Smith W. and Charity Elizabeth Redmond Coffey

Some time ago I wrote about Smith and Elizabeth and wondered if her name was Charity Elizabeth. Besides census information, another researcher has confirmed to me that her name was indeed Charity Elizabeth.

Smith was born May, 1832 in Burke Co., NC and died Jan. 11, 1916 in Carter Co., TN. Charity was born Jun. 25, 1836 in Caldwell Co., and died May 20, 1912, perhaps in Carter Co., or Caldwell Co., NC. They were married in Caldwell Co. on Jun. 25, 1854.

Both are buried in the Coffey Cemetery at Shulls Mills in Watauga Co., NC. That cemetery is located on the Old Turnpike Road, NC road 1568, near the Hounds Ears Club at Shulls Mill. For GPS users, I have those coordinates as N:36:10:40, W:081:44:43.

In 1850 Smith was still in the household with his widowed mother, Ella or Alley Webb Coffey. After he married Charity they remained in Caldwell Co. for awhile then relocated to Cherokee Co. where they are found in the 1860 census. In 1861 Smith entered the Civil War on the Confederate side when he enlisted in Co. A, 2nd Cav. Regt., NC.

I do not know when he was released, and have not found the family in the 1870 census. By 1880 they were back in Watauga Co where I believe they remained until after the 1910 census when they relocated to Carter Co. Charity is thought to have died in NC so Smith may have moved to Carter Co. to be near or, perhaps to live with one of his children. In any event, he was returned to Watauga Co. and his final resting place.

There were at least nine children born to Smith and Charity.

- Emma Irene, born Oct., 1855. She married James Cozart, born c1864 in NC. Children born to Emma and James were: Thomas; Walter Smith; Mary Etta; Charles L.; Luna Maggie; James Hill; Henry B.; and Nancy Elizabeth.

- Thomas Clingman, born Nov. 17, 1858 in Caldwell Co., and died Feb., 1932 in NC. He married
his cousin, Margaret Coffey on Mar. 28, 1875 in Caldwell Co. Margaret was the daughter of William Coffey, Jr., and Margaret Robbins. Margaret and Thomas has at least four children: Lula V., born Jul. 1883; Finley Houck, born Aug. 22, 1886; Jesse C., born Dec. 15, 1890, died Jan. 22, 1982; and Margaret Elizabeth, born Aug., 1893. Lula had at least two children whose father is not named in the birth record: Collis Hill, born 1904, died 1975; and Jessie M., born c1912.

Finley married Effie Turnmire and has at least 10 children. Jessie married Martha Hawkins and had at least two children: Ruth J., born c1920 and Jesse Alvis, born Aug. 26, 1926, died Apr. 17, 1972. Margaret Elizabeth married a distant cousin, James Franklin Coffey, a son of Elijah and Caroline Dobbins Coffey.

- William M. Coffey, born Mar. 15, 1861 in NC, died Jun. 28, 1928. He married Emma Coffey, a distant cousin and daughter of Levi and Temperance Calloway Coffey. William and Mary had at least three children: Hardie Lee, born Apr. 14, 1884, died Jan. 29, 1937; William Cloyd, born Oct., 1886, died May 28, 1950; and Myrtle Virginia, born Jun,, 3, 1893. Hardy married his distant cousin, Anna Elizabeth Coffey, a daughter of George Calvin and Louisa Curtis Coffey. They had at least two children: Carlos Dean, born 1911 and Beulah, born 1914. William Cloyd married Ella Belle Honeycutt on mar. 15, 1908 in Watauga Co. Ella was born c1892 in NC and died Dec. 18, 1978 in Hickory, Catawba Co., NC. Their children were: Bertha Mae, born Jan. 28, 1909, died Jul. 17, 1993; Cora Lee, born May 25, 1911; and William Frank, born Sep. 14, 1915.

- Mary Ella, born Oct, 1865, married Levi L. Coffey, a son of Elisha Coffey and Anna Harmon Moody. Mary Ella and Levi were married Jan. 1, 1892 in Watauga Co. I have only one child for them, Henry Olivar, born Jul. 25, 1889. Henry married Zettie Chloe Honeycutt on Mar. 23, 1913 in Watauga Co. Zettie may be related to Ella Belle, wife of William Cloyd (above) but, I have not looked.

- Margaret V. (Virginia?), born c1867 in NC, married John L. Mays, a son of John Larkin Mays and Nancy Jane Cozart.  Again, there is likely some relation between Nancy Jane and James who married Emma Irene, but I have not looked. Margaret and John had at least one child, James Thomas, born Apr. 29, 1894.

Virginia Brown

Henry Boone Coffey

- Henry Boone, born Jun. 20, 1872 in NC, died Sep. 16, 1938 in Watauga Co. He married Virginia Frances (Jennie) Brown on Oct. 8, 1905 in Watauga Co. Jennie had been previously married to Leroy Starnes (no known children) . Her second husband was Archie Coffey, a son of Levi and Temperance Calloway Coffey. Henry was her third marriage. She had at least one child by Archie, Paul Arch, born Aug. 30, 1901, died Mar. 25, 1957. Children by Henry were Ray Plez, born 1907, died 1960; Beatrice Franced, born 1908, died 1995; Lillian Jessie, born 1910, died 1988; and Glenn Hinkle, born 1918.

- Charles (Charlie), born Aug. 20, 1872 in Watauga Co., and died there on Dec. 21, 1944. He married Saphronia Phills on Nov. 5, 1893 in Watauga Co. She was born Oct. 6, 1870 in Ashe Co., NC and died Apr. 30, 1928 in Caldwell Co. Their children were nine: Vance Stevenson, born 1894, died 1967; Ruia Ellen, born 1896, died 1924; Lillie Emmaline, born 1899, died 1988; Arthur Edward, born 1901, died 1025; Charles Frederick, born 1903, died 1981; Parker Olton (Alton?), born 1905, died 1979; Nancy Marie, born 1908, died 1928; Alverda Caudis, born 1910, died 1992; and Addie Berthella, born 1913.

- Susie Annie, born c1875 in NC, married William Henderson Calloway or Halloway. No other information.

- Lee Nelson, born Jun. 10, 1878 in NC, died Aug. 23, 1960 in NC. He married another of the Honeycutt girls, Ada B., born c1877. I know of only one child, Stewart Horton, born Jan. 6, 1908, died Jan. 23, 1990.

I have more ancestral as well as descendant information for some of this family.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to or correct any of this information.