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August 12, 2008

Rice Coffey

This particular Rice Coffey was born c1802 in North Carolina to Levi and Dorothy (Dolly) Edmundson Coffey.

Janine Ramsey is a descendant of Rice through his son Levi.  I believe this is the Levi born c1829 in NC, died Jul. 20, 1863 in Knoxville, Knox Co., TN from wounds received while serving with Co. G., 65th GA Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.1

Levi married Katherine Kilpatrick, a daughter of Balis Jackson and Mary E. Hunter Kilpatrick. Katherine's brother, Abner married Levi's sister, Dorothy Coffey. Abner and Dorothy had at least one son, William Riley, born Jul. 14, 1872 in Cherokee Co., and died there on Dec. 5, 1947.

Janine has been searching for the maiden name of Rice's wife, known until now only as Jane, born c1804 in NC. Janine recently sent an e-mail to which she attached a Cherokee Co., NC death certificate for Doratha [sic] Kilpatrick, born Sep. 22, 1832 in NC, died Nov. 29,1922 in Cherokee Co. Doratha's parents were reported on the certificate as Rice Coffee [sic] and Dartha [sic] Medaris. Janine believes that Dartha was Dartha Jane Medaris, the daughter of William H. Medaris and Susanna Nicholson who lived in Cherokee and Burke Counties, NC.

To add more credibility to the find, Janine included a page from the 1850 Cherokee Co., NC census showing a William Medaris family as next door neighbors to Rice and Jane. This William is about 11 years younger than Dartha, but his surname lends additional evidence.

The death certificate for Doratha indicates that her husband was Riley Kilpatrick, but this is an error. Riley was actually her son, William Riley, born Jul. 14, 1872 in Cherokee Co., and who died there on Dec. 5, 1947.

Abner and Doratha [which was likely actually Dorothy] had two additional children:  Lillie E., born c1875 and remained single and with her mother at least through the 1920 census; and Andrew, born c1876.













Congratulations to Janine for this find!

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



1Name: Levi Coffee , Residence: Towns County, Georgia Enlistment Date: 22 December 1862 Distinguished Service: Side Served: Confederacy State Served: Georgia Unit Numbers: 417 417 Service Record: Enlisted as a Private on 22 December 1862  Enlisted in Company G, Smith's Legion Infantry Regiment Georgia on 22 December 1862. Transferred Company G, Smith's Legion Infantry Regiment Georgia on 15 March 1863 Transferred in Co. G, Smith's Legion Inf. Regt. on 15 March 1862. 

2 comments:

Janine said...

Incidentally, Levi died in the civil war. Rice himself joined early in the war but was discharged with a "broken constitution" around a year later. He also had a son John R. Coffee who was in the war.

Anonymous said...

Levi was also my great great grandfather. His son John was my great grandfather. John's son, Charles was my grandfather. I have numerous pictures of Kilpatrick, Pack, Burnett, and Coffey grave sites. A lot are from Liberty Cemetery, in Cherokee County, NC.
Paul Coffey