William and Annie Boone Coffey at Rufus Cemetery in Caldwell Co., NC

William was a son of Thomas and Sarah Fields Coffey, born Nov. 29, 1782 in Wilkes Co., NC and died there on May 15, 1839.  That part of Wilkes Co. later became part of Caldwell Co.  Anna "Annie" Boone was a daughter of Jese and Sarah McMahan Boone, born Jul. 26, 1785 in Burke Co., died Jan. 16, 1876 in Caldwell Co.  Both are buried at the Rufus Baptist Church cemetery in Lenoir, Mulberry Twp., Caldwell Co

In fact, a number of William and Anna's descendants are buried at Rufus.  At first examination of this cemetery, most appear to be from son Wilborn, born May 14, 1807 in Burke Co., died in Caldwell Nov. 27, 1897; and from son Calvin, born Sep. 30, 1819, died Apr. 2, 1847, also in Caldwell Co..

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Harriet Minerva Moore, wife of James Altimon Bradshaw, and daughter of Jesse Richmond Moore and Charlotte Caroline Coffey, born Oct. 7, 1878, died Jan. 22, 1970.  Charlotte Caroline was a daughter of Wilborn and Sarah Cottrell Coffey and a granddaughter of William and Annie, marking Harriet a great-granddaughter.

Thelma Erin Bradshaw, daughter of James Altimon and Harriet Minerva Moore Bradshaw, born Mar. 31, 1911 in Caldwell Co., died Apr. 4, 1969.  Thelma was a great great granddaughter of William and Annie.

Beulah Evelyn, daughter of Robert Finley Coffey and Crettie May Rich and, wife of George Wesley Nichols.  She was born Aug. 22, 1923, Caldwell Co., died Sep. 8, 2009 at Lenoir.  Beulah was a first cousin to William, 5x removed.

Bruce Glen, son of Julius Pinkney and Louise Ann Edwards Coffey and, husband of Amy Moore.  He was born Dec. 24, 1908 in Caldwell Co., died Sep. 2, 1971 at Lenoir.  Julius was a great grandson of William and Annie, making Bruce a great great grandson.  Amy was the daughter of Wiley Hill and Ellen Hodges Moore.  She was born Apr. 12, 1910 in Caldwell Co., died Jan. 25, 1987.

Mabel Marie, wife of Forrest Moore Green and daughter of Bruce Glen and Amy Moore Coffey.  She was born Nov. 21, 1937 in Caldwell Co. and died there on Jul. 10, 2002.  She was a great great great grand daughter of William and Annie.  Forrest Moore Greene, a son of W. Buster and Wilma Victoria. Moore Greene. Forest was a third great grandson of William and Annie.  He was born Feb. 14, 1937 in Caldwell Co. and died there on Aug. 23, 1999.

Calvin, son of William and Annie, husband of Mary Greene.  He was born Sep. 30, 1819 in NC and died Apr. 2, 1847 in Caldwell Co.  Mary, parents unknown, was born Feb. 2, 1820 in NC and died Jun. 23, 1871 in Caldwell Co.

Wilborn, son of William and Annie, husband of Sarah "Sallie" Cottrell, born May 14, 1807 in Burke Co., died Nov. 27, 1897 in Caldwell Co.  Sallie was the daughter of William and Lucy Day Cottrell, born May 1, 1812 in Wilkes Co., died Mar. 25, 1894 in Caldwell Co.

William Rufus, son of Wilborn and Sarah Cottrell Coffey and, husband of Harriet E. Moore.  He was born Nov. 17, 1832 in Caldwell Co., died Dec. 7, 1902.  He was a grandson of William and Anna.  Harriet was born May 3, 1835 in Caldwell Co., died Feb. 2, 1918.  Harriet was a daughter of David and Sarah Caroline Moore Moore, born May 3, 1835 in Caldwell Co., died Feb. 2, 1918.

Charlotte Caroline, wife of Jesse Richmond Moore, daughter of Wilborn and Sarah Cottrell Coffey, born Dec. 2, 1851 in Caldwell Co., died Mar. 18, 1944 in Caldwell.  She was a grand daughter of William and Annie.  Jesse was a son of David and Sarah Caroline Moore Moore.  He was born Mar. 16, 1849 in Caldwell Co., died there on Sep. 13, 1921.

Stella Victoria Gragg, wife of Lawrence Hill Moore, was a daughter of John Boone Gragg and Cordelia Adaline Coffey.  Cordelia was a grand daughter of William and Annie, making Stella a great grand daughter.  Stella was born Jul. 10, 1882 in Caldwell Co., died Aug. 30, 1943.  Lawrence Hill was a great grandson of William and Annie.  He was the son of Jesse Richmond and Charlotte Caroline Coffey Moore.

Wilma Victoria Moore, daughter of Lawrence Hill and Stella Victoria Gragg Moore and wife of W. (Willie or William) Buster Greene, was born Apr. 15, 1909 and died Feb. 14, 2004.  She was a double great granddaughter of William and Annie.

Sarah Ellen was a daughter of Jesse Richmond and Charlotte Caroline Coffey Moore and a great grand daughter of William and Annie. She was the wife of Adolphus Monroe Mast, son of John Allen Mast and Martha Elizabeth Moore.  He was born Jul. 22, 1865 in Watauga Co., and died in Caldwell Co. on Dec. 20, 1923.

Ruth Mast, daughter of Adolphus and Sarah, was born Dec. 24, 1898 in Caldwell Co. and died on Oct. 28, 1973.  Ruth was a second great granddaughter of William and Annie.

Addie Caroline Moore, daughter of Lawrence Hill and Stella Victoria Gragg Moore, and the wife of Waitsel Coy Greene.  Addie was second great granddaughter of William and Annie.  I have not yet found info on Waitsel except that he was born Feb. 8, 1909.

Lex Wilburn Mast, Jr., son of Lex, Sr. and Annie Lenoir Greene Mast, was born Apr. 14, 1944 in Caldwell Co. and died Sep. 6, 1974.  He was a third great grandson of William and Annie.

Dermont Richmond Moore, a son of Lawrence Hill and Stella Victoria Gragg Moore, was born Apr. 12, 1917 in Caldwell Co., and died there on Jun. 2, 2003.  He was a second great grandson of William and Annie.

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The Rufus Cemetery is located off the Mulberry Creek Road but, it appears from Google Maps that the entrance to it is located on the Boone Fork Park Road.  Geo Coordinates for that entrance are: Latitude: 36° 0' 0.74" N, Longitude: 81° 38' 26.51" W.  Click on the "Show on Google Maps" below and the link will take you to a very good satellite view of the area.

Show on Google Maps

Hopefully, I've made the correct kinship calculations. Please let me know of any errors.

Wiley Franklin & Susan A. Banner Sherwood

Wiley Franklin Sherwood was a son of Rev. James Justice Lafayette and Sarah Ann Young Sherwood, born Oct. 3, 1870 in Grayson Co., VA, died Sep. 14, 1944 in Boone, Watauga Co., NC.  He is buried at Cove Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Sherwood, Watauga Co., NC.

Rev. Sherwood was born Nov. 7, 1843 in Smyth Co., VA and died Oct. 26, 1917 in Cove Creek Twp., Watauga Co., NC.  He married Sarah Ann Young, date unknown, but probably 1869-70 time frame.  Sarah was also born in VA, c1847 and died Oct. 10, 1917 in Morganton, Burke Co., NC.  Rev. Sherwood is buried at Adams Cemetery in Vilas, Watauga Co., and Sarah was removed for burial to Shouns, Johnson Co., TN.

Wiley married Susan A. Banner on Sep. 15, 1891 in Watauga Co.  She was the daughter of Newton and Sophronia Mast Banner, and was born Feb. 8, 1871 in Watauga Co., died Mar. 14, 1949 at Cove Creek and was also buried at Cove Creek Cemetery.

Sophronia Mast & Newton Banner¹

Newton Banner is alleged to have accompanied a brother to TN to enlist in the CSA but was refused enlistment because he was too small.  The Union Army accepted him after being challenged to fight his way in against a bigger man.  After the war, he met with his brother to begin the long walk back home.  Somewhere along the way the brother died, Newton took his boots and wore them while carrying his brother's body back to NC.²

Newton died Dec. 18, 1941 in Cove Creek and was buried at the Banner Elk Cemetery.  Sophronia was the daughter of Joseph H. and Clarissa P. Mast.  Her death date and burial site is not known to me.  I have not found a military record for Newton.

There were at least eight and probably 10 children born to Wiley and Susan, all apparently in Boone:

James Marshall, born Jul. 17, 1892, died Nov. 26, 1975 in Boone
Annie Virginia, born Jan. 7, 1895
Grace Bryan, born Jan 18, 1897
Sophronia Blanche, born Mar., 1899
John Banner, born Sep. 28, 1905, died Aug. 3, 1966 at Boone
Sue Irene, born Mar. 20, 1908, died Apr. 21, 1972 at Blowing Rock
Mattie Lane, born Dec. 25, 1912
Ruth Elizabeth, born Dec. 12, 1915.

There is an obvious gap of 4+ years between Sophronia and John.  Perhaps there were two additional children who did not live to be enumerated in the 1910 census.

Sue Irene is the Coffey interest.  She married Thomas Herndon Coffey, Jr. on Jun. 20, 1928 in Cove Creek.  Thomas was a son of Thomas, Sr. and his wife Annie Marilda Pendley.  Sue died Apr. 21, 1972 at Blowing Rock and was buried there at White Springs Cemetery.  I do not have a death date for Thomas, Jr.

Annie Marilda was the daughter of William Patterson and Lou Ellen Moore Pendley.  She was born May 17, 1873 in the Globe, Caldwell Co., and died at Blowing Rock on Jul. 24, 1959.  Thomas, Sr. was born Mar. 21, 1867 in Watauga Co. to Cornelius Jones and Martha Jane Gragg Coffey.  He died Mar. 16, 1946 in Boone.  They were married Nov. 19, 1900 in Watauga Co. Thomas, Sr. and Annie are buried at White Springs.

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¹Photo from Boone NC Magazine.com
²Nannie Greene, Compiler, Community and Change in the North Carolina Mountains: Oral Histories and Profiles of People from Western Watauga County, Catherine Stokes Sheppard Sarah Jean Joslin, Compilers (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2006), Page 172.

Gilliam & Susan Gragg Coffey

Gilliam was a son of William and Anna Boone Coffey. He was born May 21, 1810 in NC and died on Jan. 8, 1910 in Patterson Twp., Caldwell Co., NC. He married first Mary "Polly" Moore on Jan. 2, 1832 in Caldwell Co.

Mary died on May. 26, 1871 in Caldwell Co. She was the mother of at least six children:

Harvey N., born Dec. 16, 1837, died Aug. 10, 1912. He married Jane Cochran, born Dec. 20, 1848, died Feb. 11, 1911. Both are buried in the Job Moore Cemetery in the Globe, Caldwell Co.

William Elbert, born 1839 in Caldwell Co., married Margaret Anne Kincaid on Feb. 6, 18 60 in Burke Co., NC. Margaret was born in 1837 and died on Dec. 22, 1921 in Morganton, Burke Co.

Harriet E., born Sep. 5, 1843, died Dec. 12, 1937. Harriet married James B. Blain on Oct. 7, 1866 in Caldwell Co. He as born May 1, 1844 in Cedar Valley, Caldwell Co., and died May 24, 1929 in Carter Co., TN. Harried was born Sep. 6, 1843 in Cedar Valley and died Dec. 12, 1937 in Elizabethton, Carter Co., TN. Both are buried in Harmony Baptist Church Cemetery at Keeneburg, Carter Co., TN

Celia Adeline, born c1847 of whom no further information.

Cordelia Adaline, born Jan. 10, 1853, died Jul. 9, 1918. She married John Boone Gragg on Dec. 17, 1877. He was born Feb. 15, 1856 in Caldwell Co., and died May 23, 1937 in the Globe. Both are buried at Job Moore.

Emma, born c1855, of whom no further information.

Gilliam married second to Susan D. (Susie) Gragg, a daughter of Jesse and Malinda Mast Gragg on June 4, 1882 in Caldwell Co. Susan had been twice before married: first to Patterson H. Moore on Sep. 6, 1866, and second to Isaac Green on Dec. 8, 1877. The only known child that survived this union was Hillie Horton, born Jul. 31, 1887, died Mar. 30, 1963.

Hillie marrie Bessie* McLean in 1908, Caldwell Co., and had at least four children: Unnamed son born and died May 16-17, 1921; James Harding, born and died Aug. 3, 1922; Fred Oral, born Mar. 16, 1924 and Ora Lee, born Feb. 27, 1927. Ora married Earl Greene in 1946, Caldwell Co.  Hillie died Mar. 30, 1963 in Collettsville, Caldwell Co., and was buried there in the Shoemake Cemetery.

The photo shows Hillie and his parents c1920. Please contact me if you contributed or know the source of the photo.

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

*I've seen another genealogy that names her Susie or Susan McLean