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February 5, 2020

William and Moses Coffey Mystery Families


I have two children in the Edward Coffey Project named Welby Coffey, both born in 1890 in Lincoln Co., KY, and died there in 1891.  Unfortunately, I have no source for either one.

My project shows one belonging to The Moses and Margaret Catherine Goode Coffey family as their 10th child.  The second Welby is shown as the son of William A. and Mary Belle A. Batt Coffey as their fifth child, also born in Lincoln Co., also no source except for a Find-A-Grave memorial.

Obviously, there is an error in family assignment but, given there are no census records for 1890 it's been confusing for me to assign him, and a couple of others to the correct family.

This is what I believe might be the family of William and Mary Belle:

*Christopher "Crit" Coffey, 1880-1890; Mary S., 1887-1888; Eugene, 1888-1888; Satila, 1889-1889; Welby, 1890-1891 and Salley, 1893-1893.  If correct, the tragedy of this family is overwhelming.  However, Mary died Aug 31, 1889 (obituary available) so she cannot be the mother of Salley or Welby and might have died at the birth of Satilla who died in July 1889.

When Mary died in 1889, William remarried, this time to a widow (perhaps), Eliza M. Rhoton.  They were parents of Arthur, 1893-1988 and William, Jr., 1896-?

I have the family of Moses and Mary Catherine recorded as:

**Martha (Mattie) Amanda, 1866-c1910; Mary Jane (Jennie), 1868-1937; Elizabeth (Betty), 1871-1921; George "Buck" Anderson, 1873-1952; Susan Angeline, 1875-?; Bertha Page, 1879-1945; Lucy Jasper, 1881-1967; James Terry, 1884-1958; Chloe Satilla, 1889-1889; Welby, 1890-1891; Archie Laura, 1891-1972; and Sally Florence, 1893-1893.

This family was equally tragic with the loss of at least two of their children; three if Welby is included.

I'm searching for a few clues that will help identify the proper family for Welby and Satilla as well as an accurate listing of his siblings in either family.  

As a discerning reader you will undoubtedly recognize the confusion. Hopefully, I have sufficiently outlined here pertinent info that might be helpful to you.

Any help will be appreciated!

*Christopher appears in the 1880 family census; In 1900, four children are enumerated: Carrie, born 1882, age 17 and Chester (Christopher?), born 1885, age 15 and may be Eliza Rhotan's children by a previous marriage. Also listed are Arthur and Willie, sons of William and Eliza's union. In 1910, only Arthur, age 16 and William, age 14 are enumerated.

**The first two appear in the 1870 Moses family census. The first five appear in the 1880 family census record. Also, two females, one in each family, named Satila, born 1888, died c1888-89. James T., age 15 and Archie, age 8 appear in the 1900 census.




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