William Sullins & Docia Lou Coffey Orme

William Sullins and Docia Coffey Orme apparently left no descendants.  In 1900 and again in 1910 she reported to the census taker that she was the mother of none.  In 1920 and 1930 there were no children in the household.

William was born on Sep. 17, 1873 in Hunt Co., TX to William Melvin and Mary Eliza Sullins Orme.  He was the eldest of about seven children; his siblings were:  James, born Feb., 1876, Lela, Leota, born Aug., 1883, John Shelton, Walter, born Oct., 1899, and Charlsie Eliza, born Nov. 29, 1892, died Jan. 7, 1962 in Ranger, Eastland Co., TX.

Lela Orme was born Jan. 28, 1879 in Hill Co., TX.  She married William Walter Christian c1897 in TX.  He was born to J. W. & Mattie Christian on Nov. 30, 1873 in Parker Co., TX, died May 29, 1935 in Palo Pinto.  Lela died Feb. 21, 1932. Both are buried at Brad Cemetery in Palo Pinto Co.

John Shelton Orme was born Aug. 8, 1886 in TX,  married Ethel Irene Smith, a daughter of A. B. and Anna Hamilton Smith.  John died Aug. 15, 1964 in Palo Pinto and Ethel, born Nov. 16, 1888 in Brad died there on Jul. 26, 1966 and they are also buried at Brad Cemetery.

Docia Lou Coffey was born May 13, 1873 in TX and died May 19, 1962 in Strawn, Palo Pinto Co.  Her parents were William I. and Mary Ann Cantrell Coffey.  William I. was born to Charles Oliver and Diana Blansett on Nov. 27, 1830 in IL and died Feb. 8,1 902 in Meeker, Lincoln Co., OK.  Mary Ann was born c1833 in TN.

William I. Coffey Parentage

There is some confusion concerning the real mother of William I. Coffey.  Charles Oliver was born c1794 in KY and married on Oct. 18, 1815* in Burke Co., NC to Mary Sally Ramsey.  At least five children were born to this union:  Temperence, born c1823, Elizabeth, born c1825; Almira, born 1826, died 1905; Lavinia, born c1828, Wayne Co., KY; and Barbara, born c1829.

Charles later married Diana Blansett, born May, 1814 in Missouri and researchers of that union say he was William I. was born in 1830, followed by Sarah in 1837, Benjamin in 1843, Amanda Jane in 1845 and Eliza in 1849, all in MO.  A sixth child was Charles, Jr., born c1856 in TX.

I have a problem believing that Charles' first wife died in 1829 (at birth of Barbara) then, left KY that year for IL, met a woman, married her and had a son by 1830.  Because the second child Sarah was not born until c1837, I think perhaps that William was really the son of Charles' first wife, Mary Ramsey.  Of course, because we have no firm date for Mary's death, the wife in the 1840 census (next para.) could very likely be Mary Ramsey.  If it was her, it would get rid of my problem mentioned above.

Charles O. appeared in the 1840 Macon Co., MO census with a wife and three children.  There was a male child born between 1830 and 1835 (William was born 1830) and, a female child, born between 1835 and 1840 (Sarah was born in 1837).  A third female child was enumerated, born between 1825 and 1830.  Mary Ramsey Coffey's last known (to me) child was the daughter Barbara, born c1829. If the wife in this census was Mary Ramsey, then Sarah, born 1837 would also be her child.  This would put off any marriage of Charles to Diana by a year or two.

Charles appears next in the 1850 census for Collin Co., TX.  In that record, his wife is named "Deener," which is probably mid-19th century TX twang for Dinah. We don't know when they married, but probably after 1840.  If we move William and Sarah from the list of Charles' children with Diana and give them to Mary Ramsay, then the first born to Dinah would have been Benjamin in 1843, followed by Amanda in 1845, Eliza in 1849 and Charles, Jr. in 1856.

In 1860 Charles and Diana were in Kerr Co., TX; 1870 in Kendall Co., TX; in 1880 Kimble Co., TX and at his death in 1889 he was living in Menard, Menard Co., TX where he was buried in the Pioneer Rest Cemetery.  I have not found a record of Diana's death or place of burial.

William I. apparently like to roam as well.  In 1860 he and wife Mary Ann Cantrell were in Parker Co., TX.  In 1870 they were in Limestone Co; TX and in 1880 they were in Johnson Co., In 1900 they were living with Docia's family in Dallas Co., TX and, when he died in 1902 he was buried at the New Salem cemetery in Meeker, Lincoln Co., OK.

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*Research of Joe Newbrough, Sep., 1995.  Documentation not provided.

John William & Nancy Alice Marie Record Coffey

John in center behind hay rake

John William Coffey was a son of William and Mary Ann Cantrell  Coffey and a grandson of Charles Oliver Coffey and his wife Diana.  John William was born on Dec. 12, 1858 in Texas and died of pneumonia in Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., TX on Dec. 18, 1932.  He was buried at Mountain Peak Cemetery in Midlothian, Ellis Co., TX.

"Nannie" Record was born May 9, 1871 in Tennessee to Joseph S. and Ellen Culbertson Record.  She died of heart failure in Fort Worth on Jan. 28, 1946 and was also buried at Mountain Peak.

Nannie on the right in black skirt

Nancy and John moved around the state of Texas quite often.  In 1900 they were in Ellis Co., and before that in Cleburne Co.; in 1910 in Kaufman Co.,; in 1920 they lived in Hill Co., and finally in Tarrant Co.  Most of their 13 children were born in Kaufman Co.

William Henry "Willie" was their first child and was born Nov. 18, 1887 in Tolosa.  He died unmarried on Jan. 6, 1955 in Fort Worth.
 
The second child was a male named A. T. born in 1889.  I haven't yet determined what they stand for.  He was probably a stillbirth.

Harrison Clyde & Tassie May Coffey Riddels

Next came Tassie May on Mar. 10, 1891 in Cleburne, Johnson Co. and died Feb. 3, 1948 at Pilot Point in Denton Co.  She died as the result of an accidental gunshot wound by a nephew.  She was buried at the  community cemetery in Tioga, Grayson Co., TX.  Her husband was Harrison Clyde Riddels/Riddles.*  Clyde was born Jan. 20, 1885 at Waxahachie in Ellis Co and died on Dec. 31, 1964 at Gainesville in Cooke Co., TX.  He is also buried at Tioga.

 

Bonnie Lucy, Wm Henry, Tassie & Booker T.

Their fourth child was Bonnie Lucy, born Aug. 26, 1895 in Ellis Co.  A death date and place hasn't been found yet.  She married Riley Glenn Sloan, a son of James "Jim" and Martha Lane Glover Sloan.  He was born Jan. 20, 1890 in Tolosa and died Dec. 29, 1967 at White Settlement in Tarrant Co.  He was buried at Shannon Rose Hill Memorial Park in Fort Worth.  Bonnie is likely buried there as well.

Child number five was probably a stillbirth as he was born and died in Ellis Co. on Jan. 23, 1898.  In the genealogy that I have seen, he was named "Little Java."

There is some question in my mind about the next three children.  They were all born within 27 months of each other making it likely - in my estimation - that at least two of the named children were the same child.

Parlon Booker was number six, born May 22, 1900 in Tolosa and died there on Jan. 16, 1909.  Booker T., was number 7, born c1901 but no substantiating records have been found.  Family members have no idea what became of him.  Mary Ellen was number eight and she was born Sep. 12, 1902 in Tolosa and died in Dallas on Jan. 15, 1986.

The way I figure it, there were 27 months between the birth of Parlon Booker and Mary Ellen.  If there was a child named Booker T. born in 1901, that would mean the mother was giving birth every nine months over a course of two years, three months.  That is rather difficult to believe and I doubt that any mother of that era would have been able to survive.

The ninth child born to John and Nannie was Rada Rachel on Jan. 26, 1905 in Tolosa.  She died on Mar 16, 1977 in Odessa, Ector Co., TX.  Her husband was Robert Earl Barnes, born Mar. 17, 1899 in TX, died Nov. 17, 1965 in El Paso, TX.  He was buried at Shannon Rose Hill Cemetery at Fort Worth.  A burial place for Rada hasn't been found but she is likely also at Shannon.

Areal Carl, Jessie Hazel & Warren Douglas

Jesse Hazel was next, born Mar. 18, 1907 somewhere in Texas and died Aug. 21, 1940 at Covington in Hill Co., TX.  Jesse married Hershel Brown Giddins, born Jul. 26, 1896 in Texas and died Apr. 14, 1981 in Terry Co., TX.  Jesse is buried at Itasca in Hill Co.  Hershel's burial place is not yet known.

John William, Jr. followed in March, 1908 but died the following December in Tolosa.

Warren Douglas "Dub" Coffey was number 12, and was born Dec. 11, 1910 in Kaufman Co., and died Jul. 3, 1987 in Fort Worth.  Dub married Vera Lois Ingram, a daughter of Frank and Pearl Ingram.  She was born Apr. 2, 1910 in Sevier Co., AR and died Dec. 12, 1946 in Fort Worth.  Vera and Dub are buried at Mount Olivet in Fort Worth. Dub's second wife was Blanche Corine Miller.  They married in Feb., 1967 in Parker Co., TX.  He apparently married a third time; there is another marriage record in Parker Co. for Warren D. Coffey, born c1911, to Audrey M. Gilley on Oct. 3, 1970.

The last child born to John William and Nannie Record Coffey was Areal Carl "Sparky", born Jan. 13, 1913 in Tolosa.  He married Zola Beatrice Rives on Jan. 18, 1930 in Marietta, Love Co., OK.  He died Jul. 17, 1985 in Burleson, Johnson Co., TX.  Zola was born Sep. 3, 1914 in Paris, Lamar Co., TX and died June 21, 1987 in Burleson.

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*All death records and headstones spell the surname Riddels while some family members tell me that it is correctly spelled as Riddles. 
Photo are courtesy of Laura Coffey Moore, a descendant of John William.