Aurelius & Jessie Edna Bryant Coffey

Aurelius & Jesse Edna Bryant

Aurelius and Jessie were married in Wise Co., TX on Aug. 4, 1897.  He was a son of James Madison and Elizabeth Susan Caddell Coffey, born on Feb. 7, 1876 in Denton Co., TX.  She was a daughter of John W. and America Bryant, born in Texas in April, 1883.  He died on Jun. 27, 1959 in Denton Co. after having farmed his entire life in Wise and Haskell Counties.  He was buried at Bolivar Cemetery in Bolivar, Denton Co.   Jessie outlived Aurelius and passed away on Nov. 2, 1968 in Denton Co.  She too is buried at Bolivar.




Obituary, The Wise County Messenger, Decatur, TX, Thur., Nov. 7, 1968, Page 5

Coffey Rites Held Monday

Mrs. Jessie Edna (Bryant) Coffey, 86, who grew up in Slidell and lived most of her married life there, died Nov. 2 in Flow Hospital, Denton. She had been in ill health for several years. Her husband, Aurelius Coffey, died in 1959 and since that time she had lived around Denton and Slidell. She is survived by 12 children, four sons, J. W Coffey of Denton, W. R. Coffey of Crowley, Jessie A. Coffey of Dallas and Burnice Coffey of Reno, Nev.; eight daughters, Mrs. W L. Walker of Denton, Mrs. J. I Miller of Odessa, Mrs, Jess A. Hopkins of Slidell, Mrs. Real Pendleton of Oakland, Calif., Mrs. Tyson B. Hamilton of Castro Valley, Calif., Mrs. W. R McClendon of Lancaster, Calif., Mrs. Robert Onlott of Castro Valley, Calif., and Mrs. Robert Garrett of Rosebud, Ark., 27 grandchildren; 60 great­ grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 in Christian’ chapel with Jarru F. Scott officiating. Burial was in Bolivar Cemetery with Jim Coffey, Donald A. Coffey, Jess A. Coffey Jr., Joe Hopkins, Sid Coffey and Leon ? acting as pallbearers.

She and Aurelius were parents of 13 children and all survived her with the exception of the youngest, John Preston, born Apr. 13, 1923, died of Diphtheria at Decatur in Wise Co. on Mar. 28, 1928.  He was buried at Slidell Cemetery on Mar. 29.

I have not yet found any meaningful information on eight of the 12.  Those are America, born Dec., 1899; Jesse, born c1906; Nannie P., born c1910; Aurelia, born c1911; Elizabeth, born c1915; Bernice, born c1917; Gladys F., born c1919 and Lonell, born c1921.

The others are:

James Wendall "Doc," born Nov. 11, 1901, died Nov. 5, 1978 at Denton. His wife was Myrtle M., born Jan. 12, 1905, died May 24, 1983.  No marriage date yet found.  Both are buried at the Slidell Cemetery in Wise Co.  They had at least one son, James Vernon "Jim," born Mar. 1, 1936, died Sep. 25, 2007 at Denton and buried at Prairie Mound Cemetery at Argyl, Denton Co.

Katie Valera, born Oct. 20,1903 at Slidell, married Jud Leroy Milner (erroneously as J. I. Miller in Edna's obit) on Nov. 7, 1924.  He was born May 13, 1901 at Bibb in Comanche Co., TX and died Apr. 16, 1988 at Odessa in Ector Co., TX.  Katie died Nov. 17, 1992.  Both are buried at Resthaven Memorial Park in Midland, Midland Co., TX.

William Ross, born Jan. 24, 1908 in Slidell, died Sep. 19, 1973 in Dallas.  His wife was Clauda Mae Fortenberry, born Aug. 2, 1917, died Dec. 20, 1988.  She was buried at the Jackson Cemetery in Krum, Denton Co.  They were parents of at least two sons, Donald Lee, born May 1, 1935 in Decatur, died Oct. 17, 2012 at North Richland Hills, in Tarrant Co., TX, and Charles Wendall, born Apr. 9, 1939 in Wise Co., died Jul 19, 1959 in Grapevine, in Tarrant Co.  Both are buried at the Jackson Cemetery.

The last child for which I have some info was Ima Ruth, born Aug. 23, 1912 in TX, died Nov. 21, 1991 in Los Angeles Co., CA. She married Weldon Richard McClendon on Aug. 14, 1931 in Wise Co.  He was born on Dec. 8, 1906 and died Oct. 15, 1965 in Los Angeles. Both are buried at Joshua Memorial Park at Lancaster in Los Angeles Co.

Please contact me to add to or correct any of this information.

  Jack

Update 7/11/2014

It appears that America might have died young or, went through life under some other given name.

Jesse A. was born Sep. 18, 1905 in Wise Co., and died in Texas on Jun 14, 1990.  He married c1926 to Ruth Dobbs, born c 1909 in TX.  Children: Jesse A., Jr.; Patsy R. and Shirley.  May have been others after 1940 census.

Nannie Pearl, born Jul. 30, 1909 in Wise Co., died Mar. 25, 2002 in TX.  She married Jesse Allmon Hopkins, born Sep. 14, 1897 in OK, died Feb. 19,1975 in Decatur, Wise Co., TX.

Aurelia, born Oct. 19, 1910, died Dec. 12, 1971 in Alameda Co., CA, married Ray Pendleton, born Jan. 18, 1895 in Jefferson Co., KY to John R. and Lydia May Cogswell Pendleton, died Feb. 27, 1951 in Decatur.

Marvel Elizabeth, born c 1914, died Aug. 5, 1998 in Concord, Contra Costa Co., CA. (according to an Ancestry.com tree).  No additional info on who her spouse was.  Her spouse might have been the Robert Onlott mentioned in Edna's obituary but, that surname does not appear to exist.

Gladys Faye, born c 1919, married Tyson Brandon Hamilton, born Jul. 26, 1922 in Escambia Co., AL to Will P. and Eugenia H. Hamilton.  He died Apr. 8, 1999 in Contra Costa Co.  They were married to each other, perhaps three times.  I found only one marriage for them, and that was in Reno, Washoe Co., NV, dated Jan. 21, 1977.  I also found three divorce records, one dated March, 1973 at Monterey, CA; another in Nov., 1977 at Contra Costa the third on Apr. 2, 1980 at Contra Costa.

Alice Lonell, born Jun. 13, 1920, died May 31, 2004 in Rose Bud, White Co., AR.  She married Robert Lee Garrett, born Jun. 15, 1913, died Feb. 21, 1996, also in Rose Bud.

---

Photo credit: Clarice Milner Baggett

John D. & Margaret Ann Walton Coffey

Marcus Lafayette Walton, born Mar. 4, 1844 in Estill Co., KY, married Rachel Hopkins, born 1850 in VA, the daughter of Jonathan and Jamima Simmons Hopkins.  Year of marriage was probably around 1868-69 but I haven't found an exact date.  They first appeared in the 1870 Irvine, Estill Co., census and were still there in 1880.  Marcus died on Dec. 6, 1895*.  Rachel lived an additional 50 years, passing away on Oct. 26, 1945 in Blackburn, Estill Co.  She was buried at Boian Cemetery in Irvine.

They were parents of at least seven children:  Margaret Ann, David, Mary, Nancy, Melvina, Evie and Nettie.

Margaret Ann, or Maggie, was born in May of 1870 and died in March of 1958 in Madison Co., KY.  Her husband was John D. Coffey, born Dec. 20, 1859 in Estill Co., to whom she was married on Oct. 10, 1889 in Irvine.**  John died in 1909 just before his last child was born in 1910.

John D. Coffey was a son of John T. & Elizabeth Jane Walton Coffey.  John T. was a son of Colby and Mary Ann Adams Coffey.  Colby was born in Wilkes Co., NC, married Mary Ann in Grainger Co., TN and lived out the remainder of their life together in Estill Co.  Elizabeth Jane was a daughter of David and Elizabeth Warford Walton.  I have not yet investigated a connection between Elizabeth Jane and Marcus, but odds are the were related.

John D. siblings were 1) Thomas Jefferson, 1858-1932, married Julina C. Walton in Irvine, 1881.  Julina was a daughter of William Jackson and Thursy Ann Coffey Walton.  William Jackson was brother to Elizabeth, wife of John T. and mother of John D.  Thursy Ann was a daughter of Colby, and sister to John T.  2) Elizabeth Jane, born 1862 in Estill Co., said to have married John Andrew Adams and died in Dawson Co., NE.***  3) William A Curtis, sometimes found as W.A.C. Coffey, born 1865 in Estill Co., married Sarah Frances Walton, another daughter of William Jackson and Thursy Ann, in 1890.  She died in 1900.  He remarried to a lady named Esther but I have no further info about that union.

There were at least 12 children born to the marriage of John D. and Margaret Ann Walton:

The eldest was John Dillard Coffey - perhaps John Dillard, Jr.? - born Dec. 16, 1892 at Jinks, in Estill Co.  John married Jessie Lu [sic] Carr on Nov. 29, 1917.  I have not found them in any census record.  He died in 1968 and she in 1976, both in Richmond, Madison Co., KY.  Both are buried at the Richmond cemetery.

David was the second child, born Aug. 15, 1894 at Jinks.  In about 1929, at age 35, he married a young girl by the name of Kitty, who was 17 years old.  The age difference apparently made little difference to either because they remained husband and wife until David's demise in 1974.  Kitty passed away in 1983.  Both are buried at the Richmond cemetery in Madison Co.  They apparently had only one child, Annie Ruth, born c1933, the only child to appear with them in the 1940 census.

Bertie Land, born 1895, apparently never married.  His mother lived with him in 1940 in Madison Co.  He died in Jul., 1982 and is also buried at Richmond cemetery.

James Allen, born Oct., 1896, died Aug., 1968 in Jefferson Co., KY.  His wife was Margaret, born 1910, died 1974.  Both are buried at La Grange, Oldham Co., KY in the Valley of Rest cemetery.

With the exception of one, I have very little info on the next four children:  Myrtle A., born 1896; Hobart L., born Mar, 1899, died Oct., 1900, buried at Garrett Cemetery at Jinks; Betty F., born c1902 and, Alma (Alva or Ava?), born c1903.

Child number nine was Clark W., born May, 1905, died Jul., 1974 at Richmond.  Clark married Zelma Lee Marshall of Madison Co. in c1925.  There were at least two children:  Louise, born c1927 and William J., born c1927.  William died in Sep. 2000 at Madison Co. and is buried at Richmond cemetery.  Zelma died in Sep., 1984 and is buried with Clark at Richmond.

George P, born in Aug., 1906, was next born.  He married a lady whose surname was possibly Wren, given name Hazel.  George died rather suddenly in June, 1930 while living with Hazel at Duncanon in Madison Co.  They had one son, Kenneth B., born c1929.  George is buried at Fairview cemetery in Conway, Rockcastle Co., KY.  In 1940 Kenneth was residing with some Wren relatives, headed by Arthur Wren, an uncle, in Rockcastle Co.  Hazel likely remarried or died but I have not been able to locate her after 1930.

The last two children were Robert H., born Mar., 1908, died Nov., 1991 and, Beulah B., born Mar., 1910, died Oct., 1997.  Both married but I have not yet been able to locate family information.

Additions and corrections welcomed.

Jack

---

*unsourced
**"Kentucky Marriages, 1785-1979, 1839-1960".  Groom's Name: John D. Coffey Bride's Name: Maggie A. Walton Marriage Date: 10 Oct 1889 Marriage Place: Irvine, Estill, Kentucky Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M01192-6 System Origin: Kentucky-EASy Source Film Number: 1760330 Reference Number: p 146
***John Adams first married Mary Ann Alcorn, daughter of Albert Gilbert Alcorn and Matilda Coffey another daughter of Colby.  Mary Ann died c1888 in Estill Co. after birthing five children:  Etta Bell, William Henry, John H. and Anna.  John's second wife was Elizabeth Jane with whom he had Sarah, Nannie, Mary Grace and James B.  More info is available.

Stephen & Catherine Jane Coffey Porter

"Stephen Porter, born 24 June 1819 in MO, died 24 Aug 1890 in OR. He was the son of David and Nancy (Culton) Porter. David Porter, born 8 Mar 1780 in Rockbridge Co, VA, and died on 16 July 1849 on the Oregon Trail '"days journey beyond Fort Hall (Idaho) towards Soda Springs." David Porter married first Mary Elizabeth Hopkins in Davidson Co, TN about 1806. She died at the birth of their only child, a son named James, born 10 Aug 1807. He married second Nancy Culton, born Rockbridge Co, VA 8 Apr 1784, and died Pike Co, IL on 8 Jan 1867. The parents of Nancy Culton were Alexander Culton and Rebecca Woods, married 2 May 1782 in Rockbridge Co, VA. David Porter was the son of William and Mary (Bowen) Porter of Rockbridge Co, VA. I descend from William and Mary (Bowen) Porter through David's brother John.

"In 1811, David and Nancy Porter joined a closely knit group of relatives and neighbors from TN in migrating to Lincoln Co, MO. These included Sittons, Gibsons, Wilsons, and other families who intermarried with the Porters. All were pioneers on the MO frontier a few miles northwest of St. Louis, near St. Charles. By 1819, David Porter began buying land near Big Creek southwest of Troy, MO. He established his home there for a while. In late 1835, he became dissatisfied with the area and moved to Pike Co, IL. In the spring of 1849, when he was 69 years old, accompanied by his son-in-law Samuel Sitton, he joined a wagon train to Oregon, where several of his married children had gone the previous year. He died of a stroke enroute. His son-in-law returned to his family in Pike Co, IL. It is presumed that David Porter was buried beside the trail."*

---

David and Nancy Culton Porter had at least six children:

Rebecca, born c1809 in TN, married Samuel G. Sitton, born c1802 in Lincoln Co., MO, died c1878 in Pike Co., IL.  Their children were at least four:  Eleanor, David W., William P., and Amanda.  In 1850 the family was residing in Pike Co. and Rebecca's mother, Nancy Culton Porter, age 66, was residing with them.  Nancy died in Pike Co. in 1867*

William, born Dec. 14, 1812 in MO, died Mar. 30, 1899 in Marion Co., OR.  He married Sarah Coffey, daughter of Nebuzaradan and Elizabeth Easley Coffey.  Sarah was born May 1, 1820 in Simpson Co., KY and died in Marion Co. on Nov. 20, 1848.  William died Mar. 30, 1899 in Marion Co.  Both are buried in the Oregon Pioneer Cemetery at Aumsville in Marion Co.  Their children were at least four: William German; Elizabeth Nancy; John Hancock; and Sidney Reese.

Joseph Woods, born c1815 in MO, married Elizabeth Ann Howey on Aug. 14, 1838 in Pike Co., IL**  In 1850 the family was still in Pike Co. with children: James; Nancy A., Amanda, and Stephen W.

Stephen Porter

Stephen, born Jun. 24, 1819 in Troy, Lincoln Co., MO, died Aug. 24, 1890 at Downs Station, Marion Co., OR.  He married twice, first to Catherine Jane Coffey, middle daughter of Nebuzaradan and Elizabeth, on Sep. 1, 1844 in Pike Co.  Their children were Nancy Louisa, David A., and John Thomas.  Catherine died on Feb. 13, 1850 in Marion Co.  Stephen's second wife was Susan Gibson who he married on Aug. 15, 1851 in Marion Co.  Stephen and Susan are buried at the Miller Cemetery in Silverton in Marion Co.

Nancy, born Feb. 14, 1822, died Mar. 9, 1904 in Salem, Marion Co., married Horatio Nelson Viscount Holmes on Sep. 27, 1838 in Pike Co.*  He was born Jul. 24, 1813 in Wythe Co., VA and died in Salem on Mar. 26, 1885.

John, born Apr. 8, 1824 in Lincoln Co., MO, died May 27, 1895 in Pike Co., IL.  He married Eliza Emeline Coffey on Nov. 28, 1850 in Pike Co.  Eliza was a daughter of Nathaniel "Nathan" and Sarah "Sally" Meredith Coffey.  Nathan was a brother to Nebuzaradan.  Eliza and John were parents of Emma, Sarah, Jane and John David as well as one infant daughter who died at or shortly after birth in 1851, Pike Co.

---

Oregon Trail

These families were early pioneers who reached Oregon over the Oregon Trail.  This Trail site may also be of interest to readers.

 

---

*Mary E. Porter, Author/Compiler, A Family History: William Porter, Jr. of Rockbridge County, Virginia (1740-1804) and Five Generations of his Descendants (N.p.: M. E. Porter, 7 September 2007), Page 63.


**Illinois Marriages, 1763-1900. Family Tree Legends Records Collection (Online Database). Pearl Street Software, 2004-2005, Marriage Register, Vol. I, Page 46.