Jackson Lafayette Coffey Family

Continuing from previous blog with descendants of Lafayette Jackson Coffey.

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After George, the next child was Lillie Mae, born May 2, 1892 in TN.  She was the bride of James Alexander "Jim" Covington, a brother to Ella Mae who married George Clinton.  Jim was born Feb. 25, 1886 in GA and died Sep. 26, 1972 in Corsicana, Navarro Co., TX.  Both are buried at Hamilton-Beeman cemetery in Retreat, Navarro Co.  Their children were:  Dorothy, born c1918; Winford C., born c1920; Verdie (?), born c1924; and Edith, born c1929, all in Navarro Co.

Lillie was followed in Sept., 1895 by Nellie, born TN.  Nothing else has been found.

William Dewey was born May 25, 1898 in TN and died Mar. 29, 1974 in Hillsboro, Hill Co., TX.  William married but his wife's name is unknown to me.  He is also buried at Hamilton-Beeman.

Julia Anne followed William, born Nov. 11, 1900 in TN, died Apr. 16, 1996 in Navarro Co.  Her husband was Chester Erthur [sic] Duke, a son of W. G. & Arabell High Duke, born Oct. 18, 1893 in Carthage, Panola Co., TX, died Nov. 16, 1972 in Corsicana.  They too are at Hamilton-Beeman.

Robert Lee was born c1904 in TX and was married.  I believe he fathered at least one child, a son Robert E., born c1927.

James Cornelius followed on Dec. 29, 1907, also in TX, died Mar. 17, 1989 in Navarro Co.  He married a lady by the name of Lorene on May 31, 1931.  No other information.

DeWitt Clinton was the tenth and last child of Jackson and Ellie.  He was born Apr. 5, 1911 in TX and died Mar. 6, 1982 in Navarro Co.  His wife was Ethel Idell Woodard, born Jun. 20, 1913 in Navarro Co., died May 5, 1970 in Levelland, Hockley Co., TX.  They too are buried at Hamilton-Beeman.

I realize that these children are rather "modern" and that most researchers of this family will already be aware of these children and their descendants. 

Please feel free to add to or correct any of this information.

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Interesting to me is the fact that I have in my family a Lafayette Jackson Coffey, born 1866 in AR, died 1950 in Angelina Co., TX.  I do not know the hair color of my Lafayette, but I have been told by other/older family members that his father had red hair.

Jackson Lafayette Coffey

Jackson Lafayette Coffey

Jackson was a son of Alfred Alphonso and Julia Ann Dawkins Coffey and was born on Jan. 28, 1865 in TN and died Nov. 24, 1946 in Corsicana, Navarro Co., TX.  Apparently, sometime in his life he was a policeman as seen in this photograph, credited to Madlyn Dill Simkulet.  Madlyn is very likely a descendant of Jackson's daughter, Clara who married Orand Edwil Dill.  It appears - if colors are accurate - that Jackson was a red-headed Coffey.

Ellie Horton Coffey

Jackson married Ella Mahle "Ellie" Horton c1886.  Ellie was the daughter of W. A. and Annie Gibson Horton, and was born Jan. 30, 1868 in GA and died on Dec. 22, 1956 in Corsicana.  Both are buried at the Hamilton-Beeman Cemetery in Retreat, Navarro Co.  This photo of Ellie was also credit to Simkulet.

The 1900 census found the couple in Marion Co., TN.  By 1904 they were in Texas.  The following census they were in Navarro Co. and in 1920 in Henderson Co., TX.  In 1930 they were back in Navarro where they continued to live until death claimed them both.

I recently received the following e-mail from John Thompson, a great-grandson of Jackson and Ellie:

Good morning Jack. My name is John Thompson. I am Lillie Coffee Covington"s grandson. 'Ella' Coffee was my great grandmother. She was my mother's grandmother. We knew her as Ellie. That's what my mother and grandmother called her.

I read, with interest, your information and I have to say I am impressed by the work that you have put into the site. I was looking for information about Lillie's parents when I ran across your site.  Very good job!

Thank you for the excellent information.

I knew Ellie. She lived with my grandmother for the last several years of her life. In fact my grandfather James, 'Jim', Covington built a room on their little house in Corsicana for her. Since we lived in Corsicana and were at my grandmother's house every day, I remember Ellie very well. She was a sweet and kind woman. I can remember playing in her room and under her bed as a little boy. I was born in 1950 so I was around her until I was six.

Ellie was a strong Christian woman with a rock solid faith in her Lord and God. She passed this down to us. My whole family is now saved and serving God in various capacities because of this woman. I want you to know that she changed the course of my brother's and my life by her prayers for us as babies and little children. She was a great woman. I thought you would enjoy knowing some firsthand information about Ellie's later years. She was full of life and was healthy until the very end of her days. She passed her longevity on to her daughter. My grandmother Lillie lived to be 98 and was also healthy until the very end.

Well, I trust that this is a blessing to you. Keep up the good work.  And again, thank you so much for this excellent site. I will be passing the site information to my family.

Sincerely, John Thompson

There were at least 10 children born to Jackson and Ellie:

Clara, born Dec. 17, 1884 in TN, died Sep. 6, 1956 in Houston, Harris Co., TX.  Clara was the wife of Orand Edwin Dill to whom she was married c1902.  Orand was born Jun. 22, 1875 in TX and died May 11, 1951 in Terrell, Kaufman Co., TX.  He is buried at Dresden in Navarro Co. while Clara is at Forest Park in Houston.  They were parents of at least five:  Duna Winnifred, James Shannon, Lee Roy, Norma Geline and Orand, Jr.

The second child was Charles Clifton, born Dec., 1887.  No further information.

George Clinton "Clint" was next, born Dec 1, 1889 in Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., TN, died May 12, 1965 in Corsicana.  Clint married Ella Mae Covington on Dec. 28, 1913 in Jester, Navarro Co.  She was born Mar. 6, 1889 in GA to Elias Haskell and Mary M. Martin Covington and was a sister to James Alexander "Jim" Covington that married George's sister, Lillie Mae and to John Elias Covington who married Tennie Pearl Hunt.  Ella Mae died Jun. 22, 1983 in Corsicana.  She and Clint are buried at Hamilton-Beeman.

Their children were at least six in number:

Beauford Clinton Coffey

Beauford Clinton, born 1917 in Navarro Co., died 1982 in Montgomery Co., PA.  Beauford married a lady by the name of Miriam and were parents of at least two children, Wayne and Bryan.  He was a veteran of WW2, having enlisted in the US Army on Mar. 12, 1942 at Camp Walters, Palo Pinto Co., TX.

Margaret Ellen, born 1919 in Jester, married Charles Willie Cooper, born 1918, died 2002 at Corsicana.

Gracie Fay, born 1922 at Purdon in Navarro Co., married Joe Pierce Woodard.  He was born in 1918 and died in Fort Worth on Feb. 26, 1979.  He is buried at Hamilton-Beeman.

Alfred G. Coffey

Alfred G., born 1925 in Purdon, died Nov. 3, 1967 at San Angelo in Tom Green Co., TX.  He married Helen Emily Hinrich and was the father of at least three:  Beverly Kay, Emily Lisa and Alfred, Jr.  He was also married a second time to a lady named Reba but I have no information about her or possible children.  Alfred is buried at Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens in San Angelo.  He was also a veteran of WW2.  He enlisted into the US Army in Dallas on Jun. 23, 1943.

The next child born to Clint and Ellie was Oneida Mae "Johnnie," born Nov. 10, 1926 in Wood Co., TX, died Nov. 3, 1999 in Garland, Dallas Co., TX.  Johnnie married Charlie Lee Bascam Caskey on Feb. 9, 1946 in Corsicana.  Charlie was born in 1917 in Dawson, Navarro Co., and died Dec. 5, 1998 in Garland.  Both are buried at Restland Memorial Park in Dallas.  They had at least one son, John Carl, born 1955, died 1997.

The last child of Clint and Ellie was Betty Jo, born Feb. 10, 1931 in Corbet, Navarro Co., died Nov. 13, 1985 in Dallas.  She married Willie Pete Thompson, born Jan. 31, 1930, died Dec. 25, 1983 in Dallas.  Both are buried at Hamilton-Beeman.

Corrections and additions are welcomed.

More on this family to follow.

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My appreciation to Madlyn Dill Simkulet for making the photographs available and, to John Thompson for his kind remarks.  Clicking on The Farm to Mkt Road link below will show the location of the Beeman-Hamilton cemetery.

William Thad & Ocia Bell Coffee Buchanan

William Preston (Pres) Buchanan constructed and operated the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway in 1898.  William had been a timberman and owned the Bodcaw Lumber Company whose primary office was at Stamps, AR.  He was also a large land owner in southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana.

William, a son of Charles Clayton and Mary Abernathy Tarpley Buchanan, was born in Tennessee in 1844.  It's not clear when he came into the lower part of Arkansas or, when he married Helen, whose maiden name may also have be en Buchanan*, but it was likely sometime in the late 1860s, early 1870s.

Their known children were:

Mary L., born c1871 in Arkansas.  She married J. A. Billingsley on Oct. 7, 1894 in Nevada Co., AR.

William Thad, born Aug. 29, 1874 in Arkansas, married Ocia Bell Coffee on Dec. 20, 1906** in Nevada Co.  Ocia was born Sep. 25, 1882 in Hempstead Co., and died Dec. 6, 1959 in Nevada Co.  She and Thad are buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Prescott, Nevada Co.

His obituary from the Prescott Daily News, Nevada Co., AR, February 11, 1938:

Prescott lost one of its real pioneers when Thad Buchanan died here last Tuesday.  Mr. Buchanan was the son of W. P. (Press) Buchanan who came to Prescott in the fall of 1873 to work on the Cairo & Fulton Railroad. This railroad was built through here in July, 1873.

Thad Buchanan was the first child born in Prescott, and his father's house is the oldest residence of the city.  It is located on West Third Stret, between Hazel and Walnut next to the home of Mrs. George Kizer and is now occupied by John Smith.

 Their known children were:

Floyd Fields, born 1908, married Florence (LNU)

Ota Albert, born Mar. 29, 1910, married Claudy Woodard

Clyde Curtis, born Nov. 11, 1914, died Jan. 8, 1991 in Nevada Co.  He married Margaret L. (Peggy) Barnard, born Jan. 7, 1918 in Prescott, died Aug. 27, 2003 in Prescott.

John Preston, born c1915, died before 1930

Edmond Louis, born c1923

 Joe Pledger, born Dec. 24, 1876, died Oct. 8, 1961.  He married Lillie (LNU), born Oct. 3, 1888 in Arkansas, died Oct. 14, 1972 in Prescott.

Esther, born c1879.

Please contact me if you can share any information about these families.



*BUCHANAN, WILLIAM PRESTON--born 11-2-1833 in TN; married Miss Helen Buchanan; had 9 children; died 10-27-1928; buried at Old Smyrna Cem; marker has death date of 10-24-1928 (Obituary Index, Nevada News; 12-20-1928)

 **William Thad may have been previously married.  There is a marriage record for a W. T. Buchanan to Kate Hawkins in Nevada Co., dated Mar. 3, 1895.