Who are these folks?

These copies were sent to me by a descendant of John and Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey with notes that they were photos of that couple.  Accompanying those was another photo of a young girl purported to be Jane Hopper, second wife of John Coffey.   They are copies of copies of copies!

Not Rebecca Ragsdale

Not John Coffey

John was born in 1798 and Rebecca c1811.  They were married Feb. 24, 1821 in Grainger Co., TN.  Jane was born c1823 and married John c1840.  It should be obvious that Rebecca died before 1840.  Both John and Jane died after 1870, the last year they appeared in the census record.  That year they were residing in White Rock, McDonald Co., MO.

Although poor quality copies, they still have enough detail for us to recognize they are too "modern" to have been taken of someone born as early as John and Rebecca and who appears in this photo to be in their late 30's, perhaps early to mid-40's.  That applies to Jane as well.  She appears to be perhaps 12-15 year old meaning the photo was taken c1835-1838.  The fact that John's photo seems to have been taken in Rotterdam and Jane's somewhere else doesn't lend any credence to the claim that they are of the folks they are said to be.

Not Jane Hopper Coffey

Cameras capable of taking photos of this quality were simply not available at the time John, Rebecca and Jane were of the ages depicted by the people in the photos. The invention of photography is generally agreed to have been in 1839 when the French chemist,Louis J.M. Daguerre was recognized by his Government for his invention.  If these photos were taken at the times each of the persons they purport to depict was at that age, they would have been Dauguerre types and not of very good quality.  Jane's photo would probably not exist.  These are what I would call "postcard type" photos, printed on paper and mounted to something like cardboard stock.  They were probably taken during the latter part of the 19th century-early 20th. and in Europe, not the US.

As a favor to the person who sent the photos, I have agreed to post them here in case anyone should recognize them.

Meredith Coffey - continued

Meredith appears to be the only child born to John W. and Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey.

At some point in time, this family began to spell their last name Coffee and may be a result of their move from TN, where there was an abundance of families with the Coffey surname to an area where there were few.  I suspect that they did not consciously change the spelling; it merely evolved that way after years of making public records in which the Y was dropped in favor of the double-E.  Today, descendants continue to use the double-E spelling.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Hopper is said to be the daughter of John David Hopper, who also had a daughter named Jane who married John after Rebecca's death.  I have not found a specific record documenting the birth dates of these girls and it has been difficult determining the approximate year of their birth. 

In the 1850 census Elizabeth was age 30; in 1860, 33; in 1870, 59; and in 1850, 63.  Likewise, in 1850, Jane was 36; in 1860, 37; and in 1870, 57.  In Jane's case, it's easy to see how the enumerator might have written 37 instead of 47, making her age progression somewhat acceptable as far as census accuracy goes. Elizabeth is another case entirely.

I'll step out on a limb and predict that Jane was the eldest, born c1816 and that Elizabeth was born c1818.

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The census record shows Meredith and Elizabeth in Hamilton Co., TN in 1850, Pineville Twp., McDonald Co., MO in 1860 and, in 1870 and 1880 in White Rock Twp., McDonald County.  Meredith died c1892. I do not have a death date for Elizabeth.

Their children, all born in TN, were:

Eliza, born 1842, died May 9, 1880.  She married William Henry Bullard on Oct. 4, 1875 in McDonald County.  Some info that I have read - but remains unconfirmed - reports that William was born in 1842 at Dog Hollow, Pineville Twp.  His slave-owning family later moved to Benton Co., AR where he enlisted in the CSA.  He is said to have been part of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.  He was never wounded during his four years of service.  His first wife was Susan Caudill, sister to Hillead, the wife of William Harrison Coffee, the next child born to Meredith and Elizabeth.

William Harrison was born Feb. 24, 1843 and died Jul. 6, 1921 in Pineville Twp.  He married Hillead Oakley Caudille on Jan. 22, 1868 in McDonald Co.  She was a daughter of Jacob and Mary Kirby Caudille and was born Jan. 26, 1850 in Robinson Co., KY and died Feb. 6, 1912 in White Rock Twp.  She and William raised at least 13 children.**  Both William and Hillead are buried in the Jane, McDonald Co., MO cemetery.

Josiah A. (some say his name was Joseph*) was the third child, born Mar. 25, 1845, died May 5, 1913 in White Rock Twp.  He married Elva Tennessee Clark who was born Jun. 13, 1853 in AR and died in Bentonville, Benton Co., AR on Mar. 16, 1936.  They too are buried at Jane Cemetery.  Their children were:  Florence Bell, born 1870, died 1923, married William Henry Bunch.  William was born in 1867 Arkansas and died in Indian Territory, OK in 1890.  Their burial places are not known to me.  They were parents of two sons, Price, born 1888 and Martin born 1890.  Josiah's second child was Sara, born 1872 and for whom I have no additional info.  The third child was Prissa, born in June, 1879.  She married a Mr. Cook and had Larna, Howard and Toonsie.

Following Josiah was Madison, born c1848 and died sometime between 1860 and 1870, perhaps in the Civil War.

David was born c1849 and died in 1918, McDonald Co.  David married Maria Paralee Clark, the daughter of Wat Clark and his wife Nancy.  She was born Jan. 13, 1853 in AR and died in June, 1919 at Jane.  Both she and David at buried at the Jane cemetery.  They were parents of seven children.

Mary Rebecca was child number six and was born in Oct., 1852.  She married James Smith "Whiskey Jim" Davenport in 1869.  He was born in Aug., 1850 in MO. Rebecca died on May 29, 1914 and was buried at Jane.  Jim's death date and burial place is unknown to me.  They had at least seven children:  William, 1870; Thomas, 1872; Laura, 1874; Eliza, 1878; Josiah, 1880; Viola, 1884 and Goldie, 1885.

James Milo was the last child born to Meredith and Elizabeth.  He was born in Jul 1857 and died in May, 1913 and was buried at Jane.  His wife was Harriet J. Russell for whom I have no information.

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*His death certificate reads Joseph.  In 1850 his name was Joseph.  After that, and until 1880 he was enumerated as Josiah.
**More info later

Meredith Coffey - Son of John & Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey

I have written about this family before.

Recent correspondence with a descendant of Meredith (b1822 TN-d1892 MO) through his son David, indicates that Meredith went to McDonald Co., MO with John, his widower father in 1835 and never returned to TN.  Other researchers have claimed that John was one of the first white settlers in that county*.

Meredith's mother, Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey had died, perhaps around the time of his birth.  He is said to have been their only child but, I have seen other claims that say a second child, an unnamed female, was born to them in 1824.  Perhaps this is when Rebecca died.

A death date for Rebecca has not been found.  However, we know that she and John W. Coffey were married on Feb. 24, 1821 in Grainger Co., TN.  We know also that John Coffey was born c1798 in Grainger Co.


The claim that John and Meredith were in McDonald Co., MO as early as 1835 cannot be accurate because the county did not exist that early; it was not organized until 1849!*  We know Meredith was in TN in 1841 when he married Elizabeth "Betsy" Hopper, and that they were there through the 1850 census.  They first appeared in a McDonald Co. census record in 1860.  In 1861 Meredith was on that county's tax rolls for property he had settled in TS21, R31.

John the father is said to have married Jane Hopper, the sister of Meredith's wife, Betsy in MO sometime around 1840.  The claim that they married in MO and all of their children were born there cannot be accurate because they appeared in the Hamilton Co., TN census for 1850:  John, age 52, Jane, 36 and children: John, 9; James, 7; Henry, 5; and Mary 2, all born in TN.  By 1860 they had arrived in McDonald Co., and were enumerated as John, 63; Jane, 37 [sic]; John W., 19; James M., 18; Henry M., 16; Mary J., 17; Rice, 12; Sarah, 7; and Mira, 2.  All but Mira were born in TN.

So, if one believes the census records, John Coffey and his father married and had large families in Hamilton Co., TN long before they arrived in McDonald Co., MO.  In fact, they did not get to McDonald County until just about 1860 - no earlier than 1855 - and brought those large families with them.

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Note:  If you have one of my CDs or DVDs, I mistakenly followed John and Rebecca through Wayne Co., KY for 3 decades.  I will soon be working to correct that error and place that family in its proper place.

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*McDonald came out of part of Newton county and, there were settlers there as early as the late 1820s who continued to reside there after it became McDonald Co.

Meredith and Elizabeth "Betsy" Hopper Coffey

I've previously written a small bit about Meredith as a son of John W. & Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey.  The original blog written in Sept., 2007 can be viewed by clicking on the title link.

This is a little of what I wrote:

Meredith, born Jan. 6, 1822, died Feb. 10, 1892 [unsourced]. In the 1860 McDonald Co., MO census he was 33 yrs old indicating that he was born closer to 1827. This would be a more reasonable date compared to birth years of other children. He married Elizabeth (Betsy) Hopper c1841 in McDonald Co. They appeared there in the 1860 census, 1861 McDonald Co. tax rolls, and the 1870 and 1880 census. Meredith is thought to have died there on Feb. 10, 1892.

Beginning with Meredith the family spelled their name Coffee.  All of the photos of family headstones that I have seen now standing in the Jane, McDonald Co., MO cemetery are inscribed with that spelling.  Additionally, all census records that I have inspected spell the family name that way.  The few death certificates so far located also show this spelling.  Living descendants might also continue this practice.

Meredith and Elizabeth's children as I know them were:

Eliza, born c1842 in TN, died c1880, place unknown - is said to have married a Mr. Pitts.  No other information.

William Harrison, born Feb. 24, 1843 in TN, died Jul. 6, 1921 in Pineville Twp., McDonald Co., MO and was buried at Jane cemetery.  He married Hilead* Oakley Caudille on Jan. 22, 1868 in McDonald Co.  She was born Jan. 26, 1850 in Robinson Co., KY and died in Jane on Feb. 6, 1912.  She too is buried at Jane.

William and Hilead had at least 13 children, all thought to have been born in McDonald Co.:

1 - James "Milo", born Jul. 8, 1869, died Mar, 23, 1936 in Fairview, Newton Co., MO.  He is buried at Davey Cemetery in Fairview.

2 - Mary Eliza, born Jan. 8, 1873, died Apr. 20, 1933 in Pineville Twp.  She married James William Ross, born Oct. 5 1865 in Lincoln, Lancaster Co., NE, died Feb. 12, 1937 in Pineville Twp.  According to their death certificates, both are buried in Pineville.  James was a son of Samuel Lafayette and Mahala Prigmore Ross.

3 - Edward Enoch, born Apr. 27, 1874, died May 27, 1961 in Pineville.  He married Pearl C. [LNU], born C1888 in MO.  They had at least two children; Gladys, born c1907 and Glesnor [sic] (male), born c1910.  Both are buried at Pineville.

4 - Minnie Zeronia, born Oct. 16, 1875 and died May 29, 1943 in Jane.  She is said to have married a Mr. Mulkey.

5 - Alby or Albie, [female] born Jan. 27, 1877, died Mar. 11, 1923.

6 - Alex M., born Jun. 8, 1878, died Aug., 1879, buried at Jane.

7 - Arthur E., born Oct. 8, 1879, died Feb. 4, 1938 in Sioux City, Woodbury Co., IA.  He married Nora [LNU], born c1883 in MO.  They had children: Violet, Martin, Winfred, Jesse, Aaron, Earl and Viva, all born in MO between 1904 and 1918.

8 - John Finis, born Jun. 23, 1881, died Jan. 3, 1957 in Rogers, Benton Co., AR.  He married Coral L. [LNU] c1909 and had children: unnamed infant, born before Dec. 22, 1912, died on that date and buried at Jane; Pansy, born Aug. 30, 1914, died Oct. 15, 1904, also buried at Jane and shares a headstone with the unnamed infant; Orreta, born c1916 and Loretta, born c1917.

I have not yet found spouses for the remaining children, some of whom are also likely buried at Jane or Pineville:

9 - Meredith, born Feb. 26, 1884, died May, 1885 in Jane. 

10 - Albert, born May 26, 1885, died 1887 in Jane.

11 - Pearl, born Jan. 7, 1887, died Jan. 24, 1977.

12 - Grace, born Mar. 20, 1890, died Aug. 5, 1921.

13 - Oma, born Jan. 13, 1893, died Sep. 7, 1958.  She is said to have been buried at Brush Creek cemetery in Pineville.

More later...

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*Her death certificate reads Hildred; her headstone reads Hilead.  Marriage sources (Hunting for Bears and  Woodrunn's 1971 Marriage Records, McDonald County, Missouri, read Hilead

Franklin Coffey (1837-1919)

Franklin was a son of John W. and Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey. He was born in Eadsville, Wayne Co., KY on Jul. 25, 1837 and died there on Sep. 17, 1919. He married Malinda Pratt on May 29, 1955 in Wayne Co. Malinda was born c1837 in Eadsville.

Franklin's death certificate records his mother's maiden name as Rebecca Toler. The same name was given in brother Caleb's death certificate. Caleb died on Nov. 29, 1923 in Wayne Co. Both were buried in the Coffey family cemetery at Eadsville. Although no record has been found, Malinda is presumed to be buried there as well.

There were at least nine children born to Franklin and Malinda:

Ellen T., born Mar. 5, 1857 in Eadsville, died there Mar. 10, 1942. According to her death certificate, Ellen died single and of cancer. She was buried at Parmley's Grove in Monticello, Wayne Co.

Caleb Thomas, born Nov. 13, 1858 in Eadsville, died of choleocystitis there on Aug. 25, 1935. He is also buried in the Coffey cemetery. He married Roseline Arthur [date unknown], who was born c1855 in Eadsville and died May 18, 1930 in Wayne Co. She was the daughter of John and Frankie Dean Arthur. Known hildren born to Caleb and Roseline were Grover Cleveland (Cleve), Sep. 4, 1886-Jan. 3, 1869, married Ora M. Alley; and Wilburn Hugh, born Oct. 12, 1898 [no other info].

Henry Clay, born Jan. 15, 1859 in Eadsville, died of heart failure on Sep. 11, 1941 in Monticello. He married Dora Conn [no other info]. Known children were Cell, born Feb. 3, 1896, died Oct. 14, 1964; William born May 15, 1898 [no other info].

Eliza J., born Dec. 8, 1864 in Eadsville and, died there of pneumonia on May 17, 1922. According to her death certificate she was married at the time of death but, I do not know her husband's name.

Luetta, born c1866 in Eadsville and enumerated in 1920 in Wayne Co. as a single woman in the household with her sister Ellen.

Lewis, born Oct. 2, 1873 in Eadsville, died by drowning [apparent suicide] Jul. 24, 1937 in Eadsville. He married Josie Ann Daffron [date not known], born Mar. 21, 1881 at Eadsville, and died there on Sep. 2, 1933. Their known children were: Dewey Herbert, born 1899; Aaron, born 1900; Albert R., born c1903; Zona, born c1907; Otha, born c1908; and Robert, born c1911.

Rella [?] F., born c1876 at Eadsville; married a Rankin [no other info].

Braxton, born c1879 [no other info].

Please contact me with corrections and/or additions.

Meredith Coffey

There are a lot of them!

This Meredith is thought to have been born Jan. 6, 1822 in Grainger Co., TN to John W. and Rebecca Ragsdale Coffey. John was a son of Meredith and Esther LNU Coffey.

We know that John and Rebecca married in Grainger Co., TN on Feb. 24, 1821 [Marriages of Grainger County, Tennessee 1796-1837, Whitley, Edith Rucker, 1982] so Meredith's birth date is not unreasonable. What is unreasonable is that the remainder of the children are believed to have been born (per census) between 1834 and 1844 while John is thought to have married a Jane Hopper c1840.

These are the children of John and Rebecca as I have them:

Meredith, born Jan. 6, 1822, died Feb. 10, 1892 [unsourced]. In the 1860 McDonald Co., MO census he was 33 yrs old indicating that he was born closer to 1827. This would be a more reasonable date compared to birth years of other children. He married Elizabeth (Betsy) Hopper c1841 in McDonald Co. They appeared there in the 1860 census, 1861 McDonald Co. tax rolls, and the 1870 and 1880 census. Meredith is thought to have died there on Feb. 10, 1892.

Their children were: 1) Eliza, born c1842, died May 9, 1880, married a Mr. Pitts [no other info] and William Henry Bullard on Oct. 4, 1875 in McDonald Co. 2) Wm. Harrison, born Feb. 24, 1843 in TN, died Jun 6, 1921 in McDonald Co. Married Hillead Oakley Jan. 22, 1868 in McDonald Co. At least 13 children were born to this union. 3) Joseph, born Mar. 15, 1845 in TN, died May 5, 1913 in McDonald Co., married Elva Tennessee Clark on Sep. 26, 1869 in McDonald Co. Three known children born to this union. 4) Madison, born 1851 in TN, died between 1860 and 1870; David, born c1852 in TN, died 1918 in McDonald Co., married Mirah Paralee Clark there on Jul. 25, 1869. At least seven children were born to them. 6) Mary Rebecca, born Oct. 1852 in TN, died May 29, 1914 in McDonald Co., married James Smith Davenport on Aug. 26, 1869 in MO. Seven children born to this union. 7) James Milo, born Jul. 1857 in TN, died May 1913 in McDonald Co., married Harriet J. Russell.

The second child of John and Rebecca was Catharine, born May 4, 1834 in Wayne Co., KY, died Dec. 18, 1932 in Wayne Co. She married George Arthur. I have two children for them: Evangeline, born 1861, died 1941, and Angie, born Nov. 1873, died Jun. 1942.

Third was Caleb, born c1835 in Russell Co., KY, died Nov. 29, 1923 in Wayne Co. Married Zerilda Twiford on Jul. 28, 1853 in Wayne Co.

Number four was Franklin, born c1838 in Wayne Co., married Malinda Pratt May 29, 1855 in Wayne Co. I have eight children for them: Caleb, Ellen, Henry, Eliza, Luetta, John, Relda and Braxton.

Jane, Polly and Rebecca were number five through seven and, I have no other information about them.

I do not have a lot of confidence in this family information and, would appreciate any help available.