Meredith Coffey - continued

Meredith appears to be the only child born to John W. and Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey.

At some point in time, this family began to spell their last name Coffee and may be a result of their move from TN, where there was an abundance of families with the Coffey surname to an area where there were few.  I suspect that they did not consciously change the spelling; it merely evolved that way after years of making public records in which the Y was dropped in favor of the double-E.  Today, descendants continue to use the double-E spelling.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Hopper is said to be the daughter of John David Hopper, who also had a daughter named Jane who married John after Rebecca's death.  I have not found a specific record documenting the birth dates of these girls and it has been difficult determining the approximate year of their birth. 

In the 1850 census Elizabeth was age 30; in 1860, 33; in 1870, 59; and in 1850, 63.  Likewise, in 1850, Jane was 36; in 1860, 37; and in 1870, 57.  In Jane's case, it's easy to see how the enumerator might have written 37 instead of 47, making her age progression somewhat acceptable as far as census accuracy goes. Elizabeth is another case entirely.

I'll step out on a limb and predict that Jane was the eldest, born c1816 and that Elizabeth was born c1818.

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The census record shows Meredith and Elizabeth in Hamilton Co., TN in 1850, Pineville Twp., McDonald Co., MO in 1860 and, in 1870 and 1880 in White Rock Twp., McDonald County.  Meredith died c1892. I do not have a death date for Elizabeth.

Their children, all born in TN, were:

Eliza, born 1842, died May 9, 1880.  She married William Henry Bullard on Oct. 4, 1875 in McDonald County.  Some info that I have read - but remains unconfirmed - reports that William was born in 1842 at Dog Hollow, Pineville Twp.  His slave-owning family later moved to Benton Co., AR where he enlisted in the CSA.  He is said to have been part of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.  He was never wounded during his four years of service.  His first wife was Susan Caudill, sister to Hillead, the wife of William Harrison Coffee, the next child born to Meredith and Elizabeth.

William Harrison was born Feb. 24, 1843 and died Jul. 6, 1921 in Pineville Twp.  He married Hillead Oakley Caudille on Jan. 22, 1868 in McDonald Co.  She was a daughter of Jacob and Mary Kirby Caudille and was born Jan. 26, 1850 in Robinson Co., KY and died Feb. 6, 1912 in White Rock Twp.  She and William raised at least 13 children.**  Both William and Hillead are buried in the Jane, McDonald Co., MO cemetery.

Josiah A. (some say his name was Joseph*) was the third child, born Mar. 25, 1845, died May 5, 1913 in White Rock Twp.  He married Elva Tennessee Clark who was born Jun. 13, 1853 in AR and died in Bentonville, Benton Co., AR on Mar. 16, 1936.  They too are buried at Jane Cemetery.  Their children were:  Florence Bell, born 1870, died 1923, married William Henry Bunch.  William was born in 1867 Arkansas and died in Indian Territory, OK in 1890.  Their burial places are not known to me.  They were parents of two sons, Price, born 1888 and Martin born 1890.  Josiah's second child was Sara, born 1872 and for whom I have no additional info.  The third child was Prissa, born in June, 1879.  She married a Mr. Cook and had Larna, Howard and Toonsie.

Following Josiah was Madison, born c1848 and died sometime between 1860 and 1870, perhaps in the Civil War.

David was born c1849 and died in 1918, McDonald Co.  David married Maria Paralee Clark, the daughter of Wat Clark and his wife Nancy.  She was born Jan. 13, 1853 in AR and died in June, 1919 at Jane.  Both she and David at buried at the Jane cemetery.  They were parents of seven children.

Mary Rebecca was child number six and was born in Oct., 1852.  She married James Smith "Whiskey Jim" Davenport in 1869.  He was born in Aug., 1850 in MO. Rebecca died on May 29, 1914 and was buried at Jane.  Jim's death date and burial place is unknown to me.  They had at least seven children:  William, 1870; Thomas, 1872; Laura, 1874; Eliza, 1878; Josiah, 1880; Viola, 1884 and Goldie, 1885.

James Milo was the last child born to Meredith and Elizabeth.  He was born in Jul 1857 and died in May, 1913 and was buried at Jane.  His wife was Harriet J. Russell for whom I have no information.

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*His death certificate reads Joseph.  In 1850 his name was Joseph.  After that, and until 1880 he was enumerated as Josiah.
**More info later

James Bert Blunt

James Bert Blunt

James Bert Blunt was a son of Hugh R. and Mary Ann Bishop Blunt.  Hugh was my second great grandfather on my paternal side.  James Bert was not only my great-uncle, he was also my first cousin, three times removed.

"Jim" moved from Louisiana to Texas in 1880, then back to Louisiana in 1890.  He finally settled in Rush Springs, Indian Territory.  In his later years, he often said that were he a younger man he would go to Canada, a "land of opportunity."  He is said to have owned a number of very fine farms, but would always sell out and move on.

Alpha Anna Delafield

His first wife was Georgia Ann Slack who he married on Aug. 25, 1872.  Georgia died a year later and on Jan. 20, 1876, he married Alpha Anna Delafield.   He and Anna raised eight children:  Joel Edgar, Mildred Irene, Rosie Relura, James Bert, Jr., Nova Arizona, Pierce, Albert Batron, and Alpha Anna.

Alpha Anna descended from Thomas Delafield, Vicar of Great Milton.  His son Nicholas Delafield was born c1720 in England.  A Texas Historical Marker erected in 1972 near Hallsville in Harrison Co., describes Nicholas as a cooper in the English navy in the 1740's and an artisan who lived in Mecklenburg Co., VA in the 1760s.  According to Bonded Passengers to America*, Nicholas was sentenced to transport to the American Colonies for a period of seven years in the summer of 1752 for "stealing at Stoke Church."

Nicholas' son, William, served as a private in 1779 in the Mecklenburg Co., VA militia commanded by Catp. Reuben Vaught.  William's son, John Glass Delafield was Alpha's grandfather, and John's son, William Jasper was her father by his wife, Cynthia Moore.  Both William and Cynthia died and are buried in Sarepta, Webster Parish, LA.

The story is that when the Delafield family arrived in Louisiana from Tennessee, one or more of their oxen refused to go any further, and wandered back to Tennessee, leaving the family stranded on somewhat poor farm land.

James "Jim" Bert Blunt died on Apr. 19, 1928 in Rush Springs, Grady Co., OK and is buried in the local cemetery:

His obituary:

James B. Blunt was born in Columbia County Arkansas, March 11, 1851. He became a member of the Missionary Baptist Church and lived a devoted Christian life until his death which came April 19, 1928.

He was married to Georgia Ann Slack August 25, 1872 but this union was broken one year later by her death.  He was again married January 20, 1876 to Alpha Anna Delafield.  Born to this union were eight children, four girls and four boys, of whom only one has passed away, Joel Edgar who was buried in 1909.  This wife died April 11 1893 and was put to rest in the Cromwell Cemetery at Cromwell, Texas.

James B. was well known in and around Rush Springs as he had made this his home since 1901.  He had a score of friends and all who knew him loved him for what he was, a good citizen and a worthy gentleman always. He is mourned by his many friends and relatives but God knew best and took him home where he will suffer and sorrow no more. Everything that loving hands could do was done but God wanted that he should be in Heaven with him and sent his angels for him.  Weep not dear kinsmen for he left with the hopes to meet you in a better world above.

He leaves seven children:

Millie Irene Barksdale, James B. Blunt, Jr., Nova Carson, Albert Blunt of Rush Springs, Rosie Lulu Caudill of Cal., Pierce Blunt of Arizona, Anna Buford of Arkansas.

A sister Amanda Braley, of La. A brother Nelson of Arkansas, several grandchildren, and a host of friends.

The funeral services were held at the First Baptist Church at 2:30 o'clock, April 20, 1928 after which his body was placed in its final resting place, in the Rush Springs cemetery, to await the Judgement Day.

The Lord preserves the going out.
The Lord preserves the coming in.
His Angels guard the round about
To keep thy soul from every sin,
And when the going out is done
And when the coming in is o'er
When in the dear and followed place,
Thy feet can come and go no more,
The Lord preserves they going out
From this fair world, from friends and kin,
While angels stand (the rest is unreadable)

Alpha Anne died on Apr. 11, 1893 in Vernon, Wilbarger Co., TX and is buried at Crowell in Foard Co., TX.

*Peter Wilson Coldham, Gen. Pub. Co., Baltimore, 1983, Vol. IX,