Hodge R. & Hannah Wilson Coffey

Hodge was a son of William Henderson[1] and Mary Faulkner (var.) Coffey and was born about 1812 in North Carolina.  I have been told that his middle name was Rayburn but, it could also have been Raymond.

This family was in Owen Co., IN where Hodge married Hannah Wilson on Nov. 13, 1831.[2] Hodge and Hannah appeared in the Washington Twp., Owen Co. census in 1850.  Sometime between 1855 and 1858 Hannah attempted [apparently] to divorce Hodge.  The following appears in Owen Co. divorce proceedings[3]:

[Plaintiff] Coffey, Hannah Coffey, [Defendant] Hodge R.  [Complete record, including order book and pages] (6) 270 48/116 1855/1858 [Remarks] Dismissed. Plaintiff to recover costs  

Apparently there was a reconciliation because they were found living together in the 1860 census.  I have not found them in 1870 or later.  The death dates and places for the couple have also not been found.

Their children as given in the 1850 and 1860 census records were:

Oliver N., born Dec. 2, 1832; James L. R., born Jun. 9, 1835; Silas D. M., born Feb. 23, 1839; Mar A. R., born c1841; Serena, born c1847; and Laura, born c1852.  Another child, Silas, is said to be their son, born c1843 and who apparently was deceased by 1850.

Oliver married Lydia Susan Litton, born c1828 in NC, on Jan. 30, 1851 in Owen Co. and died Dec. 30, 1901.  He is buried at Jennings Cemetery in Alanthus Grove, Gentry Co., MO.  I do not have a death date or burial place for Lydia.  Both last appeared in the census record on Jun. 18, 1900 in Gentry Co.  Their children were:  Harrison, Rebecca, Edgar, Martha, Joshua Benton, Francis M., and Charles E.  Charles is said to have been born in Douglas Co., KS; the rest in Indiana.

James Leander "Lee" married Elizabeth Caroline Litton, a daughter of Joel and Sarah Bridges Litton,[4] on Sep. 30, 1855 in Owen Co.  Elizabeth died in 1876 at Alanthus Grove and is buried at Jennings Cemetery in Alanthus Grove.  She and Lee were parents of at least six children:  Martha Ann, Laura, Joel, Eliza, Sarah K. and Silas Hinkley.  Following the death of Elizabeth, Lee married Sarah J. Matthews in Albany, Gentry Co., MO on Apr. 2, 1885.  No children are known to have been born to this union.  Lee died on Nov. 6, 1890 in Gentry Co. and was buried at Jennings Cemetery.  Sarah died in 1917 at Stanberry in Gentry Co. and was buried at High Ridge Cemetery in Stanberry.

Silas married Carolina Laura Byles on Nov. 1, 1864.[5]  Their children as I know then were Ida, Emma, Nettie and Robert Wallace.  Robert was born Nov. 27, 1878 in Brazil, Clay Co., IN and married Alice Louise Wright in that county on Aug. 17, 1907[6].  Alice was a native of Terre Haute in Vigo Co., IN, born there on Jun. 24, 1891.  Silas had a unique life.  His bio can be found in source identified in footnote 5.  He died on Mar. 6, 1904 in Manatee Co., FL and was buried at Cottage Hill Cemetery in Brazil, Clay Co., IN. Caroline died on Apr. 9, 1915 in Brazil and was also buried at Cottage Hill.

Hodge and Hannah also had a daughter named Mary Ann, born on Jan. 24, 1841 in Indiana. A public family tree on Ancestry.com identifies this Mary Ann as a daughter of William H. [Henderson] and Mary Falkner [sic] [Faulkner].

William H. died on Oct. 17, 1844 in Owen Co.  Mary did not die until 1851.  In 1850 she lived with her son Silas K. Coffey in Owen Co.  In the household with Silas and his mother was a 16-year old Mary Coffey. Some researchers apparently conclude that this Mary was Silas' sister.

However, I believe that she was Silas' wife, Mary Parrish to whom he was married on Aug. 12, 1859 in Owen Co.[7]

Mary, daughter of Hodge, married David H. Allen on May 9, 1858 in Owen Co.[8]  In 1860 the couple resided with their daughter Maranda, age 9 mos., in Owen Co.  In 1870[9] a David Allen of the correct age was enumerated in Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN.  His occupation was painter.  In 1880 a 47-year old David Allen was an inmate in the Owen Co., Asylum.  The Ancestry genealogies report that Maranda died in 1862 but I cannot confirm that.  There are other reports, yet unconfirmed that Mary Ann married a Mr. James and, that she died on Jun. 30, 1903.  There is a Mary Ann Coffey James buried at the Ellettsville Methodist Church Cemetery in Monroe Co., IN.[10]  But, it is not confirmed that she was the daughter of Hodge and Hannah Wilson Coffey.

Additions and/or corrections welcomed.

  Jack

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Footnotes:
[1]William is said to be a son of Reuben and Sarah Scott Coffey, born 1789 in Caldwell Co., then Burke Co., NC.  Reuben and Sarah's children are not entirely agreed upon by researchers.
[2]Owen County, Indiana: Marriages before 1850, Owen County Historical and Genealogical Society online [http://www.owen.in.us/owenhist/bks123a.htm], accessed Jan. 6, 2005.
[3]Divorces for Owen Co., IN 1819-1871, Owen Co. Historical and Genealogical Society online [http://www.owen.in.us/owenhist/divorces.htm], accessed Various.
[4] She is likely to be a sister to Susan, wife of Oliver, but I have not investigated the possibility.
[5] Charles Blanchard, Editor, Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Illustrated. (Chicago, IL: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884), p345
[6]Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959", index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XXR9-SPT : accessed 21 Feb 2013)
[7]"Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959", index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XXFF-X65 : accessed 30 Mar 2013), Silas K Coffey and Mary Parrish, 1849.
[8]Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [database on-line], indexed by Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1938-1940.
[9]The 1870 census record in which David is found is rather odd.  The enumerator tallied females and males separately, making it impossible for me to determine who was in a family.  For 1880, see https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-266-11829-43603-85?cc=1438024&wc=M9SM-J17:n2115918512 and http://search.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=6742&iid=4240636-00249&o_iid=48558&o_lid=48558&o_sch=Web+Property
[10]Find A Grave Memorial No. 74411333

Joel & Sarah Bridges Litten

As best as I can determine, Joel was born in North Carolina on Nov. 13, 1798 and died on Jun. 4, 1863 in Greene Co., IN.  In between those dates he married Sarah Bridges of Lincoln Co., NC on Oct. 2, 1823.  Actually, that was the marriage bond date; they likely married the same day or, perhaps the next.*

They remained in Lincoln Co. at least through the 1830 census but, by 1850 they were in Monroe Co., IN and Green Co., IN by 1860.  Joel was buried at Kentucky Ridge Cemetery in Doans, Green Co., IN.  A headstone is present at his grave.  Sarah's death date and burial site is unknown to me.

Of their 10 (at least) children, two of them married into the Benjamin Coffey-Exia Stepp family.

The first of their children was William Kingston Litten, born c1825 in NC.  He married Sarah Ann "Sally" Coffey on Aug. 16, 1849 in Monroe Co., IN.**  They remained in Monroe Co. through at least 1850 but by 1889 they were in Gentry Co.  Sarah was a daughter of Benjamin and Exia Saphronia Stepp Coffey.  She was born Jan. 25, 1830 in Monroe Co. and died in Gentry Co. on Sep. 26, 1914.  Their burial sites are unknown to me.  Children:  Mary Jane, born 1856, died 1933 in Alanthus Grove, Gentry Co.; James H., born c1862; Albert D., born c1865; Ally C., born c1865; Tempy C., born c1869 and, Joel B., born c1872.  There may be more that I have not yet found.

Malinda Emeline Litten was the second of Joel's children to marry a Coffey.  Her husband was William Wiley, brother to Sarah Ann, wife of William Kingston Litten.  They were married Feb. 7,1850 in Monroe Co.*  William is said to have died by drowning on Jun. 18, 1865 in Gentry Co.  Malinda was born Oct. 25, 1827 in NC and died Jun. 15, 1919 in Stanberry, Cooper Twp., Gentry Co.  Malinda is buried at High Ridge Cemetery in Stanberry where William is also likely buried.  Their children were at least two:  Mary, born c1851, married John Evans c1865.  Their second child was Lorenzo Dow Coffey, born Sep. 12, 1852 in IN, died Mar. 20, 1920 in Stanberry.  He married Martha Jane Wilson c1874.  She was born Oct. 28, 1854 in Gentry Co., and died there on May 13, 1938.  Both are buried at High Ridge.  Some of their children were (from census) daughter E.N., born c1876; daughter L. A., born c1878; Hattie, born May, 1891 and Woodson, born Apr., 1893.  Lorenzo and Martha were in Stanberry from at least 1880 through 1920.

Joel's third child, Mary Adeline, born Oct. 25, 1827 in Monroe Co., IN, married Lawson Howard Coffey, another son of Benjamin and Exia Coffey.  Lawson was born Aug. 15, 1820 in Owen Co., IN, died Aug. 7, 1904 in Alanthus Grove, Gentry Co.  Mary died there c1857.  Lawson is buried at the Jennings Cemetery in Alanthus Grove and, Mary is likely there as well.  I have only two children for them:  Columbus, born c1851 in IA, died May 1, 1895 in Gentry Co., and Noah, born Mar. 5, 1852 in IN, died in Millwood, Spokane Co., WA on Jan. 25, 1916.  Columbus is buried at Jennings; Noah at Riverside Memorial Park in Spokane.

Joel's sixth child, Elizabeth Caroline, born Feb. 14, 1838 in Morgan Co., IN, married James Leander "Lee" Coffey on Sep. 30, 1855 (no source).  James was a son of Hodge Rayburn and Hannah Wilson Coffey.  Hodge Coffey was a son of William Henderson and Mary Faulkner Coffey and was born c1812 in NC, probably Burke Co.  Their children (more info available) were: Martha A.; Laura; Joel; Eliza; Sarah K.; and Silas Hinkley.

On the ten children born to Joel and Sarah, I have spouses and some descendant information for five of them.  I know their child Isaac married someone by the name of Matilda, who could also be a Coffey.  He was born in IN in 1832 and died in Gentry Co. in 1815.  He and Matilda are buried at Depriest Cemetery in Albany, Gentry Co.  In 1910, Isaac was a widower and his widowed sister Malinda Coffey was living with him in Cooper Twp.

Joel's other children for which I have no info, were:  Wesley, born c1837; Martha, born c1840; Elijah, born c1844; Taletha, born c1845 and Elisha, born c1845.

Please contact me if you can add to or correct any of this information

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*North Carolina Marriage Bonds 1741-1868 Groom: Joel Litten Bride: Sarah Bridges Bond_Date: 01 Oct 1823 Bond #: 000074109 Level Info: North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868; ImageNum: 000936 County: Lincoln Record #: 01 080 Bondsman: Isaac Litten Witness: Jas T Alexander

**Indiana State Library Genealogy Database: Marriages through 1850, Indiana State Library online [http://199.8.200.229/db/marriages_search.asp], accessed Sep.,2005.