Thomas Harrison & Mary Catherine Squires Coffey

Thomas, a son of Willis Andrew and Sarah A. Bernard Coffey, was born in Kentucky on Apr. 11, 1865.  He married Mary Catherine Squires on Aug. 19, 1880 in Adair Co., KY and died there on Nov. 30, 1940.  He was buried at the Coffey Cemetery in Esto, Russell Co., KY.

Mary's parents have not been located. She was born Jul. 22, 1858 and a Mary C. Squires was found in Green Co., KY in the Kenton Co., KY household with Mary Gore or Glore.  But, no proof that this is Mary who married Thomas.

Mary who married Thomas is said to have died Jan. 23, 1923 and was buried at Esto in the Coffey Family Cemetery.  But this Coffey is given the maiden name of Allen and also linked as the spouse of Golson Wilson Coffey. There is a marriage record for her marriage to Golson, found at Liberty, Casey Co., KY dated Nov. 5, 1873. After the death of Golson's wife, he is said to have married a lady named Mary Jane but I have not found a marriage record.

There is also a marriage record dated Aug. 19, 1880 in Adair Co. for Mary Catherine Squires to Thomas.

It is entirely possible that Mary Catherine Squires and Mary Katherine Allen are the same woman.  If so however, she would hold a birth record, or come very close to making one, having given birth to 10 children with Thomas and 9 with Golson.  But, both families appear in the 1900 census with Golson in Adair Co. and Thomas in Russell Co. and both women were giving birth in 1883-1884 and giving them the same names.

Children of Thomas and Mary Squires Coffey were Mattie M., born May, 1882; Leonor, Apr., 1885; Ancil, born May, 1886; Vernia A., born Mar., 1890; Sally E., born May, 1896; Liddie R., born Apr., 1898 and Oscar Gilbert, born c1904.

Children of Golson and Mary Catherine Allen were James W., born 7 Aug., 1874, died Apr. 18, 1951, Russell Springs; John Wesley, born 9 Mar 1876, died 26 Feb., 1953, also in Russell Springs; Levi Pink, born Sep. 29, 1878, died Mar. 10, 1905 in Adair Co.; Samuel Marion, born Feb. 25, 1881, died 19 Sep., 1959 in Adair Co.; Andrew J., born Feb. 11, 1883, died Jul. 20, 1963 in Adair Co.; Hershel, born Dec. 14, 1884, died Feb. 25, 1948 in Adair Co.; Della M., born Aug. 18, 1886, died Mar. 23, 1904 in Adair Co.; Arthur, born Feb. 6, 1894, died Jan. 10, 1962.

Work remains to be completed on the Thomas Harrison family.  Not of his children's descendants have been researched.

It might be worthwhile to mention here that Samuel Marion Coffey married Ethel Squires in 1937.  Ethel was born Mar. 30, 1899 in Green Co., KY and died Nov. 26, 1986 in Campbellsville, Taylor Co., KY. Their marriage record mistakenly transposes their parents; his as Luther and Sally Squires and hers as Golson Wilson and Mary Catherine Allen.

Please contact me if you have figured out the two Mary C/Katherines.

Sources: US Federal Census and Find-A-Grave.

John Wesley and Elizabeth Austin Coffey

John Wesley Coffey was born in Russell Co., KY on Jan. 28, 1845, a son, and the first of at least eleven children born to Andrew (Andy) and Sara A. Bernard Coffey.  John's wife, Elizabeth P. Austin was born c1843 and died c1882 in Kentucky.  I have not yet found her parents.

She and John were  probably married c1860-1861, given that their first known child was born c1863.

It appears that Elizabeth died sometime around 1882, about the time their last child, Perkey [or, Parkey], a daughter, was born.

At her death John  apparently  remarried almost immediately.   His second wife was Mollie [some researchers report her maiden name to be Mims or Mimms].  

In the Jun. 6, 1900 census Mollie was a widow in Creelsboro, Russell Co., and gave her age as 40, born Sep., 1859.  She would have been age 22 to 23 years old when she and John married.  She reported that she had given birth to five children, but only two remained alive.  The youngest at home was born in Aug., 1899.  Based on that, I believe we might be able to say that John died sometime in Oct-Nov 1898 time frame.  One genealogy that I have seen reports that he died on Oct. 29, 1898.

John and Elizabeth's children were:


Louisa E., born c1863; James M., born c1868; Laban, born c1870; Robert B., born c1873; Sarah, born c1875; Mary, born c1877; Carlos, born c1879; Alexander Cosby, born Jan. 23, 1881 and Parkey [?], a female, born Oct. 27, 1882.

The first seven children were enumerated with the family through 1880.  The remaining two are found in the 1900 census.  I have not searched for them in later census records.

The two children that survived birth to Mollie were Lulu, born Jul., 1887 and John S., born Aug., 1899.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to, or to correct any of this information.