My wife Nelda and I have just returned from spending a cold, wet week in Nashville, Tn. That's where the 23d Annual Coffey Cousins' Convention was held. It was hosted by Billie McKinnie and daughter, Patsy Burns. I don't have an exact count handy, but there were 50-plus registrants.
We arrived a couple of days early to visit the state archives, and I ended up walking a couple of miles in the rain on the day I chose to go. It's difficult enough to get around in Nashville under normal conditions. Add rain and road construction and it becomes extremely difficult. I also found out that not everyone in Nashville knows the difference between the "state archives and library" and the "public library."
Soon, other 'cousins' began to arrive, and I was drafted to drive some, and lead some from our hotel headquarters to the archives. Other drivers in the pool left ahead of me, or so I thought. I was racing to catch up with them on the interstate, and they were racing to catch up with me. They had not actually left the hotel parking lot, but had lagged behind waiting for me to lead.
But, we all got to the archives safely, and even had some time to do research. Once there we were greeted by the archives staff, given a brief summary of archives duties and holdings, then turned loose amongst the microfilm, stacks, and books.
Many of our 'cousins' chose to remain at the hotel, and sit around in the conference room set aside for us by the hotel. Bonnie Culley, editor of the Cousins' newsletter, always brings her outstanding collection of Coffee/y books. Those generally attracts a number of researchers, and keeps many busy reading and copying from them the entire three days of the convention.
Our hostesses in Nashville were Billie McKinney and her daughter, Patsy Burns. They "employed" their entire family - brothers, sisters, some in-laws, etc. - to put on a memorable convention. They are an especially talented family. Roger Burns, Patsy's husband, entertained us on the keyboard accompanied by guitarist Scott McKinney, Patsy's brother. Mindy Odum, a member of their church choir, sang two inspirational songs for us.
Saturday night is always set aside for our banquet, business meeting, and election of officers for the coming year. We also discuss plans for the next convention (e.g., where and when). We also hope there will be volunteers willing to host future convention.
There were no volunteers to host us in 2006, so Nelda and I will host the convention in Chadron, Nebraska! That's going to be a long distance affair since we live in Louisiana! But, I think we can do it. Darlene Clarke, a cousin from Iowa offered to host the group in 2007 at Dubuque. Readers can get a brief overview of Chadron at the following link:
http://www.chadron.com/history/tour10.php
I will write more on the Coffee families that settled in that area in a subsequent blog!
Officers for the coming year are:
Jack Coffee of Louisiana, President; Ed Coffee of Virginia, Vice President; Jo Langwell of Texas, Secretary; Darlene Clarke of Iowa, Treasurer. We continue to be supported by Reams Goodloe who has patiently indexed 24 and a half years of Coffey Cousins newsletters; Bonnie Culley, who edits those newsletters; and Bennie Coffey Loftin, past hostess of two conventions.
Showing posts with label Louisiana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Louisiana. Show all posts
May 9, 2005
March 26, 2005
The Pro Football Encyclopedia
One Coffee and four Coffey men are named in the Pro Football Encyclopedia. They are Pat Coffee, Don Coffey, Junior Coffey, Ken Coffey, and Wayne Coffey.
Pat Coffee was James Lilburn Coffee, a brother to my father, Frank Hurley Coffee. Pat played for the Chicago Cardinals in 1937 and 1938, after graduating from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where he starred on the gridiron for the Tigers.
The Encyclopedia describes Pat as being 5' 11' tall, weighed 183 pounds, a graduate of Minden (Webster Parish) High School and of Louisiana State. He was born August 3, 1915 in De Ann, Arkansas, and died January 25, 1976 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In 1937 he was listed on the Cardinal roster as a half-back, and quarterback. That year, as a rookie, he scored one rushing touchdown on 55 attempts, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. The next year he was carried on the roster as a half-back, and scored two touchdowns. At the quarterback position in 1937 he attempted 119 passes and completed 52 with 4 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In 1938 he attempted 39 passes, completed 16 for no touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He apparently left pro football after the 1938 season to attend medical school.
Don Coffey was born August 18, 1939 in Burnsville, North Carolina. After graduation from high school in Morristown, Tennessee, he attended the University of Memphis. He was drafted into the American Football (San Diego) and National Football leagues (San Francisco) in 1961. He played in three games while at Denver in 1963 before "retiring" to do other things. He is described as being 6' 2.25" tall, weighed 190 pounds, and played free linebacker in those three Denver games.
Junior Lee Coffey was born March 21, 1942 in Kyle, Texas. He graduated from Dimmitt (Texas) high school, and was drafted by the AFL Houston Oilers, and the NFL Green Bay Packers in 1965. He was describd as being 6' 1" tall, and weighed 211 pounds. He was listed on all rosters as a half-back or running back. In 1965 while playing for Green Bay he rushed for 12 yards on 3 carries, no touchdowns. From 1966 to 1967 he played for Atlanta where he rushed for 1612 yards and 9 touchdowns before moving on. In 1969 he played for the NY Giants where he rushed 82 times for 343 yards and one touchdown. The following year he rushed for 511 yards on 131 attempts and 2 touchdowns. In 1971 he rushed for 70 yards on 22 attempts, and no touchdowns. Over his career he averaged 7.6 yards per catch and 5 touchdowns.
Ken Coffey was born November 7, 1960 in Rantoul, Illinois. He played high school football in Big Spring (Howard County) Texas, and played college football at Tyler Junior College and Southwest Texas State. He was drafted in 1982 by Washington where he played Safety for three years (1983-84, and 1986). He was described as being 6' tall, and weighed 198 pounds.
Wayne Coffey, 5' 7" tall at 158 pounds went to high school in Abillene, Texas, and played college football at Cisco Junior College and Southwest Texas State. He was drafted in 1987 by New England as a wide receiver, He had three catches that season for 66 yards.
Pat Coffee was James Lilburn Coffee, a brother to my father, Frank Hurley Coffee. Pat played for the Chicago Cardinals in 1937 and 1938, after graduating from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge where he starred on the gridiron for the Tigers.
The Encyclopedia describes Pat as being 5' 11' tall, weighed 183 pounds, a graduate of Minden (Webster Parish) High School and of Louisiana State. He was born August 3, 1915 in De Ann, Arkansas, and died January 25, 1976 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
In 1937 he was listed on the Cardinal roster as a half-back, and quarterback. That year, as a rookie, he scored one rushing touchdown on 55 attempts, averaging 2.9 yards per carry. The next year he was carried on the roster as a half-back, and scored two touchdowns. At the quarterback position in 1937 he attempted 119 passes and completed 52 with 4 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In 1938 he attempted 39 passes, completed 16 for no touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He apparently left pro football after the 1938 season to attend medical school.
Don Coffey was born August 18, 1939 in Burnsville, North Carolina. After graduation from high school in Morristown, Tennessee, he attended the University of Memphis. He was drafted into the American Football (San Diego) and National Football leagues (San Francisco) in 1961. He played in three games while at Denver in 1963 before "retiring" to do other things. He is described as being 6' 2.25" tall, weighed 190 pounds, and played free linebacker in those three Denver games.
Junior Lee Coffey was born March 21, 1942 in Kyle, Texas. He graduated from Dimmitt (Texas) high school, and was drafted by the AFL Houston Oilers, and the NFL Green Bay Packers in 1965. He was describd as being 6' 1" tall, and weighed 211 pounds. He was listed on all rosters as a half-back or running back. In 1965 while playing for Green Bay he rushed for 12 yards on 3 carries, no touchdowns. From 1966 to 1967 he played for Atlanta where he rushed for 1612 yards and 9 touchdowns before moving on. In 1969 he played for the NY Giants where he rushed 82 times for 343 yards and one touchdown. The following year he rushed for 511 yards on 131 attempts and 2 touchdowns. In 1971 he rushed for 70 yards on 22 attempts, and no touchdowns. Over his career he averaged 7.6 yards per catch and 5 touchdowns.
Ken Coffey was born November 7, 1960 in Rantoul, Illinois. He played high school football in Big Spring (Howard County) Texas, and played college football at Tyler Junior College and Southwest Texas State. He was drafted in 1982 by Washington where he played Safety for three years (1983-84, and 1986). He was described as being 6' tall, and weighed 198 pounds.
Wayne Coffey, 5' 7" tall at 158 pounds went to high school in Abillene, Texas, and played college football at Cisco Junior College and Southwest Texas State. He was drafted in 1987 by New England as a wide receiver, He had three catches that season for 66 yards.
March 19, 2005
A Personal Note
The recent death of a 53-year old first cousin, who I had not seen in more years than I care to admit to, was a shock. I have photographs of Don Clay Dauthier, the son of a sister to my mother, when he was a baby, and me nearing my teenage years. It is hard to imagine that he is gone at such a young age!
As in most cases of bad news, good news often follows. As a result of Don's death I have regained contact with another first cousin, the son of another of my mother's sisters. I have had no contact with that cousin, or his brother and only sibling since 1968.
The source from which both the bad news and good news came was Don's obituary, posted on the website of my choice of Louisiana newspapers from which I get most of my state news. The editors of the on-line edition of that paper have for several years included obituaries from various parts of the state - but mostly from south Louisiana where both my wife and I were born and raised. In recent years the editors have associated themselves with Legacy.com to host the obituaries that appear in that newspaper. In fact, Legacy now hosts the obituary columns from 175 leading newspapers from around the country.
One of the features of the Legacy sites is a guest book where visitors can enter personal notes to the families of the deceased. There is also an option for the writer to enter an e-mail address. It is for that reason that I was able to contact the other first cousin. He had entered a note to the family, and had included his e-mail address.
Legacy obituaries appear for 60 days; guestbook entries remain online for 30 days unless "sponsored." For a small fee the obituary and guestbook can remain online for a year. For a larger fee the obituary and guestbook can remain online permanently. Photographs can also be posted for another small fee.
If you have not already heard about Legacy, check the Legacy website for details.
As in most cases of bad news, good news often follows. As a result of Don's death I have regained contact with another first cousin, the son of another of my mother's sisters. I have had no contact with that cousin, or his brother and only sibling since 1968.
The source from which both the bad news and good news came was Don's obituary, posted on the website of my choice of Louisiana newspapers from which I get most of my state news. The editors of the on-line edition of that paper have for several years included obituaries from various parts of the state - but mostly from south Louisiana where both my wife and I were born and raised. In recent years the editors have associated themselves with Legacy.com to host the obituaries that appear in that newspaper. In fact, Legacy now hosts the obituary columns from 175 leading newspapers from around the country.
One of the features of the Legacy sites is a guest book where visitors can enter personal notes to the families of the deceased. There is also an option for the writer to enter an e-mail address. It is for that reason that I was able to contact the other first cousin. He had entered a note to the family, and had included his e-mail address.
Legacy obituaries appear for 60 days; guestbook entries remain online for 30 days unless "sponsored." For a small fee the obituary and guestbook can remain online for a year. For a larger fee the obituary and guestbook can remain online permanently. Photographs can also be posted for another small fee.
If you have not already heard about Legacy, check the Legacy website for details.
January 8, 2005
Louisiana Library Connection
If you hold a valid library card to (nearly) any parish library in the state of Louisiana, you have access to some of the best free on-line genealogical resources available. I understand that this service is available throughout the United States, and your state library is probably a sponsor. Ask your local librarian, or contact your state library for more information.
By visiting the above link you will be taken to a generic library webpage where you select your library from a drop down list. On the next page you will be expected to enter a valid library card number. If successful, you will finally reach the "goodies" page.
I won't list all of the resources available, but here are some of the better choices:
~ Ancestry.com - Ancestry World Tree. This site has the following instructions:
This link is only used for updating the Ancestry World Tree records tied to your library. The subscription-only features of Ancestry.com are not available from home; you must come into the library to use them.
~ News Bank - Full text backfiles of 7 Louisiana and 10 national newspapers.
Louisiana Newspapers: Times Picayune, 1989 - current; Baton Rouge Advocate, 1986 - current; Lafayette Daily Advertiser, 1999 - current; Monroe News Star, 1999 - current; Shreveport Times, 1999 - current; Alexandria Daily Town Talk, 1999 - current; Opelousas Daily World, 1999 - current; Lake Charles American Press, (when negotiated)
Other newspapers are available, and all are good sources for obituaries.
~ Heritage Quest On-Line - Search Census records, Books, PERSI, and selected Revolutionary War pension and bounty land warrants.
Not all census years, and not all states have been completed, but the interface is better than Ancestry.com (my opinion), and image download in PDF or TIFF format is very easy. If you can't find the person you are looking for on Ancestry, check Heritage Quest. I've found many families there that have not been properly indexed at Ancestry.
By visiting the above link you will be taken to a generic library webpage where you select your library from a drop down list. On the next page you will be expected to enter a valid library card number. If successful, you will finally reach the "goodies" page.
I won't list all of the resources available, but here are some of the better choices:
~ Ancestry.com - Ancestry World Tree. This site has the following instructions:
This link is only used for updating the Ancestry World Tree records tied to your library. The subscription-only features of Ancestry.com are not available from home; you must come into the library to use them.
~ News Bank - Full text backfiles of 7 Louisiana and 10 national newspapers.
Louisiana Newspapers: Times Picayune, 1989 - current; Baton Rouge Advocate, 1986 - current; Lafayette Daily Advertiser, 1999 - current; Monroe News Star, 1999 - current; Shreveport Times, 1999 - current; Alexandria Daily Town Talk, 1999 - current; Opelousas Daily World, 1999 - current; Lake Charles American Press, (when negotiated)
Other newspapers are available, and all are good sources for obituaries.
~ Heritage Quest On-Line - Search Census records, Books, PERSI, and selected Revolutionary War pension and bounty land warrants.
Not all census years, and not all states have been completed, but the interface is better than Ancestry.com (my opinion), and image download in PDF or TIFF format is very easy. If you can't find the person you are looking for on Ancestry, check Heritage Quest. I've found many families there that have not been properly indexed at Ancestry.
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