Coffey & Wilson in North Carolina

Ron Wolden and I began exchanging e-mails a few weeks ago.  He is in search of his Coffey and Wilson ancestry.  Ron would like to know more about his Wilson side.

Jordan H. Wilson was his 3d great grandfather who married Nancy Baker c1832 in NC.  Jordan was born sometime between 1798 and 1811 in Burke Co., and died in Caldwell Co. on Apr. 10, 1892.  He married Nancy Baker, born c1806 in Burke Co., died Dec. 16, 1894 in Caldwell Co.  Both are buried at the Lindsay Cemetery near Collettsville, in Caldwell Co.

Jordon and Nancy had at least six children:

Joseph Coleman Wilson, born Jun. 11, 1834 in Burke Co., died Mar. 18, 1884 in Caldwell Co.  Joseph married Martha Lindsey (var.) in Caldwell Co. on Jan. 15, 1861.

Robert Monroe Wilson, his 2d great grandfather, was born Apr. 26, 1837 in Burke Co. and died Jun. 29, 1920 in the Mulberry township of Caldwell Co.  He is buried at Harpers Chapel Cemetery in Patterson.  He married Susan Caroline Coffey c1862.  She was the daughter of Athan and Mary McGuire Coffey, born Oct. 6, 1845, died Jan. 23, 1949 in Mulberry Twp.

Robert and Susan's children were at least six:  Joseph J., born c1865; Mary Addie, born c1866, married John A. Lutz c1895; Annie J., born c1875; Nina Victoria, born c1879, married Flaveous Josephus Sherrill.  He was born in the Yadkin Valley on Oct. 15, 1875, died May 29, 1959 in Washington State.  He and Nina were married Mar. 25, 1900 in Patterson Twp.  I do not have death or burial information for Nina.   R. Athan, born Oct., 1881 and Martha C., born Aug., 1884.

Other children of Jordan and Nancy were:  John Alexander., born c1840, Burke Co., died 1919 in Caldwell Co.; Mary Jane, born c1844; Nancy P., born Jun. 17, 1847, died Sep. 8, 1899, buried at Lindsay; Laura, born Aug. 10, 1850, died Mar. 28, 1870 and also buried at Lindsay.

Ron tells me that Jordan's name first appears on an election list of voters in Lenoir, NC who submitted ballots at White's Election Ground on Johns River, Aug. 13, 1835.  In 1838 he enlisted as a Private in Co. D. of the Burke Co. Volunteers during the Cherokee Removal.  Sons Joseph Coleman and Robert Monroe had already been born.  Jordan's actual birth is likely to be somewhere between 1798 and 1811 in Burke Co.  Ron speculates the 1811 date may have been used at the 1838 enlistment to make him appear to be younger in order to serve.

Page 1 of Jordan's Will

His wife, Nancy Ann Baker was the daughter of John Menefee and Lucenda Puett Baker. In 1840 the couple lived in the Beaverdam District of Cherokee Co.

The executor of Jordan's will was his son, John Alexander Wilson.  Named heirs were M. E. Shell, R. T. Wilson, R. M. Wilson, J. W. Wilson, J. L. Wilson, Minnie Wilson, Mary M. Greene, Jesse Wilson and W. H. Lloyd.  The Shell and Lloyd portions appear to be payment for preparing the will.

R T., Robert Theodore Wilson, Minnie Wilson and Jesse (Hasty) Wilson were children of his son Joseph Coleman.  J. L. Coleman may be Joseph's son Lafayette and J. W., his son John.  Ron says that Mary M. Greene is a bit confusing since Joseph Coleman's daughter Mary was only 13 at the time and Jordan's daughter Mary had the middle name Jane.  But, Mary Greene is probably one of the two.  However, Mary Jane is known to have married M. M. Slagle.  R. M. Wilson is probably Robert Monroe.

[Jordan and Nancy were in Lower Creek Twp., Caldwell Co. in 1850; Beaverdam Dist., Cherokee Co. in 1860 and in Patterson Twp., Caldwell Co. in 1870.  I haven't found them in 1880.  Ron also mentioned in his e-mail the marriage of Joseph Coleman Wilson to Martha Lindsey, a daughter of Grief Lindsey and Mary Elizabeth Coffey.  This is a union that I do not have recorded and, pretty much unsure who the parents were of Mary Coffey.  Click to contact Ron via e-mail.]

  Jack

William & Anna "Annie" Boone Coffey

William was one of the sons of Thomas and Sarah "Sally" Fields Coffey.  He was the second of 10 children born to that couple and the first of eight sons.  Bible records provided in 1990 by Mary E. Thornburg, tells us that William was born "November 29th in the year of our Lord 1782," and died May 22, 1839 in Wilkes Co., NC.  He was buried there at the Rufus Baptist Church Cemetery in the Mulberry Community, now part of Caldwell Co. (Lat: 36.00080, Lon: -81.64390).

Mary's Bible records tell us that William married Annie Boone on Oct. 16, 1804 in Boone, Watauga Co., the daughter of Jesse Boone and his wife Sarah McMahan.  Annie appears to be the sixth of at least eight children born to Jesse and Sarah.  She was born Jul. 26, 1785 in Burke Co. and died in Caldwell on Jan. 16, 1876.  She is also buried at the Rufus cemetery.

At least six children were born to William and Annie, the first being Daniel Boone Coffey, born Nov. 12, 1805 in Burke Co., died Jan. 21, 1862 in Caldwell Co.  Daniel married Clarissa Estes on Sep. 11, 1834.  She was born Jul. 18, 1817 in Burke Co., died Jul. 17, 1884, probably in Caldwell Co.  They were parents of at least nine children:  1) Emily who married her first cousin (once removed) Charles Lewis Coffey, a son of McCaleb and Elizabeth "Betsy" Collett Coffey; 2) Drury Dobbins who married Harriet Elizabeth Collett on Aug. 25, 1859; 3) Martha Ellen who married Elijah L. Moore on Oct. 12, 1858 in Caldwell Co.; 4) Sophronia Tate who married Henry Clay Coffey, brother to Charles Lewis; 5) Jonah, born May 9, 1843 in Caldwell Co.  He may have died in infancy; 6) Israel Boone, born Apr. 19, 1845 in Caldwell Co., died Jul. 10, 1920 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., KS, married Catherine Emma Spainhour of North Carolina on Sep. 19, 1867 in Caldwell Co. 7) Julia, born Aug. 3, 1847; 8) Hezekiah, born 1852; 9) Celia, born Nov. 7, 1855, died Apr. 15, 1858.

Second born to William and Annie was Wilborn on May 14, 1807 in  Burke Co.  He married Sarah "Sallie" Cottrell on Jan. 2, 1832 in Caldwell Co.  Sallie was born May 1, 1812 in Wilkes Co. and died in Caldwell Co. on Mar. 25, 1894.  Wilborn died on Nov. 27, 1897.  Both are buried at the Rufus cemetery.  They were parents of at least eight children:  1) William Rufus, who married Harriet E. Moore on Dec. 4, 1856; 2) Thomas Milton, born c1835, died Aug. 12, 1863 on the Gettysburg battlefield; 3) Myra Emeline, born c1836, died before 1860; 4) James Grayson, born 1839, died Aug. 24, 1863 at the Union POW camp, Davis Island, New York Harbor, NY; 5) Minerva Jane, born Dec. 20, 1844, died Oct. 10,1934 and who married the Rev. John H. Nelson, born May 19, 1841 in Caldwell Co., died May 22, 1915; 6) John Calvin, born Apr. 30, 1848 in Caldwell Co., died in Mulberry Twp., Caldwell Co. on Feb. 27, 1930.  He married Nancy Caroline Tuttle, born Jan. 10,1854 in Caldwell Co., died Mar. 10, 1939 at Lenoir, Caldwell Co.; 7) Finley Patterson, born Apr. 30, 1848 in Mulberry Twp., died in Lenoir on Apr. 13, 1937.  His wife was Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Tuttle, born Sep. 11, 1851 in Caldwell Co, died Apr. 20, 1931 in Lenoir.  Nancy Caroline and Mary Elizabeth Tuttle were sisters, daughters of Robert G. & Lucinda Puett Tuttle. 8) Charlotte Caroline, born Dec. 2, 1851 in Caldwell Co., died Mar. 18, 1944.  She married Jesse Richmond Moore on Oct. 21, 1869 in Caldwell Co.  He was born Mar. 16, 1849 in Globe Twp., Caldwell Co. and died in the Mulberry Twp. on Sep. 13, 1921

William and Annie's third was Gilliam, born May 21, 1810, died Jan. 8,1910 in Patterson Twp., Caldwell Co.  He married Mary "Polly" Moore on Jan. 2, 1832.  She was born c1820 in Burke Co. and died in Caldwell Co. on May 26, 1871.  They were parents of at least six:  1) Harvey N., born 1837, died 1912, married Jane Cochran; 2) William Elbert, born 1839, died 1912 at Morganton, Burke Co.  His wife was Margaret Anne Kinkaid, born 1837 in Burke Co., died Dec. 22, 1921 in Morganton.  Margaret had a child after William died and whose father is not known to me.  She and William Elbert had at least six children:  Mary, William Alvin, Lula Eloise; Annie Jane, Harvey Macan, and Maggie Lee. 3) Harriet E., born Sep. 6, 1843 in Cedar Valley, Caldwell Co., died Dec. 12, 1937 in Elizabethton, Carter Co., TN.  Harriet's spouse was James Brown Blair to whom she was married on Oct. 7, 1866 in Caldwell Co.  James was born in Cedar Valley on May 1, 1844 and died in Carter Co. on May 24, 1920.  They had at least eight children:  Henry Lee, Gilliam Colbert, Harvey, John Caldwell, Job W., Mary E., Hatibel, and Lillie M. 4) Celia Adeline, born c1847, died before 1910.  Her husband was John Wesley Estes and they were married on Dec. 2, 1868 in Caldwell Co.  Their children were at least eight:  Benjamin G., Albert Lafayette, Horace Herndon; John C., Victor Scotland, Emma E., Homer Roy, and May C.  This family left NC sometime after 1880 and journeyed west to Iowa where Emma was born and then to Idaho where May was born.  5) Cordelia Adaline, born Jan. 10, 1853, died Jul. 9,1918.  She married John Boone Gragg on Dec. 17,1 877 in Caldwell Co.  He was born Feb. 15, 1856 in Caldwell Co., and died in Globe Twp., on May 23, 1937.  Both are buried at the Job Moore cemetery in the Globe.  Their children were at least seven:  William Hardie, Charlie, Stella Victoria, John Vernon, Laurance Dillard, Mamie, and Horace Milton.  Child 6) was Emma, born c1855.  Unfortunately, nothing else has been found for her.

The fourth child of William and Annie was Celia, Jun. 29, 1813 in Burke Co., died in Wilkes Co. on Jul. 12, 1899.  She married Hezekiah Curtis, a son of Samuel and Susanna Cottrell Curtis, on Dec. 26, 1833 in Wilkes Co.  Hezekiah was born May 16, 1810 in Wilkes Co., and died there on Jan. 20, 1901.  Both are buried at Mountain Park Cemetery in Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co.  Their children were Darcus, Judson, Larkin Junius, Julia, Finley Patterson, Caroline L., and Martha Gertrude.

The fifth and last child born to William and Annie was Calvin on Sep. 30, 1819.  He died Apr. 2, 1847 after a short marriage to Mary Greene in about 1839-40.  Four children were born to Calvin and Mary:  Harrison, Alexander, William and Patterson Vance.  William also died on the battlefield at Gettysburg.

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This is quite a long blog and I hope that I have not made it too complicated to follow.  Many of these folks have been written about in previous blogs.  Use the search window in the sidebar to look for them.  To assure accuracy, place "quotation marks" around the name your are searching for.  All of these, plus all of their known (to me) ancestors and descendants are present on the Edward Coffey Project DVD.  Readers can also use the "Search Also For" links at the bottom of each blog.