Dr. Erval Richard Coffey

Dr. Erval R. Coffey*

Erval Richard Coffey, second son of Dr. Richard Nightingale and Mae A. Gano Coffey, was born Dec. 31, 1896 in Jackson Co., MO.

Dr. Richard Coffey was a son of Dr. William A. and Elizabeth Hill Coffey of Madison Co., KY.  Dr. William Coffey was a son of Dr. Rev. Richard Nightingale and Margaret Catherine McCormick Coffey, originally of Amherst Co., VA then of Lincoln and Madison Counties in KY and finally of Platte Co., MO.

This family descends from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through John and Jane Graves Coffey, Willian and Elizabeth Osborne Coffey and Osborn and Mary "Polly" Nightingale Coffey who settled in Casey Co., KY.

Erval was a graduate of the University of Kansas where he was active in sports.  After graduation he began a career in the US Public Health Service, eventually becoming Assistant Surgeon General.  He served overseas and was once appointed to Thailand under the Foreign Economic Assistance Act.  He had been Regional Director of the PHS in Washington DC prior to his appointment.

According to an article rife with typographical errors, and which appeared in the Memphis World on Dec. 26, 1950, Erval married Catherine Ann Borchdt [sic] of Chicago and were the parents of three daughters and a son.  In a later undated article found here, [clicking this link will download a PDF] Dr. Coffey eventually accepted an appointment at the regional office of the PHS in New York City.  Upon retirement he accepted an appointment as Health Officer for the city of Greenwich, CT.  He died in April, 1968 in Pinellas Co., FL.

Very little information has been found for Dr. and Mrs. Coffey, probably due to their travel and overseas work.  After he registered for the draft in 1917 he entered the US Army.  I found one source1 that reports him serving at Camp Funston in one of the Divisional Cantonment Training Camps at Fort Riley, Riley Co., KS.  Prior to that he resided at #7 Jackson Bldg in Lawrence, KS, which I presume was a dorm on the University of Kansas campus.  The Cantonment camps were among the first places in the US where the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic began.

The last time I found him in a census record was 1910 while he was still living with his parents in Barber Co., MO.

His draft registration card described him as being tall with medium build, brown eyes and light brown hair.

He and his wife were found on a List of first class In-Bound Passengers at San Francisco, arriving on the SS President Cleveland from Yokohama, Japan on Mar. 6, 1953.  Dr. Coffey was then 56 years old and Catherine was age 52.  Catherine listed her place of birth as Illinois.

I have not yet found Catherine's birth date, which from the passenger list I estimated to be 1901.  I am still searching for a record of their marriage, Catharine's death date and where they are buried.  Her maiden name as printed in the Memphis paper is also suspect.

Erval's older brother, Dr. George McDowell Coffey continued his family's medical service tradition as a dentist.  He married Helen Marjorie Miller and died in Grant Co., KS in 1969.

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Update:  July 5, 2011
Jack Coffee,

Good morning. I am the first grandson of Dr. & Mrs. Erval Richard Coffee as described in your blog. 

Just wanted you to know that I am hosting a small family reunion of their direct descendants at a gathering in Old Town Alexandria, VA in late October. We are expecting: the two surviving daughters (Germaine Sava and Beverly Burns); most of their children/grandchildren; and, the children/grandchildren of their deceased children (Richard Coffee, Bargara Vogt). We're expecting about 30+ folks from the DC/Maryland/VA area, New Jersey, California, North Carolina, Norway and Thailand.

Just wanted to pass the news to you. 

RICHARD A HESS
1338 UNION ST, #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109
CELL: +1 808 292 9086

GOOGLE VOICE: +1 202 596 6314
SKYPE: +1 415 644 5233; ID: hessrick
hessrick@gmail.com
http://www.google.com/profiles/hessrick

I received the following e-mail today:






1The Graduate Magazine [Univ of KS], Oct., 1917, Vol. XVI, Page 217
*Photo credit National Library of Medicine

James Francis & Hilah Pendleton Reid Coffey

Connie Coffey Dorsey was making a visit to the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery in Lexington, VA when she found these headstones.  Knowing that I collect headstone photos for the Edward Coffey Project, she send these and a couple of others a few days ago. 

James Francis Coffey was a son of Walton Wilmuth and Lula Elizabeth McCormick Coffey.  I know of only one other child of in that family:  Ruth E., born c1921.

Going backwards, Walton descends from Edward through:  William and Martha Jane Davis Coffey; William Montebello and Cynthia T. Wood Coffey; William W and Sarah Jane Coffey Coffey. Sarah descends from Edward via Reuben G. and Nancy Giles Coffey.  Reuben G. descends from Edward through Edmond Stewart and Nancy Barnett Coffey

These stones mark the graves of James Francis' grandparents and are also found in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery.

Walton Wilmuth Coffey

Walton Wilmuth Coffey was a son of William H. and Martha Jane Davis Coffey.  He was born Mar 12, 1889 in Amherst Co., VA and died in Lexington, VA in Oct., 1968.  In c1916, Walton married Lula Elizabeth McCormick, born c1899 in VA, a union that produced at least two children:

James Francis Coffey, born May 11, 1916 in Buena Vista, VA, and died Jan. 8, 2007 in Lexington.  According to his obituary, James married Hilah Pendleton Reid on Nov. 6, 1939 in Lee Chapel on the campus of Washington and Lee University in Lexington.  Hilah died in VA in 1997.

His obituary:

James Francis Coffey

Building Contractor Was Involved In Many Restoration Projects

James Francis Coffey, 90, of Lexington, died on Monday, January 8, 2007 at the Stonewall Jackson Hospital.

He was born in Buena Vista, Virginia on May 11, 1916, the son of Walton Wilmoth and Lula Elizabeth McCormick Coffey.

He is survived by his two sons, David Walton and Daniel Calvin Coffey; his daughter-in-law, Macy Brittigan Coffey; two grandsons: Daniel Brittigan and Talmadge McClellan Coffey; a sister, Ruth Eloise Coffey Yeager; and a brother-in-law, James R. Yeager, Jr., all of Lexington.

He is also survived by a niece, Caroline Elizabeth Yeager Ramsey of Marietta, Georgia.

In 1997, he was preceded in death by his wife, Hilah Pendleton Reid Coffey, whom he wed in Lee Chapel on November 6, 1939.

Mr. Coffey moved to Lexington with his family in the early 1920s where his father was a general contractor and the builder and owner of the Mayflower Hotel, which is now an assisted-living center where Francis Coffey lived for the last few years of his life.

Francis Coffey graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1939 with a B.S. degree in Commerce. While at W&L, he was selected for membership in Beta Gamma Sigma, an honorary fraternity for commerce and business students.

After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he returned to Lexington and joined his father in the construction business, then renamed W. W. Coffey and Son. After the death of his father in 1968, Francis Coffey became president of the firm. He retired in 1984. In his last years as a building contractor, he was heavily involved in restoration projects in Lexington, serving as general contractor for the restoration of many of the historic buildings in downtown Lexington, including the Stonewall Jackson House.

Francis Coffey was a member of the Lexington Presbyterian Church, where he had served as an elder. In the 1950s, he was a founding member of the Rockbridge Camp of the Gideons International and was elected as an officer of the local branch on numerous occasions.

Following a private burial in Stonewall Jackson Cemetery, there will be a memorial service at the Lexington Presbyterian Church at 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 11, 2007.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Gideons International, P. O. Box 942, Lexington, Va. 24450.

Ruth E. Coffey, born c1921.  I have no information on this child.

Walton registered for the WW1  on Jun. 5, 1917 in Buena Vista at age 28.  He was married with one child and self-employed as a manufacturer of building materials.  He described himself as being tall with medium build, blue eyes and black hair.

In the census of 1930 he reported his occupation as hotel manager; Lola was the hotel restaurant manager.  The family then resided at 416 Main St. in Lexington.

On Apr. 27, 1942, at age 53,  he again registered for the draft in Lexington where he was described as weighing 200 lbs., and was 5' 11" tall.  His eyes were still blue but his hair was gray.  He was self-employed, and resided with his wife at 308 S. Main St. in Lexington.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to or correct any of this information.  I am especially interested in learning more about Ruth.