Sidney Louis "Sid" Coffey

Sidney was a son of Louis Raleigh Coffey and Lillie O. Morrow.  He was born 9 Apr 1905 in Rutherford Co., NC and later married Aquilla Quinn Hunt.  He died on 12 Jun 1987 in Rutherford Co. and was buried at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery in Forest City, Rutherford Co. on 14 Jun 1987.

Sid's claim to fame was a conviction in a federal court at Asheville, NC in May 1924 for violation of the Mann white slave act.

The following appeared in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina "Journal" on Tue., May 20, 1924, Page 1:

One Jailed for White Slavery

Judgment Suspended in Case of Two Others and Another is Freed of Charge

(By The Associated Press}

Asheville, May 19.--Sid Coffey was sentenced to serve four months in jail; judgment was suspended in the case of Pink Bright and Lewis Webb and Ed Ingle were found not guilty of violating the Mann white slave act in federal court today.

The four youths, residents of Forest City, N.C. were charged with having taken Mrs. Gertrude Jenkins, 19, from her home in Spartanburg, S.C. into North Carolina for immoral purposes.  She was with the men several days, part of the time being spent in a school house near Forest City.  The defense was based on the https://goo.gl/srE3fr : accessed Nov. 16, 2017 contention that the young woman went on the trip willingly.

Source: Genealogy Bank at https://goo.gl/srE3fr

William Henry Harvey & Martha L. Coffey Clark

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William Henry Harvey Clark

William Henry Harvey Clark was born Dec. 25, 1845 in North Carolina, perhaps Caldwell or Avery Co.  I suspect Caldwell based on the mere fact that he and Martha Coffey were married there.

Martha L. Coffey was the sixth child and fourth daughter of Enoch and Martha Calloway Coffey and was born to them in Sep., 1846 in Caldwell Co.  I believe Martha Calloway was the second wife for Enoch.  His first was Prudence Gragg; third was Fannie Sims.

The Clark-Coffey marriage occurred on Apr. 15, 1866.*  William and Martha, like many families in the south following the Civil War who were trying to live through reconstruction, carpetbaggers and other petty officials, seem to have avoided the 1870 census.

[Update 8/4/2011 - Thanks to Lloyd Coffey of Taylorsville, NC I now know that William and Martha did not miss the 1870 census.  They, along with first child Charlotte were in  Johns River Twp., Caldwell Co. (Collettsville Post Office) that year.]

Their first known child was Charlotte L., born Sep. 15, 1869 in Caldwell Co., died Feb. 21, 1958 in Banner Elk, Avery Co.  Charlotte Married George W. Bowman but I have no further information on their family.  Charlotte is buried at Jonas Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery in Burke Co., NC

Joseph Enoch was their second child and first son.  He was born after the family moved from Caldwell to Avery Co. and entered the world on Mar. 12, 1871.  Joseph married Edna Ann Coffey, a daughter of Margaret A. Coffey who was the daughter of Jesse Patterson and Elizabeth M. Coffey Coffey.  Edna was born July 4, 1887 and died Aug. 28, 1959. Joseph died Dec. 3, 1965 in Crossnore, Avery Co.  Both are buried at the Tate Family Cemetery** in Linville, Avery Co.

[The family probably did not physically move.  They likely lived in that part of Caldwell that was taken to form Avery Co. in 1911]

Rebecca followed Joseph.  She was born May, 1874 in Avery Co., and died there on Sep. 13, 1943.  She married a Mr. Tilley but nothing more is known of their family.  Rebecca's death certificate reports her burial at Clark Cemetery at Pineola, Avery Co.**

Della May was child number 4, born Jun. 30, 1875, died Sep. 18, 1950 at Marion in McDowell Co., NC.  Della married Elam Gather Barrier c1896 and had a number of children, including William Seth; Inez; James Gudger; Gladys Susan; Tom Harvey and Myrtle Chloe.  Della is buried at the Tate Family cemetery while Elam is buried at Jonas Ridge Baptist Church cemetery in Burke Co.


Willard F. was next, born c1877 in Caldwell Co., died Jul. 27, 1927 in Linville.  He was buried at Calloway Cemetery in Jonas Ridge.  His wife was Bettie Kates.

Douthard "Douth" Charlie was born Apr. 15, 1879 and died Dec. 12, 1957 at Crossnore.  He is also buried at Tate.

Martha Ann was born May 12, 1881 and died May 25, 1964 at Crossnore.  She married Walter Puett.  Martha is buried at Jonas Ridge.

William Elgie was born May, 1883.  No further information.

Pinkney was born Jul. 31, 1886 and died Oct. 27, 1973 in Morganton, Burke Co.  He married Mary Jane Webb, born Jan., 1894, daughter of Theodore M. and Sarah Elizabeth Coffey Webb.  Sarah Elizabeth was a daughter of Bryce Brisco and Susannah Gragg Coffey.  No further info on Pinkney and Mary Jane.

Dovie Jane was the last known child of William Henry and Martha.  She was born Sep. 15, 1890 and died Jul. 3, 1968 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co.  Her husband was Monroe Coffey, a son of Thomas M. & Martha Cordelia Gragg Coffey.  Monroe was born Jan. 26, 1883 in Avery Co. and died Nov. 3, 1955 in Collettsville, Caldwell Co.  He and Dovie Jane were married in Caldwell Co. in 1910.***  Monroe was the first US Forest Ranger in the Globe and "...oversaw the fledgling agency’s activities in an era just before the Civilian Conservation Corps ended it efforts at forestry and went off to fight WW II."¹

Dovie Jane and Monroe had at least eight children:  Ruby, Ruth, Bruce, Sarah Nell, Jack; Blanche, Martha Louise and Clyde Hedrick.  More information is available.

Corrections and additions welcomed.

Update  Aug. 2, 2011 - Rebecca Clark's husband was John A. Tilley, born c1860 in NC.  They were married c1892.

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*North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979 , digital images, FamilySearch.Org (www.familysearch.org), Marriage Register, Book 3, Page 157.

**This cemetery has been called by various names; e.g., Tate-Love and Clark Family Cemetery, and has appeared in several places in genealogy reports as one or the other.  It can be found on Find-A-Grave as Clark Cemetery as well as Tate.  The official name is Tate Family Cemetery and it is located at Linville. Enter coordinates 36 2 37.14, -81 54 8.69 (copy and paste) into maps.google.com for exact location.  The resulting map repeats the error by referring to it as Clark Cemetery.


***Caldwell County, North Carolina Register of Deed's Index Search, Wayne L. Rash, Register of Deeds online, Marriage Register, Book 22, Page 180.

¹Tracing Timber’s History in the Globe, by Randy Johnson, High Country Press, on-line, Jul. 28, 2011

Thanks to Bradley Ingels for his wonderful headstone photos and additional information on some of these families.

"Those Were The Days"

Harry & Ada Irene Clements Webb

"Gee! Our old Lasalle ran great!"

I have always enjoyed hearing Archie and Edith Bunker sing that song.  It has nothing to do with this blog, however.  Just seemed like a good title.

Anyone old enough to remember when ladies and gentlemen dressed in this fashion?  I love Harry's  double-breasted white suit.  In fact I had one like it which I wore with white patent leather shoes and white suspenders.  That was during my disco days; a very long time ago!

Because of the corsage worn by both, I am presuming that this photo recorded an anniversary celebration.  They were married c1906.

In 1930, Harry was age 49 and Ada was age 39.  They had been married 24 years.  So, if this was perhaps their 25th anniversary photo, the year would have been late 1930 or early 1931.

It could have been in the 40's too!  The crocheted* bodice of Ada's dress is very similar to one that I recall my maternal grandmother wearing when her youngest daughter married in 1945.

Alas, as the title of this blog has nothing to do with the content, the blog itself has nothing to do with Coffee/y research.  The photo appears in an album belonging to someone for whom I am doing research.  Their clothing and quality of the photo struck me as something others might enjoy viewing.

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Update Feb. 17, 2010

Well, let me see if I can straighten this out:  Ada was first married to Robert Leviston c1920 in Powhatan Co., VA.  They had a daughter, Katherine born c1921 who married a Mr. Krug.  Katherine and Mr. Krug had at least two children.

Robert died sometime after 1921 and Ada married Harry V. Webb who had also been previously married; wife's name unknown.  He had a son with her, Russell C. Webb, born in NC c1913.

So, the photo above appears to be - rather than an anniversary photo - a wedding photo taken sometime between c1922 and 1930.

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*It appears to me to be crocheted.  If any of you ladies know exactly what it was please drop me a note!

Lois Coffey Webb Update

Lois Coffey Webb was the daughter of Nelson McKinley Coffey, born Aug. 4, 1898 in Amherst Co., and died May 19, 1958. Nelson was the son of Nathan and Luella Davis Coffey. He is also buried at Green Hill Cemetery in Buena Vista. Nathan and Louella are buried at Bridge Hill Cemetery near Coffeytown in Amherst Co. Click on the title link to view Lois' grave marker.

Her obituary:

Obituary, The Rockbridge Weekly, Lexington, VA, Jul. 18, 2006

Lois Marie Coffey Webb

Was N. B. Fellowship Church Member

Lois Marie Coffey Webb, 75, of Natural Bridge, died Tuesday, July 18, 2006 in the Augusta Medical Center, Fishersville.

Mrs. Webb was born on July 30, 1930 in Appomattox, a daughter of the late Nelson McKinely and Mary Thompson Coffey.

She was retired from the Natural Bridge, Inc., and was a member of the Natural Bridge Christian Fellowship Church.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Webb was preceded in death by an infant daughter and a son, Delton Wayne Webb.

Surviving is a daughter and a son-in-law, Marie and Charles Bouchard of Natural Bridge; a sister and brother-in-law, Madeline and Jerry Johnson of Rockbridge Baths; two brothers and sisters-in-law: Lewis M. and Lois Coffey of Lexington, and Aubrey and Mary Frances Coffey of Buena Vista; two grandchildren: Elena Bouchard and Chad Bouchard and his wife, Jammie; and three great grandchildren: Noah, Elizabeth and Tristan.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 20, 2006 in the Natural Bridge Christian Fellowship Church by the Revs. Nathan Phillips, W. David Bain and Conald Fogus. Burial will follow in the Green Hill Cemetery in Buena Vista.

The family will receive friends Wednesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Bolling, Grose & Lotts Funeral Service, Buena Vista.

Another child of Nelson and Mary Thompson Coffey was Madeline Coffey. She was born Sep. 17, 1932 and died Sep. 16, 2007.

Her obituary:

The Rockbridge Weekly, Lexington, VA, Sep. 17, 2007

Madeline Coffey Johnson

Bethesda Presbyterian Church Member Dies At Age 74

Madeline Coffey Johnson, 74, of Rockbridge Baths, died Sunday, September 16, 2007 at the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville.

She was born September 17, 1932 in Amherst, a daughter of the late McKinley Coffey and Mary Thompson Coffey.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one sister, Lois Webb.

Mrs. Johnson was a member of the Bethesda Presbyterian Church.

She is survived by her husband, Jerry P. Johnson; three sons: Ronald R. Mull, Smithfield, VA; Richard L. Johnson, Newport News, VA; Michael L. Johnson, Gloucester, VA; one daughter, Linda M. Hartless, Vesuvius; nine grandchildren, seven great grandchildren; two brothers: Lewis Coffey of Lexington and Aubrey Coffey, Buena Vista; and a very special friend, Rosemary Via.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at the Bolling, Grose & Lotts Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Malcolm Brownlee officiating. Burial will follow in the Green Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at the Bolling, Grose & Lotts Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Buena Vista, Virginia.

More Green Hill Cemetery Headstones

Green Hill Cemetery,  Buena Vista, VA

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 Please contact me at the above e-mail address is you can identify these folks and their ancestors. Click on the image to see a larger image.

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Updated Jan 8, 2011

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Son of John Robey & Mamie Womack Coffey

Mary, w/o Nelson McKinley Coffey

Who were/are Philip's parents?

Still need her husband & family

Daughter of Nelson McKinley & Mary
Thompson Coffey.  Who was her husband?

Wife of Finley Houston Coffey
Her maiden name was Tomlin

Squire Coffey

Squire Coffey, born c1803 in Burke Co., NC, was a son of Smith Coffey and Hannah Boone. One genealogy that I have seen indicates that he married Nancy Moore on Dec. 29, 1824 in Burke Co. Nancy, is it said, was born Jan. 13, 1806 in Caldwell Co., and died there in 1826. Apparently there were no live children born to their union.

A Burke Co. marriage bond by Daniel Moore - perhaps some kin to Nancy - shows the marriage of Squire on Dec. 29, 1824 to Nancy. A History of Watauga County and, North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868 show that Squire married Alley Webb with bond dated Oct. 2, 1828 in Burke Co. Daniel Moore was a witness. Another genealogy report submitted by Charles Crabtree for inclusion in the Edward Coffey Project contains this information:

Smith W. Coffey's father, Squire Coffey was born about 1802\3 in Burke County North Carolina and died after 1840 in Cherokee County North Carolina, reportedly buried in the Peachtree Cemetery in the same county.

Squire and Alley (Ella?) had at least four children:

Margaret, born c1833, died May, 29, 1899. Margaret married Joseph Baker c1835 in North Carolina. I have found only two children for them: William, born c1847 and Mary, born c1849.

Smith, born May 1832, died Jan. 11, 1916.

Henry, born c1837 in Burke Co. He married Elizabeth Kendall, a daughter of William and Sarah D. Kendall around 1860. Elizabeth was born c1847 in North Carolina. Henry apparently died before 1870 - perhaps in the Civil War - because Elizabeth appears in the 1870 census with her parents in Caldwell Co. With her was her daughter, Laura, born in Aug., 1861.

I have one other child for Squire and Alley. She was Mary, born c1838 but I have not found her after 1850 when she was in the household with her widowed mother in Caldwell Co.

Squire died after 1840 and is thought to be buried somewhere in Cherokee Co., NC. I have not yet found a death date or place for Alley.

Please contact me with additions or corrections.

Martha Renia (Sarena?) Coffey

Martha was born Mar. 12, 1827 in the Globe Twp. of Caldwell Co., NC, the daughter of Jacob Zachariah (Zack) and Margaret Coffey Coffey. Martha married Leason Gragg, a son of David Obediah and Elizabeth Webb Gragg on Nov. 23, 1860 in Globe. She died in Globe on Apr. 26, 1920. Leason was born May 1834 in Burke Co., NC and died in Collettsville, Caldwell Co. in 1910.

Their children were:

David Obodiah, born Jun. 4, 1861 in Caldwell Co. and died Oct. 14, 1933 in North Carolina. He married Frances Elizabeth (Fanny) Dellinger c1881 in North Carolina. Fanny was born in Caldwell Co. in 1864 and died in Norfolk, VA in 1946. She was the daughter of Elkanna and Elizabeth (Betty) Godsey Dellinger.

Grayson Columbus, born Dec. 28, 1876 in Globe and died Apr. 21, 1955 in Collettsville. He married Mary Cordelia Hicks in Lenoir, Caldwell Co. on Dec. 18, 1899.

George N., born c1877

John Robert Joshua, born Dec. 1878. He first married Mary Adelaide Coffey on May 2, 1898 to a daughter of Julius Calvin and Eugenia Lavinia (Genie) Dellinger Coffey. Mary was born 1880 in North Carolina. After eleven children, the last born in 1919, Mary apparently died and John married Sarah E. Coffey, born Oct. 1881 to Jesse (Red Eye) and Lucinda Louise Coffey Coffey. This marriage took place after Apr. 2, 1930 because on that date John Robert appeared in the Caldwell Co. census as a widower. Sarah had first married John's brother, James W. Gragg in about 1906, with whom she had ten children. James was born Oct. 19, 1883 and died Jun. 15, 1926 in Caldwell Co.

I have some descendant information for most of the children.

Please contact me at the e-mail address below to request more information or, to add to or correct any of this information.