Joel Lawrence Coffey, Jr.

Joel Lawrence Coffey, Jr.

Joel Lawrence Coffey, Jr., was the first son and second child born to Joel Lawrence, Sr. and Myrtle Watson Coffey.

A short bio for Jr. appeared in the Watauga Democrat newspaper on Nov. 11, 2011 and relates a part of his adventures during WW2 in the European Theater of Operations. The item, written by Sherrie Norris tells how he came to earn those medals you see spread before him. His obituary provides a bit more information.

I recognize some of the decorations.  He earned the (l-r) Bronze Star medal with two oak leaf clusters; a Purple Heart for wounds that got him sent back to England for treatment; a Germany Occupation Medal; WWII Victory Medal; a Good Conduct Medal and a European Theater of Operation medal.  I have been unable to identify the  center medal.

Also shown in the photograph is his CBI or  Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Joel descends from Edward Coffey and Ann Powell through their son John and his wife Jane Graves; their son Reuben and wife Sarah Scott; Jesse and wife Peggy Edmisten; their son Reuben and Rachel Hayes; Jesse Calton and wife Nancy Raines; Thos. Carlton and wife Martha Cook and finally, his father, Joel, Sr.

Joel died Nov. 5, 2014 in Boone, Watauga Co., and was buried at Laurel Springs Baptist Church Cemetery at Deep Gap, Watauga Co.

HIS OBITUARY

Obituary, The Watauga Democrat, Boone, NC, Fri., Nov. 7, 2014

Joel L. Coffey, 90, of Deep Gap, passed away Wednesday evening, Nov. 5, 2014, at Watauga Medical Center. 

Joel was born January 13, 1924, in Watauga County, a son of the late Joe L. Coffey and Myrtle Watson Coffey. He was a retired rural mail carrier and a lifetime member, past superintendent, and deacon of Laurel Springs Baptist Church. Joel served in the U.S. Army during World War II, fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, and received two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars. He was also a charter member of the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department, where he retired as chaplain. 

Joel is survived by his wife, Geraldine "Gerry" Coffey* of the home; one son, Michael Thomas Coffey, Sr. and wife, Mary Alice, of Deep Gap; one daughter, Brenda Coffey Farthing and husband, Len B., of Vilas; one step-daughter, Jane Ragan Pignolet and husband, Mark, of Braselton, Ga.; one granddaughter, Amanda Farthing Huff and husband, Todd, of Deep Gap; two grandsons, Michael T. Coffey, Jr. of Sanford, and Joel Farthing and wife, Nicole, of Vilas; five great-grandchildren, Jackson, Walker, Ella, Colt and Hattie Mae; one step-granddaughter, Amy Ragan Grady and husband, Gary, of Kettering, Ohio, as well as their children, Ragan and Riley. He is also survived by a number of nieces and nephews. 

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Gaye Warren Coffey; and three sisters, Louis Cary, Margaret Lane, and Sue Craig. 

Funeral services for Mr. Joel L. Coffey will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, at Laurel Springs Baptist Church. The body will lie in state, at the church, from 1 until 2 p.m. Officiating will be Pastor Tim Lynch. Military graveside rites and burial, provided by American Legion Post 130 and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 90, will follow in Laurel Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. 

The family will receive friends Friday, from 6 until 9 p.m. at Hampton Funeral Service. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Laurel Springs Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Stewart Rhymer, 6596 Old US Hwy 421, Deep Gap, NC, 28618; Disabled American Veterans Chapter 90, PO Box 2914, Boone, NC 28607; American Heart Association, 128 South Tryon Street, Suite 1588, Charlotte, NC, 28202; or to a charity of the donors choice. 

Online condolences may be sent to the Coffey family at www.hamptonfuneralnc.com. 

Click on this Watauga Democrat link to read his story.

*Geraldine was his second wife.  His first wife was Laura Gaye Warren to whom he was married on Jul. 18, 1949.  Laura died on Dec. 10, 1966 and is also buried at Laurel Springs.

Earle Thaddeus McGillicuddy

Cornelius Alexander "Connie Mack" McGillicuddy, Sr.  

Baseball fans of teams of the early to mid-20th century probably recognize the name.  

According to Wikipedia, Mack, Sr. was:

"Cornelius McGillicuddy, better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins, losses, and games managed, with his victory total being almost 1,000 more than any other manager."

Connie Mack was married to Margaret Hogan in 1887 and their second of three sons, Earl Thaddeus Mack was born on Feb. 1, 1890 in Worcester Co., MA.

Earle T. Mack

Earle grew up on a baseball field and in his father's clubhouse.  He wanted to be a "big league" professional baseball player but, over the years he managed to play in only a very few games. He had a mostly minor league career, both as manager and player.  Following his father's death he and another brother managed his baseball business.

While Earle was growing up, his future wife, Mary Margaret Cain was growing up in Burke Co., NC where she was born in Dec., 1890.  Her father was Corey Thomas Cain, a native of Wake Co., NC; her mother Lula Eloise Coffey, born 1866 in Caldwell Co., NC to William Elbert and Margaret Anne Kincaid Coffey.  She was the third of William and Margaret's seven children.

Earle and Mary Margaret were married on Sep. 28, 1915 in Morganton, Burke Co. and moved almost immediately to Philadelphia, the city they called "home" until 1955 when Mary passed away. I know that she was the mother of at least one child, a son, Earle T., Jr., born c1919.

Earle's obituary appeared in The Evening Star, a Washington, DC newspaper, on Feb. 6, 1967:

Earl Mack Dies, 78-Year-Old Son of Connie Mack

Upper Darby, Pa. (UPI)--Earl Mack, 78, former part owner of the Philadelphia Athletics and son of baseball's legendary Connie Mack, died Sunday at Delaware County Hospital.

Mr. Mack, the second of Connie's three sons, served with his brother, Roy, as officers of the Athletics after their father's death.  The franchise was sold in November, 1954, to Chicago financier Arnold Johnson and transferred to Kansas City.

Mr. Mack, who was around his father's clubhouse as a child, had long but undistinguished career in the minor leagues.  He played a total of five games with the Athletics in 1910, 1911 and 1914 as a catcher, third baseman and first baseman.

Following World War I, he served three seasons as player-manager at Moline, Ill., and closed his managerial career by winning the Blue Ridge League pennant with Martinsburg, W. Va.

 Margaret's obituary appeared in The Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, NC on May. 5, 1955:

Mrs. Earl McGillicuddy

Statesville, May 4 - Mrs. Earle T. McGillicuddy, sister of Mrs. E. M. Shelton of Statesville, died yesterday at her home in Philadelphia, Pa.  Mrs. McGillicuddy was the former Mary Margaret Cain of Morganton.

She was educated at the Mary Dickson private school and the Patton High School, Morganton, and at St. Mary's and Meredith Colleges, Raleigh.  For a number of years she was organist at First Baptist Church, Morganton.  She had resided in Philadelphia since her marriage 35 years ago.

Survivors include her husband; a son, Earle T. McGillicuddy, Jr.; two grandchildren; and a sister, Mrs. Shelton.

A brief funeral service will be held at the Shelton residence on North Mulberry Street Friday at 1:15 p.m. with the Rev. J. S. Potter and the Rev. Robert Marshburn, officiating.  The funeral party will go from here to Morganton, where the funeral services will be held at the First Baptist Church at 3 p.m. Friday.  Interment will be in Forest Hill Cemetery, Morganton.

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Lulu's Coffey lineage:

William > Gilliam/Polly Moore > William/Annie Boone > Thomas/Sarah Fields > John/Jane Graves > Edward/Ann Powell.  See also http://coffeycousins.blogspot.com/2013/01/lula-eloise-coffey.html

Coffey Books Available

Author Betty White Martin grew up in Morristown and White Pine, TN, the only child of Lonnie White.  She has Coffey ancestry that extends all the way back to Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.

Her grandfather was John McHenry White, a son of Susan Isabelle Dalton White.  Susan was the daughter of of Carter and Nancy Whitsett Dalton.  Carter Dalton was a son of Matilda Coffey, wife of Tandy Witcher Dalton.  Matilda was a daughter of George and Margaret Rucker Coffey. 

Nancy Whitsett Dalton was the daughter of Elizabeth Coffey, wife of Nathan Whitsett and later, wife of George W. Hayes.  Elizabeth Coffey was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Rucker Coffey.

Betty has authored at least three books containing photos and some history of these families.  I have also documented them rather extensively in The Edward Coffey Project.

Our Coffey and Dalton Families In Photos, which begins with descendants of Cleveland Coffey and his wife, Susan Hayes.


Ramblings From the North Side of Clinch Mountain A pictorial history of the early families of Thorn Hill, Grainger Co., TN.

A Woman of Vim and Vigor which is based loosely on the life of Nancy Whitsett Dalton Cozart.  She was the daughter of Elizabeth Coffey and Nathan P. Whitsett.  Nancy married twice; beginning in 1854* to Carter Coffey Dalton with whom she had at least five children: Susan who married Thomas Jefferson White; James Tandy, married Mary Emeline Jackson; Betty; Tennessee, who married Perry Singleton and, Pleasant.  There may have been others because it was seven or more years between Tennessee, born 1867 and Pleasant, born c1874.  

Carter and Nancy apparently divorced because they were married a second time in 1860**.  When Carter died in 1877 Nancy had an affair with his uncle, Anderson Dalton and had two more children, Matilda, born c1877 and Milton, born in 1880.  Nancy seems to have also had an affair with her former father-in-law, Tandy Witcher Dalton, a brother to Anderson and had another child, Charles S.  

Tandy did not die until 1909 so they likely divorced as well for on Oct. 13, 1888 she married James Wiley Cozart.  No children are known from that union. 

These books are very reasonably priced and available on Amazon.com.  They can be reviewed and purchased by clicking on the title of each book. E-mail me if you would like to discuss these books with the author.

*https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8YC-1LX
** https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8Y8-7VH

Edward Coffey (c1700-c1776)

Very little factual information is known of Edward Jr., a son of Edward and Ann Powell.  He is "said" to have been born c1701 in Essex Co., VA and, died in Albemarle Co., VA after 1774.  He married Grace Cleveland, a daughter of Alexander and Mildred Presley¹ Cleveland sometime between 1737 and 1740.

Marvin Coffey wrote in his ancestral work on James Blueford Coffey, a descendant of Edward and Ann, that he had found no proof of the children of Edward and Grace.  He speculated that Cleveland, Coffey, who married Elizabeth² is one of their sons.  Or, he might be the Cleveland Coffey who entered land in Burke Co., now Caldwell Co., on Zack's Fork, in the year 1778.

Marvin thought that Edward Jr. might be a twin of the better know John who married Jane Graves. John is thought to have been born between 1699 and 1700 followed soon thereafter by Edward Jr., with perhaps less than a year between the births.

No proof of the names of Edward and Grace's children has ever been found.³  Marvin, again speculating and, based on time and location, thought that Benjamin, born in VA in 1763 and on the Burke Co., NC census from 1790 to 1850 (Caldwell Co. in 1850) was the son.  He married Leah, born c1760 in VA.  A Leah Coffey who married Francis Hickman in Jefferson Co., TN in 1798 might be their daughter.

Other possible children were James, on the 1785 census in Botetourt Co, VA and William in Montgomery Co., VA from 1781 to 1785.  They could also have been the children of Peter and Susannah Coffey of Prince Edward Co., VA. The William found on tax lists in Buckingham Co., VA from 1783 to 1797 is likely to have been a son of Peter.

Jesse Cleveland Coffey found in Wilkes Co. up to about 1786 could be the same found later in Pendleton Co., SC in 1790 and 1800.  He was the father of Cleveland, Edward, Joel, Elijah, Elisha and John.4  

Jesse is found in the Pendleton District, South Carolina census of 1800.5 6  He married Nancy Alexander, probably before 1766.

I have been in recent contact with descendants of Jesse and Nancy.  Their ancestor was Jesse's son Joel who married Martha "Patsy" Cobb.  For the most part, descendants of Joel remained in Rabun Co., GA all of their lives.

Joel and Martha had at least four children, the first being John Coffee, who is often referred to by the title of Reverend.  He is buried as "Elder John Coffee." He married Lavinia Carter in that county on Dec. 31, 1833 and died c1835, likely in childbirth. and later married Martha Singleton on Feb. 4, 1837.  With Martha, they raised 11 children.  John died in 1886 and Martha in 1887.  Both are buried

at the Clayton Baptist Church Cemetery in Clayton, Rabun Co.

The second child of Joel and Martha was Mary Frances, born c1818 in SC, died 1873 in GA.  She married Silas B. Price on Mar. 19, 1835 in Rabun Co. and were parents of at least five: Nancy Elizabeth, Martha, William J., and John R.

William Rowland was third and his wife was Ruth M. West, born 1851.  They married on Aug. 25, 1879 in Habersham Co., GA.  William was born on Nov. 4, 1834 in Rabun Co., died in GA in 1909. Ruth died in 120.  Both are buried at Head of Tennessee Baptist Church Cemetery at Dillard in Rabun Co.  Their children were Mable, Georgia, John Benjamin; Franklin, James Clinton and William H.

Jesse Leonard was the last known child.  He was born on Oct. 10, 1828 in Rabun Co. and married first to Nancy O. Singleton on Sep. 2, 1845.  She was born c1828 in GA.  Their children were Terrel, Mary M., Jemima, John E., James Jefferson, Lucinda and Martha, all born between 1847 and 1860. These children remain a work in progress.  More is known of the children by his second wife, Arzelia P. Thomas, born 1839 in Rabun Co.

Those children were Sarah B. "Sally," born c1863, married James A. Canup on May 4, 1886 in Rabun Co.  Robert Douglas, born Dec, 1866, married Martha Hazeltine Bowen on Dec. 10, 1888 in Towns Co., GA.  Joseph T., born c1869, no other information.  Rachel L., born c1872, married W. Virgil Bowen, no other information.  Franklin Alexander, no further information; Naoma Callie, born c1875, married Anderson Eller on Apr. 8, 1900 in Rabun Co. and lastly, Genela F., born Jun., 1877, married Martin Baker on Aug. 25, 1895.

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Footnotes

¹ Some Cleveland researchers reject Mildred Presley as the wife of Alexander and name an anonymous "Mary" as the mother of his children.  My source for her name is the work of  Marvin Coffey whose source appears to be by tradition. I consulted The Genealogy of the Cleveland Families, Edmund James Cleveland, 1899 and Virginia Cleveland Ancestor Discovered, George A. Martin, National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 46, Sep., 1958. Cleveland's work appears to me to mix two different Cleveland families and, is the source of the Presly surname.  I have not made a study of the Cleveland line and have only those two references to go by.

² Elizabeth is suspected to be the daughter of a man named Benjamin Franklin of Albemarle Co.  He had a daughter named Elizabeth who is known to have married a Clifton or Cliff Coffey and to have lived in Albemarle Co.  Marvin believed that Cliff or Clifton was a nickname for Cleveland because Joel and Martha Stapp Coffey had a son named Cleveland and nicknamed Cliff.  According to Tim Peterman, Elizabeth Franklin Coffey was the mother of Grace Coffey who married Rutherford Coffey in Green Co., KY in 1801.

³ At least by any Edward Sr. researcher that I know.

4 According to Marvin Coffey.  Others name his wife as Nancy Alexander and children as Cleveland, Bathsheba, Edward, John, Joel, Nancy and Elisha. Some descendants continue to spell their name Coffey while others, up through about the middle of the 20th century began spelling their name Coffee.  It appears now that practice ended and descendants have once again accepted Coffey as the correct spelling.

5 Attenpt to reconcile family members: 3 under 10 males: Edward, Joel and Elisha; Male 16-25, Cleveland; Male 45, Jesse; Female under 10: Nancy; Female, 10-15, Unknown; Female, 45, Nancy.  John should be here, born between 1786 and 1822.

6 Some family researchers claim that Jesse was born c1855 in VA and died c1807 in the Pendleton Dist., SC.  Some write that his parents were Joel Coffee [sic], and Martha Seely, and that he married Nancy [lnu] and was the father of Joel, born c1799 in the Pendleton Dist., and married Martha "Patsy" Cobb.  Joel is said to have died Sep. 15, 1849 and is buried in the Old Kingwood Cemetery.  The only reference I have found thus far to any Kingwood cemetery, places it in Preston Co., WVa.

^{Sources used were Rabun County Marriage Records; Census records, and family histories of Karen Coffey Galanski and Victoria Isham.  Heavily relied on for early Edward and Ann Powell research is credited to Marvin Dale Coffey and his work, James Bluford Coffey, His Ancestors and Descendants in America, and Vol. II, privately printed in 1984, second printing in 1994.  See http://bit.ly/1zUm0Sn for more information about this book.}

Dr. Robert Calvin Coffey

Dr. Robert Calvin Coffey

"Dr. R. C. Coffey, an eminent surgeon of the northwest who has followed his profession in Portland since March, 1900, having now well equipped offices in the Corbett building, is a graduate of the Kentucky School of Medicine of the class of 1892.  A native of North Carolina, he is a representation of one of the old southern families.  Determining upon the practice of medicine as a life work in early manhood, he supplemented his literary course by study in the Kentucky School of Medicine at Louisville, and was graduated in 1892, after which he sought the opportunities of the northwest, locating for practice in Moscow, Idaho, where he remained for five years.  He then removed to Colfax, Washington, where he spent two years and afterward came to Portland, where he has practiced through a decade, giving his attention exclusively to surgery.  He is fast becoming a recognized authority on this subject.  A master of the construction and functions of the component parts of the human body, of the changes induced in them by the onslaughts of disease, of the defects cast upon them as a legacy by progenitors, of the vital capacity remaining in the throughout all vicissitudes of existence, Dr. Coffey is well equipped for the onerous and responsible duties that devolve upon him as a surgeon and his work has received the endorsement not only of the general public, but also of the profession.

"He is an ex-president of the Idaho State Medical Society, an ex-secretary of the Washington State Medical Society and in 1908 was honored with election to the presidency of the Oregon State Medical Society.  He is also a member of the Western Surgical Association and Southern Surgical Association, and thus keeps in close touch with the advancement that is being made of the profession as research and investigation broaden knowledge and bring to light the hitherto hidden truths of science.

"Dr. Coffey married Miss Clarissa Ellen Coffey, and they have three children, Jay R., Wilson Boone and Robert Mayo.  The Doctor belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Royal Arcanum.  Of him it has been said 'he is wise in human nature, wise in the laws of general science, wise in social amenities.'"¹

Unfortunately, the life of Dr. Coffey came to a tragic end on Nov. 9, 1933 when he and many others aboard a multi-engine United Air Lines plane they were taking to San Francisco crashed at Portland, OR in dense fog as the plane was taking off.  It crashed into a hillside and the pilot and three passengers were killed.  Time magazine described the incident thusly:

"With fearful vengeance the Law of Averages proceeded last week to settle its score against United Air Lines. In 40 million miles of flying, no passenger had been killed in a multi-motored plane of United until last month when a ship was blown up on the New York-Chicago route (TIME, Oct. 23).* Last week near Portland, Ore. another United plane of the same new type crashed into a hillside in a fog. Pilot and three passengers were killed. Copilot, stewardess and four passengers survived.

"Fog lay thick around the Portland airport, situated on an island in the Willamette River, when the ship took off for its run down the coast to San Francisco. Among the passengers was Dr. Robert Calvin Coffey, Portland surgeon famed for his work with cancer. Across from him sat his assistant, Dr. John Straumfjord, with whom he was flying to Medford, Ore. to operate on a colleague. Leaving the airport the pilot circled gingerly up through the fog, edging perilously near the hills which rise abruptly to the west. Suddenly a wing tip gouged a tree on the hilltop. Down the ship crashed. It broke apart, caught fire. In an instant Stewardess Libby Wurgaft had the cabin door open. Four times she entered the blazing cabin, each time helped bring out an injured passenger. But nobody could save Dr. Coffey and the other two passengers on his side of the cabin. All three were killed by the crash.

"Fortnight ago Department of Justice agents said they were convinced that an underworldling had traveled in the plane several days before the crash, had concealed an explosive among the blankets in the plane's lavatory, for fear he would be searched at his destination. The explosive lay among the blankets until it fell to the floor.

"No kin of San Francisco's Dr. Walter Bernard Coffey, he addressed the American College of Surgeons last month on his method of draining the kidneys through the intestines in cases of cancerous bladder, and on his "surgical quarantine" of healthy tissue during treatment." 

 Dr. Coffey was a native son of North Carolina and the Yadkin Valley of Caldwell Co..  He was the eldest child of Patterson Vance Coffey and his wife, Nancy Martisha Estes.  His siblings were:

Judge James A. Coffey

James Alexander, born in 1872, received his BA from the Univ. of Idaho and an LLB from the Univ. of Minnesota. He practiced law in North Dakota from 1902 to 1910 when he was appointed by then Gov. John Burke to serve as a Judge on the bench of the 5th Judicial Districe where he served until 1919.  That year, the judicial districts were revised and he became a Judge on the bench of the 4th district.  He served there until 1928 when he returned to private practice. He died and was buried in Jamestown, ND in 1957.² 

Third born was Rose Ella Coffey in c1879.  In 1908 she married Harry Eyre Powell who was "a relative of the celebrated Baden Powell who held Mafeking during the British-Boer War.

Vanda was born c1888 but I have lost her.

The last child was Ada Boone Coffey, born Aug. 3, 1887 and died May 8, 1936 in Oregon.  She never married.  Her obituary tells of her accomplishments, both scholarly and professionally.

"Funeral services for Ada Boone Coffey, sister of the late Dr. Robert C. Coffey, were held Saturday with Rev. R. A. Simmonds of St. Mark's Episcopal church officiating. Interment was in Drain, Or., yesterday at 1:20 P. M.

"Miss Coffey was born in North Carolina in 1887 and came west with her family to Drain the following year.  She attended the University of Oregon and graduated from the Presbyterian Hospital Training School for Nurses in New York in 1913.

Her first professional work as a nurse was done in San Francisco.  She served in the Presbyterian hospital unit overseas during the war and later was sent to Serbia with the American Red Cross.  She was also connected with the public health department of New York state and Boston, Mass.

"Miss Coffey is survived by J. A. Coffey, Jamestown, N. D., and Mrs. Rose Powell of Portland."

Ada was buried at the Drain Cemetery, in Drain, Douglas Co., OR.

Dr. Coffey married his second cousin, Clarissa Ellen Coffey on Aug. 9, 1893.  They were in Portland, Multnomah Co., OR by 1910.  They were world travelers.  In 1932 they spend some time in Hong Kong as evidenced by their appearance on the passenger list of the SS President Taft arriving in Seattle, WA on Mar 5 of that year.³  Later that year they were on the passenger list of the SS Leviathan arriving from Cherbourg, France in October, 1932.

Dr. Jay Russell Coffey

He and Clarissa became parents of four children, all sons: Herbert Spencer was born before 1894 and apparently died at or shortly after birth.  Nothing else is known of him.  Jay Russell, born in 1894 at Moscow, Latah Co., ID also became a medical doctor.  He died of apparently natural causes in 1943 at the young age of 49.  Wilson Bryan Coffey was next, born in ID in 1898.  He later became the business manager for his father's hospital in Portland.  Their last child was Robert Mayo, born in OR in 1906, died in Lincoln Co., OR in 1972.  He also helped his father build and operate the Coffey Memorial Clinic.

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¹Joseph Gaston, editor, Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders in Connection with the Antecedent Explorations, Discoveries and Movements of the Pioneers that Selected the site for the Great City of the Pacific (Chicago, IL and Portland, OR: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911), Page 135.

²Biographical Sketches of North Dakota District Court Judges

³Seattle Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957 ; Micropublication M1383. RG085. 357 rolls. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Hospital photo from http://bit.ly/1GX3cAA

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Links to previous blogs on this family:  Clarissa Ellen Coffey; Patterson Vance Coffey; Doctors Coffey; John Calvin Coffey

“Troops from Apache.”

“Lieut. Fenton Investigates the Cibieu Affair”

 “Gila County Officers in the Right.”

“Lieutenant Fenton, Seventh cavalry, and detachment of twenty soldiers, sent out from Fort Apache to investigate the killing of the Indian on Cibieu creek, Dec. 5, arrived in Globe on Wednesday last.  They were accompanied by William Voris, Frank Ketcherside and Huse Kyle, members of the sheriff’s posse that had the fight with Cooley’s band of Indians.  They were not under arrest, but came to Globe with Lieutenant Fenton, voluntarily, as a matter of prudence, to show their good faith and to pacify the Cibieu Indians, who supposed they were to be brought to Globe under arrest.

“Lieutenant’s [sic] Fenton’s investigation of the trouble at Cibieu corroborates the statements of the Gila county officers engaged in the affray, published elsewhere, and leaves no ground for action against the officers.

“Colonel Powell, commanding at Fort Apache, was notified of the Cibieu fight on Friday, the 7^th inst., and Lieutenant Fenton and detachment left the same night for Cooley’s camp.  Upon their arrival there they found the Indians in a state of great excitement, and their demeanor was so threatening that for a time it looked as though they might attack the troops.  The Lieutenant found that the Indian killed by Voris was Nan-tan-go-tayz, tag V 7, a brother of Cooley, chief of the band.  He was shot in the right breast, four inches below the neck, and the bullet ranged downward, diagonally through the body and came out in the region of the left kidney.

“The Indians expressed displeasure at the presence of the troops and informed Lieutenant Fenton, through an interpreter, that [sic] they wanted to settle their difficulties themselves.  Cooley and two other Indians accompanied the command to Vosburg’s and Ellison’s ranches.  At Vosburg’s the lying interpreter pointed out Frank Ketcherside as the man who killed Nan-tan-go-tayz, whereupon old Chief, trembling with excitement, and with gun in hand, assumed a threatening attitude as though about to shoot Ketcherside.  A soldier, observing the move, threw a cartridge into his gun and Cooley subsided.  When the soldiers reached Canyon creek, on their way to Pleasant [V]alley, they were met by John Dazin and band of Indians, armed and mounted, who asked permission of Lieutenant Fenton to accompany them to fight the whites.  The Lieutenant informed Dazin that he was not out for the purpose of fighting the whites, and told the Indians to return to their camp.

“Lieutenant Fenton and detachment left Globe Thursday morning for San Carlos and expected to proceed to Fort Apache the next day.”

Next:  Military report to Washington

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Note: John William Voris was husband to Virginia Pearl Coffee, daughter of Robert Marion and Emma Gaines Reynolds Coffee. Cibieu is Cibecue creek where these particular Apaches lived.  It was some 45 miles or so NE of  Fort Apache AZ.  It is in what is known as the San Carlos Reservation.  I have also seen references to it being in the Fort Apache Reservation.  See http://tinyurl.com/oepozyg for context.

Source:  Arizona Silver Belt. (Globe City, Pinal County, Ariz.), 14 Dec. 1895, Page 3, Col. 4-5. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84021913/1895-12-14/ed-1/seq-3/>

Joshua & Martha "Patsy" Coffey Stapp

A recent e-mail asking for possible documentation of the marriage between Joshua and Patsy resulted in my attempt to again locate any documentation that FamilySearch.org might now have.  Unfortunately, I found none.  But, checking for on-line books through Google I found a couple of other references to this family that might be beneficial to researchers.  I have taken the liberty of altering/correcting spelling of some verbiage in the will to allow it to be more easily read.

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Joshua, probably a son of Abraham Stapp and Dorothy Moss, appears to have been born in Essex Co., VA c1687 and married Martha, a daughter of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey, between 1718 and 1721 in Essex Co.  The earliest references to this marriage that I am aware of can be found in the Laurence H. Coffey book, Thomas Coffey and His Descendants, published by Newell Sanders, Chattanooga, 1931 and, The Stapp/Stapp Families of America by Henry P. Scalf in 1976.  Joshua died c1783 in Orange Co., VA and left a will there in Will Book 3, pages 54-55.¹

Orange County Will Book 3, Page 54-55

"In the Name of God Amen I, Joshua Stapp of the County of Orange being in perfect health and sound sense of memory and mindful of the uncertainty of this life do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following. First I give my soul to almighty God who gave it me trusting in Jesus Christ for the remission of my sins and as for what worldly goods it hath pleased God to bestow me I give in manner and form following Viz.

"Item my will and desire is that my Negro man and newswoman be both free and at their own disposal and if there should be any charges required by the Court towards their being legally set free from Bondage then my will is that such charges be paid out of my estate.

"Item my will is that my grandson Achillies Stapp have my Negro woman Cate.

"Item I give the residue of my Estate not already mentioned to be divided between the persons whose names I hereafter mention my Grandson Achillies Stapp my Grand daughter Lucy Willhoit (? ) my Grand daughter Sarah Creel and my Grand daughter Martha Hubbard to them and their heirs forever.

"Item my will is that my Estate not be sold but be appraised and divided according to appraisement.

"Lastly I constitute and appoint my Grandson Achillies Stapp Executor to this my last will and testament revoking all former wills byme made acknowledging this to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and Seal this 19th day of December One Thousand Seven Hundred and eighty Two.

"Signed Sealed and Published In Presence of John Dayne,John Wayt Joshua X Stapp (SS) , William Wyat Mark

"At a Court held for Orange County on Thursday 27th March 1783 This last will and testament of Joshua Stapp Dec'd being presented into Court by Achillis Stapp Executor therein named And proved by the oaths of John Wait and William Wait Two of the witnesses hereto And Ordered to be recorded And on the motion of the said Executor who made oath According to law Certificate is granted him for Obtaining Probate thereof in due form whereupon he with Robert ? MIller his Security Entered into Bond for the same in"The sum of Two thundered and fifty pounds. Teste James Taylor C.O.C."

Orange Co. VA. Deed Book 16 pg. 352-353 Aug. 13, 1773

"To all Christian People to whom this presents writing Shall Come I Joshua Stapp Sener of Orange County Sendeth Greeting Know ye that I the said Joshua Stapp Sener for Divers good Causes and valuable considerations me hereunto moving have given and granted and by these present do give grant & confirm unto my son Joshua Stapp of Said County one Negro Man named Marrick to him and his heirs forever and also one Negro Woman Named Frank Ide (?) give to the said Joshua Stapp Junior during his life and after the Decease of the said to be with their increase divided equally between the children of the said Joshua Stapp and Hannah his wife forever and by these present to be do warrant the said Negroes to the said Joshua Stapp his heirs executors Administrators or Assigns forever from any person or persons whatever Claiming any Rights or Title to the said Negroes or either of them Virtue to my hand and Seal this Thirteenth day of August Anno Dom 1773.

"William Bell his Joshua X Stapp (SS), Thomas Burbridge mark , John Stabler (?) at a Court held for Orange County the 28th of September 1773 this Deed of Gift from Joshua Stapp to Joshua Stapp Junior was proved by the Oaths of William Bell Thomas Burbrige and John Stabler Witness thereto and Ordered to be Recorded. Test James Taylor C.O.C.”

Pg. 353:

"To all Christian People to whom this presents writing Shall Come I Joshua Stapp Sener of Orange County Sendeth Greeting Know ye thatI the said Joshua Stapp Sener for Divers good Causes and valuable considerations me hereunto moving have given and granted and by these present do give grant & confirm unto my son Thomas Stapp of Said County During Life One Negro Man named James and One Negro Woman named Minn (?) and after the Decease to be equally divided between the Children of the Said Thomas Stapp and Ann his wife with their increase forever and by these presents do warrant the said Negroes to the said Thomas Stapp during life and after his decease to the heirs of the said Thomas and Ann his wife for ever from _____ Claims of any person or Persons to ha (?) Claiming any Rights for (?) The said Negroes or either of them. Witness my hand and Seal this fourteenth day of August Anno Dom 1773. In the presence of William Bell his Thomas Burbridge Joshua X Stapp (SS), John Stabler mark"

"At a Court held for Orange County the 28th of September, 1773 This Deed of Gift from Joshua Stapp to Thomas Stapp was proved by the Oaths of William Bell Thomas Burbridge and John Staler Witness there and Ordered to be Recorded , Test James Tayler C.O.C. "

Pg. 393-394

"To all Christian People to whom this presents writing Shall Come I Joshua Stapp Sener of Orange County Sendeth Greeting Know ye that I the said Joshua Stapp Sener for Divers good Causes and valuable considerations me hereunto moving but more Especially for the Love and good will I have unto my son James Stapp have given and granted and by these present do give grant bargain & confirm unto my son James Stapp one Negro man named Abraham and one Negro woman named Bel lone Negro boy named Abraham one Negro girl named Bell and for the above Consideration do give freely and Clearly the above said four Negroes and their Increase to my said son James Stapp and his heirs forever and by Virtue of this present writing do warrant the said Negroes with their Increase."  "Tomy said son James Stapp and his heirs Executors Administrator from the Just Claim right or title of any person or persons whatever having or lawfully claiming the same or part thereof in Witness whereof I the said Joshua Stapp Senior have here to set my hand seal this 23rd day of December Anno Dom One thousand Seven hundred and Seventy five. . Signed Sealed and Delivered his Inthe presence off Joshua X Stapp, William Sims , Thomas Stapp , Thomas X Stapp, Killes Stapp" 

"At a court held for Orange County on Thursday the 22nd of February 1776. This Deed of gift from Joshua Stapp to James Stapp proved by the oaths of Wm. Sims Tho. Stapp and Tho. Stapp junior thereof the Witnesses hereto and Ordered to be recorded. Test James Taylor C.O.C. " 

Deed Book 16 pg. 394 

"Toll Christian People to whom this presents writing Shall Come I Joshua Stapp Sener of Orange County Sendeth Greeting Know ye that I the said Joshua Stapp Sener for Divers good Causes and valuable considerations me hereunto moving but Especially for the Love and good will I bare unto my Granddaughter Elizabeth Sims of Albemarle County have given and Granted and by these presents do give grant bargain and Confirm unto my Grand Daughter Elizabeth Sims one Negro boy named Ben and for the above Consideration do give freely and Clearly the above said Negro boy to my said Grand daughter Elizabeth Sims to her and her heirs forever and by Virtue of this present Writing do warrant the said Negro boy tomy said Grand Daughter Elizabeth Sims and her heirs Executors Administrators from the Just Claim Right or Title of any person or persons whatever having or Lawfully Claiming the same in Witness whereof I the said Joshua Stapp Sener have hereunto my hand and Seal this 3 of December Anee Dom One thousand Seven hundred and seventy five . In the presence off : Joshua Stapp, William Sims ,Tho. Stapp , Tho's Stapp , Killes Stapp"

 "At a Court held for Orange County on Thursday the 25th of February 1776 This Deed of Gift from Joshua Stapp to Elizabeth Sims was proved by the Oaths of William Sims Tho's Stapp and Tho's Stapp Junr. Three of the Witnesses hereto and Ordered to be Recorded , Test James Taylor C.O.C." 

Researchers believe that Joshua and Martha had at least eight children, they being:

Joseph who married Elizabeth Lucas and had (at least) Joshua, Elizabeth and Sally and died after 1775.

John, born between 1720 and 1722, died at Culpepper, VA in 1751.  He married Ann Salmon, born c1710 in Spotsylvania Co., VA.

Joshua, Jr., born c1724, died in Jun., 1814; married Hannah Durham and had children Achilles, Thomas, Lucy and James.  Achilles married Margaret Vawter on Nov. 27, 1782 in Orange Co.² Thomas married Elizabeth "Betsy" Barbridge or Burbridge on Jan. 4, 1779 in Orange Co.³  Lucy married John Wilhite.

Eve Stapp married Anthred Salmon.

Anester, born c1728 married Capt. William Sims and had at least one child, Elizabeth, born in Albemarle Co., VA. [Scalf].

Elizabeth, born c1729 in VA, married William Morris c1746, [Scalf]

Thomas married Ann Lucas. [Scalf]  Thomas came into possession of 200 acres of land from his brother Joseph of Orange Co. Joseph had married Elizabeth, the daughter of William Lucas and the land was her inheritance. It is said to have been "lying on both sides of Marsh Run." See Orange Co. deed book 13, page 331. The relationship between Ann and Elizabeth is not known.

Scalf also reports that a son named James was born c1731 but offers no other information. James is mentioned in his father's will.

Some researchers claim an additional three daughters were born to the union but, no documentation has been produced.

---

Sources:

¹ See also Orange Co., VA Deed Book 16, pages 352-353 dated Aug. 13, 1773
² "Virginia, Orange County Marriage Records, 1757-1938" at FamilySearch.org
³ "Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940" at FamilySearch.org.  See also Virginia County Records: Miscellaneous County Records, Wm Armstrong Crozier, p169 as well as Johnston, Stapp and Allied Families, Jennie F. Downing Crow, 1979, Page 18

Edmond Jackson "Eddie" & Lula Belle Andrews McLean

Edmond Jackson "Eddie" McLean

Eddie and Lula were married for 72 years before her death on Jan. 23, 1993.  Eddie followed her on Dec. 3, 1994.  Both are buried at the Globe Baptist Church Cemetery in Globe, Caldwell Co., NC.

He was born in the Yadkin Valley on Oct. 9, 1903 and on Apr. 25, 1921, at age 17 he married 16 year old Lula Belle Andrews in Globe Twp.  Together they had at least five children, perhaps six*.  The children were:

Belle, born Feb. 11, 1922 married Ralph L. Hearn and settled in Virginia.  Belle died on Jan. 6, 2006 in Mathews Co., VA and was buried there in Windsor Gardens Cemetery.

MATHEWS - Belle McLean Hearn, 83, passed away Jan. 4, 2006, at Riverside Hospital, Newport News. Belle was a native of Lenoir, N.C., and resided in Mathews County for many years. She was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church and during World War II she was employed by the Defense Dept., Fort Monroe, Va. 

Belle was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph L. Hearn; her parents, Edmond J. and Lula Belle Andrews McLean; two brothers, Ronald McLean and Reece E. McLean; and one sister, Winnie McLean Askew. 

She is survived by one sister and brother-in-law, Jane McLean Harmon and Don Harmon, and one niece, Gloria Askew Armistead, all of Cobbs Creek, Va.; two nephews, Walter David McLean of Boone, N.C., and Brian Harmon of Hampton, Va.; and also a very special friend, Benetta Smith Packer of Odessa, Fla. 

Belle, lovingly known as 'Aunt Belle' to her many friends and neighbors, will be fondly remembered for her many church activities and her great love of life. Her request was a simple graveside service which will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, (today) at Windsor Gardens, Dutton. We the family, respectfully ask for no flowers. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, Box 723, Mathews, VA 23109. Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home, Mathews, is handling the arrangements.

Ronald Edward, born Jan. 28, 1924 in Upton, Caldwell Co., died in Globe on Oct. 2, 1924.  His death certificate reads only that he died of "kidney trouble."  He was buried at the Andrews Family Cemetery in Collettsville, Caldwell Co.

Willie Mae, born 1926 in Caldwell Co.

Reece Edmond, born Dec. 26, 1936 in Caldwell Co., died Jun. 21, 2003 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co. Reece Married Mable Lucille Tolbert and at least one child, a son was born to them in 1963.  Reece is buried at Baileys Camp Baptist Church Cemetery in Lenoir.

Merida Jane, born c1941, married Donley D. Harmon in Caldwell Co. in 1963.  When sister Belle died, her obituary reported that Jane and her family lived in Cobbs Creek, Mathews Co., VA.

Eddie was the son of Andrew Jackson and Martha Jane "Mattie" Church McLean.  Andrew and Mattie were parents to at least ten children.  Their daughter, Bessie Mae married Hayley or Hillie Horton Coffey, a son of Gilliam and Susan D. Gragg Coffey on Feb. 2, 1908 in the Yadkin Valley.  Another son, Homer Commodore McLean married Stella Mae Andrews, sister to Lula Belle.

Martha Jane "Mattie" Church was the daughter of James Franklin "Jim" and Laura Virginia Blackburn Church and sister to Joseph Commodore Church whose first of three wives was Lee Ella Coffey, daughter of Thomas Avery and Louisa E. Gragg Coffey.

All of these folks have deep ties to North Carolina.  The Coffey families go back to Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John who married Jane Graves.

Earlier blogs about some of these families can be found here and here.

Sources:

US Federal census, Caldwell Co. marriage records, NC death records, cemetery records and descendent contributions

*There is another birth record in Caldwell Co. for an unnamed child in 1924 and is recorded in an earlier birth register.  The child could be Ronald who remained unnamed until a week or so later when his birth was "officially" recorded.

Rice & Sarah Bradford Coffey

Rice was the son of a Baptist preacher.

Rice Coffey was the ninth of at least 11 children born to the Rev. James Coffey and wife, Elizabeth Cleveland.  James was the oldest son of John and Jane Graves Coffey; John the eldest of Edward and Anne Powell Coffey.

We know little about his early life until he married Sarah Bradford in about 1790.  He appears in very few North Carolina records which indicates that he and Sarah moved early in their union to Wartrace, at the time the second largest town in Bedford Co., TN.  According to Worth S. Ray in his huge work Tennessee Cousins, A History of the Tennessee People¹, the town of Wartrace was built on land donated by Rice and Henry B. Coffee.² [sic]  I personally do not know of a Henry B. Coffee/y associated with Rice until the birth of his son, Henry Bradford Coffey in 1796.

The first tax record in which Rice appears in Bedford Co. is one created in 1812.  An account written c1890 by a grandson, Rice Abner Coffey, reports that Rice moved from NC to Bedford Co. in 1808 and all but the last three of his children were born in NC.  If that is true, migration to TN would have been a bit earlier that 1808.  The 7th of his and Sally's children³, Martha D., was born Dec. 24, 1806 in TN.

Sally was born to Bennett and Margaret White Bradford4 July 22, 1770 in Bedford Co., perhaps in the same area of Wartrace Creek that later became the incorporated town of Wartrace.  She died there on Sep. 3, 1840 and was buried at the Old Salem Cemetery at Bell Buckle in Bedford Co.5   Rice died on Jul. 24, 1853 in Bedford Co., and was buried in the Coffey family cemetery at Wartrace.

Their children were:

Jerusha, a daughter born May 4, 1792 in Wilkes Co., NC; died Mar. 10, 1810 at Old Salem.

Elvira, born May 14, 1794, in NC and probably Wilkes Co., died Jul. 20, 1849 in Bedford Co.  She is also buried at Old Salem.

Henry Bradford, born Jul. 12, 1796 in Wilkes Co., died Apr. 11, 1864 at Jackson, Clarke Co., AL.  I have no independent information that Henry died during the Civil War,  After all, he was at least 67 years old when he died, a bit old to have taken up the cause, but I wonder what was he doing 300+ miles south of Wartrace in that year.  He was buried in Jackson at the Cross Cemetery.

His spouse was Sarah Rial Edmondson, born in Halifax Co., VA in 1809, died Mar. 31, 1892 in Wartrace.and was buried at the Coffee Cemetery.  She was the mother of ten:  Wiley Daniel; Elizabeth A., Richard E., Jane; Elvira; William Edmondson; Mary; Martha; Garland Rice and Isham.

Following Henry Bradford was Mary G., born 1797 in Wilkes Co., died Oct. 22, 1878 in Wartrace.  She married John Kendall (var) on Mar. 4, 1821 in Bedford Co.  They had a number of children, including Arcena who married a Prewitt, but I have not researched all of this family.Mary is buried at the Coffee Cemetery in Wartrace.

Weightstill Avery was next, born 1801 in NC, died 1837 in Bedford Co.  No known marriages.  He is buried at Old Salem.

Alexander Hamilton, born Jan. 19, 1803 in NC, died Apr. 5, 1864 in Jackson Co., AL.  His wife was Nancy E. Weatherly to whom he was married on Aut. 2, 1828 in Rutherford Co., TN.6  He was buried at Fackler in Jackson Co. at the Roach Cemetery.  Nancy died in 1841 and was buried at Old Salem.7

Their children were Rice Abner, 1833-1896; Michael A., c1837-? and, Weightstill Avery, 1837-1898.  Rice and Abner apparently migrated to Scottsboro in Jackson Co., AL.  They each died there and were buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery.  Rice Abner married Mary Ann Coffey, his first cousin, daughter of Benjamin and Mary E. Roach Coffey. Benjamin and Alexander Hamilton were brothers. Weightstill Avery married Mary Elizabeth Harris on May 2, 1866 in Jackson Co.8  Their children were Alexander Harris; Rice Abner; Eula Lee; Weightstill III, Mary Hudson and Vivian.

Rice and Sally's seventh child was Martha D., born Dec. 24, 1806 in TN, died Mar. 25, 1849 in Benton Co., AR.  Her spouse was Col. Alexander Curry Yell, born Nov. 12, 1805 in Rutherford Co., TN, died Oct. 24, 1881 in Benton Co.  Their children were Sarah J., Mary E., Martha E., Elizabeth, Marna and their only son, Archibald Yell.  Martha and Col. Yell are buried at the Yell Cemetery in Siloam Springs, Benton Co.9

Benjamin B. was next born.  His birth date was Aug. 16, 1809 in TN and death on Apr. 6, 1864 in AL.  He married Mary Elizabeth Roach, bor Sep. 4, 1824, died Sep. 8, 1850 in AL.  They are buried at the Roach Cemetery in Fackler.  I know of only one child, Mary Ann, born 1842, died 1864,  She was the wife of Rice Abner, above.

The last child born to Rice and Sally was Gen. John Reid Coffey.  You can read more about the General in a 2005 blog, updated July 25, 2014.

---

Some few years ago, a visitor to Coffey Cousins submitted the following information,   It was not an original document but was represented to me as a document that should be accepted at face value, with no additional proof. I passed the document around to various long time Coffee/Coffey researchers, asking for help authenticating the claim that Rice Coffee was the father of William Berry Coffee. To my surprise, none of them had ever seen or heard about the document. None of them denied that it could be truthful, but none could authenticate with documentation the claim that William Coffee Berry was the illegitimate son of Rice Coffee and Elizabeth Fields Berry.

Here is the text as I received it:

"William Coffee Berry was the illegitimate son of Rice Coffee and Elizabeth Fields Berry. She was the widow of a Revolutionary War soldier who had died of rheumatic fever. She then moved down to Wilkes County, North Carolina, where a brother & sister had married into the Coffee family. Rice Coffee refused (or couldn't) marry Elizabeth, but apparently did acknowledge that William, and later Mary, were his. Elizabeth gave both his name and her married name to both children.William was an Elder in the Refugee Baptist Church in Henderson County, North Carolina in 1850 ..and also became a literal refugee later in June of 1863 when he, his second wife and teenage daughter had to flee their home ahead of advancing Yankee troops.

"In 1870 at Avery's Creek, North Carolina, when he was 74, he wrote out a detailed account of the family's history, from which many of the facts in this total computer file were drawn. Here is that account, deciphered as best was possible, given the condition of the document and his handwriting:"

A BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF THE BERRY FAMILY By William Coffee Berry January 30, 1870 "Richard Fields married Elizabeth Murrel, the sister of Drury Murrel ...all natives of Amherst County, Virginia. After marriage, Mr. Fields settled in Albemarle County, Virginia where Mrs. Fields became the mother of four children: Thomas, Joel, Elizabeth and Sarah. Mr. Fields died and his widow married a second time. Her second marriage was to John Gilliam, by whom she became the mother of three sons: Epaphroditus, Cornelius and John. Thomas (Fields), her oldest son, married Elizabeth Coffee and emigrated to Wilkes County, North Carolina, where he lived to an advanced age and died, leaving a large and respectable family behind him.

"Joel (Fields) died in the 21st year of his age and left no descendants. Sarah (Fields) married Thomas Coffee. They emigrated shortly after the close of the Revolution to N.C. and settled in Wilkes County. She became the mother of nine children, seven sons and two daughters. -Her second son, Reuben, was a distinguished Baptist clergyman. He emigrated with his family and two of his younger brothers and their families to the state of Indiana, and settled in Monroe County near Bloomington, where all those brothers have since died.

"Reuben, (along with) Lewis and Larkin Epaphroditus Gilliam, emigrated from Virginia to Wilkes County, North Carolina ....and married Sally Israel, daughter of Michael Israel, and moved with his family to Clay County, Missouri, where he has since died. He was a local Methodist preacher. Cornelius Gilliam married a Miss Wood and moved to Kentucky, where he accumulated a handsome property and died without any children. John Gilliam (Jr. ?) married, lived and died in Virginia.
Elizabeth Fields married Bradley Berry of Albemarle County, Virginia, by whom she became the mother of a son and called his name Franklin. After his birth his mother, Elizabeth Berry, moved with her infant son Franklin to Wilkes County, N.C. ... where she became the mother of Mary and William, the avowed and acknowledged offspring of Rice Coffee.

"(Several lines here were erased or obliterated by someone who [apparently] couldn't stand the idea of this ancestor being illegitimate. It was likely Ruth Parker, who was the custodian of this document in 1971. Her qualification as a DAR would be in question if she could not trace a direct bloodline back to a Revolutionary War soldier, and being a DAR was very important to her. She even gives her DAR registration number, 489910, along with her signature.)

"When William C. Berry was in his 13th year (circa 1809), his mother moved with Mary and William to Buncombe County, N.C., where she lived until her death. This aforesaid Elizabeth Berry was born March 12th, 1755 and deceased on Monday, May 24th, 1824. Mary was born February 5th, 1789 and was married in February 1810 to Mr. David Rodgers, by whom she became the mother of nine children: Three sons and six daughters. Named as follows: (Sarah), Fawniah, Hugh, Mary, Jane, Robert, Elizabeth Emily, Margaret Minerva and David. The oldest was born December 16, 1811 and the youngest January 21, 1830. All are still living at the present date, 1870. Mary Rodgers, their mother, died April 21, 1857. She lived beloved and died lamented.

"The three sons, Hugh, Robert and David and five of their sisters are living in Jackson County, N.C. and all are in easy circumstances. The other sister, Mary, married Mr. Jason Chasteaux. They are settled on Toccoa River, Fanning County, Georgia and are in affluent circumstances.

"William C. Berry was born October 19th, 1796, and on the 30th day of April, 1816, was married to Miss Letticia Woody, daughter of Jonathan and Mary Woody, by whom he became the father of 12 children, six sons and six daughters: Thomas F, Elizabeth, Mary, William M.C., Larkin M., Mariah Louisa, Lewis Franklin, Sarah Elviry Emily, Martha Ann, Ephriam Moor, Joseph Manning, and Letticia Minerva June.

"Thomas F. was born February 2nd, 1817 and died July 18th, 1878. Elizabeth was born October 29th, 1818. She married William Bishop of Spartanburg, South Carolina May 16th, 1844, and became the mother of nine children, five sons and four daughters. She departed this life on April lst, 1864, aged 46 years, 5 months, 2 days. Mary Berry was born March 22nd, 1820, and was married to James B. Sutton (?) January 13th, 1842. She became the mother of ten children, two of which died in infancy. She lived to see six grandchildren and died November 22nd, 1869, aged 49 years and 8 months.
William M.C. Berry was born February 27th, 1822 and was married to Clarisa Williams, daughter of Frederic & Martha Elizabeth Williams of Spartanburg, S.C., by whom he became the father of four children, two sons and two daughters. He yet lives and recently visited his aged father, who now resides in Jackson County, N.C. at the close of the year 1869.

"Larkin M. Berry was born April 12th, 1824 and professed religion in his 13th year. He became a preacher in the Baptist denomination at age 17, and was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry December 24th, 1848. He has attained the character of an able, popular, efficient preacher. He married Miss Martha Bishop of Spartanburg May 16th, 1844 and became the father of four children, three sons and one daughter. He located himself and his family in the city of Lacon, Illinois in the spring of 1869 where he now lives on January 30th, 1870.

"Mariah Louisa was born April 10th, 1826 and married John Bishop of Spartanburg, S.C. on August 31st, 1848, by whom she became the mother of seven children, four sons and three daughters. Her husband, John Bishop, died near Richmond in the Confederate army in the spring of 1864. She is now living in Jackson County, N.C. in 1870.

"Lewis Franklin Berry was born May 25th, 1828 and found the baptist church at Boiling Springs, Spartanburg, in October 1844. He married Sarah Lewis of Spartanburg, by whom he became the father of seven children, five sons and two daughters. He emigrated to Morgan County, Alabama and settled three miles north of Summerville (?). ...professed to be a preacher of the gospel.

"Sarah Elviry Emily Berry was born March lst, 1830 and married John Crook, Jr. She died December 28th, 1865, aged 34 years, 9 months, 27 days. She left but one child behind to perpetuate her name.
Martha Ann was born May 3rd, 1832 and died on Friday, July 5th, 1834.

"Ephriam M. Berry was born August 9th, 1834 and professed religion on October 27th, 1850, and was baptized into the fellowship of the Refugee Baptist Church in Henderson County, N.C. He married Miss Matilda Jenkins in the spring of 1853. His wife, Matilda, lived seven months after their marriage and died of consumption on Monday, December 24th, 1853. In the year 1863, said E.M. Berry emigrated to the northwest ... located himself in the state of Indiana, where he has attained some degree of notoriety as an M.D. and an Eldership in the Christian Church.

"Joseph M. Berry was born December llth, 1837, made profession of the Christian religion October 26th, 1850, and was baptized into the fellowship of the Refugee Baptist Church in Henderson County, N.C. on Friday, November 8th, by his father, Elder William C. Berry. After the death of his mother, Joseph M. located in Greenville, S.C. where he married Susannah Owens, by whom he became the father of one child, a daughter born January lst, 1861. In the spring of 1863, he emigrated to the northwest, locating at Bedford, Indiana. He became a student of the high school at that place and has since attained to high distinction and notoriety as a scholar and a clergyman in the Christian Church.

"Letticia Minerva June Berry, the youngest of her father's family, was born March 4th, 1840 and professed religion October 25th, 1850, and was baptized into the fellowship of the Refugee Baptist Church in Henderson County, N.C. on Friday, November 8th, 1850 by her brother, Elder Larkin M. Berry. She remained at home with her parents until her mother's death, and she was then placed under the care & control of her Aunt Mary Rodgers. After the death of Mrs. Rodgers, Minerva returned to her father, who married Miss Charlotte Osbourn, daughter of Jermiah & Ann 0sbourn. She remained with her father and stepmother until June 23rd, 1863, when all were driven to the necessity of leaving home as refugees to seek a destination of safety in the state of South Carolina. Minerva then went to East Tennessee, where she was still living when last heard from by the writer, her father and her mother (Letticia Woody was married April 30th, 1846 and died April 14th, 1855, aged 56 years, 10 months, 22 days. She had lived many long years a pious and exemplary Christian life, and died in the full triumphs of the Christian faith. Jonathan Woody, her father, was the son of William Woody, a native of England. He married Sarah Persel, an English lady. They immigrated from England and settled on the Potomac River in the state of Virginia, where Jonathan was born. After his birth, the family moved to South Carolina where Jonathan married Mary Lovel, by whom he became the father of eight children, four sons & four daughters. Three died in infancy. Their father, Jonathan Woody, moved when nearly 100 years of age to the state of Iowa, and died at his youngest son's place, Berry Woody. Jonathan Woody had three brothers and four sisters: William, Talton, James, Elizabeth, Nancy, Sarah and Mary.

"William married a Miss Watkins. Nancy married John Slaton. Sarah married Abner Norrce and Mary married John Davice, nicknamed "Jack of Diamonds". William Woody, brother of Jonathan, had 13 children, nine sons and four daughters: John, Talton, William, Killis, Silas, Nicholas, David, Joseph, Washington, Nancy, Elizabeth, Kizzias (Polly) and Mary. Nancy married William Miller. Elizabeth married John Gasperson. Polly married a Mr. Cook.

"NOTE: William C. Berry wrote this account for his son, Joseph M. Berry, who carried it to Oklahoma, where it passed to Joseph's daughter, Lillie Belle Berry Clark in 1917. In 1951, Lillie entrusted it to Ruth Hope Parker Lessley, her niece whom she had raised from infancy. Ruth is the daughter of Laura Berry Parker, Lillie's sister, who died in 1907. In January, 1971, Ruth lived in Paducah, Kentucky."


[On Feb. 23, 2007, DNA testing confirmed that a direct descendant of William Berry Coffey is a Coffey, and likely the illegitimate son of Rice Coffey.  See Coffey Cousins' DNA website for details.]

---

Sources:

¹Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, Jul., 1950

² I do not know of a Henry B. Coffee/y associated with Rice until the birth of his son, Henry Bradford Coffey in 1796.  According to a TN State Historic Marker, Rice donated 8 acres to the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad on which the town was build around.

³ Some discrepancies exists in various accounts of the number and names of children.  The 1820 census lists 5 male children and 3 female, which agrees with the account presented here.  The oldest of their children, daughter Jerusha died in 1810.

4 Genealogical Publishing Co., Reprint, Genealogies of Virginia Families: From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007), Page 212.  Margaret was Bennett's second wife.

5 I've wondered why she was buried at Bell Buckle, some two hours north of Wartrace on horseback.  Perhaps the Coffey Cemetery at Wartrace had not yet been established?! The oldest grave at Wartrace appears to be that of Rice who died in 1853.

6 Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VNXX-3CM : accessed 05 Mar 2013), Alexander H Coffey, and Nancy E Weatherly, 1828 and Zella Armstrong, Author/Compiler, Notable Southern Families, with Janie Preston Collop French, Author/Compiler (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974), Vols. 5-6, Page 14.

7 Nancy E Weatherly, 1828 and Zella Armstrong, Author/Compiler, Notable Southern Families, with Janie Preston Collop French, Author/Compiler (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1974), Vols. 5-6, Page 14.

8 "Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQDR-V2Q : accessed 10 Jan 2013), W. Avey Coffey and Bettie L. Harris, 02 May 1866.

9 This came to me several years ago and the source is unknown:  "We omitted to mention last week, the death of our old-time friend, Col. Yell. He was a well-known and prominent citizen of this [Washington Co., AR?] and Benton counties. The name of Aleck Yell in Northwest Arkansas was a household word. Always the friend of the oppressed, none knew him but to love him. Now that his earthly career is ended, the memory of his good deeds will outlive the cold marble that covers his ashes. Friend of our early days, sorrowfully we pronounce the word that makes us linger farewell."  Col. Yell was a son of Moses Archibald and Jane Curry Yell.  

John William Payton & Sarah Elizabeth Coffey

John William Payton, born Jun. 13, 1864 in Kentucky was a son of Charles Payton and his wife, Margaret Brummett.  He was married c1885¹ to Sarah Elizabeth "Lizzie" Coffey, a daughter of Gabriel Russell and Margaret Caroline Rodgers Coffey.

Gabriel Russell was born c1845 descended from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.  His father was Perry, son of Thomas, Jr., son of Thomas, who married Nancy Pendley; son of Thomas who married Elizabeth Smith; son of John, first son of Edward, who married Jane Graves.  Gabriel was in KY by around 1868 when he and Margaret are said to have been married.

Sarah's report to the census taker in 1910, when the family lived in Goodnight, Anderson Co.,  KY indicated she had been previously married.²  However, she was only age 17 when she married John Payton.  By 1920 the couple had moved to Louisville, where they remained until death.

Sarah was born in TN on May 18, 1868 and died on Sep. 24, 1948 in Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY. John died in Louisville on Feb. 8, 1952, They are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville.

Children born to John and Sarah, numbered at least seven.  However, because they married c1885 and their first known child was not born until some six years later, it is likely they had two or three other who did not survive those early years.

Charles H., born Jan. 27, 1891, died Jan. 31, 1926 in Louisville and was buried at Evergreen.  His wife was Beulah Mae Howard, born Oct. 12, 1893 in Jeffersonville, Clark Co., IN, died Apr. 15, 1933 in Louisville.  They were married in Clark Co. on Sep. 17, 1913.  Beulah was the daughter of Joseph and Frances McCallister [sic] Howard.

Myrtle Lee, born Feb. 19, 1898 in Kentucky, died Oct. 22, 1983 in Louisville.  She married twice, first to Jesse Charles Miller, a son of Harry and Mary Goeben Miller, born Mar. 22, 1883 in Lucas Co., IA, died Jun. 18, 1983 in Louisville.  They were married on May 20, 1918 in Clark Co., IN.  Her second husband was William E. Smith, born Nov. 7, 1910, died Jun. 6, 1985 in Louisville.  Each are buried at Evergreen.

Mary Margaret, born May 21, 1899 in Anderson Co., KY, first married William W. Walters, a son of Aaron and Sarena Negals [sic] Walters, on May 1, 1920 in Clark Co., IN.  They were divorced in 1922 and on July 28, 1923 she married Arnold Palmer, the son of Bill and Eliza Bright Palmer, in Clark Co.  I do not have death dates or burial places for either.

The next child was Vannie Blanche, born July 7, 1901 in Anderson Co.  She was married at least four times before she was 40 years old.  Her first husband was a Mr. Reno.  A marriage record for them has not been found but, in the 1920 census, she was found living with her parents as the divorced Blanche Reno, age 18.  On Oct. 24, 1920 she married William E. Patton in Clark Co.  They also apparently divorced for on Jul. 13, 1924, at age 23, she married for the third time, this time to Marlin Stewart in Jeffersonville, Clark Co.  On that record, she noted a previous marriage had been "dissolved."  No other details were given.  On Jan. 8, 1938, at age 36, she married Cecil Altemeyer in Clark Co.  On that marriage record, she reported that she had been previously married and, that union had ended in divorce in 1934. I do not have Cecil or Blanche's death date or place of burial.

Lester, born Jan. 5, 1902, in Frankfort, Franklin Co., KY, died Jul. 15, 1996 in Louisville.  Lester married Mary Frances Smith, the daughter of Sam W. and Frances Lester Smith, on Dec. 25, 1923 in Clark Co., IN.  She was born in Louisville on Apr. 19,1905.

John Thomas, born 1905 in KY, died Sep. 4, 1930 at age 25 at Louisville City Hospital.  His death certificate reports death as a result of being "struck by auto while crossing street at Preston & Broadway" on Sep. 3, 1930.  He never married.

The last child that I am aware of was Walter Edward Payton, born c1908.  I have no other information on Walter.

Jeffersonville, and Clark Co., IN are just across the Ohio River from Louisville.  It seems to have been "the" place to go to get married; at least for this family!

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¹1900 KY, Mercer Co., Dugansville Pct., ED 48, Sheet 9A, dwelling/family 163

²1910 Anderson Co., Goodnight, ED11, Sheet 3A, dwelling 57, family 58

Alton Powell Coffey

Alton Powell Coffey, and his twin Arthur Livingston Coffey were born on July 3, 1904 in Nashville, Brown Co., IN to William Lewis and Rosa Belle Clarke Coffey.  William Lewis was a son of Richard L. and Julia Mattie Mason Coffey in the Edward Coffey/Ann Powell line.

Alton's other siblings were Lela Marie, born 1895, for whom I have no information; James William Wendell Coffey, 1902, died 1973 at Tucson, Pima Co., AZ and, Marguerite, 1910, again no info.  Arthur died in 1972 and is buried at Greenlawn in Nashville, Brown Co., IN.

Alton graduated from high school in about 1922 and began study at the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis.  For four years he studied under William Forsyth and Clifton Wheeler and, became an accomplished artist. Although he had studied figure and still life painting, he produced memorable landscape paintings.

I believe many of his paintings are being sold today at auction.  Some details are available at the Ask/Art website where I found these samples.  Some other of his paintings can be found by searching for "Alton Powell Coffey" on Google.

Note:  I believe that in order to get anything other than what you see on the Ask/Art website, you have to become a patron through paid membership.  I believe that membership can be on a monthly or yearly basis.

Alton married Pauline Wilkinson, born May 11, 1919 in Brown Co. on Sep. 11, 1937.  They appeared in the Apr. 24, 1940 census in Wayne Township, Marion Co., IN when he was 35 and Pauline was about 18.  Although married for nearly three years, they did not have any children.  Alton was employed as an inspector of motors in an aviation motor plant.  In 1942, the couple appeared in the Indianapolis city directory, residing at 4924 W. 24th.

He died in Jul., 1978 at the age of 74 in Brown Co. and is thought to have also been buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Nashville, Brown Co.  with his mother and father.  I have not found any clues yet to the death date or place of burial for Pauline.  She was not yet 60 when Alton died and may have remarried.

Updates and corrections welcomed.

  Jack