There are two genealogies on Ancestry.com that tell us she was a daughter of Luther Coffey and Mary Crump. They each report that she was born in NC in 1895 and that she died in May, 1973 at Lenoir in Caldwell Co., NC.
That sounded to me more like Cora E. Gragg, a daughter of Luther Gragg and Mary Crump, born Feb. 7, 1895 in NC, died May 14, 1973 in Lenoir.[1]
Cora married Grover Cleveland Coffey, a son David Columbus and Julia N. Baird Coffey. He was born in 1893 at Caldwell Co., and died in Avery Co. in 1933. They were married on Dec. 27, 1910 in Caldwell Co.[2] The couple settled in the Wilson Creek community of Avery Co. and that is where Grover died in 1933. He was buried at the New Hopewell Baptist Church Cemetery[3] in Gragg, Avery. Co. Cora was buried at East Hudson Baptist Church Cemetery, located in Hudson, NC just about a half-mile east of Hickory Blvd. on Herman Road.
It is implausible that after Grover died Cora married John McCoy Gragg, John's wife gave birth to at least four additional children, perhaps five between 1951 and 1959. In 1951. Cora, Grover's widow would have been 51 years old and likely beyond her child bearing days.
Grover and Cora's children were: Two unnamed infant sons, one born 1912, another in 1913; both died at birth or shortly thereafter; Myrtle Viola, born 1914, died 2003, married Avery Jerome Lyda; Esslene, 1918-1917, married Shelby Delon Gragg and was the informant on her mother's death certificate; Lora A., born 1921, died 1992, married Fred Lewis Mclean; Florence, 1926-1988, married Clyde W. Echard; and Grover, Jr., born 1929.
So, as I opened so shall I close: Who was Cora Lee Coffey who married John McCoy Gragg?
Jack
[1]1900 Caldwell Co., Globe Twp., ED 21, Sheet 8A, dwelling 134, family 137, Gragg, Burgess L., head, white male, born Mar. 1868, age 32, married 9 yrs., born NC, parents born NC, farmer; Mary, wife, white female, born Oct. 1877, age 23, mother of 4, 3 living, born NC, parents born NC; Cora E., dau., white female, born Feb.1894, age 6, born NC; William C., son, white male, born Nov. 1896, age 3, born NC; Sanford, son, white male, born Jan. 1899, age 1, born NC; Crump, Sinda, mother, white female, born Apr. 1850, age 50, single, farm laborer
[2] index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F89L-QLW : accessed 25 Jan 2013), Grover Coffey and Cora Gragg, 27 Dec 1910; citing reference , FHL microfilm 590349.
[3]I was told some time ago by the Collettsville Historical Society (when it was still on-line) that this cemetery is also known locally as the Gragg Cemetery, Carys Flat Cemetery and Lowdermilk Cemetery. It is located in the eastern part of Avery Co. at the mountain crossroads called Gragg.
