Descendants of John James Coffee

John James Coffee was a son of Joshua and Delilah Conger Coffee in the Peter Coffee line. He was born on Jan. 9, 1833 in Smith Co., TN and died May 27, 1927 in Lubbock, Lubbock Co., TX. John married Nancy Christine Lamberson on Jul 1, 1856 - probably in TN - who was born May 20, 1830 in Smith Co., and died Jan. 12, 1895 in Howard Co., TX.

A number of years ago I made a trip to Big Spring in Howard Co. to search for and photo the graves of the Lilburn Warren Coffee family. If you have read this blog for very long you may recall that Lilburn was the youngest son of Lilburn and Hannah Taylor Coffee, my 3G paternal grandparents. Lilburn Warren moved to west TX from Hempstead Co., AR shortly after the Civil War and eventually settled in Big Spring, Howard Co.

While exploring the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Big Spring I found a number of Coffee graves that I was unable to connect to my Coffee relative. However, I photographed many of their headstones.

John James was likely buried in Lubbock, but Nancy apparently followed a child to Big Spring. She died there on Jan. 12, 1895 and was buried in Mt. Olivet.

He and Nancy were the parents of nine children:

Richard Cornelius (Dick), born Apr. 16, 1857, died Jun. 10, 1934. Richard married Ollie Catherine (Kate) Anderson on Apr. 13, 1882. She was born in Feb. 1858 in Lamar Co., TX to George Reed and Mahala Cumi Long Anderson, and died Nov. 17, 1917 in Big Spring. Both are buried in Mt. Olivet.

Their children were eight:

- Adonis (Don), born Oct. 14, 1883 in Talpa, Coleman Co., TX and died Dec. 20, 1910 in Dallas. He married Mary Elizabeth Green, born in Madison Co., AL to Charles and Mary Elizabeth Pike Green, and died in Wichita Falls, TX in 1958. They had at least one child, Don Ruth Coffee, born May. 15, 1910, died Feb. 27, 1989. Don Ruth married Fred Merritt on Feb. 12, 1933. He was born in Childress Co., TX in 1906 and died in Tucson, Pima Co., AZ on Dec. 19, 1951. Adonis (Don) and Don Ruth are buried in Mt. Olivet. Fred Merrit was buried in the Holy Hope Cemetery in Tucson.

- Christina Mahala, born Feb. 14, 1885 in Talpa, Coleman Co., TX and died Mar. 12, 1964 in Denver Co., CO. She married Robert Edward Chambers on Oct. 24, 1919 in Yokahama, Japan. Robert was born in Bedford Co., VA in 1870 and died Apr. 21, 1932 in Shanghai, China. Their children were Christine, born 1921, Richard, born Sep. 1924, died 1945, and Lois. Christina was Robert's third wife and, they were Baptist Missionaries.

- Zemula Reed (Zema), born Apr. 13, 1886 in Talpa, married Louis W. Demoville on May 14, 1907. Louis died in 1944 and is buried in the Restland Cemetery in Dallas. I have no other information on Zema. Their children were: Louis Coffee, born Oct. 22, 1908, died Dec., 1956. He too is buried in Restland; an unnamed daughter, born 22 Oct. 1908 and died shortly thereafter. She was buried in Mt. Olivet; Kathryn, born Jun. 4, 1910; Irene, born 1912; Margaret, born 1915; Christine, died 1945, and James Edward, born 1918.

- Mary Ellen married Blaine C. Cole. No other information.

- Thomas John, born Dec. 15, 1888, died Apr. 5, 1952 in El Paso. He married Pauline Toitz of London, England on Nov. 15, 1920 in New York City. They had at least one child, a son named Thomas Arthur, born 1922 in Colorado, Mitchell Co., TX. Thomas is buried in Mt. Olivet. I have no other information on Pauline or Thomas Arthur.

- Rebecca Elrissa (Reba), born Feb. 1890, died Sep. 12, 1968 in Big Spring. She married Clyde Edwin Thomas in Jun., 1911. Clyde was born in 1882 and died in 1969. He had been a principal at Big Spring High School. Reba had been one of his students from the class of 1909. They moved to the lower Rio Grande Valley shortly after marriage where he studied law. After passing the bar, the family moved back to Big Spring and he became a widely known attorney, civic and political figure. He was also elected Mayor of Big Spring. I did not find a headstone for either of them in Mt. Olivet. They were parents of nine children: Ollie Adela, born 1912, married Tracy Roberts in 1929; Clyde Edwin, Jr., born 1913, married Eden Lucas in 1940; George Thaddeus, born 1915, married Cleo Lane Higgins. He married second to Mary Madison Sharpnack; Richard Coffee, born 1918, married Mary Oletha Clanton; Ruth, born Jul. 28, 1921, married Howard Salisbury in 1944; Rebecca Mary, born 1919, married Raymond O. Plunkett; Peggy Jean, born Oct. 15, 1923, married John Raymond McDuff; Don Eugene, born Oct. 15, 1923, married Ruby Lee Brown; and Leslie Raymond.

- Ollie May, born Mar. 16, 1892 in Big Spring, married Oliver W. Fannie on Aug. 26, 1917 in Big Spring. They were parents of Oliver, Jr., born 1920; and twins Bill Bradford and Bob Meredith, born Jun. 9, 1922. I believe that Oliver Jr. married Dr. Barbara Acuff and fathered Oliver W. III and Barbara Ann.

- Vera Estelle, died Jan. 13, 1956 in Waco, McLennan Co., TX and was buried in Mt. Olivet.

John James and Nancy's second child was Thomas Joshua Coffey, born Oct. 18, 1858 in Fannin Co., TX. He married Hannah Pauline Dorn on Aug. 18, 1895 at the Dorn home in Mitchell Co., TX. She was born Oct. 13, 1873 in Alabama and died Mar. 20, 1969 in Mitchell Co. Thomas died Jan. 10, 1935. Both are buried at Loraine in Mitchell Co.

Third born was Francis Marion, born Dec. 11, 1859 in Fannin Co., died May 19, 1942. He is buried in Mt. Olivet. He married California Ann (Callie) Donaghe in 1882 in Benton Co., AR. She died Aug. 11, 1929 in Nolan Co., TX and was also buried at Mt. Olivet.

Fourth was John Leonard, born Feb. 26, 1862 in Fannin Co., died Jun. 15, 1935 in LaMesa, Dawson Co., TX. He married Dora George Dourne in 1884. She was born in 1866 and died Jan. 21, 1941 in Dawson Co. Both are buried in LaMesa.

Fifth child was Robert Taylor, born Apr. 9, 1863 in Fannin Co., and died Jun. 7, 1919 in Loraine, Mitchell Co. He married Nancy Emma Smith in Howard Co. in 1896. Robert is buried at Loraine.

Sixth was Samuel Creed, born May 26, 1867 in Fannin Co., died Jul. 11, 1938 in Jones Co., TX. He married Elizabeth Clemetine (Clemmie) Keen in 1893. Samuel is buried in the Greenleaf Cemetery in Brownwood, Brown Co., TX.

Seventh was Mary Elizabeth, born Oct. 28, 1868 in McDonald Co., MO, and died c1870.

Eighth born was William Riley (Will) in 1870, McDonald Co., MO. He married Mary Addie Cox. William is said to have died in Louisville, KY.

And, last but not least, was Alfonso James, born 1870 in McDonald Co, died 1906 in Scott Co., MO. He married Ida Hall.

Additions and/or corrections appreciated.