Hugh R. Blunt

Hugh R. Blunt was born Sep. 11, 1822 in Louisiana to Nelson and Elizabeth Blunt.

There are two inconvenient facts lacking in this family's research.  First, Hugh is not a proven son of Nelson, and second, Nelson is a not a proven son of James Blunt and Pembroke Powers.  It is only their proximity in time and place that makes me believe they are closely related.

James' son Hugh R. Blunt, born c1776 in North Carolina, married Euphemie "Pheme" Powers on Aug. 21, 1806¹ in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, LA. Hugh Blunt died Feb., 1827 in Iberville Parish.  By 1830 his widow is found on the tax rolls of St. Helena Parish.²

A Nelson Blount [sic] disappeared from St. Helena Parish in c1812³ and a family with Nelson as head appeared in the Natchitoches Parish, LA census of 1820, "age to 45." Given the birth year of Hugh R., Nelson's age would have him born in the late 1770s, close enough for me to suspect them of being brothers.  By 1830, Nelson lived in Claiborne Parish, LA which had been cut from Natchitoches Parish in 1828.  He likely died before 1840 because he does not appear in that or any later census record.

The names Hugh and Nelson often appear in a number of my North Louisiana Blunt families.

Back to Hugh R.

James R. Bishop and his wife Peninah Walker had eight children, all daughters.  Hugh R. married two of them.  His first wife was fourth born, Mary Ann Bishop.  They married on Feb. 11, 1850 in Claiborne Parish.4

That union resulted in the birth of two children, the first being James Bert "Jim" Blunt on Mar. 11, 1851 in Columbia Co., AR.  The second born was Frances "Fanny: on Apr. 22, 1852 in Bossier Parish, LA.  Mary Ann is known to have died around that period and it seems reasonable to believe that she died giving birth to Fanny.

Living with Hugh and Mary Ann then was Beneta [sic], James and Peninah's youngest daughter, born Jan. 5, 1839.  Beneta continued to care for Hugh's children over the years until on Jan. 25, 1857 she married Hugh in Lafayette Co., AR.5

Together they had three children:

Martha Ann, born 1858, died 1927, married James C. "Tiny" Johnson in 1881.

Amanda M. "Manda", born 1859 in Rusk, Cherokee Co., TX, died 1936 in Minden, Webster Parish, LA.  She married James Monroe Braley on Aug. 19, 1881.

Hughriah Nelson "Hugh" Blunt, born 1863 in Bossier Parish, LA, died 1939 in Bossier. Married Labicey Etta "Et" Leonard on Jan. 8, 1883 in Louisiana.6

Amanda and Hugh

James Monroe Braley was the son of the German emigrant Johan Frederick Braley.  Braley appears to be an Anglicized spelling; I believe the original surname was Brahle.  He arrived in Sag Harbor, Suffolk, NY on board the vessel Markus in May, 1832, having embarked at Amsterdam.7

Johan Frederick, or Meckie as he was known to his family, wandered around somewhere in the US until 1850.  That is when he first appears in Claiborne Parish, LA, married to the widow, Elizabeth Edwards who had two daughters of her own, Sarah, born ca 1833 and Elizabeth, born c1835, both in Louisiana.

Meckie and Elizabeth had five children of their own, all boys!

James Monroe Braley

Amanda Blount Braley &
Ora Elizabeth Braley Coffee

James Monroe was the second born.  He arrived on Aug. 19, 1849 in Claiborne Parish and married Amanda on Aug. 19, 1881.  They settled down in Webster Parish, formed from parts of Bienville, Bossier and Claiborne Parishes in 1871. All of these Parishes were once part of Natchitoches Parish.

On Jan. 7, 1893 James homesteaded 159.97 acres in Twp. 23N, Range 10W in Webster Parish.  They remained in that area for the remainder of their lives.  Six of their seven children survived to adulthood including a daughter that would eventually become my maternal grandmother,

Ora Elizabeth Braley was born second on Jan. 14, 1884, one year to the day after the first child, also a daughter, was born and which died in Aug., 1884.

J. M. Braley Homestead

Ora, content to remain single, did not marry until she was 25 years old.  She was very likely of considerable help to her mother Mandy who had five younger children.

Ora was the third wife of my grandfather, Albert Lilburn "A. L." Coffee.  He was 11 years older than Ora when they married and had lost his first two wives to death.

Della was his first wife and she gave birth to two children; Ora May West Coffee in 1894 and Carl Glenn Coffee in 1896, both in De Ann, Hempstead Co., AR.  Della died in 1898 and A. L. married Ida Lee Timberlake in 1899 at De Ann.  They had two children as well:  John Timberlake "Jack", Coffee - for whom I was named, my real name being Jack rather than John - born Mar. 5, 1900 and Ruby EcElvy Coffey, born 1902, both in Hempstead Co.

Children from the first union lived to adult hood and have a considerable number of descendants.  Jack did not marry until 1927 when he married Katie Louise Johnson, a native of Newton Co., MS, on Aug. 4, 1927 in Natchez, Adams Co., MS.  Katie lived in Natches with her family.  Jack was employed repairing levees along the Mississippi.  In 1928 Jack died of pneumonia without having produced any children.  Ironically, Katie later married a Mr. Blount and moved to Wood Co., TX where she died in 1966.  I have not yet learned who Mr. Blount was.

Ruby never married and died in Minden, Webster Parish in 1985.

By marrying A. L., Ora took on the task of raising his motherless children while giving birth to six of her own.  Her first born was my father, Frank Hurley Coffee (Frank to me, Hurley to his nieces and nephews).

Frank was born in De Ann in 1910 and died in Jefferson, Marion Co., TX in 1976.  I never knew him as anything more than the man that had sired me.  I had met him on several occasions, the last time right after I took my discharge from the US Army in 1968.  He never impressed me in any way other than an alcoholic and an "old five and dimer."  My mother was his second wife.  By the time he had passed away in 1976, he had been married at least six times.  Fortunately, he sired only two of us; the second by his fourth wife.

I have photographs of  him that I refuse to publish.

Sources:

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¹Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Church Records, 1804-1819, Vol. 3, Page 114.  Although non-Catholic, Spanish rule demanded all residents of the territory to record births, marriages and deaths with the Catholic church

²Ernest Russ Williams, Jr., Genealogical and Historical Abstracts of Legal Records of St. Helena Parish, LA, 1804-1870 (1995), p171. The document shows she was farming 160 acres along the Amite River in the parish of St. Helena, and owned 3 slaves. Total state and parish tax for the year was $4.80. Phamy's property was described as being "east of the Seuttfield Tract." Next door to her was James Blount [sic] who was farming 640 acres, owned no slaves, and paid $1.25 tax in 1830.

³Conveyance Book B, St. Helena Parish, LA, April 9, 1812; James Norton deputy Sheriff, sold property of Nelson Blount [sic], "lying on Spring Creek, above where William Wells now lives", to A.L. Osborne for $100; to satisfy a judgment against Blount in favor of William Boykin. Wit.: Matthew Steward.

4Dodd, Jordan R, et. al. Early American Marriages: Louisiana to 1850. Bountiful, UT: Precision Indexing Publishers, 19xx.  Spouse 1: Bishop, Mary Ann Spouse 2: Blunt, Hugh Marriage Date: 11 Feb 1850 Marriage Location: Louisiana Claiborne Parish

5"Arkansas County Marriages, 1837-1944,", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQLC-6WT : accessed 24 Oct 2013), Hugh Blunt and Benetia Bishop, 25 Jan 1857.

6 Etta Leonard Blunt Family Bible (Thomas Nelson & Sons, 381-385 Fourth Avenue, New York, NY). Etta's Bible has been an invaluable source for dates and places.

7"United States Index to Passenger Arrivals, Atlantic and Gulf Ports, 1820-1874" , index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-22118-3356-49?cc=1921756 : accessed 13 Aug 2014), Boyl-Bran > image 4740 of 6297; citing NARA microfilm publication M334.

William Harrison Parmley, Spouse of Sara Zerilda Coffey

WILLIAM H. PARMLEY

The farm and gin interests of Montague county, Texas, have an enterprising representative in the subject of this sketch, William H. Parmley.  He is a Kentuckian by birth and was born in Wayne County, September 13, 1858, son of Robert and Serilda (Strunk) Parmley, both natives of Kentucky.

Robert Parmley, Sr., grandfather of William H., was a Virginian and a great hunter who at an early day settled in the wilds of Kentucky, where he improved a farm and carried on agricultural pursuits extensively, having slaves to do his work.  He was twice married.  By his first wife the children were:  James, Garner, John, Washington, Lewis, Robert, Jr., Henderson, Giles, Mrs. Sidney Gan, and Mrs. Rebecca Rice.  Following are the names of the children by the second wife:  Mrs. Betty McBath.  William, Lad, Mrs. Abigail Winchester, Mrs. Ersley Stokes, Mrs. Vie Young, Mrs. Ellen Powers and H. Clay.

Robert Parmley, Jr., in his early manhood taught school for some years.  Although a southerner, he was a Union man, and two of his brothers, William and Lad, were Union soldiers.  He however took no part in the war.  He is politically a Democrat and was honored with official position in his native State, and also since his removal to Kansas.  He moved west in 1877 and settled in Cowley county, Kansas, where he improved a good farm and was for many years successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits.  Now at the age of eighty-two years, and still vigorous, he is living retired in Burden, that county.   Here he has served as justice of the peace and city judge.  He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and of the Masonic fraternity, and has long been known as a generous, big-hearted, broad-minded man with a character in every way above reproach.  His first wife died in 1879. She belonged to one of the early families of Kentucky; was a member of Cumberland Presbyterian church, and was a woman of lovely Christian character.  Little is known of her family history.  Fowlowing are the names of her children:  Mrs. Milda Rice James (deceased); William H.; John (deceased); Ned (deceased); Bell, wife of George R. McClelland, and Ellen, wife of M. Mackey.  The father subsequently married a Mrs. Burris, his present companion. 

William H. Parmley was seventeen when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Kansas.  His education was received chiefly at home under his father's instruction and in the practical school of experience.  He assisted his father in the development of their farm in the new State of Kansas.  Then in 1880 he returned to Kentucky, married the sweetheart of his youth and took her back to Kansas with him. The next two years he was employed in breaking prairie with two yoke of oxen.  He rented land in Chautauqua county one year;  moved to Llano county, Texas, where he raised two crops; returned to Kansas, but soon came back Texas, this time settling in Montague county, where he bought eighty acres of land, to which he afterward added another eighty acres, and where he remained eight years.  His next move was to Indian Territory, but he did not remain there long.  Coming again to Montague County, he purchased land where he now resides.  To his original purchase here, one hundred and sixty acres, he has since added until he is now the owner of one thousand acres, 600 acres of which are under cultivation, most of which he rents, his chief products being corn and cotton.  His farm with its commodious, modern residence and other buildings, wind mill and fine water, large orchard of choice fruits, etc., is certainly an ideal country place.  In 1900 Mr. Parmley became interested in ginning.  He erected a gin with a daily capacity of twenty-five bales, to the operation of which he has since given his attention in ginning season.  It has been by his own energy and good management that Mr. Parmley has accumulated his estate since coming to Montague County, and he has well earned the title of self-made man.

Politically, Mr. Parmley is a Republican, posted and up-to-date in the country's progress and hopeful of Republican success in Texas.  He is one of the active members of the Farmer's Union, and both he and his wife are identified with the Missionary Baptist Church.

Of Mr. Parmley's domestic life, we record that he married Miss Serilda Coffee who was born in Kentucky, December 18, 1858, daughter of Jackson and Martha J. (Spann) Coffee, the former a native of Kentucky, the later of Tennessee. Her grandfather, Nathaniel Coffee, was a prominent farmer of Kentucky.  His children were:  Jackson; Cleve, one of the early settlers of Texas and William.  Jackson, a farmer in Kentucky until 1882, that year moved to Texas and settled in Hopkins county, where he spent two years; then came to Llano county, and two years later to Montague County, where he lived with his daughter for fifteen years.  He died here October 20, 1889. He was a plain, honest farmer, a member of the primitive Baptist church, and was highly respected by all who knew him.  His children in order of birth are:  Shelby, Lewis, Jack, Henry, and Willis, all deceased;  Samuel and Robert of Indian Territory;  Cleve, who resides with his sister, Mrs. Parmley;  Clay, who died in early life;  Eliza, wife of J. Kennett;  Mrs. Serilda Parmley;  and Mollie, deceased.  The children of Mr. and Mrs. Parmley are:  Robert, Leenora, Charles L., Thadeus, William F., Maud, Dosha and Lula S., all living at this writing except Lenora, who died at the age of three months.

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A Twentieth Century History and Biographical Record of North and West Texas.
Captain B.B. Paddock, Editor, Illustrated Vol. II; 1906, The Lewis Publishing Company of Chicago & N.Y. Page 539-540
Thanks to Jacqueline Daffron for providing this info on 9/22/2012 - Click on title link to read earlier blog on this family.

Woodson Coffee (1862-1953)

Update May 24, 2012

After Ollie died in 1930, Woodson married a second time to Velda Marguerite Bangs in 1932.  Velda was then 36 years old and had not been previously married.  She was apparently visiting with Andrew Bangs, her brother, who was a resident of Amarillo in 1930.

There were no children born to Woodson and Velda.  However, in searching for more information about her life I found that she was a daughter of Waltus Justus and Cora Maria Powers Bangs.

The Bangs ancestors seemed to have migrated to the plains of IL sometime in the early to mid-1800's.  I start Velda's ancestry with Andrew Cook Banks, born in VT in 1830 and his wife, Frances Morse, also born in VT in 1931.

The first Bangs in that part of IL now known as Wauconda (a Sioux word meaning "great spirit") was Justus Bangs.  The area was first known as Rice's Prairie and later renamed Bangs Lake for Justus.  By 1850 it had become the township of Wauconda.*

Justus Bangs was the father of Andrew Cook Bangs.  Andrew was the father of Walter Justus Bangs who married Cora Powers and, they were parents of Velda.

*Kathy Catrambone, Author, Images of Ameria: Wauconda, Marianne Folise, Author (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2011), Page 7.

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Woodson, born Mar 1, 1862 in Gonzales Co., TX, died June. 12, 1953 in Amarillo, Potter Co., TX.  Woodson married Ollie Pickens on Aug. 14, 1890 in Throckmorton, the daughter of Judge Cornelius Kinchelo and Ruth B. Greenwood Stribling.  She and Woodson had at least nine children: Ruth, Benjamin, Grace, Woodson, Jr., Oran, Roy Coburn, Frank (died young), Ollie and Jack Kinchelo.  Ollie died of influenza on Jan. 23, 1930 in San Antonio.  She and Woodson are buried at the Llano Cemetery in Amarillo.

The above was published in the June 4, 2010 blog about Mansel Matthews & Georgiana Frances Reynolds Coffee.

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Woodson Coffee, Sr.

Woodson and Ollie were the parents of nine children:

Ruth, born Nov. 17, 1891 in Throckmorton Co., TX, died in Amarillo, Potter Co., TX on Mar. 30, 1987,  Ruth married Edgar Coble on Apr. 7, 1915 in Throckmorton.  He died on Aug. 21, 1954 in Amarillo.  Both are buried there at the Llano cemetery.

Benjamin Stribling, born Dec. 1, 1892 in Throckmorton, died in Amarillo on Oct. 9, 1914.  He was buried in Miami, Roberts Co., TX at the Miami cemetery.

Grace, born Mar 9, 1894 in OK Indian Territory, died there Mar. 28, 1894.  Burial place not given.

Woodson, Jr and Mamie Coffee

Woodson, Jr., born May 29, 1895 in Morton Co., TX, died in Amarillo on Sep. 1, 1984.  He married Ida Mae "Mamie" LNU on Jun. 10, 1916.  She was born Dec. 8, 1893 in MO and died Jun. 2, 1984 in Amarillo.  They too are buried at Llano.

Oran, born Jan. 24, 1897 in Roberts Co., TX, died Nov. 3, 1965.  He married Frances Elizabeth Rock on Aug. 9, 1931 in Pagosa Springs, Archuleta Co., CO.  She was born there on Jul. 10, 1912 and died on Jan. 3, 2004 in Boerne, Kendall Co., TX.  They were the parents of my friend, Kathy Coffee Simmons.  They too are buried at Llano.

Roy Coburn Coffee

Roy Coburn, born Sep. 15, 1898, died Sep. 12, 1964 in Dumas, Moore Co., TX.  He married in Feb. 1941 to Celia Catherine West, born Jan. 7, 1903, died Jan. 11, 1985 in Amarillo.  Also buried at Llano.

Frank, born Nov. 11, 1900, died Apr. 14, 1901.

Claude and Girlie Coffee Arnot

Oliver "Girlie", born Oct. 8, 1901, died Jan. 31, 1984 in Bexar Co., TX.  She married first Waid Scott Willis and had a son, Waid, Jr., born Aug. 16, 1923, died Feb. 16, 1947 in Bexar Co.  Waid, Sr. died in 1951 and sometime after that, Girlie married Claude William Arnot, born 1895, died Jul. 16, 1991 n Bexar Co.  Waid, Sr. and Jr. are buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Wolfe City, Hunt Co., TX.  Girlie and Claude are buried at Locke Hill cemetery in San Antonio.

The last child was Jack Kinchelo Coffee, born Ju. 24, 1903, died Mar. 11, 1969.  He was married on Dec. 19, 1929 to Vida Pearl Davis, born Mar. 11, 1905, died Jan. 18, 1991.





No. 998