Aurelius & Jessie Edna Bryant Coffey

Aurelius & Jesse Edna Bryant

Aurelius and Jessie were married in Wise Co., TX on Aug. 4, 1897.  He was a son of James Madison and Elizabeth Susan Caddell Coffey, born on Feb. 7, 1876 in Denton Co., TX.  She was a daughter of John W. and America Bryant, born in Texas in April, 1883.  He died on Jun. 27, 1959 in Denton Co. after having farmed his entire life in Wise and Haskell Counties.  He was buried at Bolivar Cemetery in Bolivar, Denton Co.   Jessie outlived Aurelius and passed away on Nov. 2, 1968 in Denton Co.  She too is buried at Bolivar.




Obituary, The Wise County Messenger, Decatur, TX, Thur., Nov. 7, 1968, Page 5

Coffey Rites Held Monday

Mrs. Jessie Edna (Bryant) Coffey, 86, who grew up in Slidell and lived most of her married life there, died Nov. 2 in Flow Hospital, Denton. She had been in ill health for several years. Her husband, Aurelius Coffey, died in 1959 and since that time she had lived around Denton and Slidell. She is survived by 12 children, four sons, J. W Coffey of Denton, W. R. Coffey of Crowley, Jessie A. Coffey of Dallas and Burnice Coffey of Reno, Nev.; eight daughters, Mrs. W L. Walker of Denton, Mrs. J. I Miller of Odessa, Mrs, Jess A. Hopkins of Slidell, Mrs. Real Pendleton of Oakland, Calif., Mrs. Tyson B. Hamilton of Castro Valley, Calif., Mrs. W. R McClendon of Lancaster, Calif., Mrs. Robert Onlott of Castro Valley, Calif., and Mrs. Robert Garrett of Rosebud, Ark., 27 grandchildren; 60 great­ grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 in Christian’ chapel with Jarru F. Scott officiating. Burial was in Bolivar Cemetery with Jim Coffey, Donald A. Coffey, Jess A. Coffey Jr., Joe Hopkins, Sid Coffey and Leon ? acting as pallbearers.

She and Aurelius were parents of 13 children and all survived her with the exception of the youngest, John Preston, born Apr. 13, 1923, died of Diphtheria at Decatur in Wise Co. on Mar. 28, 1928.  He was buried at Slidell Cemetery on Mar. 29.

I have not yet found any meaningful information on eight of the 12.  Those are America, born Dec., 1899; Jesse, born c1906; Nannie P., born c1910; Aurelia, born c1911; Elizabeth, born c1915; Bernice, born c1917; Gladys F., born c1919 and Lonell, born c1921.

The others are:

James Wendall "Doc," born Nov. 11, 1901, died Nov. 5, 1978 at Denton. His wife was Myrtle M., born Jan. 12, 1905, died May 24, 1983.  No marriage date yet found.  Both are buried at the Slidell Cemetery in Wise Co.  They had at least one son, James Vernon "Jim," born Mar. 1, 1936, died Sep. 25, 2007 at Denton and buried at Prairie Mound Cemetery at Argyl, Denton Co.

Katie Valera, born Oct. 20,1903 at Slidell, married Jud Leroy Milner (erroneously as J. I. Miller in Edna's obit) on Nov. 7, 1924.  He was born May 13, 1901 at Bibb in Comanche Co., TX and died Apr. 16, 1988 at Odessa in Ector Co., TX.  Katie died Nov. 17, 1992.  Both are buried at Resthaven Memorial Park in Midland, Midland Co., TX.

William Ross, born Jan. 24, 1908 in Slidell, died Sep. 19, 1973 in Dallas.  His wife was Clauda Mae Fortenberry, born Aug. 2, 1917, died Dec. 20, 1988.  She was buried at the Jackson Cemetery in Krum, Denton Co.  They were parents of at least two sons, Donald Lee, born May 1, 1935 in Decatur, died Oct. 17, 2012 at North Richland Hills, in Tarrant Co., TX, and Charles Wendall, born Apr. 9, 1939 in Wise Co., died Jul 19, 1959 in Grapevine, in Tarrant Co.  Both are buried at the Jackson Cemetery.

The last child for which I have some info was Ima Ruth, born Aug. 23, 1912 in TX, died Nov. 21, 1991 in Los Angeles Co., CA. She married Weldon Richard McClendon on Aug. 14, 1931 in Wise Co.  He was born on Dec. 8, 1906 and died Oct. 15, 1965 in Los Angeles. Both are buried at Joshua Memorial Park at Lancaster in Los Angeles Co.

Please contact me to add to or correct any of this information.

  Jack

Update 7/11/2014

It appears that America might have died young or, went through life under some other given name.

Jesse A. was born Sep. 18, 1905 in Wise Co., and died in Texas on Jun 14, 1990.  He married c1926 to Ruth Dobbs, born c 1909 in TX.  Children: Jesse A., Jr.; Patsy R. and Shirley.  May have been others after 1940 census.

Nannie Pearl, born Jul. 30, 1909 in Wise Co., died Mar. 25, 2002 in TX.  She married Jesse Allmon Hopkins, born Sep. 14, 1897 in OK, died Feb. 19,1975 in Decatur, Wise Co., TX.

Aurelia, born Oct. 19, 1910, died Dec. 12, 1971 in Alameda Co., CA, married Ray Pendleton, born Jan. 18, 1895 in Jefferson Co., KY to John R. and Lydia May Cogswell Pendleton, died Feb. 27, 1951 in Decatur.

Marvel Elizabeth, born c 1914, died Aug. 5, 1998 in Concord, Contra Costa Co., CA. (according to an Ancestry.com tree).  No additional info on who her spouse was.  Her spouse might have been the Robert Onlott mentioned in Edna's obituary but, that surname does not appear to exist.

Gladys Faye, born c 1919, married Tyson Brandon Hamilton, born Jul. 26, 1922 in Escambia Co., AL to Will P. and Eugenia H. Hamilton.  He died Apr. 8, 1999 in Contra Costa Co.  They were married to each other, perhaps three times.  I found only one marriage for them, and that was in Reno, Washoe Co., NV, dated Jan. 21, 1977.  I also found three divorce records, one dated March, 1973 at Monterey, CA; another in Nov., 1977 at Contra Costa the third on Apr. 2, 1980 at Contra Costa.

Alice Lonell, born Jun. 13, 1920, died May 31, 2004 in Rose Bud, White Co., AR.  She married Robert Lee Garrett, born Jun. 15, 1913, died Feb. 21, 1996, also in Rose Bud.

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Photo credit: Clarice Milner Baggett