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.

Samuel and Mildred "Milley" Coffey Coleman

Samuel Coleman was born c1752 in Albemarle Co., VA to James and Elizabeth Leake Coleman.  According to one Todd County Kentucky history1, Samuel was a Rev. War veteran, a Todd Co. pioneer and a grandson of Samuel Coleman and his wife Ann Mourning Christian.

James and Elizabeth had at least two other children; Maskey2, born c1750 who was married c1780 to Bartlett Fitzgerald, a native of Orange Co., Virginia.  Bartlett was the son of John Joseph and Mary Hawkins Bartlett Fitzgerald and a brother to Benjamin Hawkins Fitzgerald who married Jane Coffey, a daughter of William and Elizabeth Osborne Coffey of Nelson Co., VA.  Readers may recall that Jane is considered to be the mother of Jordan Coffey, founder of "Coffeytown."

Maskey's sister was Lucy who married Evan Thomas Watson (1759 VA-1834 Bowie Co., TX) on Jan. 4, 1772 in Albemarle Co., VA.  They named a son Coleman Watson, born Jan. 23, 1800 in Logan Co., KY, died Jul. 6, 1876 in Grayson Co., TX.  There is a problem with either Evan's birth date or their marriage date.  The dates given here mean that Evan married at age 12!

In any event, Coleman Watson married his first cousin Lucy Mildred Coleman, the daughter of Samuel and Mildred Coffey Coleman, in Kentucky on Sep. 23, 1821.  They were parents to at least nine children:  Morton Price; Emily E.; Mary Susan; Samuel, Jr.; Evan Thomas; Lucy Ann; Louisa Jane; Nancy Margaret and Edward A.

Another daughter of Samuel and Mildred Coffey Coleman was Elizabeth Leake Coleman - obviously named for her paternal grandmother.  Elizabeth was born on May 6, 1786, probably in Virginia, and died Aug. 2, 1862, probably in Texas.  She married Collin McKinney, a man who was destined to become a Texas legend.  An article in a Daughters of the Republic of Texas source on Collin3, submitted by member Maryln Jones Cherry, reads:

Collin McKinney (1766-1861) was born in New Jersey, the second of 10 children born to Daniel McKinney (1735-1809) and Mercy Blatchley (1745-1825).  He married twice and had 10 children.  Proor to 1824, his adult life was spent in Tennessee and Kentucky, where he owned a trading post and managed the vast Nashville estates of George W. Campbell, who had been appointed by President Madison as Minister to Russia.

In 1824, Collin, with his brother, Daniel and their families, began the long trek down the Southwest Trail, first settling in Arkansas, believing themselves to be in Texas, later moving to present Bowie and Red River counties.  On Aug. 4, 1830, Collin McKinney took the oath and signed the Register of the Wavell Red River Colony, Aug. 4, 1830 [sic].

He became the close confidant of Benjamin Rush Milam, a fellow Kentuckian, and the first survey Milam ran from his new land office was for Collin McKinney in present Bowie County.  Collin's youngest daughter, Elizabeth, married Milam's nephew, Jefferson Milam, a surveyor for Wavell County.  In 1835, when Ben Milam journeyed to Moncolva, Mexico with the colonists' land petitions, he left his business and personal papers in care of his friend, Collin McKinney.  (The original document signed by the Red River colonists each pledging $5 toward Milam's expenses is the McKinney-Milam Papers at the University of Texas at Arlington.)  By December of that year, Santa Anna's invasion of Texas was well underway; the Red River Colony was asked to raise $200 to equip a company of riflemen to join Sam Houston's army.

In January 1836, a mass meeting was held at Collin McKinney's plantation to elect five delegates to attend the general convention 300 miles away at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1, 1836.  Collin, age 70, was the oldest elected delegate and was destined to outlive most of his colleagues.  He traveled with Richard Ellis, who was elected president of the convention.

Collin McKinney was one of five men to draft the Texas Declaration of Independence, and as the oldest of the 59 signers, was presented the signing pen.  He represented Red River settlements in four congresses of the Republic of Texas.  During his 95 years, he was a planter, land surveyor, developer, merchant, deacon, lay preacher, politician and a citizen of eight different governments - born a subject of King George III of England; a citizen of the Thirteen colonies; a citizen of the United States; a citizen of Mexico; a citizen of the Provisional Government established by Texans in 1835; a citizen of the Texas Republic; after annexation, again a citizen of the U.S.; and when death came in 1861, it found him (against his will) a citizen of the Southern Confederacy.

Along with his nephew, H. C. McKinney, he was active in establishment of the Disciples of Christ Church in his last home community.  The Rev. G. Gates, a visiting minister from Indiana, in a letter to his church journal, wrote:  "Brother McKinney, an old disciple from Kentucky...noted for his integrity, hospitality and good works as a Christian, is the natural elder to preside over his flock...The old gentleman had a number of slaves who are, I believe, members of the church and love their master as they would a father."  Archibald Burton, a cousin back in Lincoln County, KY, wrote to Collin, "Collin McKinney, I want to see you more than any man alive."  The town of McKinney and Collin County are name for this remarkable Texas Pioneer.

Collin and Elizabeth Leake Coleman McKinney had a number of children, including:  William C., Annie, Amy, Peggy, Elisa and Younger Scott.

I believe some of the Colemans, McKinneys, Coffeys and Watsons must have known some of my own Coffee family members.  Some of them must have moved together into Arkansas down the Southwest Trail into Hempstead Co., AR, as well as into Bowie and Red River Counties in TX.  My paternal great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Bowman Coffee married a Watson in Bowie Co. following the loss of her first husband, James M. Coffee.  Her father and grand-father (Joseph and Jesse Bowman, respectively) are known to have been in those counties in the same period, and were active in the battle for Texas independence.

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1Todd County Kentucky Family History, Vol. 1, Turner Publishing Co., Paducah, KY 1995, p161
2Apparently named for her maternal grandmother, Judith Mask or, perhaps her uncle, Mask Coleman
3Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Compilers, Daughters of the Republic of Texas: Texas History, Vol. 1 of many (New York & Nashville: Turner Publishing Co., n.d.), Page 192.