I recently received as a gift A History of Watauga County by John Preston Arthur (Richmond, Everett Waddey Co., 1915). It was brand new and still in the cellophane wrapper when it was presented to me. It's probably unnecessary for me to tell you - especially if you are a descendant of most anyone in Watauga County - that a large number of families in that county in the 1800's were either related by blood or by marriage. Many of them are represented in this work by Arthur.
Some researchers have told me that Author made many mistakes in connecting some of the families but, so far, all have checked out pretty accurately; that is, I have not yet discovered any gross errors. I am using census records to confirm family members, marriages, births, and where available, death records found at Ancestry.com.
So, for the foreseeable future, I'll be filling in some of the blanks that I have for many of those early families and reporting on a few of them in the blog.
The Elrods are said to be from France. Conrad Elrod, the father of William, is first found in 1800 Burke County and again in 1810 in Morganton, Burke Co. William's mother was not named by Arthur. Conrad was not found in the NC census after 1810.
William Elrod appeared in the 1820 Ashe County census. There were no other heads of household with that name in the NC census that year. William married Elizabeth Lowrance and was the father of at least two children: Alexander, born c1823 and Mary, born c1827. There were probably others but, I have not yet found them.
Mary married Thomas Cook c1845 and at least five children resulted from that union: James Hamilton, born 1849; Sarah, born c1852; Martha Ellen, born Jul. 3, 1858; Alberton, born c1861 and Julia, born c1868.
Martha Ellen married Thomas Carlton Coffey on Nov. 14, 1875 in Watauga Co. Thomas was born to Jesse Calton and Nancy Raines Coffey on Jan. 1, 1853 in Haywood Co., NC. He died Dec. 17, 1915 in Watauga Co. and was buried at the Coffey Family cemetery at Blowing Rock. Martha Ellen died Mar. 25, 1939 and was also buried there.
They had at least 13 children; too many to describe right now. However, drop me a note if you are interested in their descendants. I will get to them in later blogs.
Alexander Elrod was born c1823. His wife was Mary B. "Polly" Shearer, born c1833 in NC. I have not yet found a marriage date or death dates for them. He and Polly had at least nine children. Their fourth child and first son was William Thomas, born Apr. 17, 1858, died Aug. 4, 1941 in Caldwell Co., NC.
William married was married c1881 to Laura Velora Green, a daughter of Augustus and Sarah Green. She was born May. 29, 1862 and died Sep. 15, 1923 in Caldwell Co. I do not yet know where either of them are buried.
He and Laura were parents of at least seven. Their fifth child and third daughter Lester Pearl Elrod married Roby Columbus Coffey. Roby was born Jun. 16, 1881 and died in Boone on Sep. 26, 1964. He is buried at Mt. Zion Baptist Church cemetery in Hudson, Caldwell Co. Lester Pearl died on Aug. 17, 1939 in Forsyth Co. but I do not know where she was buried.
Roby Columbus was a brother to John Wesley "Happy John" Coffey, sons of Joseph Reubin and Martha Elizabeth Gragg Coffey. They and Thomas Carlton were second as well as third cousins.
Showing posts with label Arthur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arthur. Show all posts
May 5, 2010
May 1, 2010
Aldridge & Coffey
In his 1915 A History of Watauga County, North Carolina, John Preston Arthur wrote about James Aldridge who appeared in Shulls Mill, Watauga Co. c1819 and shortly married [or took up with] Betsy Calloway, an attractive daughter of one Benjamin Calloway. The chapter in which this story appears is entitled "Some Thrice-Told Tales," so use your best judgment in deciding the accuracy of the facts cited.
Arthur wrote that James was already married and had left a wife and five children in Virginia while he hunted in North Carolina. James persuaded Betsy to marry him and a son, Harrison Aldridge was born Dec. 15, 1821. Six more children followed: Jane c1824; Tempe c1825; Ellen c1828; Emeline c1835; Benjamin c1837; and Waightstill c1842.
Sometime - and probably after the birth of Waightstill - the "real wife" of James appeared in the area of Foscoe at the home of Edward Moody seeking directions to the Aldridge home. Before day break the next morning, James was at the Moody place to buy a bushel of wheat. He is said to have told Moody that "the cat was out of the bag at last."
Sometime between 1834 and 1836 A "fur peddler of the name of Price" had spotted Aldridge in Watauga Co. On his return to "Big Sandy" [Kentucky, where the "real wife" had apparently relocated from Virginia] he told what he had discovered, precipitating her travel "on a fine horse" to Watauga in search of James Aldridge.
To me, this story seems a "stretch." Given the perils of the time, a wife abandoned for some 15 years would probably have remarried within a few years, believing that her first husband had been killed.
The tale of the "real wife" is attributed by Arthur to Levi Coffey who was probably Levi Lafayette Coffey, a son of Elisha and Anna Harmon Moody Coffey. Levi was born in Burke Co., NC c1833 and in Watauga by 1859 when he married Temperance "Tempie" Calloway, born c1844 to James and Nicey Gragg Calloway.
Anna Harmon Moody was the daughter of Edward and Frances Carter Moody. Both Edward and Frances were natives of Virginia and may have known James Aldridge prior to coming to Watauga Co.
In a footnote to this chapter, Arthur wrote: "In his genealogical tour through Ashe in 1828, Dr. Elisha Mitchell speaks of a hunter living on the head of the Watauga River with the children of his real wife, who was then residing on the Big Sandy in Kentucky, and his own children by another woman with whom he was then living as his wife. If this refers to James Aldridge, then Betsy Calloway had two children by him after his first wife appeared in the scene, for both Ben and Waightstill were born after 1828."*
I have not found an Aldridge in the 1840 or 1860 Watauga county census. The 1850 census for that county enumerates Elizabeth Caloway [sic] with five children in her household: Ellen, Emeline, Benjamin and Waightstill and William. Within three doors of her residence was that of Harrison Aldridge. William was not listed by Arthur as one of James' and Betsy's children.
Harrison married Jincy Clark c1845, She was born c1827 in NC. Harrison died on Jan. 11, 1905** in Watauga Co. Together they raised at least nine children, one being Harrison, Jr., born Jul., 1864. He married Mary Etta Buchanan c1886 and their son, Samuel Anthony Aldridge (1893-1966) married Lora Destomonia Coffey (1888-1967), a daughter of Joseph Reubin and Martha Elizabeth Gragg Coffey.
James Aldridge (1853-1939), another son of Harrison and Jincy, married Sarah Gragg, daughter of Johnson and Nancy Cuthbertson Gragg. Their son, Arthur Blaine Aldridge (1884-1947) married Rosa Lee Coffey (1886-1946), a daughter of Jesse Filmore and Martha Storie Coffey.
Samuel Columbus Aldridge (1862-1941), a third son of Harrison and Jincy, married Margaret Buchanan c1884. Their son, Horatio Acuff Aldridge (1891-1971) married Byrd Elizabeth "Birdie" Coffey on Feb. 19, 1913 in Watauga Co.
So, how does Levi Coffey relate to the Coffey women who married into the Aldridge clan?
To all three he was a double second cousin, twice removed; a fourth cousin once removed and a fifth cousin once removed. They all descend from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John and his son Reuben who married Sarah Scott.
*According to ages given in 1850, Benjamin was born c1837 and Waightstill in c1842. Mitchell wrote:
"In the neighborhood is a hunter who has two women living with him; to one of them he owes and to the other he graciously discharged the duties of a husband; one has 3 children, and the other one and another at hand. 'Tis a region for these irregularities. The Leather Stocking of these regions, and whom we would have had as a pilot, but that he is in the woods, has a wife living on Sandy River in Kentucky, and the children of that wife, and another woman living with him here on the Watauga." Earlier in his writings on this topic, he wrote that he was heading for the cabin of "Leather Stocking Aldridge." Leather Stocking seems to be a common term used in the day to describe hunters and woodsmen.
**Arthur wrote that "Harrison, in memory of a faithful dog which saved his life from wild hogs, had that dear friend buried on a ridge above the home of his son, James A. Aldridge, and requested that the be buried there also. His tombstone, surrounded by a substantial stone wall, records the fact that he joined the Baptist Church October 22, 1870, and died January 11, 1905."
Arthur wrote that James was already married and had left a wife and five children in Virginia while he hunted in North Carolina. James persuaded Betsy to marry him and a son, Harrison Aldridge was born Dec. 15, 1821. Six more children followed: Jane c1824; Tempe c1825; Ellen c1828; Emeline c1835; Benjamin c1837; and Waightstill c1842.
Sometime - and probably after the birth of Waightstill - the "real wife" of James appeared in the area of Foscoe at the home of Edward Moody seeking directions to the Aldridge home. Before day break the next morning, James was at the Moody place to buy a bushel of wheat. He is said to have told Moody that "the cat was out of the bag at last."
Sometime between 1834 and 1836 A "fur peddler of the name of Price" had spotted Aldridge in Watauga Co. On his return to "Big Sandy" [Kentucky, where the "real wife" had apparently relocated from Virginia] he told what he had discovered, precipitating her travel "on a fine horse" to Watauga in search of James Aldridge.
To me, this story seems a "stretch." Given the perils of the time, a wife abandoned for some 15 years would probably have remarried within a few years, believing that her first husband had been killed.
The tale of the "real wife" is attributed by Arthur to Levi Coffey who was probably Levi Lafayette Coffey, a son of Elisha and Anna Harmon Moody Coffey. Levi was born in Burke Co., NC c1833 and in Watauga by 1859 when he married Temperance "Tempie" Calloway, born c1844 to James and Nicey Gragg Calloway.
Anna Harmon Moody was the daughter of Edward and Frances Carter Moody. Both Edward and Frances were natives of Virginia and may have known James Aldridge prior to coming to Watauga Co.
In a footnote to this chapter, Arthur wrote: "In his genealogical tour through Ashe in 1828, Dr. Elisha Mitchell speaks of a hunter living on the head of the Watauga River with the children of his real wife, who was then residing on the Big Sandy in Kentucky, and his own children by another woman with whom he was then living as his wife. If this refers to James Aldridge, then Betsy Calloway had two children by him after his first wife appeared in the scene, for both Ben and Waightstill were born after 1828."*
I have not found an Aldridge in the 1840 or 1860 Watauga county census. The 1850 census for that county enumerates Elizabeth Caloway [sic] with five children in her household: Ellen, Emeline, Benjamin and Waightstill and William. Within three doors of her residence was that of Harrison Aldridge. William was not listed by Arthur as one of James' and Betsy's children.
Harrison married Jincy Clark c1845, She was born c1827 in NC. Harrison died on Jan. 11, 1905** in Watauga Co. Together they raised at least nine children, one being Harrison, Jr., born Jul., 1864. He married Mary Etta Buchanan c1886 and their son, Samuel Anthony Aldridge (1893-1966) married Lora Destomonia Coffey (1888-1967), a daughter of Joseph Reubin and Martha Elizabeth Gragg Coffey.
James Aldridge (1853-1939), another son of Harrison and Jincy, married Sarah Gragg, daughter of Johnson and Nancy Cuthbertson Gragg. Their son, Arthur Blaine Aldridge (1884-1947) married Rosa Lee Coffey (1886-1946), a daughter of Jesse Filmore and Martha Storie Coffey.
Samuel Columbus Aldridge (1862-1941), a third son of Harrison and Jincy, married Margaret Buchanan c1884. Their son, Horatio Acuff Aldridge (1891-1971) married Byrd Elizabeth "Birdie" Coffey on Feb. 19, 1913 in Watauga Co.
So, how does Levi Coffey relate to the Coffey women who married into the Aldridge clan?
To all three he was a double second cousin, twice removed; a fourth cousin once removed and a fifth cousin once removed. They all descend from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John and his son Reuben who married Sarah Scott.
*According to ages given in 1850, Benjamin was born c1837 and Waightstill in c1842. Mitchell wrote:
"In the neighborhood is a hunter who has two women living with him; to one of them he owes and to the other he graciously discharged the duties of a husband; one has 3 children, and the other one and another at hand. 'Tis a region for these irregularities. The Leather Stocking of these regions, and whom we would have had as a pilot, but that he is in the woods, has a wife living on Sandy River in Kentucky, and the children of that wife, and another woman living with him here on the Watauga." Earlier in his writings on this topic, he wrote that he was heading for the cabin of "Leather Stocking Aldridge." Leather Stocking seems to be a common term used in the day to describe hunters and woodsmen.
**Arthur wrote that "Harrison, in memory of a faithful dog which saved his life from wild hogs, had that dear friend buried on a ridge above the home of his son, James A. Aldridge, and requested that the be buried there also. His tombstone, surrounded by a substantial stone wall, records the fact that he joined the Baptist Church October 22, 1870, and died January 11, 1905."
September 18, 2008
John and Nancy Snyder Coffey
This John was a son of James M. and Frances Lane Coffey. He was born Apr. 22, 1810 in Wayne Co., KY and died Apr. 8, 1879 in Lookingglass, Douglas Co., OR. Nancy was born Dec. 1, 1815 in Virginia and died Feb. 28, 1893 in Lexington, Morrow Co., OR.
He descends from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John and wife Jane Graves; their son, James and Elizabeth Cleveland; their son Archelus and Eleanor Wade. Archelus and Eleanor were parents of James M.
John and Nancy were married on Sep. 13, 1832 in Gallatin Co., IL. They settled there, and received a 40-acre land grand in 1835. They sold this land on Sept. 20, 1841 and went to Missouri. They were back in Illinois by 1848, and were on the Hamilton County, IL census for 1850.
By December 1852 the family was back in Missouri, probably preparing for their westward trek. A family record cited by Marvin Coffey in his family genealogy says only that "they moved from southern Illinois to Missouri joining a wagon train and crossing the plains in 1853."
The Coffey family arrived in Oregon on August 12, 1853.
Their children were at least 12:
Vandexer Lee, born Oct. 26, 1833 in Gallatin Co., IL, and died May 2, 1909. He married Rebecca J. Wright, born Jan., 1854 in Indiana, on Jan. 5, 1871 in Marion Co., OR. Vandexer died in Beech Creek, Grant Co., OR.
Miles, born c1835 in Gallatin Co.
James Bluford, born Oct. 11, 1837 in Gallatin Co., IL, died Jul. 3, 1924 in Adams, Umatilla Co., OR. James married first to Mary Ann McCorkle on Oct. 19, 1862 in Marion Co., OR. Mary Ann was born Nov. 26, 1847 in Marion Co., and died there on Jan. 30, 1853. They had one child, George F., born Jan. 20, 1864, died Jul. 3, 1912 in Canada. Mary Ann died 10 days after George was born. He married second to Mary Elizabeth Bolin of Jul. 16, 1866 in Salem, Marion Co., OR. Mary was born Jul. 24, 1848 in Indiana and died in Oregon on Apr. 26, 1927. They raised at least 13 children. This is the family of Dr. Marvin Coffey (dec'd).
Martha Ellen, born c1839 in Gallatin Co., IL and died (probably) in 1861 in Clackamas Co., OR. She married William Arthur, Jr., born c1831 in Missouri. They were married on May 8, 1856 in Clackamas Co. Their known children were Mildred A., born 1857; Martha Josephine, born 1859 and William C., born c1861.
Julia Ann, born Oct. 10, 1841 in MO, died Nov. 25, 1928 in Portland, Multnomah Co., OR. She was married to Joseph A. Hugh on Dec. 24, 1861 in Clackamas Co. Their children were John L., born 1868, died 1960; Minnie V., born c1877; Sam J., born c1879; and Richard D., born c1881.
Eli D., born c1844 in Missouri, died between 1860 and 1879.
Infant daughter, born c1846.
Winfield W., born c Nov. 1848 in Illinois, died Nov., 1849.
Mary Jane, born c1850 in Hamilton Co., IL, died before 1900 in Morrow Co., OR. She was married first to John Sloan in July 1874 in Douglas Co., OR. They had at least one child, Nancy E., born c1875. Her second husband was Arthur McCarty to whom she was married on Jan. 24, 1877 in Douglas Co., OR. They had at least one child, Eli Howard, born Nov. 13, 1877, died Dec. 18, 1918. Mary Jane's third husband was William W. Kirk, to whom she was married on Apr. 14, 1899 in Morrow Co.
John Achilles Winfield, born Dec., 1852, died Mar. 10, 1931.
Thomas Wesley, born Sep. 27, 1854 in Coos Co., OR, died in Portland on Sep. 2, 1939. He married Amanda E. Coon on Jun. 27, 1878 in Douglas Co. She was born to Jacob L. and Sarah Miller Coon on May 18, 1854 in Linn Co., OR. Amanda died Sep. 27, 1903 in Camas Valley, Douglas Co., OR. Thomas may have married again, but I had no information. Their children were at least four: Lillian L., born Jul., 1879 in Douglas Co., died 1956; Fred L., born c1881; Sarah; and Mildred V., born Oct., 1886, died Oct., 1870.
The last known child born to John and Nancy was Louisa, born and died in 1857.
Please send additions and/or corrections to me at the above e-mail address.
He descends from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John and wife Jane Graves; their son, James and Elizabeth Cleveland; their son Archelus and Eleanor Wade. Archelus and Eleanor were parents of James M.
John and Nancy were married on Sep. 13, 1832 in Gallatin Co., IL. They settled there, and received a 40-acre land grand in 1835. They sold this land on Sept. 20, 1841 and went to Missouri. They were back in Illinois by 1848, and were on the Hamilton County, IL census for 1850.
By December 1852 the family was back in Missouri, probably preparing for their westward trek. A family record cited by Marvin Coffey in his family genealogy says only that "they moved from southern Illinois to Missouri joining a wagon train and crossing the plains in 1853."
The Coffey family arrived in Oregon on August 12, 1853.
Their children were at least 12:
Vandexer Lee, born Oct. 26, 1833 in Gallatin Co., IL, and died May 2, 1909. He married Rebecca J. Wright, born Jan., 1854 in Indiana, on Jan. 5, 1871 in Marion Co., OR. Vandexer died in Beech Creek, Grant Co., OR.
Miles, born c1835 in Gallatin Co.
James Bluford, born Oct. 11, 1837 in Gallatin Co., IL, died Jul. 3, 1924 in Adams, Umatilla Co., OR. James married first to Mary Ann McCorkle on Oct. 19, 1862 in Marion Co., OR. Mary Ann was born Nov. 26, 1847 in Marion Co., and died there on Jan. 30, 1853. They had one child, George F., born Jan. 20, 1864, died Jul. 3, 1912 in Canada. Mary Ann died 10 days after George was born. He married second to Mary Elizabeth Bolin of Jul. 16, 1866 in Salem, Marion Co., OR. Mary was born Jul. 24, 1848 in Indiana and died in Oregon on Apr. 26, 1927. They raised at least 13 children. This is the family of Dr. Marvin Coffey (dec'd).
Martha Ellen, born c1839 in Gallatin Co., IL and died (probably) in 1861 in Clackamas Co., OR. She married William Arthur, Jr., born c1831 in Missouri. They were married on May 8, 1856 in Clackamas Co. Their known children were Mildred A., born 1857; Martha Josephine, born 1859 and William C., born c1861.
Julia Ann, born Oct. 10, 1841 in MO, died Nov. 25, 1928 in Portland, Multnomah Co., OR. She was married to Joseph A. Hugh on Dec. 24, 1861 in Clackamas Co. Their children were John L., born 1868, died 1960; Minnie V., born c1877; Sam J., born c1879; and Richard D., born c1881.
Eli D., born c1844 in Missouri, died between 1860 and 1879.
Infant daughter, born c1846.
Winfield W., born c Nov. 1848 in Illinois, died Nov., 1849.
Mary Jane, born c1850 in Hamilton Co., IL, died before 1900 in Morrow Co., OR. She was married first to John Sloan in July 1874 in Douglas Co., OR. They had at least one child, Nancy E., born c1875. Her second husband was Arthur McCarty to whom she was married on Jan. 24, 1877 in Douglas Co., OR. They had at least one child, Eli Howard, born Nov. 13, 1877, died Dec. 18, 1918. Mary Jane's third husband was William W. Kirk, to whom she was married on Apr. 14, 1899 in Morrow Co.
John Achilles Winfield, born Dec., 1852, died Mar. 10, 1931.
Thomas Wesley, born Sep. 27, 1854 in Coos Co., OR, died in Portland on Sep. 2, 1939. He married Amanda E. Coon on Jun. 27, 1878 in Douglas Co. She was born to Jacob L. and Sarah Miller Coon on May 18, 1854 in Linn Co., OR. Amanda died Sep. 27, 1903 in Camas Valley, Douglas Co., OR. Thomas may have married again, but I had no information. Their children were at least four: Lillian L., born Jul., 1879 in Douglas Co., died 1956; Fred L., born c1881; Sarah; and Mildred V., born Oct., 1886, died Oct., 1870.
The last known child born to John and Nancy was Louisa, born and died in 1857.
Please send additions and/or corrections to me at the above e-mail address.
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