James C. and Mary Louise Coffey Coffey

James was the son of Jesse Calton and Nancy Raines Coffey. Mary Louise was the daughter of Asbury James and Chainey Gragg Coffey. James was born Apr. 14, 1860 in the Bamboo community in Watauga Co., NC, and died Feb. 23, 1924 in that county. Mary Louise was born Nov. 12, 1858 in Caldwewll Co., NC, and died in Watauga Co. on Mar. 3, 1924. I do not yet know their marriage date.

Together they had at least 13 children:

- Mary E., born 1879

- Horace Clinton, born Jul. 8, 1880, married c1910 to Viola L. Cooke, born Apr., 1891 in Watauga Co. Children were: Ralph Robert, born May 12, 1911; Roby C., born c1921; Randolf, born c1923, and Anther Lee, a daughter, born Oct. 30, 1925.

- Jerry S., born Nov. 1881

- Cora B., born Apr., 1882

- Norma, born Jul. 1885

- Nancy E., born Mar. 1887

- Millard M., born Mar. 1889, died Dec. 18, 1950, married Mary A. Nelson c1909 in North Carolina. She was born in North Carolina in about 1891. Children were Rosa Bell, born Apr. 1910 and Evert Turner, born May 20, 1914. There may have been others.

- Minnie J., born Mar. 1891

- Bessie, born Feb. 1893

- Florence M., born Feb. 1895

- Bertha C., born Jan. 1898

- Milton L., born c1902, died Oct. 25, 1970

- James Newland, born c1905, died Jul. 12, 1962

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Update Nov. 9, 2011

Horace Clinton and Viola Cook [sic] were the parents of Ralph Robert, born May 12, 1911, died Jun. 15, 1989; Roby Clinton, born Jun. 13, 1920, died Jul. 4, 1989; James Randolph, born Jul. 28, 1922, died Jan. 10, 1989 and Antha Lee, a daughter, born Oct. 30, 1925, died Dec. 28, 2007.

Ralph was married on Jul. 26, 1930 in Boone to Mattie Rose Greene, born Apr. 3, 1911 in Watauga Co., to David and Nellie Savannah Wooten Green[e].  She died Jul. 23, 1944 and was buried at Middle Fork Baptist Church Cemetery in Blowing Rock. Ralph is also buried at Middle Fork.  David Green[e] was a son of Lot W. and perhaps a mother named Ann.  Nellie was a daughter of Oliver R. & Rebecca Louvenia [sic] Shumaker.  I know of only one child born to Ralph and Mattie, a daughter Francis [sic] Lee, born Jul. 23, 1944, died Sep. 19, 1945 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co. and buried at Middle Fork.  The Green family name has been found with and without the ending 'e.'  I do not know which is accurate.

Roby Clinton married his second cousin, Lillie Ruth Coffey, daughter of William Carlton and Bessie Mae Townsend Coffey, on Feb. 24, 1945.  I know of two children:  Shelby Jean, born Oct. 31, 1948, died Oct. 26, 2009 in Winston-Salem, Forsyth Co., and Margaret Jeanette, born May 20, 1952 in Watauga Co., died Dec. 23, 1953 in Blowing Rock.  Both daughters are buried at Middle Fork.  Lillie Ruth was born Aug. 21, 1924 in Caldwell Co., and died Jan. 26, 2003 at Blowing Rock.  She is also at Middle Fork.

James Randolph married Emily Trivette on Nov. 22, 1941 in Watauga Co.  She was a daughter of John William and Anna Belle Trivette Trivette, and was born Feb. 2, 1925 in Caldwell Co. She died there on Aug. 6, 1972 and was buried at Big Flat Baptist Church Cemetery at Fleetwood in Ashe Co.  James Randolph was a US Navy veteran of WW2 and was buried at Blue Ridge Memorial Park in Lenoir.

Antha Lee first married Stacey Elms Greer (no info).  Her second marriage was to Fred Thompson Lewis, date unknown to me.  Fred was a son of Clarence Billy and Ruby Wheelings Lewis and was born Jul. 9, 1930 in North Carolina.  He died Jun. 24, 1985 at Hickory in Catawba Co.  Antha Lee is buried at Blue Ridge Memorial Park.  Fred is likely there as well but I have no confirmation of that.

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Photo courtesy Margaret Coffey Farley

William Clayton Coffey

William Clayton Coffey was a son of Jesse Coffey and Margaret Edmiston. He was born c1808 in Burke Co., NC and killed in Feb. 1865 in Caldwell Co., NC by a gang of Union renegades led by William McKesson "Keith" Blaylock. William was brother to Austin Coffey who had married Mary Blaylock, Keith's mother. Mary had Keith and one other child named Mary out of wedlock, and Austin had raised them as his own.

A story found in A History of Watauga County, North Carolina by John Preston Arthur reveals that Keith had married Malinda Pritchard, and both had joined the Confederate Army, she as "Sammy Blalock," with hopes of getting close enough to Union lines to defect. But, "Sammy" was wounded and discovered to be a female and sent home. Keith, not to be left alone is said to have rolled in poison ivy and was so affected that he too was discharged. When he returned to Watauga Co., NC he became a recruiting officer for the Union's 10th Michigan Regiment. They also resorted to bushwhacking, thievery and murder.

According to the above source, during the period Aug. 1864 and Feb. 1865 the citizens in the Watauga Co. were hounded and harassed by gangs who stole horses and other livestock; what they did not steal they destroyed. Their victims were mostly women and children whose husbands and fathers were away fighting in the war.

The Coffey families in the area mostly supported the Confederacy, so Keith and his gang must have felt it their duty to seek out the enemy. They first searched for Reuben Coffey, the older brother of William and Austin. Fortunately Reuben was away when the gang came to visit so they rode on to William's home where they found him working in his field. They took him from the field to James Gragg's mill where he was shot by a man named Perkins, one of Keith's henchmen.

William had married his first cousin, Sarah Green, a daughter of John and Elizabeth B. Coffey Green. I have not found a marriage date, nor an accurate birth and death date for Sarah.

Together they had six children:

- Silas Carroll., born c1835 Burke Co., NC, died Jul. 3, 1893. Silas married Eleanor (Nellie) Green - probably some relation to his mother. They had at least seven chidren: Martha J.; William Pinkney; Francis Richmond; Mary E.; David Columbus; Silas W.; and Rebecca S.

[Update Jun. 13, 2007: Silas Carroll and Nellie's child Silas W. was actually Silas Milton, born c1870. His family was subsequently confused with that of Silas Milton Coffey, born Jun. 16, 1886, a son of John Carroll and Nancy Hartley Coffey. John's Silas married Maggie Philyaw on Nov. 5, 1905 in Caldwell Co. This info may still need some "fine tuning", so please contact me at the e-mail address below if you have information on these families.]


- William Clayton, Jr. born c1838 in Ashe Co., NC, married Louisa Adeline Curtis on May 10, 1866 in Wilkes Co. William served in Co. E, 86th NC Infantry, and died in 1919. No other information has been found.

[Update Jun. 13, 2007: William and Louisa had children: George Calbin, born Jan., 1860, died Dec. 21, 1934, married Louisa Elizabeth (Lou) Curtis; Sarah, born c1862; Andrew J., born Jun. 1863, died Jan. 3, 1951, married Matilda Harrison; Nancy Ann, born May, 1868, married Charles Solomon Young; and Mary E., born 1869]


- George Washington (Wash), born Nov. 21, 1842 in Ashe Co., died Nov. 9, 1912 in Caldwell Co. He married Matilda (Tilda) Coffey. (His first cousin, once removed as well as his second cousin, once removed) She was the daughter of Jesse Calton and Nancy Raines Coffey. Jesse was a son of Reuben, brother to William Clayton, Sr. George and Tilda had 11 children: William Leander; Eliza Jane; Jesse Calton; John A.; Sarah E.; Silas Columbus; Thomas F.; George Washington, Jr.; Roby Monroe; Martha L.; and Mary Etta.

- Jesse Patterson (Pat), born Nov. 1845 in Burke Co., died May 2, 1924 in Watauga Co. he married Phoebe Matilda Curtis, born Feb. 1845 in Caldwell Co., died Oct. 26, 1915 in Watauga Co. Their children were: Laura J.; Eliza Rebecca; Myra Angeline; W. J.; Doctor Peterson; and Thomas Stephen.

- Eliza A. (Louisa), born Jul. 6, 1848 in Burke Co., died May. 24, 1924/25. She married Jesse Hartley, but no additional information has been found.

[Update Jun. 13, 2007: Jesse McAbee Hartley was born Aug. 29, 1846 in Watauga Co., and died Jun. 19, 1905 at Blowing Rock, Watauga Co. They were married in 1868 in Watauga Co. They had at least nine children. Contact me for details]

- John C., born c1851 in North Carolina, married Margaret E., last name unknown. She was born c1852 in North Carolina. Their children were: William Jefferson, born c1876, married Elsie Mae Hodges; Finley Carroll, married Connie Rebecca Tolbert; and Thomas Hall, married Cora Ellen Tolbert. More information is available via e-mail address below.

[Update Jun. 13, 2007: John Carroll married Nancy Evalyn Hartley on Sep. 18, 1873 in Watauga Co. In addition to above three children, they had Joel Partee, born Jul. 1884, died Dec. 21, 1919, married Lillie Mamie Pearl Tolbert; Silas Milton, married Maggie Philyaw; Ilar Jane, born Jun, 1888, died 1981, married Pinkney David Philyaw; and Lilla E., born Jun., 1890.


I have additional information on several of the above families. Please contact me at the below e-mail address if you need more info, or can provide additional data and/or corrections.

Coffey, MO

In Coffey, Missouri the temperature is 23 degrees with freezing rain this morning. This week, the temperature is expected to drop to as low as 6 degrees, and reach a high of 41 degrees by the weekend! This little town is located in the northwestern part of Missouri in Daviess County, and likely named for some families that settled in the area.

My database of random Coffee/Coffey information contains 18 entries (some duplicates) for individuals who were in Daviess County, the earliest dated 1842. That was when Elijah Coffee married Margaret Armstrong on August 8 of that year.

The other unique (non-duplicated) entries are:

Bailee H. Coffey married Catharine Harbord Apr. 29, 1851
Fielding Coffee married Sarah Jane Chapman on Apr. 6, 1854
Louisa L. Coffee married John Armstrong on Sep. 24, 1863
Mary Ellen Coffey married Francis L. Read on Dec. 27, 1866
Lucinda Ann Coffey married William B. Vandervort on Jan. 27, 1870
Catherine B. Coffey married Jno. W. Weldon on Mar. 25, 1875
Phebe A. Coffey married James O. Ellis on Dec. 18, 1876
Sarah B. Coffey married Elijah Ellis on Feb. 24, 1876
James B. Coffey married Janie E. Meloney on Mar. 17, 1878
Harvey B. Coffey married Maggie Glaze on Mar. 9, 1884

Fielding Coffey was born June 26, 1827 in Kentucky, and married Sarah Jane Chapman on April 6, 1854 in Daviess County, MO. Sarah was born Oct. 20, 1838 and died Oct. 30, 1908. Fielding had siblings, Ike, Martha and Elizabeth. He and Sarah had a number of children including:

- Calvin, born Mar. 6, 1855, married Mary Jackson
- Elizabeth Catherine, born Jul. 25, 1857 in Gentry Co., MO
- Meredith (Mel), born Mar. 18, 1859
- Jane, born Mar. 12, 1863
- George W., born Nov. 6, 1864
- David C., born Nov. 25, 1866
- Martha B., born Nov. 11, 1868
- Mary A., born Sep. 18, 1872
- Lulu S., born Apr. 19, 1875

The June 1992 edition of the Coffey Cousins' Clearinghouse newsletter reported that Fielding and Sarah are buried in Atchison, Kansas.

The second reason for this particular BLOG entry is to tell you about the Eastman Online Genealogy Newsletter. If you haven't read any of Dick's newsletters, you can read them at:

http://www.egon.com

Dick reported on a new search engine that he has found. It apparently is not a competitor of such resources as Google.com - where you might receive thousands of links should you enter Coffey as a search item, but rather provides "who is," or "what is" answers.

For example, I visited the site at:

http://www.answers.com

entered the word "coffey", and in return received facts about Coffey, MO. I then entered "Audie Murphy" in the search block, and received a short biography and photograph of that American Hero.

Visit the site and see what you can find.

Also, please let me know if you have any connection to the Daviess Co., MO Coffee/y families.