Odell Cletus & Thelma Edna Coffey Deal

Sylvannas Deal, born Nov. 1, 1832, died Jul. 30, 1899 in Burke Co., NC and his wife, Mary J., maiden name unknown, were the parents of Nathaniel T. "Nathan" Deal, born in Aug., 1862.

Nathan married Mary Elvira Shell on Mar. 27, 1884 in Lovelady Twp., Caldwell Co..  Mary was the daughter of John Tipton and Martha Bisanar [sic] Shell and, was born Aug. 22, 1867 in Caldwell Co., died May 14, 1953 in Hickory, Catawba Co., NC.

Odell Cletus Deal

Among their six known children was Odell Cletus, born Jun. 2, 1904 in Catawba Co., and who died there on Jan. 6, 1989.  Odell married first to Constance Eliza Chester in NC, c1929.  I know of one child, Robert Bernett, born Feb. 16, 1929 in Catawba Co.  Constance died on Aug. 19, 1957 in Hickory, Catawba Co. and was buried at Catawba Memorial Park on Aug. 21.

Odell then married Thelma Edna Coffey in 1959.  There were no known [to me] children.

Thelma was the daughter of William Leon and Marion Edna Norris Coffey.  She was born on Feb. 28, 1915 in Watauga Co to Millard Harrison and Ida Delrea Davis Norris.  She died on May 26, 1995 in Hickory and was also buried at Catawba Memorial Park.  Odell died on Jan. 6, 1989 in Catawba and is believed to also be buried at Catawba Memorial Park.

Dale Cloyd Norris

Anna Bell Coffey Norris

Two of Millard and Ida's children also married Coffey women. Lyman Paul Norris, born Jan., 1900, married Addie Lee Coffey, a daughter of Daniel Carlton "Dell" and Mary Jane Bodenhamer Coffey.   Dale Cloyd Norris, born Jan., 1910, married Anna Belle Coffey, sister to Addie Lee. Ida Delrea Davis was the daughter of Harvey Alexander and Mary Hodges Davis.  Millard was a son of Isaac and Amanda Spencer Norris.

Thelma was the second to oldest of the at least nine children born to William and Marion.  William was a son of William Luther and Mary Salome Moretz Coffey.  William Luther was a son of Jesse Calton and Nancy A. Raines Coffey.  Jesse Calton was a son of Reuben and Rachel Hayes Coffey.  Reuben was a son of Jesse and Margaret Edmisten Coffey.  Jesse was a son of Reuben and Sarah Scott Coffey.  Reuben's parents were John and Jane Graves Coffey.  John was a son of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.*

Sylvannas Deal is buried at Abees Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery in Valdese, NC

Mary Elvira Shell Deal is buried at St. Lukes Lutheran Church Cemetery in Hickory, NC

William Leon and Marion Edna Norris Coffey; Millard Harrison and Ida Delrea Davis Norris; Daniel and Mary Jane Bodenhamer Coffey; andHarvey and Mary Hodges Davis are all buried at the Old Mount Pleasant-Bethany Lutheran Cemetery in Boone, NC.

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More on these families is available on "The Edward Coffey Project" DVD or, through limited request.
Photos of Dale and Anna Bell Norris appeared with their obituaries

William Luther and Mary Salome Moretz Coffey (Corrected)

William Luther Coffey was a son of Jesse Calton and Nancy Raines Coffey. He was born Mar. 6, 1850 in TN, and died Mar. 5, 1925 in Watauga Co., NC. He married Mary Salome (Sallie) Moretz, a daughter of Daniel and Catharine Bolick Moretz. Sallie was born Aug. 20, 1850 in Watauga Co., and died Mar. 20, 1940 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co., NC. I have not found a marriage date for them.

The following information was received from Brenda Trivette, a GG-Granddaughter:

"Although in the 1870 and 1880 census records for Watauga County Sally Coffey is said to be one year older than her husband William and the couple's tombstone in the Old Mount Pleasant Cemetery reads: William L. Coffey, March 6, 1850--March 5, 1925 and Salome Moretz Coffey, August 20, 1850-- March 20, 1940. These dates agree with those in the family Bible.

William Luther Coffey was the son of Jesse Calton Coffey (April 21, 1821--Aug.28, 1904) and Nancy Raines Coffey (Sept. 30, 1822--Jan. 14, 1899), who lived below where Tweetsie Railroad now runs and are buried in the Middle Fork Cemetery above the railroad...William and Sally had 12 children...

Will and Sally Coffey lived in the Big Hill section of Meat Camp Township on land given to Sally by her parents. Will was a nursery-man who grew, grafted and sold all kinds of fruit trees and grape vines. He is remembered by his granddaughter Georgia Bodenheimer Norris (born June 10, 1908, daughter of Lizzie) as a kind, strict man who would stand for no cutting up at the table. ("He'd give you one look and you knew what he meant.") He worked hard and provided well for his family. He would get up early and go out to work awhile before breakfast, (Georgia recalls her mother saying), but would never ask his children to go out and help him before breakfast.

He did not use tobacco in any form, but Sally chewed. She kept the habit a secret at first but finally told her husband, deciding "if he killed me he couldn't eat me". He did neither and after that she could chew with a clear conscience.

Around 1912 Will built a new house near the old one in which he and Sally had raised their family. The new house had a unique double staircase so you didn't have to go down the way you went up.

Will is said to have been a man of medium height who walked with a limp. He suffered from high blood pressure and heart dropsy. After he died, Sally stayed on in the house for eight years with her daughters Maud and Edna and her granddaughter Rose (Victor's daughter, who had come to live with her grandparents after her mother died). In 1923 the four of them moved to Lenoir where Sally died."

There were at least 12 children born to this union:

Arthur A., born Oct. 17, 1870

Victor Judson, born Oct. 29, 1872, died Feb. 1863. He married Frances Adeline Moretz on Aug. 3, 1899 in Watauga Co. Frances was born Apr. 15, 1873, and died May 11, 1913. They had at least four children: Hernando LeRoy, born Feb. 13, 1900, died Dec. 7, 1969; Frances Leona, born Mar. 6, 1902; Doris Winona, born Nov. 9, 1904; and Charles Raymond, born Apr. 2, 1907, died Apr. 28, 1987. Victor is also said to have been married to Emma Moretz, born Jun. 6, 1897, died Aug. 28, 1963. I have not found a record of this marriage.

Dell Carlton, born Jul. 1, 1875 in Watauga Co., died Jun. 4, 1963 in Watauga Co. He married Mary Jane Bodenheimer on Nov. 6, 1895. She was born Apr. 18, 1876 in Yadkin Co., NC, and died Nov. 7, 1974 in Watauga Co. There were 13 children born to this union: Robert Leroy, born Oct. 28, 1896, died May 13, 1974; Ora Estella, born Aug. 1, 1898, died Nov. 27, 1985; William Edgar, born Feb. 5, 1900, died Oct. 3, 1906; Mamie, born Nov. 15, 1901, died Dec. 22, 1901; Emma Edith, born Nov. 11, 1902, died Dec. 19, 1902; Addie Lee, born Jan. 10, 1904, died Feb. 15, 1964; David Glenn, born Feb. 27, 1906, died Apr. 17, 1996; Ira Calton, born Jul. 15, 1908, died Jan. 30, 2000; Paul Alfred, born Dec. 30, 1909; Walter Murray, born Jul. 22, 1912, died Mar. 3, 1985; anna Belle, born Jan. 28, 1915; Ray Albert, born Sep. 20, 1918, died Oct. 29, 1929; and Viola Mary, born Oct. 31, 1920, died Mar. 20, 1921.

Norman Oran, born Aug. 27, 1877 in Watauga Co., died Aug. 18, 1937 in Port Henry, Essex Co., NY. He married Carrie Norris, a daughter of John H. and Miriam Loretta Crowell Norris on Jan. 5, 1898 in Watauga Co. Carrie was born May 22, 1879 in Watauga Co., and died Feb. 15, 1968 in Greensboro, Guilford Co., NC. They had at least 6 children: Mabel Loretta, born Oct. 23, 1897, died Sep. 30, 1932; John Bynum, born Feb. 23, 1899, died Sep. 6, 1959; Clyde D., born c1903; Wilson H., born c1905; Virginia Clara, born Apr. 26, 1906, died Apr. 27, 1977; and Lorena, born c1912.

Nora Ellen, born Jan. 8, 1880, died Jun. 14, 1966

Kenneth P., born Oct. 21, 1881, died Aug. 19, 1886

Frances Elizabeth, born Mar. 23, 1884, died Oct. 31, 1961. She married Will A. Bodenheimer, born Jul. 31, 1885, died May 11, 1977. At least four children were born: Georgia Sallie, born Jun. 10, 1908; Earl McCoy, born May 22, 1912; Lillian, born c1917; and Ruby Helen, born Mar. 27, 1922.

Rachel Ada, born Mar. 31, 1886 in Watauga Co., died Mar. 14, 1975. She married W. Johnson Green, born Apr. 20, 1883, died Apr. 4, 1967. They had at least two children: Jodie Velma, born Feb. 23, 1914, and William Dale, born Mar. 1, 1915.

Margaret Alberta, born Jul. 4, 1888 in Watauga Co., died Jan. 31, 1918 in Watauga Co. She married Elbert Solomon Norris, born Aug. 1884, died Oct. 1933. At least six children were born to their union: Nina Beular, born Jan. 31, 1910; Walter Denver, born Mar. 27, 1911, died Oct. 24, 1987; Clara E., born Nov. 14, 1912; Unnamed, born Jul. 7, 1914; Nancy S., born Sep. 4, 1915; and Lola Maude, born Aug. 28, 1917.

William Leon, born Jul. 29, 1893 in Watauga Co., died Aug. 11, 1963. He married Marion Edna Norris, born Oct. 7, 1895 in Watauga Co., died Mar. 10, 1987. They had at least nine children: Homer Leon, born Jun. 29, 1913; Thelma Edna, born Feb. 28, 1915, died May, 26, 1995; Arthur Wade, born Jun. 29, 1917; Ida Irene, born Feb. 23, 1919; Jewel Salome, born c1920; Marion Helen, born Jun. 16, 1924; Rena Marie, born Jul. 21, 1926; Waymon Wayne, born Jan. 7, 1929; and Stanley Owen, born Apr. 26, 1931, died Oct. 4, 2005.

Maude Estella, born Aug. 29, 1894, died Mar. 27, 1949

Edna Mae, born May. 6, 1898, died Oct. 14, 1964.

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