A History of Clay Co. IN

The following is the opening paragraph from a History of Clay Co., Indiana, Vol. 1, authored by William Travis, and published in 1909. It appears on a Rootsweb site and maintained by the Indiana GenWeb Project. This particular page is about Saline City and mentions an Edward Coffey.

Saline City, a town in Sugar Ridge township, at the junction of the main line of the Evansville & Indianapolis Railroad with the Brazil Branch, founded by Henry Jamison in 1870. When first laid out this town was named only Saline, but at the September term of Commissioners' Court, 1872, on petition of the proprietor, the record was changed so as to make it read “Saline City.” To the uninitiated the name of this place is misleading. On the train from Terre Haute out to Clay City, a good many years ago, were two strangers, seated side by side, one of whom, when the name of this station was called, looking out of the window, inquired of the outsiders, “Where are the salt works ?“ Though disappointed in not seeing the “works,” the stranger was right in his deduction from the call he had heard. On the hillside just south of the town site was a salt-lick in pioneer times, so much frequented by deer that their constant licking lapped out and undermined a large oak tree, so that the winds blew it down. From this circumstance the town was given a name suggestive of salt. The site of this town is historic ground, standing on the east side border of the Birch Creek Reservoir,or canal feeder, which the people in that part of the country were just as much determined to abate as the canal trustees were determined to maintain it. Here, within a few rods of the site of the E.&I. Railroad station, were encamped in the summer of 1855, the two companies of Indiana Militia, under command of Colonel Dodd, sent out by Governor Wright to protect the canal property.

This link will take you to the remainder of the above while this link will take you to the Clay Co., IN GenWeb site.

Sarah Deliah Coffey (1864-1897)

Sarah Deli[l]ah was the daughter of James Wilson and Louisa T. Norman Coffey. She was born Feb. 11, 1864 in Morgan Co., IN and died on Jun. 7, 1897 in Svenson, Clatsop Co., OR. She was 33 years old.

Sarah was apparently an accomplished concert violinist, who did not make time to marry. She did bear at least three children, however.

Her first known child was Virgil Benjamin (Bert Snyder) Coffey, born c1891 in Washington Co., IA. Virgil was apparently given up for adoption and was renamed Bert Snyder.

The second and third child were twins: James Norman and Clarence, born Sep. 20, 1896 in Iowa.

Sarah's father, James Wilson was born May 10, 1882 in Pulaski Co., KY, married Louisa, born Jun. 23, 1826 in TN, on Dec. 11, 1842 in Morgan Co., IN. He died Jul 15, 1889 in Wellman, Lime Creek Twp., in Washington Co., IA. Louisa died Dec. 24, 1912 in Warrrenton, Clatsop Co., OR.

Their other children were:

Lemuel Lewis Moses, born Mar 6, 1844, died May 23, 1936

Unnamed, born c1845/46

John Taylor, born May 1847, died Jun. 6, 1926, married Sarah Adeline (Sofie) Gates on Jun. 12, 1880 in Wahkiakum Co., WA. Both died in Svenson, Clatsop Co., OR in the late 1920s.

Benjamin Franklin, born Jan. 28, 1850, died Sep. 28, 1928.

James Norman, born Sep. 30, 1853, died 1934, married Laura Ellen Hays in Lime Creek Twp., Washington Co., IA on Sep 27, 1877. James died in 1934 in Solano Co., CA; Laura on Sep. 19, 1902 in Clatsop Co.

Joseph Lone, born May 19, 1856 in Lime Creek Twp., died Aug. 21, 1927 in West Chester, Washington Co., IA. He married Susanah Wellman on Oct. 3, 1876. She was born May 13, 1850 in Indiana and died Apr. 14, 1919 in West Chester.

Victor Hugo, born May 30, 1858 in Morgan Co., IN, died Apr. 25, 1953 in Astoria, Clatsop Co. He married Anna Mary Brandt, born Aug. 7, 1862 in Mercer Co., NJ, and died Jun. 7, 1941 in Clatsop Co., on Dec. 18, 1881 in Washington Co., IA

Paschal Davis, born Apr. 23, 1861 in Morgan Co., IN, died Nov. 7, 1900 in Washington Co., IA

The last child was also unnamed and was born and died c1866.

It is unlikely that the father(s) of her three children will ever be identified. However, it would be satisfying to learn of the descendants of those children. I would also be interested in learning more about Sarah's professional life.

Charles Iomer and Mary Ann Hendricks Coffey

Charles Iomer [?] Coffey was born May 3, 1883 in Owen Co., IN to Cyrus V. and Elizabeth Ella Brown Coffey. He was one of at least nine children born to Cyrus and Elizabeth.

His siblings were:

Orpha May - no information

Flora Rachel (Rettie), born c1886, IN, married Victor Burch; children: Helen, born c1914 and Charles, born c1916.

Ada Florence, born c1887, IN, married Carl Von Burch Mar. 31, 1912, Owen Co.; children: Gladys, born c1915 and Hazel, born c1918

Jason Ray, born Mar. 17, 1888, IN, died Jul. 24, 1969, Owen Co., buried Riverside Cemetery, Washington Twp., Owen Co.

Nellie Mabel, married Charles Wyrick

Mary Esther, born Harry Coyal [sic]

Wendell Holmes, born Mar. 5, 1894

Charlotte Virgie, born c1897, married Ralph Sprague May 29, 1916 in Owen Co. One known child: Garland, born c1917

Charles was married to Mary Ann Hendricks on Feb. 24, 1904 in Greene Co., IN. The marriage is recorded in the Indiana index to marriage records compiled by the WPA from 1938-40.

Mary was born Nov. 4, 1885 in IN, and died Nov. 15, 1967 in Spencer, Owen Co. Charles' father died before the 1900 census. His mother was found residing in the household with her widower father, Lewis Brown, in Owen Co. The only children with her at that census were Flora, Ray, Wendell and Virgie. Charles was found in Greene Co., IN as a "boarder" in the household with the William Brown family, likely a relative of his mother. At the same time, there was a Willie E. Coffey, age 10, enumerated as a "servant" in the John Brown family, neighbors of William Brown. Willie remains a mystery to at this writing.

The WW1 draft record for Charles, dated Sep. 21, 1918, gives his residence at RR1, Spencer, Owen Co. where he lived with his wife. He described himself as a farmer of medium height and build with light blue eyes and black hair. The family appeared in the 1920 and 1930 Owen Co. census records.

Children born to him and Mary Ann were:

Edna May, born c1906

Stella M., born c1907

Dorothy M., born c1910

Bernice L., born c1912

Donald W., born c1915

Wallace L., born Aug., 12, 1917, died Feb. 11, 2000

Arthur E., born c1921

Verlin, a son, born c1924

Wallace enlisted in the US Army on Feb. 26, 1944 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, IN. He was captured and made prisoner of war on Feb. 21, 1945, confined at Stalag 7A in Moosburg, Bavaria, Germany. He was later freed or liberated; the record is not clear. Social Security records his death at age 82 on Feb. 11, 2000 in Spencer Co.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to or, to correct any of this information.

William M. May

William M. May, an enterprising farmer and stock-raiser of this county, was born November 13, 1844 in Bloomington Township, this county, and is the second of ten children born to William R. and Eliza (Threslur) May, natives of Virginia, and of German descent. William M. was reared on a farm, and attended school part of the time. In November, 1864, he enlisted in Company G., Forty-third Indiana Infantry, under Capt. Moss. He was located at Indianapolis on guard duty for a time. Jun 14, 1865, he was discharged, and returned to farming, living with his father until his marriage. On November 29, 1866, Mr. May was wedded to Eliza A., daughter of William R. and Tabitha (Everman) Coffey. She was born January 23, 1851, in Monroe County. By this union there were five children - William R., Rosa Ethel, Frank N., Mamie Elsie and Walter E. Mrs. May's parents were among the earliest settlers of the county. Mr. May is the possessor of 206 acres of land in a good state of cultivation, well stocked, and ornamented with a good residence, barn and out-buildings, and a fine orchard. With a start of $2,300 from his wife, he has established his farm and home, worth about $6,000. Mr. May formerly belonged to the Sons of Temperance. They belong to the Christian Church, and are liberal in all charitable movements. He is a Republican.


William Riley Coffey was born Jun. 27, 1818, the son of James D. Coffey and Hannah Alloway Strange. He married Tabitha Everman c1849 in Indiana. He died Aug. 27, 1855 in Monroe Co. Tabitha was born Jun. 19, 1827 and died Feb. 25, 1901 in Monroe Co.

Please contact me with additions and/or corrections.







Source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana: Historical and Biographical [Bean Blosssom Twp.] Charles Blanchard, editor; F.A. Battey & Co., pub., 1884, Chicago, p619

William Lewis Coffey

William was a son of Richard L. and Julia Mattie Mason Coffey. He was born Sep. 7, 1866 in Brown Co., IN and died May 18, 1934 in that county. He married Rosa Belle Clarke on Jul 2, 1892 in Brown Co. She was born Jan. 22, 1872 in Brown Co., and died May 25, 1946 in Marion Co., IN.

William was a high school teacher and principal, and later became superintendent of Brown county schools where he served until about 1911. He was later an executive cashier for the Nashville State Bank in Nashville, Brown Co.

His biography* states that he was a "Republican in political alignment and is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pyhthias." William served on numerous boards and committees in Brown County in which he spearheaded "Liberty Loan" campaigns, Red Cross affairs, and Near East relief work. Rosa is said to have been the granddaughter of Dr. Charles Clark, a "kinsman of the great frontiersman and western explorer, George Rogers Clark."


Their children were:

- Marie, born Jan. 1895
- William Wendell, born Feb. 23, 1902
- Arthur Livingston, born c1905
- Alton Powell, born c1904
- Marguerite, born Apr., 1910

The family appeared in all census records in Brown Co. from 1900 through 1930. Arthur and Alton were twins. There were likely other children born between 1895 and 1902 that did not survive beyond infancy.

I have not researched the children and their descendants.

Please contact me if you have additional information and/or corrections to this data.


*From a book with no cover or title. See [http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/message/rw/localities.northam.usa.states.indiana.counties.brown/1341; the author of this message, and transcriber of the William L. Coffey biography wrote: "This book has no cover, and no index, and no author..."]