Eliza J. Kirby Coffey

"In Memoriam.

"The subject of this sketch, wife of our esteemed townsman, Mr. Geo. E. Coffey was born in Caldwell on the 9th day of July, 1882 and died at her home in Blowing Rock on the morning of Sunday the 30th day of January, 1916, leaving, beside her mother, Mrs. Kirby, and her husband, four children as follows:  Ollie May 12 years, Ralph Sylvester 9, James Luther 7, and Eula Deal 4.  Mrs. Coffey, up to the 25th of October 1914, enjoyed perfect health, but, suffering from a stroke of paralysis at that time and from several subsequent strokes, her strength gave way and though all that medical skill could do was done for the good woman, she succumbed at last to the inevitable and, though she seemed better on Saturday, cheerful and even attempted to walk, something she had no done for over a year, the final, fatal stroke came that night and before the dawning of another Sabbath Day the soul had taken its flight.

"Mrs. Coffey joined the Second Adventist Denomination at Patterson in 1899, married George E. Coffey on the 22nd day of September, 1901 at Grove, Caldwell county and moved to Blowing Rock soon afterward.  She always looked on the bright side, even in her moments of suffering saying 'it was all for the best,' was a devoted wife and affectionate mother and dutiful daughter, had strong faith in Christ, her Saviour, and 'believed firmly in the Resurrection of the Dead and hoped to meet her dear ones in Paradise.'

"The funeral, as noted last week, was held by her pastor, Rev. Eber Gragg of Foscoe, the Reformed church not able to hold the people who came to pay the last sad tribute to her memory, though the day was most inclement, Mr. Gragg most impressively pointing to the 1st and 2d Resurrections and bidding his hearers prepare for it by rising from their sins hero and watching for the Eternal Dawn."

"The three doctors who attended Mrs. Coffey during her long illness, Doctors Brooks of Blowing Rock, Perry of Valle Cruces and Mordecai of Blowing Rock have the deep gratitude of the family and so have all the kind friends and neighbors who were most kind and considerate during it all.  God bless them!

"Mrs. Coffey's favorite text will close this sketch which is written by a friend of the family but which he feels is but feeble tribute.

""Instead of the throne shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not cut off.  Isaiah 55:13.  W. R. Savage Blowing Rock, N. C.""

Source: W. R. Savage, "In Memoriam," Obituary, Watauga Democrat, Boone, Watauga Co., NC, 10 February 1916, Death of Mrs. George E. Coffey; On-line Archive (http://tinyurl.com/kq4nj3b : viewed 28 September 2014); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC. Watauga Democrat. (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.), 10 Feb. 1916. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82007642/1916-02-10/ed-1/seq-2/>.

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Geo. E. Coffey was George Edgar whose father is not known.  His mother was Margaret Anne Kincaid who was a daughter of Milton and Abigail Bristol Kincaid of Burke Co., NC.

In addition to the four children listed above, there was another child, a son, born Nov. 2, 1914 and believed to have died at birth or shortly thereafter.

The other children: Ollie Mae, born Mar. 15, 1903, died Oct. 10, 1962 at Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., NC, married Fred A. Boger.

Ralph Sylvester, born Aug. 13, 1905, died Nov. 19, 1989, buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Blowing Rock, NC.

James M., born Jul. 27, 1908, died in Lenoir, Caldwell Co. on Feb. 4, 1933, married a lady named Ethel.

Ola Deal, born Feb. 7, 1912, died Jul. 7, 1999 in Blowing Rock; married Charles William Craig, born Mar. 28,1910 in Watauga Co.

Margaret Anne "Maggie" Kincaid had been married on Feb. 6, 1860 to William Elbert Coffey in Burke Co. and appeared there with him through the 1900 census.  William died in Morganton, Burke Co., in 1912.  Their last child was a daughter also named Margaret, born on Jan. 20, 1880.  George was born in 1883, well before William Elbert Coffey died.  However, George's death certificate does not name a father and instead wrote "illegitimate" in that place.

After Eliza died in 1916, George married Pearl White in 1918, Catawba Co., NC.  That was also Pearl's second marriage.  Her first husband was John L. Kirby who died in Mecklenburg Co., NC of Paresis on July 31, 1917, a month and a few days after their marriage on Jun. 3, 1917.

George died on Apr. 15, 1931 in Blowing Rock and was buried there at Mount Bethel.  I have not yet found Pearl's death date or burial site.  She and George had at least two sons, Edgar B. and Roy Edward "Pete" Coffey.

Harley Pinkney Coffey

Harley was a son of John A. and Emaline Jones Coffey and was born Feb. 14, 1866 in Buncombe Co., NC.  His first wife was Edith Rhodes to whom he was married on July 25, 1886 in Buncombe Co.  Edith was born May 17, 1870, probably in Buncombe Co., and died there on Feb. 10, 1895.  She was buried at the Mount Zion Missionary Church Cemetery in Leicester, Buncombe Co.

Edith gave birth to four children:

Hillard Floyd, born Jun., 1887, died Sep. 21, 1952 in Oteen, Asheville Twp., Buncombe Co.  He is buried at Grace Methodist Chapel Cemetery in Asheville.  Hillard married Jenny Hall and had at least two children:  Joseph Harley and Hillard, Jr.

Goldie Pearl, born Jul. 28, 1888, died Mar. 21, 1968 in Morganton, Burke Co., NC.  She married Wells Green on Jun. 15, 1909 in Buncombe Co.  Wells was born to Hillard and Betty Wilson Green on Apr. 3, 1882 in Buncombe Co.  He died Mar. 27, 1967, also in Morganton.  Both are buried at Riverside Cemetery in Ashville, NC.  They had at least two children:  Hillard and Olive.

Maude, born Feb. 5, 1890 in Buncombe Co., died there on Feb. 14, 1896.  She is buried at Zion Hill cemetery at Leicester.

Talmadge DeWitt, born Feb. 8, 1894 in Buncombe Co., died Jan. 4, 1960 in Asheville.  He is buried at Grace Methodist Church cemetery in Asheville.

About a year after Edith died, Harley married Allie F. Brooks on Sep. 20, 1896.  She was born in Aug., 1876 and died Apr. 17, 1933, either in Buncombe or Bladen Co., NC.  Allie is also buried at Zion Hill.

Allie gave birth to at least seven children:

Kenneth LeCosta, born Aug. 11, 1898, died Mar. 21, 1975 in Buncombe Co.  He married Altha Ingle on Feb. 14, 1921 in Buncombe Co. and became the parents of Kenneth, born 1922; Charles William, born 1924; Betty L., born 1927; and Richard, born 1930.  Kenneth is buried at Forest Lawn in Asheville, Buncombe Co.  He and Altha were divorced in Buncombe Co. on Feb. 11, 1958.  She may have remarried and, her burial site has not yet been found.

Liston Jeffery, born Jul., 1899, died Apr. 3, 1965 in Asheville.  He married Emma Foster c1928 and they had at least one child, Virginia, born c1929 in Buncombe Co.  Liston is buried at Zion Baptist Church cemetery in Morganton, Burke Co.  Liston was divorced by the 1940 census and was residing with daughter Virginia in the household with his sister, Bonnie Howington and her family.

Gertrude, born Aug. 12, 1901 in Buncombe Co., died Jun. 21, 1968 at Burlington in Almance Co., NC.  She married Donald Walton Hamilton on Jun. 20, 1934 in Buncombe Co.  He was born Jul. 7, 1902 and died Nov. 28, 1858.  Both are buried at Green Hills cemetery in Asheville.

Update Jan. 16, 2013:  Gracie, child no. 4 for Harley and Allie, was born Aug. 12, 1903 and died Jun. 15, 1909.  She too is buried at Zion Hill.

Forest Andrew, born Apr. 12, 1906, died Nov. 1, 1920 in Buncombe Co.  Forest is buried at Zion Hill.

John, born c1908; no other information.

Bonnie, born Dec. 20, 1910, died Dec. 16, 1988 at Asheville.  She married the Rev. Bud Howington, a son of C. H. and Isabell Stewart Howington, on Jun. 24, 1933 in Buncombe Co.  Bud was born Jan. 23, 1910 in Asheville and died there on Jun. 23, 1952.  Both Bud and Bonnie are buried at the Mount Olive Baptist Church cemetery in Asheville.  I have found only two children:  Helen C., born Feb. 18, 1934 in Asheville, died there on Jul. 31, 1937.  The second was born and died in Oct., 1942 at Asheville.  Both chidlren are buried at Mount Olive.

The last child was Geneva, born c1914.  She appeared in the family census record in 1920 but not in later records.

Clyde Elmore & Elsie Conner Mahler Coffey

Elsie Mahler Coffey Boyhan

Henry Davis Coffey and his wife Lydia Susan A. Campbell were the parents of at least seven children.  Clyde Elmore was their fifth child and fourth son.  He was born Feb. 13, 1896, probably in Nelson Co., VA, but perhaps in Louisa.  Henry and Lydia were married in Nelson county in 1885 but, by the time of the 1900 census they were residing in Louisa Co.

Clyde married the beautiful Elsie Conner Mahler, a daughter of Swiss-born Gotlieb Alfred Mahler and his wife, Ella Virginia Brooks.  Gotlieb was born Apr. 7, 1862; Ella on Jul. 16, 1862.  Both died in the early-to-mid 1940's in Virginia.  Elsie was born in Waynesboro, VA in 1894.

Elsie and Clyde were married in Lynchburg, Campbell Co., VA on Dec. 6, 1915.  They became parents of at least five children:  Clyde, Jr.; Harold; Ruth; John; and Lois.  Lois was born in 1926 and by 1930 Elsie and Clyde were divorced.  That year, Clyde was counted for the census in Lynchburg.  Children Buddy, age 12; Junior; age 14; Ruth, age 10; and John, age 8 were living with him.

In the meantime, Elsie Coffey was enumerated in Norfolk, VA where she lived with her daughter, Lois, age 4,,  She was a saleslady employed to sell "rubber goods."  She also apparently lived with Joseph M. Boyhan, who was enumerated as as 24-year old "seaman on ship;" he was listed on this census as a "boarder."  The couple were married in Norfolk on Jul. 11, 1934 when Elsie was 40 years old and Joseph Michael Boyhan was 29.   He was born in 1905 at Phoebus, Hampton City, VA to Patrick and Julia Linehan Boyhan.

Joseph died at the age of 85 in Greensboro, Guilford Co., NC.  According to his death record, he was widowed and, was buried out of state.  I have not found his burial place, nor have I located any information concerning the eventual fate of Elsie.

Update, July 31, 2013:

Obituary, Norfolk, VA Ledger-Dispatch, Dec. 26, 1960

Mrs. Elsie Mahler Boyhan, 66, daughter of the late Alfred G. and Mrs. Ella Virginia Brooks Mahler, died at the residence, 2401 Early Street, East Coleman Place, on Sunday at 6:20 a.m. following a long illness. She was a native of Waynesboro and had lived in this area for 40 years. She was a member of the Pilgrim Holiness Church. She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. John S. Hill of Lynnhaven and Mrs. Ruth Leonard of Lynnwood, Calif.; three sons, Clyde E. Coffey Jr. and James H. Coffey, both of Norfolk, and H. Winston Coffey of Freeport, Tex.; three sisters, Mrs. Effie Kite, Mrs. Mabel White, and Mrs. Margaret Cannon, all of Waynesboro; three brothers, Henry Mahler of Newport News, Frank Mahler and Charles Mahler, both of Waynesboro,; 10 grandchildren, one great grandchild and a number of nieces and nephews. The body was removed to the Cox Funeral Home.

I'm still searching for her burial site.

Update Apr 9, 2016 The recent find of an obituary shows that Clyde and Elsie had a son, James Howard Coffey, born c1923 in Virginia.  James died in Chesapeake, VA on Jun. 4, 1995 and was buried at Chesapeake Memorial Gardens on Jan. 6.  His obituary reads:

JAMES H. COFFEY SR.

Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) — Monday, June 5, 1995

James Howard Coffey Sr., 73, of the 500 block of Longdale Crescent, a retired plant superintendent, died June 4, 1995, in Chesapeake. 

Mr. Coffey was born in Portsmouth. He had retired from Shell Oil Co. in 1984 after 38 years. He was a past member of Southside Lions Club. He was predeceased by his parents, Clyde E. and Elsie Mahler Coffey Sr. 

Survivors include his wife, Thelma Robertson Coffey; a daughter, Sharon Coffey-Wilson of Chesapeake; a son, James H. Coffey Jr. of Chesapeake; a sister, Lois Coffey Hill of Virginia Beach; a brother, Clyde E. Coffey Jr. of Virginia Beach; a granddaughter, Lisa Alewine and a grandson, Joshua Alewine, both of Chesapeake. He will be sincerely missed by family and friends. 

The graveside service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Chesapeake Memorial Gardens by the Rev. Ernest L. Trueblood. The family will be at Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home, Indian River Chapel, today from 7 to 8 p.m.

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The photo of Elsie is credited to Paul Hill.  It was probably taken on her wedding day to Clyde Elmore Coffey.