Amos D. Coffey

Not much can be found on Amos D. Coffey, a son of Elijah and Mary Abby Dyer Coffey, born Jun. 12, 1811 in Indiana. Owen Co., IN marriage records tell us that he and Martha K. Niell married on Feb. 11, 1834 in Owen Co.

A short item in a book about Clay and Owen Co., IN tells us that Amos opened the first hotel in what became White Hall in Clay Twp., and was also one of the first Justices of the Peace.¹

We also know that he and his family were in Owen Co. in 1840 and that Martha was there in 1850 with her children: James, Elizabeth, William, and Andrew. A daughter, Martha, was not in the household and neither was Amos.

A blurb² appeared in the New Albany Daily Ledger, New Albany, IN on Mon., May 21, 1855 in which it was reported "Dr. Amos D. Coffey, of Louisville [KY], has been arrested and taken to Bloomington on a charge of counterfeiting." In 1856, Martha was granted a divorce from Amos and given custody of "minor children: James, Elizabeth, Martha, Harrison, Andrew" and, she was allowed to recover costs.³

James Martin Coffey went on to marry Margaret A. Huston in Monroe Co., IN in 1855 and died there in 1861. He left children: William. Sarah, Samuel and Ellsworth.4

Elizabeth married William A. Raper in 1867 and died in 1890.5

Martha Ann married William Osborn Harrah in 1854, Green Co., IN and died Jun. 3, 1885 in Osborne Co., KS6

William Harrison was killed in Arkansas while fighting with the Union's Co., D, 5th Indiana Infantry. He is buried in Little Rock at the National Cemetery.7

Andrew Noble married Angeline Mercy Rogers in Tecumseh, Johnson Co., NE in 1876 and was enumerated in the 1890 Veteran's census as a veteran of the 59th Indiana Infantry. He died in 1917 and was buried in Tecumseh. Angeline, born in 1857 Dane Co., WI, did not die until 1955. She too is buried at Tecumseh.8, 9

So, what happened to Amos?  What kind of Doctor was he?  Did he go to prison? When and where did he die and where is he buried?

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Sources:

1 Charles Blanchard, Editor, Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Illustrated. (Chicago, IL: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884), Page 781.

2 "The New Albany Daily Ledger, New Albany, IN", http://bit.ly/1ExgMHS, Mon., May 21, 1855, Vol. VI, Issue 1748, Page 2.
3 Divorces for Owen Co., IN 1819-1871, Owen County Genealogical and Historical Society online [http://www.owen.in.us/owenhist/divorces.htm], accessed Jan. 6, 2005.
4 Dr. Marvin D. Coffey, Author/Researcher, James Bluford Coffey: His ancestors and descendants in America, second printing (Medford, OR: n.p., 1994), Supplemental to James B. Coffey, p17.

5 Ibid

6 Ibid

7 Find A Grave, William H. Coffey, Find A Grave Memorial # 3131066.
8 Find A Grave, Andrew Noble Coffey, Find A Grave Memorial # 58247537.

9 Find A Grave, Mary Angeline Rogers Coffey, Find A Grave Memorial # 58247588.

William Nathan & Ruth Allagura Coffey Livingston

William and Ruth were born born in Indiana in the year 1860;  he in August, she in December.  They were married in Owen Co., IN on Oct. 16, 1883 and two children were born to them in that county.  The first was Harry Clyde, born Apr., 1885; second was Glen Earl, born Jan. 9, 1887.  Both were born in Spencer.

By at least 1893 the family was in Oregon where third son, Frank W. was born in Aug. of that year.  The fourth and apparently last child, a son named Wallace Neil, was born in Oregon on Apr. 4, 1896.

William was a musician - which instrument is not known to me - and seems to have most often played in theaters.  During the silent film era pianists often accompanied the film being shown, adding drama, suspense and the like to films as they played to the audience.  This might be the type of musician that William was or, he could have been a classical musician and played with orchestras for actors on stage.  Later in life (1940) he gave his occupation as "manager" of the "musicians union hall" in Portland.

William died in about 1946 but I have not found his exact death date or place of burial.

Ruth, the 6th of 11 children was born to Wiley H. and Harriet Newell McDonald Coffey in Spencer in Dec., 1860.  Wiley, a son of Elijah and Mary Abby "Polly" Dyer Coffey, was born in Indiana in 1823 and died there in 1879.  Harriet was born in Indiana in 1830 and died there in 1912.  Both are buried at the Wylie [sic] Coffey Family Cemetery in Clay Twp., Owen Co., IN.  Her middle name, Ruth's middle name, Allagura is a mystery to me.

The first of Ruth and William's sons was Harry Clyde, born in Spencer, IN in 1885, was married in Oregon c1909 to a lady named Bertha.  Harry died in 1961 in Portland and I have no other information about him or his family.

Second son was Glen Earl, born 1887 in Spencer, died in Portland in 1952.  Glen worked quite a bit in garment houses, cutting cloth and sometimes worked as a tailor.  Sometime after 1930 and before 1940, he married a lady, recently divorced, by the name of Goldie Smith Winter.  Goldie said that she was born in Minnesota in 1904 and married a Mr. Winter with whom she had a daughter, Jean Winter, born c1929 in Oregon.  In 1930 Jean and her mother lived in Portland with her grandfather, William Smith.  Goldie's mother was deceased but, we know from the census record that she was born in Norway.

In 1940 only the child Jean was in the household with Glen and Goldie.  Goldie died in May, 2000 in Multnomah Co.  Glen had died some years previous, in 1952.  Glen apparently enjoyed traveling.  His name appears on a 1927 ship manifest arriving from Cherbourg in France at a port in Quebec, Canada.  He was traveling alone and, returning to his home at 828 Division St. in Portland.

Frank W. was the third son, born in 1893.  He was apparently married twice.  The first wife was a lady named Rosa and they were married c1920.  There is an Oregon death record for a Rosa Livingston who died in Coos Co., OR on Sep. 24, 1928.  When Frank died in 1963, his death record reported wife as Margery.  There is a grave marker for a Margery Livingston, born 1907, died 1979, at the Lincoln Memorial Park in Portland.

Wallace Neil was the last known child born to William and Ruth.  He came along in 1896 and died in 1964. His wife was named Harriett.  Wallace served with the US Navy during WW1 and is buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.

As can be seen, I haven't a lot of information on any of the sons and their families.  I would like to hear from anyone who can add to or correct any of this information.  I am particularly interested in locating their burial sites.

Jack

Update June 7, 2013

William Nathan and Ruth consistently appeared in the Portland, Multnomah Co. OR census record from 1900 through 1940.

According to Oregon Death Records at https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VZW3-M3F, Ruth's other given name was Altazara.

Harry Clyde Livingston married Bertha F. Seely in Oregon in c1909.  They apparently had only one child, a son named Paul Vane, born in 1914, died in 1998, Multnomah Co.

Glenn Earl Livingston married Goldie Smith who had previously been married to a Mr. Winter.  She had only one child, a daughter named Jean Winter, born c1929 in OR.

Frank W. married perhaps three times.  First wife was Rose, born c1896 in OR. They appear in 1930 census for Portland.  He is also thought to have married a lady by the name of Margery and another by the name of Alberta May.  He and Alberta appear in the 1940 Multnomah Co. census.  Frank died in 1963.

Wallace Neil married a lady by the name of Harriet. When he registered for the draft in Apr., 1942, he named "Mrs. W. N. Livingston" as someone who would always know his address.  She could have been either mother or wife.  Wallace died on Mar. 14, 1964 and is buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.  I have found no other information about Harriet.

Wallace is the only member of this Livingston family for whom a burial place has been found.  See Find A Grave memorial 3909438.

Malinda Caroline Coffey (1825-1901)

Malinda Caroline Coffey was the daughter of Elijah and Mary Abby (Polly) Dyer Coffey. She was born Mar. 6, 1825, and died Dec. 12, 1901. She is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, IN.

Malinda Caroline married Isaac G. Franklin on May 5, 1845 in Owen Co., IN. Together they had at least five children: Mary Elizabeth, born 1846, married George William Lewis; Nancy Jane, born 1848, died 1933, married Joseph Riley Wampler; Rosetta, born 1851, married Isaac (Will) Clayman (Claman?); William F., born Jan. 29, 1854, died 1905; and Susan, born c1857, married Taylor Tumey.

Malinda married a second time, and then to Joshua Webb, a medical doctor with his office in Indianapolis.

The photograph and family information is courtesy Vivian Zollinger, editor of the Owen County History & Genealogy newsletter. She wrote: "Malinda is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis. She died 12 Dec. 1901. Her 2nd husband Joshua Webb had a medical practice in Indianapolis. She returned from MO to Owen Co. IN with all but her oldest child who had married in MO. Isaac may have married [in] IN Eliza McNerland in Schuyler Co., MO. No divorce found."

The Owen County Historical & Genealogical Society website can be found here.