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Showing posts with label Keeler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keeler. Show all posts

December 21, 2012

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.

April 29, 2009

Byron Howe & Nellie Branham Coffey - Updated Apr. 29, 2009

Byron Howe Coffey was born in Owen Co. IN on Jan. 29, 1866 to Wesley W. and Laura Josephine Howe Coffey. Wesley was descended from the Rev. Reuben A. Coffey and his wife Martha "Polly" Dowell, through their son Albert who married Sarah Goodnight.

Nellie Branham was born in Sep., 1873 in Indiana to Larose and Susan A. Halbert Branham. She and Byron were married on Jan. 9, 1894 in Owen Co.

Byron and Nellie moved from Indiana to California between 1910 and 1920, apparently looking for work and a better life. They took four children with them:

Thatcher Howe, born Feb. 7, 1895 in Spencer, Owen Co., died Jul 16, 1956 in Los Angeles, CA. Thatcher joined the Army in WW1, and served with the 40th Div. He was discharged at Camp Kearny in San Diego, CA on Feb. 8, 1919. In Nov. of that year he married Lessa Leona Freeman in Riverside Co., CA. I know of one child for them, a daughter, Mary Jane, born Oct. 5, 1920 in CA., and died as Mary Jane Gratny in West Covina, CA on Jan. 30, 2007. Lessa was the daughter of Fletcher and Margaret McClellan Freeman, born Oct. 5, 1899 in IA died Jan. 24, 1979 in Los Angeles.

Naomi Josephine, born Mar. 22, 1896 in Spencer, died Dec. 4, 1970 in Los Angeles. Naomi married Karl Keeler on Mar. 16, 1916 in Marion Co., IN. They later moved to CA but by 1930 were living in Seattle, King Co., WA. I have two children, Lois, born c1919, and Karl, Jr., born c1921. Lois was born "back home in Indiana," while Karl waited until the family arrived in CA before making his appearance. Karl, Sr. waas born c1896 in Indiana, but I have not yet found a death place or date for him.

Cecile Louise, born Nov. 25, 1897 in Spencer, died Feb. 11, 1946 in Los Angeles. She married Joseph Adolph Iverson c1927, probably in CA. Joseph was the son of Charles John and Agusta Marilda Wagman Iverson. Charles was born in Norway while Agusta was born in Sweden. Joseph died in Nov., 1986 in CA. Cecile preceded him when she died on Feb. 11, 1946 in Los Angeles. I have no children for them.

Jule Hubert, born Dec. 25, 1899 in Spencer, died Mar. 3, 1979 in Los Angeles. He married Harriet Ellen Johnson c1925, a daughter of Gustav and Mary Johnson, both natives of Sweden. I have one child for Jule and Harriet, a son, Harry, born c1927.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to or submit corrections.

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I have received the following corrections for this family:

Dear Mr. Coffee,

I offer these corrections to the "Genealogy e-Newsletter for the Coffee/Coffey Surname and related families" that describes the genealogy of Byron Howe Coffey and "Nellie" Branham Coffey. Byron and Nelle were my paternal grandparents.

1. Nellie's actual name was Nelle Branham.

2. My father, Jule Hubert Coffey, in 1926 married Harriet Ellen Johnson, who was born October 30, 1899 in Tracy, MN. She was the daughter of Harry Gleason Johnson and Ellen Armanda Hicks. There never was any connection with Sweden.

Thank you in advance for your attention to these corrections.

Priscilla Coffey McKenna