Edmond Jackson "Eddie" & Lula Belle Andrews McLean

Edmond Jackson "Eddie" McLean

Eddie and Lula were married for 72 years before her death on Jan. 23, 1993.  Eddie followed her on Dec. 3, 1994.  Both are buried at the Globe Baptist Church Cemetery in Globe, Caldwell Co., NC.

He was born in the Yadkin Valley on Oct. 9, 1903 and on Apr. 25, 1921, at age 17 he married 16 year old Lula Belle Andrews in Globe Twp.  Together they had at least five children, perhaps six*.  The children were:

Belle, born Feb. 11, 1922 married Ralph L. Hearn and settled in Virginia.  Belle died on Jan. 6, 2006 in Mathews Co., VA and was buried there in Windsor Gardens Cemetery.

MATHEWS - Belle McLean Hearn, 83, passed away Jan. 4, 2006, at Riverside Hospital, Newport News. Belle was a native of Lenoir, N.C., and resided in Mathews County for many years. She was a member of Ebenezer Baptist Church and during World War II she was employed by the Defense Dept., Fort Monroe, Va. 

Belle was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph L. Hearn; her parents, Edmond J. and Lula Belle Andrews McLean; two brothers, Ronald McLean and Reece E. McLean; and one sister, Winnie McLean Askew. 

She is survived by one sister and brother-in-law, Jane McLean Harmon and Don Harmon, and one niece, Gloria Askew Armistead, all of Cobbs Creek, Va.; two nephews, Walter David McLean of Boone, N.C., and Brian Harmon of Hampton, Va.; and also a very special friend, Benetta Smith Packer of Odessa, Fla. 

Belle, lovingly known as 'Aunt Belle' to her many friends and neighbors, will be fondly remembered for her many church activities and her great love of life. Her request was a simple graveside service which will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, (today) at Windsor Gardens, Dutton. We the family, respectfully ask for no flowers. Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, Box 723, Mathews, VA 23109. Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home, Mathews, is handling the arrangements.

Ronald Edward, born Jan. 28, 1924 in Upton, Caldwell Co., died in Globe on Oct. 2, 1924.  His death certificate reads only that he died of "kidney trouble."  He was buried at the Andrews Family Cemetery in Collettsville, Caldwell Co.

Willie Mae, born 1926 in Caldwell Co.

Reece Edmond, born Dec. 26, 1936 in Caldwell Co., died Jun. 21, 2003 in Lenoir, Caldwell Co. Reece Married Mable Lucille Tolbert and at least one child, a son was born to them in 1963.  Reece is buried at Baileys Camp Baptist Church Cemetery in Lenoir.

Merida Jane, born c1941, married Donley D. Harmon in Caldwell Co. in 1963.  When sister Belle died, her obituary reported that Jane and her family lived in Cobbs Creek, Mathews Co., VA.

Eddie was the son of Andrew Jackson and Martha Jane "Mattie" Church McLean.  Andrew and Mattie were parents to at least ten children.  Their daughter, Bessie Mae married Hayley or Hillie Horton Coffey, a son of Gilliam and Susan D. Gragg Coffey on Feb. 2, 1908 in the Yadkin Valley.  Another son, Homer Commodore McLean married Stella Mae Andrews, sister to Lula Belle.

Martha Jane "Mattie" Church was the daughter of James Franklin "Jim" and Laura Virginia Blackburn Church and sister to Joseph Commodore Church whose first of three wives was Lee Ella Coffey, daughter of Thomas Avery and Louisa E. Gragg Coffey.

All of these folks have deep ties to North Carolina.  The Coffey families go back to Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John who married Jane Graves.

Earlier blogs about some of these families can be found here and here.

Sources:

US Federal census, Caldwell Co. marriage records, NC death records, cemetery records and descendent contributions

*There is another birth record in Caldwell Co. for an unnamed child in 1924 and is recorded in an earlier birth register.  The child could be Ronald who remained unnamed until a week or so later when his birth was "officially" recorded.

Edmond Jackson "Eddie" McLean (1903-1994)

Eddie McLean

Here is another of my favorite photographs.  It is one of Eddie McLean and his mules and was probably taken in the mid-to-late 1960s.

Eddie was a son of Andrew Jackson and Martha Jane "Mattie" Church McLean.  He was born Oct. 9, 1903 in Caldwell Co., NC and died there on Dec. 3, 1994 at age 91.

Mattie's parents were James Franklin "Jim" and Laura Virginia Blackburn Church.  Mattie's brother, Joseph Commodore Church, married Vera Esther Coffey, a daughter of David Nathaniel and Caroline Lavinia Coffey Coffey.


I know of no direct kinship of the McLean family with anyone in the Coffey family.

There isn't a source attached to the photograph.  Please let me know if you or someone you know owns this photo.

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

Hillie Horton Coffey

Hillie was a son of Gilliam and Susan D. Gragg Coffey and was born Jul. 31, 1887 in Caldwell Co., NC. He died there on Mar. 30, 1963. He married Bessie McLean in Caldwell Co. in 1908 when Bessie was 15 years old.

Their first child was unnamed and was born Mar. 16, 1921 and died shortly thereafter. Their second was James Harding Coffey, born Aug. 3, 1922. He also died shortly after birth. Fred Oral was their third child, born Mr. 16, 1924, followed by Ora Lee, born Feb. 27, 1927.

Census records for 1910 places the family in the Globe Twp., and in 1930 in the Johns River Twp. I have not found them in 1920.

According to his WW1 draft registration card, Hillie was of medium height and build with light blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a self-employed farmer who lived with his wife in Collettsville, NC.

I have not found any information about Bessie. Anyone who has researched this family and has birth and death dates, as well as burial location, please contact me.