Sgt. Shelley Carl Coffey, US Army

Shelley Carl Coffey
Military Marker

Shelley Carl Coffey, born c1923 in Knox Co., TN to Luther Lafayette and Jean Ruth Sands Coffey.  He enlisted in the US Army in Georgia at Fort Oglethorpe on Nov. 9, 1942 and died on Apr. 15, 1945 while serving in Europe with Co. 4, 59th Armored Infantry Battalion, 13th Armored Division.  He was buried with other Americans who lost their life during the liberation of The Netherlands at the Netherlands American Cemetery in the village of Margraten, just outside of Maastricht in the southern part of that country.

Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, The Netherlands

Shelley was the third of five children born to Luther and Jean. Edith was the eldest, born c1916.  She married Harold B. Jordan on Feb. 14, 1938 in Anderson Co., TN. They resided near her parents in Knoxville, Knox Co., TN at the Apr., 1940 census and had no children at the time.

Marjorie followed Edith on Jul. 25, 1919 in Knox Co.  She married Woodrow O. Chambers in Anderson Co. on Oct. 23, 1937.  In 1940 they lived with Woodrow's parents in Knoxville. Later, they had at least two children; Brenda and Gail.

The fourth child born was Nola Pearl, born Jan. 5, 1925 in Knox Co., died Sep. 10, 1981. She is said to have married Robert Hensley but I have not found a marriage record. They had at least one child, a son, Robert, Jr.

Their fifth child was Etta, born Mar. 16, 1927. She was still living with her parents in 1940 and I do not know who she married.

Shelley then was the only son,  and wasn't married when he was killed, thus leaving Luther's line daughtered out.

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The photos were provided by Brent Coffey and remain his property. Do not copy without permission.

James Coffey, bc1862

The James Coffey I am searching for was born c1862 in Hancock Co., TN.  His father may have been William Coffey, born c1831 in TN to Caswell and Annie Jordan Coffey. I do not yet know who William married and I do not know all of his children.

James is said by some researchers to have been married at least four times.  By one he was the father of Tilmon, born c1883 in TN, died Nov. 27, 1970 in Claiborne Co., TN.

Tilmon married twice.  His took his first wife Bealey Ferguson, c1904.  She was born Jun. 4, 1890 in TN, died July 21, 1989 in Hancock Co.  Following Tilmon's death in 1970, Bealey married Tilmon's brother Matthew with whom she had at least one child, a daughter named Laura.  I find this difficult to believe because Bealey would have been close to 80 years old when Tilmon died.

If Tilmon did not die until 1970, then he and Bealey must have divorced because Tilmon married Susan Parker c1918.  If there was a divorce then Bealey could have married Matthew early in the century and been the mother of several more children.*

The marriage by Tilmon to Susan produced at least four children:

Stella, born Jul., 1918; Clester or Cluster, born 1919; Ethel M., born c1925 and Joseph, born Feb., 1927.

His obituary, which appeared in the Claiborne Progress on Nov. 26, 1970 related that he was survived by half-brothers Clint Barnard, Kyle Coffey, Meb Coffey, Ott Coffey and Nan Coffey, all half-siblings.  I does not mention living or deceased full siblings.  He was also survived by children Lonnie, Floyd, Cluster, Joe, Lloyd, Carson, Lee, Harrison, Pearl, Ethel, Bertha and Adra.

So, from this we know that one of James' marriages - probably the second - was to Nancy Barnard with whom he had at least one child Hamilton, born Apr. 2, 1870, died Dec. 30, 1953.  In fact, Hamilton's death certificate from Middleboro, Bell Co., KY, tells us that his parents were James and Nancy.  It also appears that Nancy was not born Barnard but was previously married to one with whom she had Clint.

I cannot find  the first wife of James.  She would, as I calculate, have been the mother of Tilmon, Matthew, Charles H. "Charlie", William Caswell and Laura.  Charles married Emily Dalton on Jun 16, 1906 in Grainger Co. and they had at least two children:  Dovie, born c1907 and Herman, born c1909, both in Grainger Co.

The 1951 obituary for William Caswell tells us that he had one brother, Tilmon and two half-sisters, Cordy and Nan Coffey, and half-brothers Kyle, Albert, and Arthur Coffey, Clint Barnard, Milburn, Mat, and Hamilton Coffey.

Coffey-Wolfe Marriage License

The TN State Archives tells us that a James Coffey married Mattie Wolfe in Grainger Co. on Aug. 13, 1898.  The 1900 census found this family in Hancock Co.  Mattie and John had been married for two years.  Mattie was 21 and James was 40.  They had two children: Charley, born Jun., 1888 and Laura, born Feb., 1892, neither of which was Mattie's.  The only child she had until then was lost at birth.

The 1920 enumeration for Hancock Co. reports that Mattie and James had been married 13 years and that she was the mother of four, three living.  Children were Nan, age 6, Rena, age 3 and Elbert, age 1 year, 6 mos.

So, we have a Nan that could be the half-sister from William Caswell's obituary.  Was Elbert really Albert? Was Charles H. really Charles Hamilton?

Charles Coffey-Emily Dalton Marriage License

The problem with Charles H. and Hamilton being the same person arises when we remember that Charles "Charlie" married Emily Dalton in 1906.  This does not eliminate the possibility that Emily died and he then re-married.  They did appear together in the 1910 and 1920 census.  In the latter enumeration they had children Dovie, age 13, Herman, age 10, Lillard, age 10, Louie (?), age 8 and Ruby, age 4 mos.

The problem is compounded when we learn that Hamilton married Sarah Purkey c1900, and had two children, John and Viola.  Sarah apparently died because Hamilton then married Louisa Howerton and they had at least one child, Martha born June, 1919.

The last wife of James' may be Margaret, who we find in the 1910 Grainger Co. census, a 52 year old widow with daughters Vernie, age 21, Bettie, age 19, and Oma, age 17.  Next door was Charles and Emily Dalton Coffey with their children, Dovie and Herman.  Margaret and Charles were also neighbors in the 1920 Grainger Co. census.  The same three daughters were in the home with Margaret and were joined by Stella Shockley, Margaret's eight year old granddaughter.  Charlie and Emily's children were Dovie, Herman, Lillard, Louis (?) and Ruby.

So, was Margaret really Mattie [Margaret Martha?] and, was she James' last wife, or was she one somewhere in between the others?  Were the 1910-20 women with Margaret her daughters or, one of his other wives?

I will send a free Edward Coffey Project DVD to the first** researcher who can satisfactorily sort this out for me while also providing sources to backup their conclusions.

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*I can imagine how reunions went if both families showed up!
**You do not have to be the first to submit information; just the first with the most accurate information that can be substantiated.  If your information is substantial, with photos, etc., then contact me before sending anything via e-mail.  Of course, I will be the judge of what is satisfactory. This offer ends at midnight, Sep. 30,2010.

John C. Coffey

John C. Coffey was a son of Richardson "Richard" Coffey and his wife Orenna (var.) Coffey who married on May 3, 1860 in Grainger Co.  Richardson was a son of Benjamin Coffey and Nancy Hayes while Orenna, or Renie in some genealogies, was the daughter of Caswell Coffey and his wife Annie Jordan.

A recent e-mail exchange with a descendant of John C. Coffey, born Jul. 14, 1861, died Aug. 27, 1931, raised some questions. Some genealogies name his wife as Martha Wyatt while others name her as Martha White.

John and Martha were married about 1883.  Their first child, Evaline was born in March, 1885.

1900 census:

This particular family is a little difficult to read on the census page that I consulted.  However, it seems pretty clear that the couple had been married 17 years (i.e., married in 1883), that their eldest child was born in March 1885, and that Martha was born in August, 1861.

1900 Grainger Co., Dist. 10, ED25, Sheet 1B, dwelling/family 17, Coffey, John, head, white male, born Jul. 1861, age 38, married 17 yrs., born TN, parents born TN, farmer; Martha, wife, white female, born Aug., 1861, age 38, married 17 yrs., mother of 8, 7 living, born TN, parents born TN; Em(?)aline, dau., white male [sic], born Mar 1885 (?), age 15 (?), born TN; James Monroe, son, male, white, Jan. 1888, age 12, born TN; Coria [sic], dau., white female, born 1890, July, age 9, born TN; E?aline, dau., white female, born 1892, Aug., age 7, born TN; Charles, son, male, white, born 1895, May, age 5, born TN; Orrena [sic], dau., white female, born 1897, Dec., age 2, born TN; William Brownlo [sic], son, white female [sic], born 1900, Mar (?), age 2 mos., born TN

There was only one Martha Wyatt in the 1870 Grainger Co. census, and she resided in Bean Station.  She was 22 years old meaning that she was born c1848.  There were none in 1880 Grainger Co.  This appears to eliminate her as a potential wife for John C. Coffey.

There was a Martha White of the correct age (age 9, born 1861) in Thorn Hill, Grainger Co in the 1870 census.  She was the daughter of Peter White and his wife Mary.  Others in the household with Peter were: John, age 21; William, age 19; Meredith, age 17; Bettie Ann, age 15, and Wiley, age 13.

We know that Orenna, or Renie, married the Rev. John W. White, born Apr. 23, 1843, on Sep. 24, 1871 in Grainger Co., some six years following the death of Richardson.  Richardson is said to have died that year from wounds received while serving with the 12th TN Cav. Regiment. *

The 1880 census of Grainger Co. shows the family thusly:

1880 Grainger Co., ED102, 10th Civil Dist., Page 15, dwelling/family 137, White, John W., white male, age 33, married, farmer, born TN, parents born NC; Lorena [sic], M., white female, age 34, wife, married, keep house, born TN, parents born TN; John C., white male, age 18, son, single, laborer, born TN, parents born TN; Margaret, white female, age 7, daughter, single, born TN, parents born TN; Willey [sic] P., white male, age 4, son, single, born TN, parents born TN

We can deduce that John C., age 18 (born 1861), was not a White because John W. White and Renie had not been married long enough to have a son his age.  We know that she did have a son with Richardson who was born in 1861.  I think it safe to say that in the 1880 census, he was John C. Coffey.

Next door to John W. and his family that same year is the family of Peter White and two of his children, Wiley and Martha J., age 18.  So, it's safe to assume that Martha and John C. Coffey knew each other.  The only thing that we do not know is when they were married.  It must have been sometime around 1883 or 1884 because their first child was born in 1885 (see 1900 above).

Based on all this, it appears that John C. Coffey married Martha White and not Martha Wyatt.

Hopefully, this has been presented in a somewhat cogent manner.  If not, drop me an e-mail at the above address.

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*I've looked for info on this Regiment, but haven't been successful.  He doesn't appear in any of the scant info that I have found on the 12th.

The Edward Coffey Project (Update 2)

This project is active again on the Coffey Cousins' website.

I have not included photographs or sources in this upload. Rather than ask for a CD, a few "researchers" have been spending hours downloading thousands of pages. They are not only stealing my work, and the work of those that have contributed to the project, but are also monopolizing my server, effectively denying access to others. I am certain that they will continue to download the file, but at least it will not take them hours to do it because they will not be able to download the documentation.

A CD containing all of the information that I have compiled on Edward and his descendants is available. The CD will include photographs, obituaries, complete source citations (when available), and other family and/or individual facts. It represents several years of personal research plus the time and effort of everyone who has contributed their family information to assure an accurate as possible picture of the family.

Besides 7000+ Coffeys, the compilation contains such surnames Campbell, Dalton, Fitzgerald, Gragg, Hayes, Wolfe, Shockley, and others. The CD will also now contain the descendants of Jordan Coffey.

I have attempted to remove everyone from the CD who was born after 1930 and for whom I have no death information. Please contact me ASAP should you find yourself, or your immediate family (father, mother, siblings, spouses and their children) in this compilation, and would like to have them removed.

The CD is free. I now charge $10.00 for postage and materials. It can be ordered from me, Jack Coffee, 110 Lydia Road, St. Joseph, LA 71366. CDs are burned when an order is received thereby assuring every CD is the most up to date available.

Ulysses Martin Coffey

Today's on-line edition of the Aiken Standard, Aiken, SC, features a local story concerning the wedding of:

Sara Beth Jordan of Aiken and Danny Shelton Quattlebaum II of Irmo were married Dec. 15, 2007, in Aiken's First Baptist Church. The bride was given in marriage by her father. The Rev. Fred Andrea officiated.

The bride is a daughter of Mary and Sam Jordan of Aiken. She is a granddaughter of Jessie Coffey and the late Ulysses Martin Coffey and Ora Mae and Walt Jordan.

I would like to know who Ulysses Martin Coffey descended from.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address.