Lee Clayton Coffey

Lee Clayton Coffey

Lee Clayton "Clayton" Coffey was a son of John Narvin and Mollie Couch Coffey, born Oct. 6, 1916 in Zephyr, Brown Co., TX.  This family descends from the still mythical Chesley Coffey.*

"He served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps during WWII and received BS and MA degree from his beloved Texas A&M and a Ph. D. from Iowa State College in Ames, IA."¹

He was married to Sunshine "Sunny" Jackson, on Feb. 1, 1944 in Richardson, Dallas Co., TX.² She was born ca 1923 in Dallas Co.

Sunshine "Sunny" Jackson Coffey

"Bride - Mr. and Mrs. Lee C. Coffey, who were married Tuesday at the Richardson Presbyterian Church, will make their home in Abilene. The bride, above, is the former Miss Sunshine Jackson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Luther J. Jackson of Richardson [TX]. She is a former student of the North Texas State Teacher College. The bridegroom is a graduate of Texas A. & M. College and formerly taught vocational agriculture in the Richardson school. He is county agent of Taylor County."

Lee worked as the Country Agricultural Agent in Mason, Taylor, Fisher and Comanche counties.  He also worked at Texas A & M as a "special agronomist" and Director of The Foundation Seed Program for that university.  In 1964 he and Sunny relocated to Plainview to form the Excel Seed Co., Inc.

There were two children born to the union:  Daughter, Robyn Kay Coffey of Weatherford, TX and a son, Lee "Pete" Jackson Coffey of Lubbock.

Sunny survived at Lee's death in Longview in 2013.

*From DNA testing we know that Chesley was related to Edward.  What we do not know is how, and how far back they became kin.

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 ¹http://bit.ly/1wwKDmm  citing Newspaper Obituary and Death Notice Weatherford Democrat, The (TX) - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 Deceased Name: Lee Clayton Coffey

²http://bit.ly/1wvOUGO citing "The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Dallas Co., TX", , Sun., Feb. 13, 1944, Section III, Page 8.

Dr. Laurence Henry Coffey and Finley Hezekiah Coffey

I have written previously about Dr. Coffey's parents, Henry Clay and Sophronia Tate Coffey.  Much of the information about Finley was produced in an earlier blog.  Daniel, Finley's younger brother can be found here.

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Laurence was born Dec. 23, 1875 in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina.  His first cousin, Finley Hezekiah¹ was almost 15 years older, born in the Yadkin Valley on  Apr. 20, 1861 to Drury Robbins and Harriet Elizabeth Collett Coffey. When Laurence was about 13 years old, the 22-year-old Finley owned and operated his own business in Caldwell Co.  In 1887 he came to Lenoir and opened a general store.

The following article, written in 1942 describes Finley and once appeared on the website of the Caldwell County Department of Social Services:²

“Finley H. Coffey, president of the Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Company, prominent in the manufacturing, banking and government interests of Caldwell County, was born in this county, the son of the late Drury D. and Harriet Collett Coffey, both of whom were natives of Caldwell....When he was twenty-two he opened his own store in this area, operating it until 1887 when he came to Lenoir and established a general store where Efird’s is now located.

"About seven years later Mr. Coffey went to Kansas and took over the management of a farm owned by his father.  In 1907 he returned to Lenoir, and he, with others, founded the Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Company.

"Active in the civic affairs of Lenoir and Caldwell County , Mr. Coffey has served a number of terms on the board of aldermen of the city of Lenoir ; was chairman of the county draft board during World War I, and was for many years a member of the Board of County Commissioners, serving as chairman for some time.  He was a member of this board until 1928 when he entered the State Legislature where he served on the Finance Committee.

"At present Mr. Coffey is president of the Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Co., president of Union Mirror Co., president of Union National Bank, vice-president of Mutual Building and Loan Association, chairman of the County Welfare Board, Vice-chairman of the State School for the Deaf and chairman of the building committee.  He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Kiwanis Club and an active member of the Presbyterian Church.

"To Mr. Coffey, perhaps more than any other living citizen, Caldwell County is indebted for much of the progress made during recent years.  During his term as a member of the county Board of Commissioners he was instrumental in establishing the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Caldwell County and in doing away with the indebtedness of the county and placing it once more on a sound financial basis.  When he became a commissioner there were only two jobs in the county outside the actual operating force in the courthouse, and these were a Farm Demonstrator and one Welfare Worker.  During his administration the county was given a well-rounded administrative force.

"The wide diversity of Mr. Coffey’s interests are well demonstrated in the offices which he holds today, and Lenoir and Caldwell County are indeed fortunate in having such a citizen as Mr. Finley H. Coffey.”

"Mr. Coffey was still in office at the time of his death at age 82 in 1943.  Minutes of the Caldwell County Welfare Board meeting after his passing refer to him as 'the beloved Chairman.'"

Finley married Miss Rose Frieze ca 1893 when Finley was 32 and Rose was 27.  The couple lived with his parents in Geary Co., KS in 1900.  Their children then were Mable, Herbert, and Howard.  Rose was expecting their fourth later that year which they named Ethyl. Daniel came along in 1904 while they were still living in Geary Co. The family, including Finley's parents came back to North Carolina before 1910.  Drury died in Caldwell Co. on Aug. 16th, 1913; Harriet in 1921.

Meanwhile back in 1900 Caldwell Co., Lawrence was preparing to leave his parents home and move to Richmond, VA where he would attend the Medical College of Virginia. He graduated from medical school on Mar. 10, 1906³ and returned home to practice medicine.  In 1909 he married Adah [sic] Mae Costner of Mecklenburg Co., NC, a daughter of William A and Sarah Frazier Costner.  Adah was born in that county and city of Charlotte on May 12, 1885 and died there on Dec. 5, 1973.  She outlived her husband by nearly 30 years; Laurence died of a stroke at the age of 59 on Sep. 3, 1944 at Lincolnton in Lincoln Co., NC.

In the intervening years, Laurence and Adah became parents of three children, a daughter Alda in 1910, named for Adah's sister; Jack Wilson, born 1912 and William Henry, born in 1914.

Over the years Laurence and Finley conspired to define the descendants of Thomas Coffey and his wife Sarah "Sally" Fields, from whom they both descended. Thomas was the sixth of the nine children born to John Coffey and Jane Graves.  They succeeded in their work with Thomas doing most of the research.  In 1931 Finley paid to have it published.  Since that time the book,  has become a proven tool that Coffey family researchers have come to rely on for its accuracy.4  

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Sources include census records and archived newspapers. 

¹Sophronia Tate Coffey was the younger sister of Drury Dobbins Coffey, children of Daniel Boone and Clarissa Estes Coffey

²As of Feb. 28, 2015 the website still existed but the Finley story was no longer present. Finley was the first chairman of the Caldwell County, North Carolina Board of Public Welfare.  He was also one of the county's most prominent citizens.

³The Richmond Dispatch, (Richmond, VA), http://bit.ly/1Al9XX3, May 10, 1906, Page 12, Col. 7.

4Coffey, Laurence H., editor, Thomas Coffey and His Descendants (Chattanooga, TN: N. Sanders, 1931)

Johan Rüe, Johan Rühe or John Roe?

The Roe family is my maternal side.  My mother, Velma Imogene Roe was a daughter of Archie and Lillian Smith Roe.  

Archie was a son of Eugene Green Roe, he a son of John Roe, born c1831 in Baden, Germany.

John is somewhat of a mystery.  Likely named Johan Rüe or Rühe, he is said to have defected shortly before 1860 from a German navy vessel anchored in the Mississippi River, near New Orleans.  Rations were running low and men were hungry enough to jump overboard and swim to shore.  John was one of the lucky ones to make it.

A family tale, repeated over the years, say he made his way north to Catahoula Parish, LA and a small town known then as Pine Woods.  By 1860, he had married and was the father of a child or two.  The 1860 census of Catahoula Parish reports differently:

1860 LA, Catahoula Parish, Pine Woods, Trinity PO, dwelling 363, family 353, F. Desh, age 32, male, shoe maker, $400, $600, Germany; Mary, age 23, female, born Germany; John, age 5, male, born LA; Jacob, age 3, born LA; John Ruhe, age 29, male, butcher, born Germany; John King, age 25, male, shoe maker, born Germany

[My Grandma Lillian repeated to me that old story about two brothers coming to America. One came south, the other disappeared. When I was in the military and being reassigned to Germany, my Grandpa Archie reminded me that I was the first to go back to the "homeland" since his grandfather left.]

There is nothing in this census record to indicate that John had children, or was even married. 

Two years later he was fighting with the 1st Louisiana Heavy Artillery in the American Civil War.

Rhue, John, Pvt. Cos. H and D, 1st La. Hvy. Arty (Regulars). En. Sept. 4, 1862, Catahoula, La. Rolls Nov., 1862, to April, 1863, Present. teamster in Q. M. Dept. On List dated Enterprise, Miss., Oct. 13, 1863, Present, in parole camp. Rolls Oct. 31, 1863, to Dec., 1863, Present. Rolls Jan., 1864, to June, 1864, Present. Rolls July, 1864, to Oct., 1864. Absent, sick, Roll March and April, 1865, Present. Roll of Prisoners of War, C. S. A., Paroled Meridian, Miss., May 14, 1865. Res. New Orleans, La.

[It should be noted that Mary Clark Thibodeaux Roe, widow of John, was denied a Civil War pension in 1929 because records for John T. Roe, the name she used on the application, was not found in any CSA military record.]

The tale continues: John made it safely back to Catahoula Parish only to discover his wife and children had perished.

No longer knowing anyone in that area, he moved to South Louisiana in an attempt to find Joseph Pullam, one of his Civil War comrades, John finally found Joseph in the small town of Deerford, located in East Baton Rouge (EBR) Parish, some 15 or 16 miles north of the capitol city of Baton Rouge. 

A problem with this part of the tale is Joseph Pullam had no Civil War record; he died in 1854.  There was a Joseph, Jr. and, he was in EBR as late as 1862 when at age 18 he married  Miss Margaret Louisa Forbes.  Civil War records have not been found for him either.

Joseph Pullam and his wife Elizabeth Tickell (sometimes found as Teekell) had a fine young daughter by the name of Elizabeth Frances, born in Deerford in about 1840.  She and Joseph were married on Jul. 27, 1869 in EBR.

State of Louisiana

Parish of East Baton Rouge

We, the undersigned John Row as Principal and J. F. Bushman as Security are held and firmly bound unto the present Governor of the State of Louisiana or his successors in office in the sum of Five Hundred Dollars current money of the United States of America
Witness, our hands and seal this 27th Day of Feby 1868.

The conditions of the above obligation is such that whereas the above bounden John Row has obtained from the Clerk of the 5th Judicial District Court for said Parish of East Baton Rouge, a License to be joined in marriage to Elizabeth Cabner* [sic] [Carpenter]
Now, if there be no lawful course of impediment to the said marriage the obligation to be will be null and void, otherwise to remain in full force and value.

In The Presence Of

W. J. Walker
Johaness Ruh
J. F. Bushman

State of Louisiana  Judicial District Court
Parish of East Baton Rouge, Clerk's Office
To any one authorized to celebrate marriage in said Parish,

Greeting:

You are hereby authorized to join in marriage according to law John Row and Elizabeth Cabner [sic] [Carpenter] there appearing no lawful cause of impediment to the same
Given under my hand and the Seal of said Court at Baton Rouge the 27th day of Feb 1868

 Jas Cooper,Clerk

John and Elizabeth had three children:

John & Ary Dawson Roe Family

John Roe, born 1861, died 1933.  John married Ary Odell Dawson in Clinton, East Feliciana Parish (EFP) in 1890.  Ary was born in EBR in 1873 and died in 1946 at Washington Parish, LA.  They had 11 children, all of which lived to marry and have children of their own.  Ary left John and it is said "she set the house afire before leaving."  

Elizabeth was second born.  Her birth date was Mar., 1870 in EBR and she died before 1874 at Baywood in EBR.  My paternal grandfather pointed out to me the burial site of this child when I was about 15 years old.  He pointed out a large oak tree that then grew at the edge of a major thoroughfare from Baton Rouge to St. Helena Parish.  Today, the tree is gone and a large truck stop sits atop Elizabeth's grave.

Eugene Green Roe

The third child was Eugene Green, born 1873 at Baywood, died 1953 at Denham Springs in Livingston Parish, LA.  Eugene was married three times.  His first wife, Margaret Beatrice "Maggie" Henderson in 1893. She was on her second marriage.  Her first was to H. M. Newsom with whom she had Fanny, born in Oct., 1890. We know that Fanny married John L. Weaver c1907 and had children Henry S. and Louisa however,  the Roe family has lost contact with her descendants.

Green, as he was called, fathered five children with Maggie before her death in 1910.  First born was Lee Howard in 1894; Archie Allen in 1897; Frank Eugene in 1899; Myrtle Olivia in 1901 and Ida Mae in 1904.

Returning to John the German now, we learned that Elizabeth died in 1874 leaving him with the infant Green.  There is only circumstantial evidence to support the thought that Elizabeth died at the birth of Green.  John very quickly married Mary "Molly" Clark Thibodeaux, the 22-year old widow of Alfred who also died in c1874.  That union took place on May 26, 1874 in EBR.

State of Louisiana - - - Parish of East Baton Rouge
Fifth Judicial District Court - - Clerk's Office
To Any One Authorized to Celebrate Marriage in said Parish, Greeting:
You are hereby authorized to join in marriage according to law
John Ruh and Mary Thibodeaux
There appearing no lawful course of impediment to the same
Given under my hand and Seal of said Court at Baton Rouge this 19th day of  May, A. D., 1874
Felix Behel[?], Clerk

John and Molly's children were:

Children of Edward
and Maude Verrett Roe³

Edward Malcolm, born 1883 in EBR, died 1951 in Morgan City, St. Mary Parish, LA. Edward married Maude Cecile Verrett who was born in Bayou Chene¹ in St. Martin Parish, LA in 1898. There were five children born to this union:  Minnie E., Winnie M., Eugene Gilbert; Charles H. and John E.  All survived and raised families of their own.  Eugene Gilbert Roe was a veteran of WW2 and a member of the 101st Airborn Division which parachuted into Normandy on D-Day.  He was a medic in E Company² who along with so many others fought at Bastogne in Belgium during the "Battle of the Bulge."

Obituary, The Baton Rouge Saturday State Times/Morning Advocate, Jan. 2, 1999

ROE SR., EUGENE GILBERT "BUD"

A retired construction contractor and a resident of Denham Springs, he died at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30, 1998, at his home. He was 76 and a native of Bayou Chene. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He served in the European Theater during World War II, participating in the D-Day invasion of Normandy as a paratrooper and medic in the "E" Company, 101st Airborne Division. He also served with allied forces defending Bastogne, Belgium, in the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and the Medal of Valor for his services to our country. Visiting was at Seale Funeral Home, Denham Springs, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. Visiting at the funeral home chapel, 8 a.m. until religious services at 10 a.m. Saturday, conducted by the Rev. Doug DeGraffenried. Eulogy read by Louis Redden Jr. Interment in Resthaven Gardens of Memory, Baton Rouge. He is survived by wife, Myrtle H. Roe, Denham Springs; two daughters and sons-in-law, Maxine Roe and Al Tircuit and Marlene Roe and David Langlois, all of Baton Rouge; a son and daughter-in-law, Eugene G. Jr. and Betty Roe, Baton Rouge; two stepdaughters and husbands, Margaret and Robert Wendt, Denham Springs, and Melvina and Ron Timberlake, Tennessee; a stepson and wife, Danny and Phyllis Williams, Clinton; a brother, Charles H. Roe, Morgan City; six grandchildren, Kyle and Derek Tircuit, Christopher and Ryan Langlois and Greg and Michelle Roe; seven stepgrandchildren, Jay, Jodi and Jan Williams, Jill and Michael Edwards and William and Daniel Wendt; two stepgreat-grandchildren, Ashley and Logan Buckner; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by father, Ed Roe; mother, Maud Verret Roe Green; a brother, John E. Roe; and two sisters, Winnie Smallman and Minnie Green. He was of the Methodist faith. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Baton Rouge, 8322 One Calais Ave., Suite A, Baton Rouge LA 70809-3412.

 ...perhaps to be continued.

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*Elizabeth had previously married John B. Carpenter on Nov. 1, 1859 in EBR. See EBR marriage register, Book 5B, Page 260; married at the home of Mrs. E. Pullam, witnesses J. F. Glover, L. M. Carpenter and James Morgan.  John is thought to have died in the Civil War but proof has not been found.

¹See Bayou Chene The Life Story of An Atchafalaya Basin Community at http://1.usa.gov/1CI1bXv

²See "Band of Brothers" at http://bit.ly/1CI3lX3

³Roe children photograph courtesy of Eugene G. Roe, Jr.

Winright Shockley & Martha Emaline Coffey

The Coffey, Dalton, Harville, Rucker, and Shockley families have close family ties in Grainger Co., TN.  A researcher cannot concentrate on one of those families without also considering each of the others.  

It's impossible!  

Don't believe that?

Consider the following:

Winright Shockley, a son of Booker and Hannah Ann Dalton Shockley, married Martha Emaline Coffey, daughter of George and Margaret L. Rucker Coffey.  Winright and "Emily" were married on Feb. 20, 1851 in Grainger Co. and had at least eight¹ children:

Martha Jane Shockley married Thomas Coffey.  Their daughter Viola married Pleasant Dalton in 1912

George Winright Shockley married Harried Harville and they had a son, James Henry who married Cora Dalton in 1895. Their son James Nathan married Mayme Harville, daughter of Hugh Harville and Lillie M. Coffey.

Wyatt W. Shockley married Virginia Rucker, daughter of Perry Rucker and Minerva Latham.  They had at least six children and of those found to date, none are known to have married any of the above surnames.  Wyatt and family remained in Grainger Co. thru 1900 but by 1910 they were living in Bailey, Fannin Co., TX.  Wyatt died thee in 1910; Virginia in 1939.

Mahala Shockley married Collins Calvin Coffey, son of Caswell and Martha Campbell Coffey in 1883.  Their daughter married Buford Enderson Shockley in 1912.  Buford's parents are unknown to me.

William Berry Shockley married Eliza Jane Coffey in 1885.  She was the daughter of Thomas Nelson and Cornelia Coffey Coffey.

Jincey Shockley married Berry Wisdom Coffey in 1887. Their son Nathaniel married Pearly Dalton, daughter of Ira and Sarah Manerva Dalton Dalton. Nathaniel's daughter Dorsie Ellen Coffey married Esco Dalton, son of Hugh and Minnie Dalton Dalton. Stella May, another daughter of Nathaniel married Thea Coffey, son of Everett Elbert and Leva Lois Dalton Coffey.

Winright's last child, Elizabeth "Bettie" Shockley married Pleasant Dalton in 1888.  "Pleas" was a son of Hiram and Catherine Howerton Dalton. Hiram was a son of Timothy and Delphia Coffey Dalton. Timothy was a son of Reuben and Nancy Elizabeth Shockley Dalton and Delphia was a daughter of George and Margaret L. Rucker Coffey.

This is just one such family.  It is a small sampling of how these families joined with and shared their families over the years.  

I'm certain had I chosen to go back a few more generations, or had come forward one or two more, I would have found many examples within this select group where ancestors and/or descendants intermarried with the same family of surnames.

There are perhaps a few hundred examples in my Edward Coffey Project of how these families intermarried and how, until today, they still cherish each other.

Want to know more?  Contact me!

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¹They also had a daughter named Rutha, born c1865.  I have not yet found info about her.

William Preston "Press" Buchanan

William Preston "Press" Buchanan was born in Tennessee - probably Giles Co. -  in about 1844 to Charles Clayton and Mary Abernathy Tarpley Buchanan.  "Press" was the third child and second son of their eight children consisting of five sons and three daughters, most of which were born in Mississippi.

Charles Clayton Buchanan was a son of Robert and Elizabeth Ezell Buchanan. A brother to Charles was Kensington who had a son named Chesley.  Chesley was the father of William Kensington Buchanan who married Kate Hawkins  in 1895, and raised a family in Nevada Co., AR.

Press served in the Civil War with Co. H, 33d Arkansas Infantry,  In 1868 he married Miss Helen Buchanan of Clark Co., AR.  Helen's surname could be completely coincidental, or perhaps she was some cousin kin to Press.  I have not discovered the link.  She was 16 years old on their wedding day; he was 24.

I find no record of Press acquiring land in Nevada or Hempstead counties in SW Arkansas.  Two of his brothers, Tilmon D. and Charles Clayton, Jr. both patented small plats, Press is said to have acquired large amounts of timbered acreage.  Along the way he established large lumber companies throughout SW Arkansas and NW Louisiana.  

The largest of his companies was the Bodcaw Lumber Company.  Originally incorporated in Miller Co., AR in 1889, the largest of their mill was in Stamps, Lafayette Co., AR.  A tram at that mill eventually became the Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad that brought lumber down to the Mississippi in the Vidalia, La.,/Natches, MS area.

All of these interests were under the leadership of William.

Press and Helen had five children:

Mary L., born c1872, married J. A. Billingsley in 1894, Nevada Co., AR.
William Thad, born 1874 in Prescott
Joseph Pledger, born 1876, married Lillie Elba Morrow in Nevada Co. on Dec. 20, 1908
Esther, born c1879 and Hattie M., born c1891.  No further information.

William Thad was born Aug., 29, 1874 in Prescott, Missouri Twp., Nevada Co., and died there on Feb. 8, 1938.  He married Ocia Bell Coffee in Nevada Co. on Dec. 20, 1906.  Ocia was born Sep. 25, 1882 in Hempstead Co. and died in Houston, Harris Co., TX on Nov. 5, 1959.*

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 Street, between Hazel and Walnut next to the home of Mrs. George Kizer and is now occupied by John Smith."

Ocia was a daughter of John Fielding¹ ² and Frances "Fannie" Thompson Coffee.  John was the eldest son of  Lilburn Jackson and Sarah Hannah Taylor Coffee and, was also brother to my great-grandfather, James M. Coffee.

Children born to William and Ocia were:

Floyd Fields, born Sep. 29, 1908, died Jan. 30, 1966 in Houston, Harris Co., TX.  Floyd married Florence Biggs in Nevada Co. on Oct. 19, 1929.  She was a daughter of Henry and Carrie Biggs, born Dec. 21, 1907 in AR, died in Prescott on May 2, 1974. Floyd was buried at San Jacinto Memorial Park in Houston.  Florence was returned home to Prescott and buried there at Pleasant Hill Cemetery.

Ota Albert, born Mar. 29, 1910 in Nevada Co., died in Nacogdoches Co., TX on Dec. 12, 2001.  He married Claudia Irene Woodward on Aug. 5, 1933 in Nevada Co.  Claudia was born on Mar. 23, 1914 in AR and died in Nacoghoches on Nov 26, 2005.  Both are buried there at Sunset Memorial Park.

Clyde Curtis, born Nov. 11, 1914 in AR, died Jan. 8, 1991 in Nevada Co.  He married Margaret L. "Petty" Barnard, a daughter of William and Anne Barnard, on July 20, 1940. She was born Jun. 7, 1918 in Prescott and died there on Aug. 27, 2003.  Both are buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Prescott.

John Preston, born c1914, died before 1930 in Prescott.  He was buried at the Old Smyrna Cemetery in Prescott.

Edmond Lewis, born 1922 in Nevada Co., married Imogene Clark on Jun. 30, 1932 in Nevada Co.  Nothing else known.

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*My wife and I were married that same year, one day after her death.

¹I was fortunate in that I was able to interview Myrl Eunice Crank Coffee, the widow of Ernest Vernon Coffee, a grandson of John Fielding.  I met her in her home in 1989.  She told me that John's middle name was Fielding.  However, Ocia named her first son Floyd Fields Buchanan, which gives me reason to believe Murl - using the vernacular of today - "misremembered."

²John's birth year is questionable.  In 1850 he was 4 years old, meaning he was born between 1845 and 1846.  In 1860 he was 18 years old, meaning he was work between 1842 and 1843.  In 1880 he was 43 years old, meaning he was born between 1846 and 1847.  In 1900 he gave Dec., 1842 as his birth date.

Hugh R. Blunt

Hugh R. Blunt was born Sep. 11, 1822 in Louisiana to Nelson and Elizabeth Blunt.

There are two inconvenient facts lacking in this family's research.  First, Hugh is not a proven son of Nelson, and second, Nelson is a not a proven son of James Blunt and Pembroke Powers.  It is only their proximity in time and place that makes me believe they are closely related.

James' son Hugh R. Blunt, born c1776 in North Carolina, married Euphemie "Pheme" Powers on Aug. 21, 1806¹ in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA. Hugh Blunt died Feb., 1827 in Iberville Parish.  By 1830 his widow is found on the tax rolls of St. Helena Parish.²

A Nelson Blount [sic] disappeared from St. Helena Parish in c1812³ and a family with Nelson as head appeared in the Natchitoches Parish, LA census of 1820, "age to 45." Given the birth year of Hugh R., Nelson's age would have him born in the late 1770s, close enough for me to suspect them of being brothers.  By 1830, Nelson lived in Claiborne Parish, LA which had been cut from Natchitoches Parish in 1828.  He likely died before 1840 because he does not appear in that or any later census record.

The names Hugh and Nelson often appear in a number of my North Louisiana Blunt families.

Back to Hugh R.

James R. Bishop and his wife Peninah Walker had eight children, all daughters.  Hugh R. married two of them.  His first wife was fourth born, Mary Ann Bishop.  They married on Feb. 11, 1850 in Claiborne Parish.4

That union resulted in the birth of two children, the first being James Bert "Jim" Blunt on Mar. 11, 1851 in Columbia Co., AR.  The second born was Frances "Fanny: on Apr. 22, 1852 in Bossier Parish, LA.  Mary Ann is known to have died around that period and it seems reasonable to believe that she died giving birth to Fanny.

Living with Hugh and Mary Ann then was Beneta [sic], James and Peninah's youngest daughter, born Jan. 5, 1839.  Beneta continued to care for Hugh's children over the years until on Jan. 25, 1857 she married Hugh in Lafayette Co., AR.5

Together they had three children:

Martha Ann, born 1858, died 1927, married James C. "Tiny" Johnson in 1881.

Amanda M. "Manda", born 1859 in Rusk, Cherokee Co., TX, died 1936 in Minden, Webster Parish, LA.  She married James Monroe Braley on Aug. 19, 1881.

Hughriah Nelson "Hugh" Blunt, born 1863 in Bossier Parish, LA, died 1939 in Bossier. Married Labicey Etta "Et" Leonard on Jan. 8, 1883 in Louisiana.6

Amanda and Hugh

James Monroe Braley was the son of the German emigrant Johan Frederick Braley.  Braley appears to be an Anglicized spelling; I believe the original surname was Brahle.  He arrived in Sag Harbor, Suffolk, NY on board the vessel Markus in May, 1832, having embarked at Amsterdam.7

Johan Frederick, or Meckie as he was known to his family, wandered around somewhere in the US until 1850.  That is when he first appears in Claiborne Parish, LA, married to the widow, Elizabeth Edwards who had two daughters of her own, Sarah, born ca 1833 and Elizabeth, born c1835, both in Louisiana.

Meckie and Elizabeth had five children of their own, all boys!

James Monroe Braley

Amanda Blount Braley &
Ora Elizabeth Braley Coffee

James Monroe was the second born.  He arrived on Aug. 19, 1849 in Claiborne Parish and married Amanda on Aug. 19, 1881.  They settled down in Webster Parish, formed from parts of Bienville, Bossier and Claiborne Parishes in 1871. All of these Parishes were once part of Natchitoches Parish.

On Jan. 7, 1893 James homesteaded 159.97 acres in Twp. 23N, Range 10W in Webster Parish.  They remained in that area for the remainder of their lives.  Six of their seven children survived to adulthood including a daughter that would eventually become my maternal grandmother,

Ora Elizabeth Braley was born second on Jan. 14, 1884, one year to the day after the first child, also a daughter, was born and which died in Aug., 1884.

J. M. Braley Homestead

Ora, content to remain single, did not marry until she was 25 years old.  She was very likely of considerable help to her mother Mandy who had five younger children.

Ora was the third wife of my grandfather, Albert Lilburn "A. L." Coffee.  He was 11 years older than Ora when they married and had lost his first two wives to death.

Della was his first wife and she gave birth to two children; Ora May West Coffee in 1894 and Carl Glenn Coffee in 1896, both in De Ann, Hempstead Co., AR.  Della died in 1898 and A. L. married Ida Lee Timberlake in 1899 at De Ann.  They had two children as well:  John Timberlake "Jack", Coffee - for whom I was named, my real name being Jack rather than John - born Mar. 5, 1900 and Ruby EcElvy Coffey, born 1902, both in Hempstead Co.

Children from the first union lived to adult hood and have a considerable number of descendants.  Jack did not marry until 1927 when he married Katie Louise Johnson, a native of Newton Co., MS, on Aug. 4, 1927 in Natchez, Adams Co., MS.  Katie lived in Natches with her family.  Jack was employed repairing levees along the Mississippi.  In 1928 Jack died of pneumonia without having produced any children.  Ironically, Katie later married a Mr. Blount and moved to Wood Co., TX where she died in 1966.  I have not yet learned who Mr. Blount was.

Ruby never married and died in Minden, Webster Parish in 1985.

By marrying A. L., Ora took on the task of raising his motherless children while giving birth to six of her own.  Her first born was my father, Frank Hurley Coffee (Frank to me, Hurley to his nieces and nephews).

Frank was born in De Ann in 1910 and died in Jefferson, Marion Co., TX in 1976.  I never knew him as anything more than the man that had sired me.  I had met him on several occasions, the last time right after I took my discharge from the US Army in 1968.  He never impressed me in any way other than an alcoholic and an "old five and dimer."  My mother was his second wife.  By the time he had passed away in 1976, he had been married at least six times.  Fortunately, he sired only two of us; the second by his fourth wife.

I have photographs of  him that I refuse to publish.

Sources:

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¹Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Church Records, 1804-1819, Vol. 3, Page 114.  Although non-Catholic, Spanish rule demanded all residents of the territory to record births, marriages and deaths with the Catholic church

²Ernest Russ Williams, Jr., Genealogical and Historical Abstracts of Legal Records of St. Helena Parish, LA, 1804-1870 (1995), p171. The document shows she was farming 160 acres along the Amite River in the parish of St. Helena, and owned 3 slaves. Total state and parish tax for the year was $4.80. Phamy's property was described as being "east of the Seuttfield Tract." Next door to her was James Blount [sic] who was farming 640 acres, owned no slaves, and paid $1.25 tax in 1830.

³Conveyance Book B, St. Helena Parish, LA, April 9, 1812; James Norton deputy Sheriff, sold property of Nelson Blount [sic], "lying on Spring Creek, above where William Wells now lives", to A.L. Osborne for $100; to satisfy a judgment against Blount in favor of William Boykin. Wit.: Matthew Steward.

4Dodd, Jordan R, et. al. Early American Marriages: Louisiana to 1850. Bountiful, UT: Precision Indexing Publishers, 19xx.  Spouse 1: Bishop, Mary Ann Spouse 2: Blunt, Hugh Marriage Date: 11 Feb 1850 Marriage Location: Louisiana Claiborne Parish

5"Arkansas County Marriages, 1837-1944,", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQLC-6WT : accessed 24 Oct 2013), Hugh Blunt and Benetia Bishop, 25 Jan 1857.

6 Etta Leonard Blunt Family Bible (Thomas Nelson & Sons, 381-385 Fourth Avenue, New York, NY). Etta's Bible has been an invaluable source for dates and places.

7"United States Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports, 1820-1874" , index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22118-3356-49?cc=1921756 : accessed 13 Aug 2014), Boyl-Bran > image 4740 of 6297; citing NARA microfilm publication M334.

Marshall L. Coffey (1819-1904)

Marshall was a son of Ananias and Jane Hindman Coffey, born in Russell Co., KY on Apr. 28, 1819.

The first census in which I can identify Marshall is the Aug. 16, 1850 enumeration of Adair Co. Identified then as Martial L. Coffey, age 31,  head of a household and included his widowed mother, Jane, age 69, and sisters, Eliza, age 33; E. J. [Emily Jane], age 26 and L. C. [Louisa Caroline], age 23.

Coffey-Silky Marriage Record

Later the same year, Marshall married Jemima Silky, daughter of John.  The marriage occurred on Dec. 16, 1850 in Adair Co.¹

He and Jemima pursued the typical life of that era in rural America; farming and hoping for babies. The latter apparently never came because there were none recorded in the 1860 or 1870 households.

Coffey-Blaydes Marriage Record

Jemima died sometime between June of 1870 and November of 1881.  Neither a death nor burial record has been found.  On. Nov. 13, 1881, Marshall married the widow Mary Blaydes in Metcalfe Co., KY.² The marriage certificate is blank indicating a marriage did not occur.  Be that as it may, they lived together as man and wife at least through the 1900 Adair Co. census when he was 81 years old and she seventy-one.

A year before his death, a local newspaper reported "Uncle Marshall Coffey, one of our oldest citizens, went into a trance a few nights ago; says he heard music and saw some of his relatives."³

Marshall died on Jan. 3, 1904 in Columbia, Adair Co., KY:

"On Jan 3rd, 1904, the death angle [sic] came and claimed for its victim Mr. Marshal Coffey, who would have been 85 years old had he lived until April 28th next. He professed the Christian faith when 16 and joined the M. E. church South and has ever since been true to the faith which he claimed. He often remarked in his last days that he had not become worried in striving for that happy abode which awaits all who are true to the faith he claimed; [sic] He leaves an aged wife and many friends to mourn his departure. His remains are interred in the family cemetery."§

Marshall's middle name is said by some to have been Lock, but I have been unable to independently  confirm that.

Sources:

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¹“Kentucky County Marriages, 1797-1954", index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5Z6-1RN)

²“Kentucky County Marriages, 1797-1954", index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V5PN-BK5)

³"The Adair County News, Columbia, Adair Co., KY", http://1.usa.gov/16gOebu, Jan. 21, 1903, Page 4, Col. 3.

§"The Adair County News, Columbia, Adair Co., KY", http://1.usa.gov/16gPuv7, Jan. 20, 1904, Page 2, Col. 3. An item which appeared in the July 20, 1904 edition of The Adair County News, Page 3, Col. 5 somewhat complicates the death date for Marshall Coffey. The article reads "Mr. T. R. Price and wife, of Bliss, visited relatives here and attended the funeral services of Mr. Marshall Coffey and Thomas G. Keltner Saturday and Sunday." At the same time, another newspaper, The Interior Journal of Jan. 26, 1904 in Stafford, KY reported in an article entitled "In Neighboring Counties" that Marshall Coffey, age 85, had died "near Burnside." Burnside, KY is some 50 miles to the east and south east of Columbia. It seems unlikely the ground would remain so frozen through Spring and early Summer of 1904 that his grave could not be dug and his body moved to the burial ground until July. The closest "Coffey family cemetery" I could locate is one at Coburg in Adair Co.  There are very likely others nearby to Columbia.

Robert W. Coffey (1845-1929)

A reader recently wrote to ask for any information about Mary Ann Bennett who married Robert W. Coffey of Adair Co., KY.

Robert was a son of Zidner and Morgana "Ann" Keltner Coffey and was born c1845 in Adair Co., KY.  Researchers believe that he was married at least three times between 1868 and 1890.  

Robert first married Mary Ann Bennett in Adair Co. on Aug. 13, 1868.  In 1870 the couple lived in East Fork, Metcalfe Co., KY and in 1880 they were in Gradyville, Adair Co.  They apparently had no children that survived much beyond birth because there were none to appear in the household at either census.

We believe Mary Ann died sometime after 1880 because Robert was subsequently married on Feb. 12, 1890 to Sally Catherine Compton in Adair Co. 

They remained married for nearly 30 years and were the parents of at least two children:  

Maggie Pearl, born Dec. 31, 1890 in Adair Co. and died there on May 1, 1937.  Maggie married Curt Stephens of Metcalfe Co. on Apr. 12, 1924 in Jeffersonville, Clarke Co., IN.  She was 33 years old and very likely had been previously married.  There are no known children.

William Zidner, born 1892 in Columbia, Adair Co., died in Ohio on Dec. 18, 1961.  He married three times.  His first was to Maggie Helm, born 1892 in Columbia, Adair Co., died 1972 in Butler Co., OH.  They are known to have had one child, Eunice Katherine, born 1925, died in Hamilton Co., OH in 1983.

William's second wife was Louise Estel DeBolt on May 27, 1919.  She was a native of Wetzel Co., WV and no children are known.  Third marriage was to Lydia A. Williams in c1922 OH.  She was born there in 1895 and died there in 1991.  Again, no known children.

It is thought that Robert was married again, and after Mary Ann in the period between 1880 and 1890.  This thought arises from the fact that in 1900 Robert reported that he had been married three times.  In the household that year was Lillian M. Coffey, age 16, born Mar., 1884 and enumerated as Robert's daughter.  Maggie and William were also included in this census.

My reader believes that Lillian married Charles M. Bragg in 1906.  Others, like me, believe Charles' bride was Lillie Mae, the daughter of Cyrus C. and Parthenia "Emma" Wheat Coffey.  In the marriage record to Charles, she was named Lillie May.

Please contact me if you have any information that might be helpful in determining whose daughter married Charles M. Bragg.

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*There is a marriage record dated Jul. 1, 1882 for an "R. W. or Robert W. Coffey" in Taylor Co., KY, situated some 30 miles distant from Adair Co.  On the license abstract, the groom's birth year is way off leading me to believe this is not the R. W. we are looking for.  The bride of record was Martha Taylor, age 19.

Personal Observations About Twitter

I began using Twitter in March of 2014.  To date I have tweeted 622 times.  I follow some others, 56 as of this morning, while 57 are following me.  By any Twitter standard, those are small numbers.  I understand some Tweeters have thousands of followers and follow thousands more.  I wouldn't know how to handle a few thousand messages every day!

My tweets typically use the hashtag #Genealogy, #FamilyHistory or #History. Quite often I omit any hashtag so that only my followers - a few of which are Coffey researchers - will receive it.

They generally announce the publication of a Edward Coffey Project blog or, a new quarterly issue of the Coffey Cousins' Newsletter.  I also share what I consider to be interesting historical items that I find and read on various websites.  Sometimes I will tweet a whimsical item or two just for amusement.  Most often I go for days or a week or more without tweeting anything.

Somethings that I have noticed about Twitter:

1 - There appears to be a stringent protocol.  I have publicly tweeted some who inconvenience me by habitually screwing up embedded links and, when asked to do it correctly I learned they don't like to be scolded.  Who knew?

2 - Many claim to be interested in genealogy but tweet incessantly about  everything but.

3 - Many others follow in hopes of selling something.  I quickly un-follow spammers.

4 - I sometimes re-tweet interesting items; rarely do any of mine get re-tweeted.  Perhaps the keyword here is "interesting."

5 - Very few offer really good research advice.  There are a few that do and I follow and read their tweets religiously.

6 - I have noticed that after I tweet an obscure item, often within a couple of days someone alleged to be reading my tweets will tweet the same item, just reworded a tad.  They most probably had not read mine prior to that. Yeah, that's it!

7 - Some that I follow tweet a dozen or more times a day.  I wonder where they get the time?

8 - Tweet anything good about FamilySearch.org and that will get "favored" and re-tweeted a dozen times or more!

9 - Many followers turn out to be a hippy-dippy teen or, someone who obviously would have no interest in anything I write.  I guess they are looking to build up their number of followers.  I don't reciprocate and sometimes will block them from contacting me again because of the trash I find when I check their Twitter profile.

10 - Don't bother asking for help; none is available.

In conclusion, I cannot imagine why I bother to use Twitter then bitch about it.  Perhaps I'm what some folks would call a curmudgeon. I am old and experienced enough to be one!