James F. Ayers (1847-1895)

James F. Ayers is said to have been born in Collinstown, VA.¹ That place has not been found. However, there is a Collinstown in Stokes Co., NC near the present day VA line. He was married to Matilda R. Schiller on Apr. 28, 1883 in Junction City, Geary Co., KS² and while living in OK, they became the parents of Maude B. Ayers, born Jan. 25, 1885.

Maude married Jonathon Horton Coffey, a son of Jasper Pink Coffey and Mary Jane Minton, on May 14 1903 at Junction City, Geary Co., KS.  Jonathon was born Mar. 30, 1876 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co., NC and died in Norton, Norton Co., KS on Oct. 31, 1961. Maude died on Oct. 10, 1969 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., KS and both she and Jonathan are buried at the Penwell-Gabel Cemetery in Topeka.

James had enlisted in the US Army at Richmond, VA on Oct. 13, 1868.  He was 21 years old and described as having been born at Collinstown, VA. He was 5' 8.5" tall, had grey eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion.  He was a "hatter" by trade. His enlistment record* shows that he was discharged at Louisville, KY on Nov. 13, 1871 with the rank of Corporal. His last enlistment papers, dated Jan. 16, 1892 show he was then on his sixth reenlistment.

In April 1875, Maude's father James was a member of Co. H, 6th US Cavalry serving in Kansas under the command of  Lt. Austin Henely, an Irish emigrant and West Point graduate.  His company, along with soldiers from Co. K of the 19th US Infantry, engaged a band of Cheyenne on Sappa Creek. 

According to John H. Monnett, author of the book Massacre at Cheyenne Hole: Lieutenant Austin Heneley and the Sappa Creek Controversy:

"On the morning of April 23, 1875, H Company, 6th U.S. Cavalry attacked and destroyed a Cheyenne camp located on the middle fork of Sappa Creek, a tributary of the Republican River in what is today Rawlins County, Kansas. The ensuing engagement was the last important military action of the Red River War and the last fought on the central plains between the U.S. Army and an independent band of Indians composed principally of Southern Cheyennes."³

Monnett continued with "...between 19 and 27 Cheyenne were killed while only two soldiers were killed. Eight Medals of Honor were awarded to soldiers for their actions on that date."

Citing the Museum of the Kansas National Guard, the citation for Ayers Medal of Honor reads:

"PVT JAMES F. AYERS
Organization: Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Sappa Creek, Kans., 23 April 1875. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Collinstown, Va. Date of issue: 16 November 1876. Citation: Rapid pursuit, gallantry, energy, and enterprise in an engagement with Indians."

Sgt. James F. Ayers was discharged on Aug. 6, 1894 "by Act of Congress" at Chicago, IL. He died on Jan. 18, 1895 and is buried at the post cemetery at Fort Riley in Geary Co., KS. 

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Sources
¹Wikipedia at http://tinyurl.com/hgkbp8c - Collinstown, NC is near the VA line.
*"United States Registers of Enlistment in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914", http://tinyurl.com/jb5w7md
²Kansas Marriages, 1840-1935", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FW2B-VBW : accessed 19 May 2014)
³According to Wikipedia at http://tinyurl.com/z7sae8o, the Red River War was designed to forcibly remove all of the free roaming Southern Plains Indian tribes to reservations in then designated "Indian Territory," present day Oklahoma. 

Pvt. James F. Ayers

Awarded for actions during the Indian Campaigns

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Private James F. Ayers, United States Army, for rapid pursuit, gallantry, energy, and enterprise in an engagement with Indians on 23 April 1875, while serving with Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry, in action at Sappa Creek, Kansas.

General Orders: Date of Issue: November 16, 1876

Action Date: April 23, 1875

Service: Army

Rank: Private

Company: Company H

Division: 6th U.S. Cavalry


James F. Ayers is thought to have been born c1849 in OH.  He married Matilda R. Shiller on Apr. 28, 1883 at Junction City in Geary Co., KS.*

In what has become a controversial battle, Sappa Creek has been described by some authors** as a "massacre."

Led by Lt. Austin Henely, who had immigrated from Ireland to the US and later graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, his Co. H of the 6th Cavalry and a detachment of troops from Co. K of the 19th US Infantry, attacked on Apr. 23, 1875 a band of Cheyennes on Sappa Creek in Kansas.  Reports indicate that between 19 and 27 Cheyenne were killed while only two soldiers were killed.  Eight Medals of Honor were awarded to members of the military for their actions on that date.

The following citation was provided by the Museum of the Kansas National Guard found at http://www.kansasguardmuseum.org/mohrks.html

PVT JAMES F. AYERS


Organization: Company H, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Sappa Creek, Kans., 23 April 1875. Entered service at: ------. Birth: Collinstown, Va. Date of issue: 16 November 1876. Citation: Rapid pursuit, gallantry, energy, and enterprise in an engagement with Indians.

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Ayers and Matilda had at least three children during their marriage; he died on Jan. 18, 1895, probably in Junction City, and was buried at Fort Riley Post Cemetery, Fort Riley, KS.  One of the children was a daughter, Maude, born Jan. 25, 1885 in OK.

Maude's mother married a second time on Nov. 5, 1896 at Junction City to William G. Leithoff, a native of Rhode Island, born there in 1866.  They also had several children.

Maude was married on May 14, 1903 to Jonathon Horton Coffey (Estes***) and they had three children:  Lawrence A., born Feb. 19, 1904 in KS, died Dec. 10, 1975 in Wyandotte Co., KS, and was buried at Penwell-Gabel Cemetery in Topeka, Shawnee Co., KS; Hellen, born c1907, said to have married a Mr. Bodagllalacqua+; and, Walter John, born Feb. 5, 1912, died Jun. 19, 1964 in Kansas City, MO.  He is buried at Leavenworth National Cemetery at Leavenworth, KS.

Jonathon and Maude lived at least 15 years in Geary Co. and was in Shawnee Co. before 1930.++  He died on Oct. 31, 1961 in Norton, Norton Co., KS.  Maude died Oct. 10, 1969 in Topeka.  Both are buried at Penwell-Gabel.

Additions and corrections welcomed!

 Jack

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Footnotes:

* "Kansas Marriages, 1840-1935", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FW2B-VBW : accessed 19 May 2014), James F. Ayres and Matilda R. Schiller, 28 Apr 1883; citing Junction City, Geary, Kansas, reference p 62; FHL microfilm 1685972.

** John H. Monnett, Author, Massacre at Cheyenne Hole: Lieutenant Austin Heneley and the Sappa Creek Controversy (Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1999), Book Review.

*** See blog posts http://tinyurl.com/n8gara4 and http://tinyurl.com/lfag63r

+ This surname not yet found by me in any Kansas record.

++ They appeared in the 1910 and 1920 Geary Co., census, the 1930 Shawnee Co., census and in 1940 were recorded in Pawnee Co., KS

Jasper Pink Coffey

Jasper, born Sep. 16, 1851 in Mortimer Twp., Caldwell Co., NC, died Apr. 3, 1928 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., KS, was a son of Lucinda and a previously supposed spouse, Joseph Coffey whose lineage has not been discovered.  Lucinda was the daughter of Enoch and Prudence Gragg Coffey.

Jasper Pink Coffey

Jasper married Mary Jane Minton on Apr. 21, 1873 in Boone Twp., Watauga Co., NC and by 1900 was in Geary Co., KS with his family.  They did not leave for Kansas until after Jul., 1888 (and probably not before 1900) when their seventh child of nine, Ellis La Fayette Coffey was born in Caldwell Co.  This birth is confirmed by record found in Caldwell Co. birth index, Vol. 12, Page 62.  The 1900 census for Geary Co. lists the whole family, except for eldest son George who was already married.  All of the children are shown with birth place in North Carolina.

Because no one could find the elusive Joseph, Jasper's paternity has long been suspect.  Just recently, through DNA testing of a descendant of Jasper, it has been determined that Jasper's father was an Estes.

Anyone familiar with North Carolina Coffey families knows that there has been a long relationship between these two families.  It is like some have told me: "scratch a Gragg, find a Coffey."  That could also be said for the Estes families in that state.

If the researcher looks at the 1850 census for the Johns River district in Caldwell county, the Enoch Coffey family (Lucinda was his daughter) will be found on Page 8, dwelling/family 111.  Langston Estes, age 64 is found at family 113.  Family 114 is Joseph Estes, married to Dicey with one child, Loretta age 1.

Mary Jane Minton

Could this Joseph Estes be the "Joseph Coffey" who fathered Jasper?  Probably yes!  Coincidental that Joseph Estes had the same first name as the alleged Joseph Coffey?  Probably no!

Jasper and Mary Jane's children were:

George Alexander, born 1874, died 1928, married  Grace Percy Armitage; lived in Nebraska and died in California in 1928.  Grace died there in 1958.  They had at least one son, Willard Duane, born 1903.

Jonathon Horton, born 1876, died 1961 in Norton Co., KS.  Married Maude B. Ayers and had at least two sons, Lawrence, born c1905 and Walter John, born c1912.

Malinda Lucinda, born 1878, died 1925 in Dickinson Co., KS, married James Joseph Cullen in Geary Co., KS in 1905.

James Washington, born 1881, married Mae Switzer.  They had at least two sons, Jesse and Bud.

William Finley, born 1883, died 1946 in Shwanee Co., KS.

Enoch Thomas, born 1885, died 1921 in Geary Co.

Ellis La Fayette, born 1888.  Nothing else known.

Jennie Etta, born 1890, died 1987 in Shawnee Co.  She married Harry Gutshall in 1936.

Joseph Richard, born 1893, married Mary Bell Bledso in 1932; died in 1963 in Shawnee Co.  They had at least one son, Frederick.

By birth then, all of these children and their descendants are member of the Estes clan with their only connection to the Coffey family back through Lucinda to Enoch, but the males will not have Coffey DNA.

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Photos courtesy of Ben Coffey