Albert and Sarah Goodnight Coffey

Albert was the second eldest son of the Rev. Reuben A. and Martha "Polly" Dowell Coffey, born Feb. 22, 1810 in Wilkes Co., NC.  Albert married Sarah Goodnight in Monroe Co., IN on Dec. 5, 1833.[1]  Sarah was born c1803 in Shelby Co., KY.

Albert died in Jan., 1837, just a few years into his marriage with Sarah, and leaving her with two young children to raise.  The first was Julia Ann, born in Aug., 1836 followed by Wesley W., born Dec. 13, 1837 in Owen Co., IN.  Sarah never remarried and died c1880 in Spencer, Owen Co., IN.  Daughter Julia married William R. Stogsdill in Owen Co. in 1856 and Sarah lived with them in Owen Co. for almost 30 years.

Sarah's son Wesley married Laura Joseph Howe in Owen Co. in 1865.[2]  Laura was the daughter of Amon Price and Harriet C. Thatcher Howe and was born in IN in 1843.  Together, they had three children, only one of which married and has descendants.  That was Bryon Howe, born in 1866, Owen Co., died 1945 in Los Angeles, CA.  He was their first born, followed by Hallie H. in 1874 and Albert Price in 1876.  Laura was the mother of four children but only three survived to become adults.[3]

Hallie and Albert never married and pretty much lived with their mother, or with each other, from birth to death in Los Angeles.  Albert died in 1936 at age 70, and Hallie died in 1969 at age 95.  I have not found their burial places.  In the 1941 city directory for Wilmar City in Los Angeles Co., Albert gave his occupation as "musician." Hallie reported her occupation as "stenographer."

Byron married Nellie Branham in Owen Co. in 1894.[2]  She was a daughter of Laroes and Susan Amanda Halbert Branham, born in Indiana in Sep., 1873.  She died on Jul. 4, 1962 in Los Angeles.

There were four children born to their marriage, all in Spencer, Owen Co.:

Thatcher Howe, born 1895, died 1956 in Los Angeles.  Thatcher married Lessa Leona Freeman in Riverside Co., CA in 1919.  She was the daughter of Fletcher and Margaret McClellan Freeman, born in Oct., 1899 in Iowa, died in Los Angeles in 1979.  I believe that Thatcher and Lessa had just one child, a daughter named Mary Jane, born in 1920.  She married John Batterso and they both lived with her parents in LA in 1940.

Thatcher's sister, Naomi Josephine was born in 1896 and died in LA County in 1970.  She was married to Karl Keeler in Marion Co., IN in 1916.[2]  They had at least two children, Lois Karlyn, born c1919 and Karl, Jr., born c1921.  Lois married a Mr. Teters and died in LA County in 1990.

Byron's third child was Cecile Louise, born 1897, died in LA County in 1946.  She married Joseph Adolph Iverson c1927, probably in CA.  He died in Chatsworth, LA County in 1986.  She died well before that, in 1946, LA County.  This may be the same Joseph who was buried at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth, LA Co.  His bio at Find-A-Grave reads:  "Son of Carl Johan and Augusta Matilda (Wagman) Iverson. Husband of Louise and Iva. Brother of Carl Jr and Aaron Iverson, Anna Foss and Sena Baker. Joe was the owner, along with brother Aaron, of the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, famed filming place of many American westerns of the 1930s through the 1960s, including The Lone Ranger series and numerous episodes of Bonanza."  I know of no children born to his union with Louise but, a website devoted to the ranch and some of the history, has a photo of Ed Iverson, reported there to be the one of "the owner," which could be Aaron's son..

Coffey Sprinkler
Click for larger view

The fourth child and second son was Jule Hubert, born in 1899, died in LA County in 1979. He married Harried Ellen Johnson c1925. She was born in Ramsey Co., MN in 1899 and was the mother of at least two children: Harry, born c1927 and Priscilla H., born c1931. Jule held numerous patents during his lifetime, including US 3088677 for the "Oscillating Arm Pop-Up Sprinkler," seen on many lawns across the US.  To be sure, others have made "improvements," but the basic concept remains Jule's.

He was a 1924 graduate of CalTech and died in Clarement, CA in 1979.  His daughter, Priscilla Coffey McKenna wrote to the alumni newsletter that "he was retired and had been living in Claremont, California....He lived a long and exceedingly useful life and we will miss him very much."[4]

---

Malcolm Carnegie McKenna

While searching for Jule's daughter Priscilla, I found that she married Malcolm Carnegie McKenna, son of Donald Carnegie and Bernice Caroline Waller McKenna.  The McKennas were a family of philanthropists; Donald being a Pennsylvania industrialist and the namesake of Clarement McKenna College in CA.  Malcolm and Priscilla were married in Claremont on Jun. 17, 1952.  He died on Mar. 3, 2008 in Boulder, CO.  Before his retirement, Malcolm was Frick curator of vertebrate paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History and professor emeritus of geological sciences at Columbia University.

---

[1]Indiana State Library Genealogy Database: Marriages through 1850, Indiana State Library online [http://199.8.200.229/db/marriages_search.asp], accessed Sep.,2005.
[2]Indiana Marriage Records Index, 1845-1920;.Index to Marriage Records Indiana: Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1938-1940.
[3]1900 Owen Co., IN census record
[4]Caltech News, June 1979, California Institute of Technology (http://caltechcampuspubs.library.caltech.edu/2366/1/1979_06_13_04.pdf : viewed 21 December 2012), Vol 13, No. 4, Page 8, Obituaries.

Wesley W. Coffey - Request for Help

My original blog on Wesley W. Coffey.

---

Today I received the following e-mail from Hal Shaw.  Please contact him directly if you can help with his request:

Dear Sir.

I am Hal Shaw,  I am looking for a photo of Wesley Coffey.  Wesley was Worshipful Master of the Spencer Masonic Lodge #95 in 1899.

The lodge has photo of all the Worshipful Master  hanging on the wall of honor from 1849 to the present, that is all but 7.  We are trying to complete the wall of honor, by locating the missing photos.

We are missing a photo of of the following gentleman:

John W. ALLISON, master 1849,

E. S. HOWE who was master in 1850 ( I noticed you are also working on the Howe family, I am not sure if E.S. Howe is related to Laura Howe 1843- 1940  or her father Amos Price Howe 1790- 1871.  Maybe you know the answer to this)

Isaac Johnson, master 1851

Lewis Stay, master 1868

A. J. Richards, master 1881,

Edward C Steel, master in 1889.

WESLEY W. COFFEY, master in 1899.

If you can help with a photos or know of anyone who might be able to, please let me know.
email is Shaws at comteck.com or 7121 Hickson Hill Road, Poland, IN 47868 [replace "at" with "@" to e-mail Mr. Shaw.]

In your blog or newsletter, you ask for burial place for Wesley Coffey.  He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Section D, Spencer, Owen County IN.  His son Robert Coffey is also buried with him. Robert born and died 1880.

I did see on the internet at a Jean Birston  posted she had a picture of Wesley, but her emails come back as undeliverable.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Hal Shaw

Adoniram Judson & Emily Caroline Rone Coffey

                                                                                                                               
Adoniram Judson Coffey, born Jan. 6, 1830 to Reuben and Polly Dowell Coffey, was  (probably) named by his preacher father for the American Baptist missionary of the same name.*  This Adomiram married Emily Caroline Rone, born Aug. 28, 1832 in NC, died in Ellettsville, Monroe Co., IN on Nov. 11, 1906.  They were married on Oct. 28, 1852 in Owen Co., IN.**  Adoniram died Apr. 7, 1882 in Ellettsville.  Both are buried at the Coffey Family Cemetery in Ellettsville.

The family farmed in Owen and Clay counties from their marriage until their deaths and, raised at least nine children there.

Edgar was their first, born Sep., 1853, died Nov. 16, 1922 in Terre Haute, Vigo Co., IN.  He married Rachel A. Betts in Clinton Co., IN on Oct. 27, 1874 and had at least one child, a daughter named Pansy.  Rachel may have died at the birth of Pansy because sometime before 1880, Edgar married his cousin Sophronia Coffey, a daughter of Lewis and Harriet Powell Coffey.  Sophronia had previously married Samuel T. Howe, a Kentuckian born c1835.  She and Howe had at least two children, Ida, born c1861 and Lucy, born c1865, both in IN.  Samuel may have died in the Civil War.  Sophronia died in June, 1923 at Terre Haute and she was buried alongside Edgar, who died Nov. 16, 1922, at Highland Lawn Cemetery in that city.

Obituary, Terre Haute Tribune, Nov. 17, 1922, p2

Edgar Coffey, 69 years old, for a number of years owner of a drug store in Lafayette avenue, died yesterday evening at the home of his daughter, Mrs. George Jacobs, 68 South Twenty-first street, where he made his home.  Mr. Coffey also was interested in the Coca-Cola bottling works in Lafayette avenue [sic] for some time.  The body was removed to the Gillis chapel, where the funeral will be held.  Mr. Coffey is survived by the daughter; a step-daughter, Mrs. Ida M. Goodman, of Minneapolis; a grandson, George Edgar Jacobs; three sisters, Mrs. Ellen Faulkner, Mrs. Fay McBride, of Terre Haute, and Mrs. Lillian Harboc, of Trinidad, Col., and three brothers, Eliza [sic], Larkin and Reuben Coffey.

Obituary, Terre Haute Star, Saturday, June 23, 1923, p2

The funeral of Sophronia Coffey, 80 years old, who died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. George Jacobs, 632 Walnut street, was held at 2:30 o'clock today at the Gillis undertaking establishment.  She is survived by two daughters, Mrs. George Jacobs and Mrs. I. M. Goodman of Minneapolis; two grandchildren and one nephew.  Burial will be in Highland Lawn cemetery.

The second child was a son, Carson, born c1855.  Carson appeared in the household with his parents at the  1860 and 1870 census but, disappeared thereafter.  I have not found him in any subsequent record and I suspect he likely died in his early teens.

Ellen, born c1857 was married to Jasper Newton Falkner on Sep. 14, 1880 in Spencer, Owen Co.  Jasper was born on Mar. 25, 1846 in that county and died in Republic, Ferry Co., WA on Apr. 8, 1934.  Ellen preceded him in death on Aug. 30, 1928 at Republic.  Both are buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada.  Their children were Donald Ford, born 1881; Roy Judson, born 1885; Kittie Faye, born 1888 and, Wallace, born 1889.

A son, Elzy, born 20 Aug.1859 was next.  The little info that I have indicates he married Emma Clause. He did appear in the 1920 Arkansas Co. census with his brother Larkin and in the 1930 census for that same county with a wife named Sue.  I am somewhat confused about his wife's name and other particulars of this census.  Elzy must have been married prior to this marriage since he stated that he was first married at age 34, and his wife at age 17.  He died on Mar. 22, 1937 in Decatur, Macon Co., IL but his burial place has not been found although his death record reports burial at Decatur.***

Elzy was followed by John Jay on Oct. 10, 1853.  He married c1904 to Edith Iva Hill, born Dec. 5, 1876 in IA, died Oct. 12, 1940 in Boise, Ada Co., ID.  John died there on Nov. 9, 1922.  Both are buried at Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.  Their children were Ray O., born 1905 in CO; Edith Iva, born 1907 in ID; John Earl, born c1911, died Jan. 24, 1995, buried at Dry Creek Cemetery in Boise; Harold, born 1913, died Jul 30, 1939 in Lewis and Clark Co., MT, butied at Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.  Their last child was Ralph H., born c1917.

Reuben, born Jul., 1866 was the sixth child.  He married c1901 to Elizabeth J. Propst, born c1878 in CO.  Their children were Helen, Faye and, Catherine, all born in CO.  In 1910 the family did appear in the Decatur Twp., Macon Co., IL census.

Lillian was next, born c Jan., 1870.  She was married c1905 to Fred A. Harlow of Massachusetts.  They had children John Frederick, Fayette, Dorothy, Doris Caroline, Lillian Trask and Carson, perhaps named for Lillian's brother.

Larkin was born in Feb., 1872 and married a lady by the name of Nancy E. Dilday.  He appeared in the 1910 Rock Co., NE as an unmarried man and later, in 1920, the Arkansas Co., AR census with his with Nancy and his brother Elzy.

The last child born to Adoniram and Emily was Faye H., born May 1874.  She married Earl McBride and had children Richard, Frederick, Paul and, Pauline.

Please contact me if you can fill in any of the blanks.

Jack

---

*Wikipedia: Adoniram Judson was born in Massachusetts in 1788 and died at sea in the Bay of Bengal on Apr. 12, 1850.  He worked to form the first Baptist association in America, translated the Bible into Burmese and established a number of Baptist churches in Burma.  The name Adoniram means "my lord is exalted" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this was the name of an overseer of tribute [taxman] under the kings David, Solomon and Rehoboam. He was stoned to death when the Israelites revolted against Rehoboam's taxation.
**Indiana Marriage Records Index, 1845-1920;.Index to Marriage Records Indiana: Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1938-1940:  Name: Adnoviam [sic] J Coffey Spouse Name: Emily C Rone Marriage Date: 28 Oct 1852 Marriage County: Owen  Index to Marriage Record 1850 - 1920 Inclusive Vol Source Title 3: W. P. A. Original Record Located: Compiled by Indi Book: 27 OS Page: 309
***Illinois Deaths and Stillbirths, 1916-1947," database, FamilySearch Historical Records from Illinois Department of Health. "Certificates of Death." Illinois Department of Health, Springfield, Illinois. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah:  name: Elzy Coffey titles and terms (original):  death date: 22 Mar 1937 death place: Decatur, Macon, Illinois gender: Male marital status:  race or color:  age: 77 estimated birth year: 1860 birth date: 20 Aug 1859 birthplace: Owen Co., Indiana father: Adimiriam J. Coffey father's titles and terms (original):  father's birth place: North Carolina mother: Emily C. Rhone mother's titles and terms (original):  mother's birth place: South Carolina occupation: carpenter residence: Stuttgart, Arkansas street address:  spouse: Elizabeth spouse's titles and terms (original):  spouse's birthplace:  burial date: 24 Mar 1937 burial place: Decatur Twp., Macon, Illinois cemetery: Graceland informant:  additional relatives:  digital folder number: 4008433 image number: 888 film number: 1786729 volume/page/certificate number: cn 12621 

Wesley W. & Laura Josephine Howe Coffey

I have previously written about one of the sons of this couple.  Readers can view that blog here.

---

Wesley W. Coffey was born on Dec. 13, 1837 in Clay Twp., Owen Co., IN and died there before 1910.  He enlisted in Co. H, 14th Indiana Volunteers in Clay Co. in 1861 and was on the county tax rolls in 1866.

The following was found in a Clay county source:*

"Wesley Coffey, attorney at law, was born December 13, 1843 [sic] in Clay Township, Owen County.  His parents, Albert (Gooderight) [sic] [Goodnight] Coffey - the former a native of North Carolina and the latter of Kentucky - emigrated to Indiana from North Carolina about 1828.  Four years later they came to Owen County, and located in Clay Township, on a farm where the mother now resides.  The father died in October of 1838.

Wesley is the elder [sic] of two children, and lived at home until 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Fourteenth Indiana Volunteers, under Capt. J. H. Martin, and was in active service for two years.  Then, on account of ill-health, he was put on detached service, sent to Frederick, Md., and remained there until the close of the war.  He participated in the following battles:  Rich Mountain, Cheat Mountain and battle of Winchester.

At the close of the war, he returned home to Owen County, remained one year, after which he purchased a farm in Clay Township, where he remained two years.  He then sold and went into the grocery business at Spencer with W. R. Stogsdil.  About 1875, he sold his interest and went into the insurance business, and the study of the bar in Spencer.

He was married in April, 1865, to Laura J. Howe, daughter of Amon P. and Harriet Howe, old settlers in Owen County.  Mr. Coffey is a member of the A. F. & A. M., of the K. of P., of the Royal Arcanum, and the Grand Army of the Republic, and was for four years Justice of the Peace of Owen County.  He is a public spirited citizen, and highly estemed [sic] by those [who] know him."

He married Laura Josephine Howe in Owen Co. on Apr. 13, 1865 and appeared there in the 1880 and 1900 census of Spencer in Washington Twp.  Laura was a daughter of Amon Price and Harriet C. Thatcher Howe and was born in July, 1842.  She lived with her parents in Washington Twp. until her marriage to Wesley.  She can be found in the 1910 Owen Co. and, the 1920 census of Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN.  By 1930 she was living with two of her children in San Gabriel, Los Angeles Co., CA.  The city 1939 and 1941 city directories of Los Angeles list Laura, Hallie and Albert at 709 E. Hellman Ave. in Wilmar City.

There were three children born to Wesley and Laura.  The first was Byron Howe, born Jan. 29, 1866 in Owen Co., died July 4, 1945 in Los Angeles.  Click on the above link to read more about him.

The second child was a daughter, Hallie H., born Jan. 14, 1874 in Owen Co.  Hallie died unmarried on Dec. 13, 1969 in Los Angeles.

Their last child was Albert Price, born May 29, 1876 in Owen Co. and was a musician.  He died in Los Angeles on May 30, 1946 at the age of 70.  I have found no record of him ever having taken a wife.  He lived most of his life with his mother or with Hallie, with whom he shared the house on E. Hellman Ave., at least until 1941.

---

*Charles Blanchard, Editor, Counties of Clay and Owen, Indiana: Historical and Biographical. Illustrated. (Chicago, IL: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884), Page 832.  The birth year given in the bio is incorrect.  He was also about a year younger than his sister Julia Ann.