establish and update their websites, recover from IT disasters (such as the catastrophic RootsWeb outage), and helped nonprofits through the pandemic to learn Zoom and other virtual technologies, to keep organizations running. She served for six years as the state treasurer for the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), and in many other leadership and support roles as well, currently and over the past 30+ years.

Another example is the 2020 genealogical conference for the Olympia Genealogy Society, which she transformed into a virtual format. She has also helped Mayflower modernize its procedures and systems to better communicate with members. With her advanced database skills, she helps several groups keep organizational records. She helps when a member needs to learn PowerPoint, when speakers need help with presentation equipment or if a speaker system befuddles any group. From big needs to small ones, she meets them all and trains others to help.

Also, the professionally published research of her own genealogical discoveries helps applicants nationally establish membership.

Jerri is sought as a public speaker with historical organizations and has a number of programs that she offers statewide, driving to organizational meetings with her projector, PowerPoint slideshow, entertaining stories, knowledge of history, and warm personal affect. Popular topics include the Salem Witch Trials, the use of land records in research, and planning genealogical trips.

She serves on the boards of organizations wherever needed, whether as local/state president, historian, treasurer, registrar, or secretary. Wherever there is a need, large or small, she fills it. When there is a job that no one else CAN technically do or one that no one else WILL volunteer for, she does it! Jerri is retired but you’d never know it, as she volunteers full-time for nonprofits.  Thank you, Jerri for all that you do!

Shirley Stirling, of Lacey, writes about good things people in Thurston County are doing. If you’d like to nominate someone to be profiled, contact her at shirley@theJOLTnews.com or comment below.