Julia was the daughter of Albert and Sarah Goodnight Coffey. Laurence Coffey, in his work Thomas Coffey and His Descendants, tells us that they were married and, the Indiana State Library tells us they were married on Dec. 5, 1833 in Monroe Co., IN.
According to one biography that I have found for the family tells us that Wesley Coffey was the eldest of their only two children. The other child was Julia Ann, born in IN in Aug., 1836. Actually, she was the elder of the two because Wesley was born not born until Dec. 13, 1837 in Clay Twp., Owen Co., IN. Of course, the Bio could be accurate and Julia's birth month and year could be off by a couple of years. I have no source for the 1836 date.
In any event, Julia Ann married William R. Stogsdill on Nov. 2, 1856 in Owen Co.* They lived in Ellettsville and Spencer through at least 1880 when I lose them in the census. As far as I can determine, she and William had only one child, a son named Mandeville E. Stogsdill, born in Jan., 1857.
Mandeville married Julia F. Edwards on Sep. 26, 1877 in Owen Co.** They had at least four children: Mable Olive "Olive," born Sep., 1880, died Jun. 6, 1957 in Los Angeles Co., CA and was buried at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, Los Angeles Co., CA. Olive married Frank A. Ross on Oct. 29, 1900 in Marion Co., IN.* Their next child was Rush, born May 1886, died Dec. 26, 1937 in Joplin, Jasper Co., MO. I have one marriage record for him to Ada Babbs on Sep. 30, 1906. His headstone in Spring Vale Cemetery, Lafayette, Tippecanoe Co., IN tells us that he was married to Ruth Ann Hetrick at the time of death. The third child born to Mandeville and Julia was Layton, born Oct., 1893 and who married Meta G. Bender on Aug. 29, 1916* in Tippecanoe Co. Their fourth and last know child was Ralph, born c1896. I have found no additional information on him.
Albert's son Wesley W. Coffey was born Dec. 13, 1837 in Clay Twp., Owen Co. and died there before 1910. His wife was Laura Joseph Howe, born in July 1843 to Amon Price and Harriet C. Thatcher Howe. I know of three children: Byron Howe, born Jan. 28, 1866, died Jul. 4, 1945 in Los Angeles County. He married Nellie Branam on Jan. 9, 1894 in Owen Co. Nellie was born in Sep., 1873 to Larose and Susan Amanda Halbert Branham and died in Los Angeles Co. on Jul. 4, 1962. Interesting that she died 17 years to the day after Byron. Their children were: Thatcher Howe, Naomi Josephine, Cecile Louise and Jule Hubert.
Wesley's other children were Hallie H., born 1874, died 1969 and, Albert Price, born 1876, died 1946, both in Los Angeles Co. I have no other information on these two.
The following biography*** tells us a bit more about Wesley:
"Wesley Coffey, attorney at law, was born December 13, 1843 [sic] in Clay Township, Owen County. His parents, Albert and Sarah (Gooderight) [sic] [Goodnight] Coffey - the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Kentucky - emigrated to Indiana from North Carolina about 1828. Four years later they came to Owen County, and located in Clay Township, on a farm where the mother now resides. The father died in October of 1838.
Wesley is the elder of two children, and lived at home until 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Fourteenth Indiana Volunteers, under Capt. J. H. Martin, and was in active service for two years. Then, on account of ill-health, he was put on detached service, sent to Frederick, Md., and remained there until the close of the war. He participated in the following battles: Rich Mountain, Cheat Mountain and battle of Winchester.
At the close of the war, he returned home to Owen County, remained one year, after which he purchased a farm in Clay Township, where he remained two years. He then sold and went into the grocery business at Spencer with W. R. Stogsdil. About 1875, he sold his interest and went into the insurance business, and the study of the bar in Spencer.
He was married in April, 1865, to Laura J. Howe, daughter of Amon P. and Harriet Howe, old settlers in Owen County. Mr. Coffey is a member of the A. F. & A. M., of the K. of P., of the Royal Arcanum, and the Grand Army of the Republic, and was for four years Justice of the Peace of Owen County. He is a public spirited citizen, and highly estemed [sic] by those [who] know him."In 1860 Wesley was found living with William and Julia Stogsdill in Elletsville. In 1861 he enlisted in Co. H, 14th Indiana Volunteers in Clay Co. He married Laura Josephine on Apr. 13, 1865 in Owen Co.* and, from 1870 to 1900 he and Laura appeared in the Owen Co. census. He died before 1910 when Laura was found as head of household in Spencer. In 1920 she had relocated to Indianapolis, Marion Co. and by 1930 was in San Gabriel, Los Angeles Co. In 1939 and again in 1941 she was living with children Hallie and Albert at 709 E. Hellman Ave. in Wilmar City, Los Angeles Co.¹ I have not found a death date for her.
Please drop me a note if you can tell me where these Coffey and Stogsdill families are buried.
*Indiana Marriage Records Index, 1845-1920;.Index to Marriage Records Indiana: Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1938-1940.
**Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959." index and images, Family Search index, FamilySearch, 2009. Digital copies of originals housed in Circuit Court Clerk Offices in various counties throughout Indiana. (www.familysearch.org).
***Charles Blanchard, Editor, Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Illustrated. (Chicago, IL: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884), Page 832.
¹Los Angeles county city directories.
