Edmond Jackson "Eddie" & Lula Belle Andrews McLean

Edmond Jackson "Eddie" McLean

Eddie and Lula were married for 72 years before her death on Jan. 23, 1993.  Eddie followed her on Dec. 3, 1994.  Both are buried at the Globe Baptist Church Cemetery in Globe, Caldwell Co., NC.

He was born in the Yadkin Valley on Oct. 9, 1903 and on Apr. 25, 1921, at age 17 he married 16 year old Lula Belle Andrews in Globe Twp.  Together they had at least five children, perhaps six*.  The children were:

Belle, born Feb. 11, 1922 married Ralph L. Hearn and settled in Virginia.  Belle died on Jan. 6, 2006 in Mathews Co., VA and was buried there in Windsor Gardens Cemetery.

MATHEWS - Belle McLean Hearn, 83, passed away Jan. 4, 2006, at Riverside Hospital, Newport News. Belle was a native of Lenoir, N.C., and resided in Mathews County for many years. She was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church and during World War II she was employed by the Defense Dept., Fort Monroe, Va. 

Belle was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph L. Hearn; her parents, Edmond J. and Lula Belle Andrews McLean; two brothers, Ronald McLean and Reece E. McLean; and one sister, Winnie McLean Askew. 

She is survived by one sister and brother-in-law, Jane McLean Harmon and Don Harmon, and one niece, Gloria Askew Armistead, all of Cobbs Creek, Va.; two nephews, Walter David McLean of Boone, N.C., and Brian Harmon of Hampton, Va.; and also a very special friend, Benetta Smith Packer of Odessa, Fla. 

Belle, lovingly known as 'Aunt Belle' to her many friends and neighbors, will be fondly remembered for her many church activities and her great love of life. Her request was a simple graveside service which will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, (today) at Windsor Gardens, Dutton. We the family, respectfully ask for no flowers. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, Box 723, Mathews, VA 23109. Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home, Mathews, is handling the arrangements.

Ronald Edward, born Jan. 28, 1924 in Upton, Caldwell Co., died in Globe on Oct. 2, 1924.  His death certificate reads only that he died of "kidney trouble."  He was buried at the Andrews Family Cemetery in Collettsville, Caldwell Co.

Willie Mae, born 1926 in Caldwell Co.

Reece Edmond, born Dec. 26, 1936 in Caldwell Co., died Jun. 21, 2003 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co. Reece Married Mable Lucille Tolbert and at least one child, a son was born to them in 1963.  Reece is buried at Baileys Camp Baptist Church Cemetery in Lenoir.

Merida Jane, born c1941, married Donley D. Harmon in Caldwell Co. in 1963.  When sister Belle died, her obituary reported that Jane and her family lived in Cobbs Creek, Mathews Co., VA.

Eddie was the son of Andrew Jackson and Martha Jane "Mattie" Church McLean.  Andrew and Mattie were parents to at least ten children.  Their daughter, Bessie Mae married Hayley or Hillie Horton Coffey, a son of Gilliam and Susan D. Gragg Coffey on Feb. 2, 1908 in the Yadkin Valley.  Another son, Homer Commodore McLean married Stella Mae Andrews, sister to Lula Belle.

Martha Jane "Mattie" Church was the daughter of James Franklin "Jim" and Laura Virginia Blackburn Church and sister to Joseph Commodore Church whose first of three wives was Lee Ella Coffey, daughter of Thomas Avery and Louisa E. Gragg Coffey.

All of these folks have deep ties to North Carolina.  The Coffey families go back to Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John who married Jane Graves.

Earlier blogs about some of these families can be found here and here.

Sources:

US Federal census, Caldwell Co. marriage records, NC death records, cemetery records and descendent contributions

*There is another birth record in Caldwell Co. for an unnamed child in 1924 and is recorded in an earlier birth register.  The child could be Ronald who remained unnamed until a week or so later when his birth was "officially" recorded.

Elisha "Lish" and Anna Harmon Moody Coffey

I touched a bit on Elisha and Anna Coffey in the Aldridge & Coffey blog of May 1.  Elisha was a son of Joseph and Isabella Lindsay Coffey and was born c1814 and almost certainly in North Carolina.

Anna was a daughter of Edward and Frances Carter Moody and was born c1814 in NC.  She died before 1880 and probably in Watauga Co.  Elisha appeared in that county's 1880 census as a widower.

There are at least two other sons of Lish and Anna for whom I have very little information.  They were all born early enough to have been strong candidates for service during the Civil War and, may have been killed.  Those sons were Jacob, born c1838 and, DeKalb, born c1839.  Some genealogies that I have seen also names another Levi, born c1844 as their son.

I think the Elisha Coffee [sic] and wife Hannah in the 1850 Watauga Co. census is this couple.  In addition to the parents, there was Levi, age 16; De Calb [sic], age 11 and Mary Cannon, age 7.  I am not certain who Mary Cannon was, but there is at least one Cannon female (not Mary) who married into a Coffey family in Burke Co., NC.

In 1860 Watauga co., Jacob, age 21 appeared with the family.  Another child, May A. Harmon [sic] age 2, was enumerated with the family. Although named as a child of Elisha, it isn't clear to me yet that he was.

The 1870 Watauga co. census shows that May Harmon was then Mary Harmon, age 13.  Except for a black male, age 14, named John Adges [?], the only others in the household were Elisha and Ann.

As mentioned earlier, Elisha appeared as a widower in the 1880 census for Watauga Co.

Levi Lafayette, who appears to be the eldest child of Elisha's, was born May 30, 1833 in Burke Co., and died Feb. 11, 1925 in Watauga Co.  He married "Tempie" Calloway, a daughter of James and Nicey Gragg Calloway, c1859 in Watauga Co.

To them were born at least seven children:

1 - Caroline Lavinia Coffey, born Mar. 6, 1860, died Feb. 13, 1923.  Caroline married her cousin David Nathaniel Coffey c1886.  David and Caroline are mentioned in several blogs.  If you are interested in more about them, search the blog archives [use search window in upper left corner and surround search term with quotes; e.g., "David Nathaniel Coffey."]  You can view a photo of David and read a bit of info about him in this blog.

2 - Joseph DeCalb Coffey, born Jan. 24, 1863 at Shulls Mill in Watauga Co., and died there on Dec. 30, 1930.  He married Lutittia [sic] F. Walters, a daughter of Johnathan and Emeline Long Walters, on Apr. 9, 1899 in Watauga Co.  Both are buried at the Byrd Cemetery in Foscoe, Watauga Co.

3 - Judith Coffey, born c1866 - no further information.

4 - Emma Coffey, born Oct. 19, 1869 in Watauga, died Jan. 3, 1938 in Hickory, Catawba Co., NC.  Emma also married a cousin, William M. Coffey c1896.  William was a son of Smith W. and his wife Charity Elizabeth Redmond.

Laurence Coffey gives this name as Elizabeth Baker Redmond, indicating to me that she was probably married previous to her marriage to Smith.  However, in an e-mail to me dated Aug. 23, 2007, Carolyn Curtis wrote this:

"Elizabeth was born 6/25/1836 and died 5/20/1912. She was not married prior to her marriage to Smith Coffey on June 25, 1854 (that was her 18th Birthday). According to the Caldwell County Court of Pleas and Quarter Session, Volume II – January Term 1848, Elizabeth, an orphan child of 11 years of age, was bound to Lucinda Baker (that is where the Baker name originated) until age 18, at which time she was give her freedom, $6.00, a new suit of clothes, a bible and she was to be taught to read and write."


I seem to recall some speculation that Elizabeth was full or part Indian and the Redmond might have something to do with that part of her heritage.  But, that is something that I have not pursued.

Both Charity and Smith are said to be buried in a Coffey Cemetery at Shulls Mill.

5 - James Wesley Coffey, born May 2, 1873 in Watauga Co., died in Boone on Dec. 6, 1960.  He married Donnie Brewer c1906.  A subsequent spouse was Callie Ward, born Mar. 30, 1898, daughter of James Ward and Mary Hicks.  Callie died Aug. 25, 1975 in Boone.  They are also said to be buried in the Coffey Cemetery at Shulls Mill.

6 - Archie E. Coffey, born Mar 23, 1876, died Apr. 11, 1903.  He married Virginia Frances Brown on Sep. 30, 1900.  "Jennie" was a daughter of Samuel Walker and Nancy Jane Joyce Brown.  See the other Levi Lafayette Coffey blog for more.

7 - Oscar Lee Coffey, born Sep. 7, 1878, died Jul. 1, 1977 in Davidson Co., NC.  Oscar married Ollie Belle Calloway, born Mar. 10, 1886 in Watauga Co., died Apr. 23, 1943 in Boone.  She was the daughter of William Henderson Calloway and his wife Almirah M. "Myra" Johnson.  Ollie is buried at Foscoe in the Community Cemetery.  I have not located Oscar's burial site.

I would really love to know if the Coffey Cemetery at Shulls Mill is actually known locally by that name and where it is located.