This James was born in 1806, probably in Cherokee Co., NC. He was a son of Levi and Dolly Edmundson Coffey and, brother to Rice, Mary Ann, James, Robert, John, Keziah, Elisha, Levi, Jr., and Nancy.
Rice married Dorothy Jane Medaris; James married Nancy Greene; Robert married Mary LNU, Elisha married Anna Harmon Moody; and Levi, Jr. married Louisa Turnbull.
My interest at the moment is centered on James who married Nancy Greene, a daughter of John “Moccasin” and Elizabeth Coffey Greene. Elizabeth Coffey Greene was a first cousin to James.
Their children were Abram, born c1829; Charity, born c1831; Sarah Elizabeth, born 1836; Daniel M., born c1844; James W., born c1846; and Mary Jane, born c1847. All were likely born in Cherokee Co.
Sarah Elizabeth married Thomas Cummins West on Dec. 16, 1855 in Murphy, Cherokee Co. He was born May 14, 1834 in Buncombe Co., NC and died in Graham Co., AZ on Jan. 8, 1888. Sarah died Dec. 19, 1877 in McKinley Co., NM. Thomas is buried at Graham Cemetery while Sarah was buried at Savola Pioneer Cemetery in McKinley Co.
James W. married Jane LNU and had a daughter named Dora, born c1878 in NC.
Mary Jane was born c1847 and is said to have married Henry Alexander Ditmore.
While researching this family I found a marriage for a Jane Ditmore in Clay Co., NC dated 25 Feb. 1875. Her parents were named as James and Nancy Coffey. One genealogy that I have found reports that a Mary Jane Coffey married Henry Alexander Ditmore c1865 in Cherokee Co. A search for Henry Alexander Ditmore found him in Tom Greene Co., TX where he died in 1923. His wife was named Elvira and they are said to have married c1869 in Panola Co., TX. He was a native of McMinn Co., TN.
The thought occurred to me that the above Jane LNU who James W. Coffey might be Mary Jane Coffey Ditmore. There are problems with this thought, however: James W. and Mary Jane Coffey Ditmore were brother and sister and, the marriage record for Jane Coffey Ditmore shows her groom to be James M. Coffey, a son of John Coffey.*
Update 8/15/2013:
Henry Alexander Ditmore (son). Henry was born September 27, 1841 in McMinn County, Tennessee. About 1844 his family moved to Cherokee County, North Carolina. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate Army and served for the duration of the war. After the war ended he returned home to Cherokee County, North Carolina where he married Mary Jane Coffey. They had one son.
He left Mary and moved west where he settled in Panola County, Texas and remarried to Elvira C. Mathews. They had thirteen children. Around 1886 the family moved to San Angelo, Tom Green County, Texas. Henry died there on January 29, 1923.
Thanks to Elizabeth [lizzyiscrazy23 @ gmail.com] for the update!
The marriage info below* is that of Henry's former wife, Mary Jane Coffey and her marriage to James M. Coffey. James M. was a son of James Coffey and Nancy Greene, born c1846 in NC.
Henry Alexander Ditmore and his second wife, Elvira C. Mathews, are buried at the Grape Creek Cemetery in Grape Creek, Tom Green Co., TX.
*Groom's Name: James M. Coffey Groom's Birth Date: Groom's Birthplace: Groom's Age: Bride's Name: Jane Ditmore Bride's Birth Date: Bride's Birthplace: Bride's Age: Marriage Date: 25 Feb 1875 Marriage Place: Brasstown, Clay, North Carolina Groom's Father's Name: John Coffey Groom's Mother's Name: Bride's Father's Name: James Coffey Bride's Mother's Name: Nancy Coffey Groom's Race: Groom's Marital Status: Unknown Groom's Previous Wife's Name: Bride's Race: Bride's Marital Status: Unknown Bride's Previous Husband's Name: Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M75237-1 System Origin: North Carolina-EASy Source Film Number: 840423 Reference Number: P 5
