Edward (Coffey) Wilson
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Eugene aka Edward Franklin aka Preston (Coffey) Wilson (1873 - 1933)

Eugene aka Edward Franklin aka Preston (Edward) Wilson formerly Coffey
Born in Lafayette, Mississippi, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of DNA confirmed and DNA confirmed
Brother of , , and
Husband of — married 9 Feb 1905 (to 1919) in Burlington, Des Moines, Iowa, United Statesmap
Husband of — married 19 Apr 1919 in Hannibal, Marion, Missouri, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Father of
Died at age 60 in Hannibal, Marion, Missouri, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ginny Thomas private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 5 Jul 2017
This page has been accessed 191 times.

Biography

Eugene Franklin Coffey was the youngest son of Andrew Boyd Coffey, a merchant and farmer, and his wife Harriet (Barry) Coffey. He was born in Lafayette County, Mississippi 4 Sep 1873 as recorded in the Molly Kilgore Coffey bible. Molly was the wife of William Harris Coffey, son of Andrew Boyd Coffey. [1] In 1880 he was living in Lafayette County with his parents, his grandmother Margaret Kilgore Barry, his 7 older siblings Andy, William, Maud, Maggie, Lavinia, Alexander and Benjamin and 2 black laborers, Irvin Coffey and Frank Gorse.

Many of the family were members of nearby Old Liberty Church. The Methodist Episcopal Church was served by Reverend Aaron Houston, whose wife Mary Elizabeth Kilgore was |Harriet’s older sister. Eugene’s father Andrew Boyd Coffey and grandparents Margaret Kilgore Barry and Richard Barry are buried in Old Liberty Church Cemetery along with numerous other Barry and Coffey family members. According to family records, sometime after 1893 Eugene worked in Memphis, Cleveland and St. Louis. While living in St. Louis with his brother Alex, he went to Dallas to investigate a job offer and was not heard from again.[2] City directories find him in Memphis in 1895 (age 22) rooming with his brother Alex Coffey and in Dallas in 1896-7 working as an insurance agent. In 1900 (age 27), he is boarding in Fort Scott, Kansas. His occupation is traveling salesman and he is single. In Feb 1905 (age 31), he is a merchant when he marries Fairy Violet Secord in Burlington, Des Moines, Iowa. They are living together in Burlington in 1905 at 325½ N 3rd St. The 1905 Iowa census is the last record found for Eugene Franklin Coffey using that name.

Fairy Secord was the daughter of William Secord and Mary Lusher. She had been married in 1891 to Joseph Edward Allen in Yale, Michigan. In the 1900 census she was living with her aunt Elizabeth Secord Haines in Detroit. Her husband Joseph Allen lived in Washington, Sanilac, Michigan. She had not had any children and they were both listed as married 9 years. They divorced 18 May 1902 in St Clair County, Michigan. In 1905, she marries Eugene F Coffey in Burlington, Kansas and they appear together in the 1905 Kansas Census there. This is the last record found for Eugene. She marries Jay Asbury Cox on 5 Jun 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1900 they are living together in Salt Lake City where he is a railway telegraph operator. She dies in 1915 in Salt Lake County and is buried in Yale, Michigan with her parents. Neither a divorce nor a death record for Eugene Coffey have been found.

According to Edward Preston Wilson's obituary in 1933, he was born 6 Sep 1874 in Maryville, Kentucky, had lived in Hannibal for 30 years and had been a foreman for the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Company powder plant. No records can be found for him in Kentucky. Edward P Wilson is first recorded in the 1909 St Louis City Directory and has the occupation of adjuster, an occupation associated with insurance which Eugene F Coffey sold in 1897 in Dallas. In the 1910 Census in Hannibal, Missouri, he is listed as Ed Wilson living in a hotel. He is a single man born in Missouri in 1883 of Irish parents. His occupation of Powder Plant Foreman confirms he is the same Edward Preston Wilson of the obituary. In the 1911 Hannibal City Directory he is living in Planters Hotel. His 1918 WWI draft registration lists his birthday as 4 Sep 1874, a remarkably similar date to Eugene Franklin Coffey’s birth. He has blue eyes, light hair and is medium height. His nearest relative is listed as William H Wilson of “Owensborough, Kentucky”. On 19 April 1919 he married Anna Cox Kendall, daughter of Nelson S Kendall and Sarah Ann Hobbs, in Hannibal, Missouri. They are listed as Edward C Wilson and Annie E Kendall of Hannibal in the 23 Apr 1919 edition of The Palmyra Spectator (Palmyra, Missouri) in the Marriage License column. Per the 1920 census, this was his second marriage, he was born in Kentucky and his parents were born in Kentucky. The 1930 Census has Kentucky as his birthplace, his father born in Kentucky, and his mother born in Virginia. Edward and Anna had one son, Joseph Edward Wilson, who was born 8 Jan 1920 in Hannibal, Missouri. Edward Preston Wilson died 27 Sep 1933 in Hannibal and is buried in Mt Zion Cemetery there. His death certificate has 'don't know' as his parents names and places of birth. The informant was his wife Anna Wilson. His funeral was performed by the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. There are no known photographs of Edward Preston Wilson to compare to the photograph of Eugene Franklin Coffey.

Research Notes

Coffey family documents state that Eugene Franklin Coffey was born Sep 1873 in Lafayette County, Mississippi to Andrew Boyd Coffey and Harriet (Barry) Coffey. It also states that "Eugene left home before his 21st birthday and was never heard from again." A single portrait photograph, shown above, survived.

Thanks to my second cousin once removed Ginny (Wilson) Thomas, her DNA test results tell us that my great grand uncle Eugene Franklin Coffey changed his name to Edward Preston Wilson before he married Ann Cox (Anna) "Anna" Kendall. They had a child, Dr. Joe E. Wilson PhD, the father of Ginny (Wilson) Thomas. [3]

Sources

  1. ↑ Skipwith Historical and Genealogical Society, Family Ties Vol 1, Bible Records, 1981, Molly Kilgore Coffey Family Bible, p 44, Eugene Franklin Coffey
  2. ↑ Journal of a Journey, Walker Jackson Coffey, privately published 1980, p 122
  3. ↑ From oral and written documents and an unsourced family tree handed down to Richard Coffey
  • Paternal and Maternal relationships are both confirmed by an autosomal GEDmatch comparison between Sylvia (Emery) Lewis , GEDmatch kit # T629749, and Edward Wilson, GEDmatch kit # T047421, (compare kits), her 2nd cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are Andrew Coffey and Harriet Barry, the great grandparents of both Sylvia (Emery) Lewis and Edward Wilson. Predicted relationship from GEDmatch: 2.8 gen, based on sharing 306.7 cM across 11 segments.
  • Paternal relationship is confirmed through Y-chromosome DNA testing. Richard Lee Coffey, FTDNA kit #168121, and his 2nd cousin once removed, Ed Wilson, FTDNA kit #34445 match at a Genetic Distance of 2 of 111 and 2 of 667 markers thereby confirming their direct paternal lines back to their MRCA Andrew Boyd Coffey born 1818. They share the common Haplogroup R-FTB71880. FTDNA estimates with a 95% probability their common ancestor was born between 1650-1900, with the most likely year rounded to 1800.
  • Paternal and Maternal relationships confirmed by a GEDmatch test between Margaret Emery GEDmatch T262294 and her second cousin Ginny (Wilson) Thomas GEDmatch kit M901516. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great grandparents Andrew Boyd Coffey and Harriet Malinda (Barry) Coffey. Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 2.8, based on sharing 307.3 cM across 10 segments.
  • Paternal and Maternal relationships confirmed by a GEDmatch test between Sylvia (Emery) Lewis GEDmatch T629749 and her second cousin Ginny (Wilson) Thomas GEDmatch kit M901516. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great grandparents Andrew Boyd Coffey and Harriet Malinda (Barry) Coffey. Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 3.2, based on sharing 178.6 cM across 6 segments.
  • Paternal and Maternal relationships confirmed by a GEDmatch test between Sara Stalder GEDmatch T950898 and her second cousin Ginny (Wilson) Thomas GEDmatch kit M901516. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great grandparents Andrew Boyd Coffey and Harriet Malinda (Barry) Coffey. Estimated number of generations to MRCA = 3.3, based on sharing 144.2 cM across 9 segments.
  • Paternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal GEDmatch comparison between Edward Wilson , GEDmatch kit # T047421, and Betsy (Coffey) Berry, GEDmatch kit # A419214, his 3rd cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are Hugh Coffey and Margaret Walker, the great great grandparents of both Edward Wilson and Betsy (Coffey) Berry. Predicted relationship from GEDmatch: 3.5 gen, based on sharing 115.4 cM across 6 segments.
  • Skipwith Historical and Genealogical Society, Family Ties Vol 1, Bible Records, 1981, Molly Kilgore Coffey Family Bible, p 44, Eugene Franklin Coffey
  • 1880 Census: "1880 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1880; Census Place: Beat 2, Lafayette, Mississippi; Roll: 652; Page: 253D; Enumeration District: 078
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6742 #41212961 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Uge Coffey (7), single son, in household of A. B. Coffey (61) in Beat 2, Lafayette, Mississippi, USA. Born in Mississippi.
  • 1895 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
    Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #865550532 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: Eugene F Coffey; Residence Year: 1895; Street Address: 27 Hernando; Residence Place: Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Publication Title: Memphis, Tennessee, City Directory, 1895.
  • 1896 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
    Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #384563297 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: Eugene F Coffey; Residence Year: 1896; Residence Place: Dallas, Texas, USA; Occupation: Special Agt; Publication Title: Dallas, Texas, City Directory, 1896.
  • 1896 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
    Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #384585640 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: E F Coffey; Residence Year: 1896; Residence Place: Dallas, Texas, USA; Occupation: Special Agt; Publication Title: Dallas, Texas, City Directory, 1896.
  • 1897 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
    Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #384602834 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: Eugene F Coffey; Residence Year: 1897; Street Address: Same; Residence Place: Dallas, Texas, USA; Occupation: Insurance Agt, Office; Publication Title: Dallas, Texas, City Directory, 1897.
  • 1900 Census: "1900 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1900; Census Place: Fort Scott Ward 2, Bourbon, Kansas; Roll: 471; Page: 6; Enumeration District: 0032
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7602 #16494064 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Eugene F Coffey (26), single lodger, Traveling Salesman, in household of Martin Burke (55) in Fort Scott Ward 2, Bourbon, Kansas. Born in Mississippi, USA.
  • Marriage: "Iowa, U.S., Select Marriages Index, 1758-1996"
    Iowa, Marriages. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013; FHL Film Number: 956358
    Ancestry Record 60284 #2826863 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Eugene F Coffey marriage to Fairy Violet Secord on 9 Feb 1905 in Burlington, Iowa.
  • 1905 Census: "Iowa State Census, 1905"
    Iowa State Census 1905. The State Historical Society, Des Moines, Iowa
    Ancestry Record 60725 #266981 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Eugene Coffee (31), married in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Born in Tennessee.
  • 1909 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
    Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #628343374 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: Edward P Wilson; Residence Year: 1909; Street Address: 4017 Olive; Residence Place: St Louis, Missouri, USA; Occupation: Adjuster; Publication Title: St Louis, Missouri, City Directory, 1909.
  • 1910 Census: "1910 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1910; Census Place: Hannibal Ward 2, Marion, Missouri; Roll: T624_798; Page: 7a; Enumeration District: 0104; FHL microfilm: 1374811
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 7884 #14637245 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Ed Wilson (27), single boarder, Foreman, in household of Clara B Hoagland (44) in Hannibal Ward 2, Marion, Missouri, USA. Born in Missouri.
  • Military: "U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918"
    Registration State: Missouri; Registration County: Marion County
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6482 #30772360 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: Edward Preston Wilson; Race: White; Birth Date: 4 Sep 1874; Residence Date: 1917-1918; Street Address: 311 Center St.; Residence Place: Marion County, Missouri, USA; Physical Build: Medium; Height: Medium; Hair Color: Light; Eye Color: Blue; Relative: William H. Wilson.
  • Marriage: "U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current"
    The Palmyra Spectator; Publication Date: 23/ Apr/ 1919; Publication Place: Palmyra, Missouri, USA; URL: https://www.newspapers.com/image/118479416/?article=22de12c1-5333-4b83-b58f-492b0e246e27/7986277c-b3c4-4464-9c1c-51f149c63bb3&focus=0.53778833,0.3752059,0.6893782,0.5383067&xid=3398
    Ancestry Record 62116 #338137027 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Edward C Wilson marriage to Annie E. Kendall in about 1919.
  • 1920 Census: "1920 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1920; Census Place: Hannibal Ward 2, Marion, Missouri; Roll: T625_934; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 104
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6061 #109067512 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    E P Wilson (40), married, Foreman, head of household in Hannibal Ward 2, Marion, Missouri. Born in Kentucky.
  • 1929 Directory: "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995"
    Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2469 #533482952 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Name: Edward P Wilson; Gender: Male; Residence Year: 1929; Street Address: 908 Lyon; Residence Place: Hannibal, Missouri, USA; Occupation: Foreman; Spouse: Anna C Wilson; Publication Title: Hannibal, Missouri, City Directory, 1929.
  • 1930 Census: "1930 United States Federal Census"
    Year: 1930; Census Place: Hannibal, Marion, Missouri; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0007; FHL microfilm: 2340946
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 6224 #8486179 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Edward P Wilson (56), married, Foreman, head of household at 908 Lyon Street, Hannibal, Marion, Missouri, USA. Born in Kentucky.
  • Marriage of son Joseph Edward Wilson: "Summit County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1980"
    Summit County Court of Common Pleas - Probate Division; Akron, Ohio; Volume Number or Range of Dates: Vol 103, 1945
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2145 #1050290810 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Edward P Wilson's son Joseph Edward Wilson (25) marriage to Dorothy Louise Herman on 19 Oct 1945 in Summit, Ohio, USA.
  • Death: "Missouri, U.S., Death Certificates, 1910-1969"
    Missouri Office of the Secretary of State; Jefferson City, Missouri; Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1969; Certificate Number: 30259; URL: https://s1.sos.mo.gov/records/Archives/ArchivesMvc/DeathCertificates#searchDB
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 60382 #801255 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Edward P Wilson death 27 Sep 1933 in Marion, Missouri, USA, Father: don't know, Mother: don't know, informant: Anna Wilson.
  • Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #8900050 (accessed 2 June 2023)
    Memorial page for Edward Preston Wilson (6 Sep 1874-27 Sep 1933), citing Mount Zion Cemetery, Hannibal, Marion County, Missouri, USA; Maintained by Heather Cottrell (contributor 47193139).




Memories: 1
Enter a personal reminiscence or story.
Ginny (Wilson) Thomas
June 11, 2023

On May 13, 1998, my sister, Alice Kay Wilson Johnstone, age 42, was found dead in bed by her husband, Scott Johnstone, when he came home from his 3rd shift job at the US Postal Service, and found her. An autopsy was done as required by law because the circumstances were suspicious/unusual since she had no known health issues. The results were inconclusive, cause unknown. Sometimes people just die, apparently. At the time she lived in Carrollton, TX, a suburb of Dallas, and worked at a bank in Dallas. There were 3 step-children from her husband's first marriage in the relationship and her son, age 9, from her first marriage, who lived in the home.

My husband, Ike, and I immediately made arrangements to take time away from work and fly to Dallas, TX from our home in Durham, NC. My other sister, Nancy, is a neonatal nurse, who worked at Baylor Hospital in Dallas until she recently retired. My brother, Edward Preston Wilson II, lives in Oak Point, TX and he taught math at the University of Dallas before going to work in computer systems at Southwest Airlines.

After the funeral, Alice's husband, Scott, asked me if I wanted some papers that Alice had been working on. He showed me some research items that indicated she was trying to figure out more detailed information about our grandfather, Edward Preston Wilson, than we knew. I don't know why she wanted to do this because this was my first and only time I heard anything about it. How hard could it be, anyway, I thought, 25 years ago!

I knew nothing about Genealogy Research and not much about any family history of ours on either side. No one else in my family was especially interested either. In 1999 I decided to look unto what Alice was doing and bought a PC since I would need one for the job to come. I worked as a Computer Programmer/Systems Analyst/Project Manager over time at work, so I was actually overdue to get a home PC. I spun my wheels for several years on Edward Preston Wilson and branched out into other parts of our family history just to make progress in some way. When DNA testing came onto the horizon for commercial use I was optimistic but then my brother, for some unknown reason, was uncooperative about taking a test. He wanted me to reassure him that no one would bother him about it in any way when results came through. Of course there were just crickets when results from FTDNA were released as well as Ancestry and 23andMe for me as far as communication with him was concerned.

I only tested him at FTDNA since he was so balky. I tested myself at 23and Me and matched the husband of my friend from high school who lives near Charlotte, NC now and my friend and I went to high school near Rochester, NY! I joined NSDAR because I found Revolutionary War ancestors in my background. I worked as the registrar of our DAR chapter helping new members to join. One of them showed me the DNA test results for her uncle on FTDNA and said it didn't help with her application anyway because she certainly didn't recognize anyone there. I looked at the results and recognized a name--my brother's!

Anyway, we never matched any Wilson's, but astoundingly matched Coffey's which helped solve a mystery for someone else too!

posted 11 Jun 2023 by Ginny (Wilson) Thomas   [thank Ginny]
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Edward by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree: Mitochondrial DNA test-takers in the direct maternal line: It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Edward:

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Images: 1
Eugene Franklin Coffey
Eugene Franklin Coffey


Comments: 2

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Coffey-3654 Richard Coffey
Cousin Ginny,

Thanks to your DNA test results, we know that my great grand uncle Eugene Franklin Coffey changed his name to Edward Preston Wilson before he married Ann Cox (Anna) "Anna" Kendall and had a child, Dr. Joe E. Wilson PhD, your father.

Therefore, we need to change his "Last Name at Birth" from "Unknown" to "Coffey". As Profile Manager, you can make this change, or you can add me to the Trusted List for this Profile so that I can.

Thanks, Cousin Richard

posted on Unknown-376191 (merged) by Richard Coffey
Wilson-42723 Ginny (Wilson) Thomas
Cousin Richard, See my memory posted for Eugene Franklin Coffey aka Edward Preston Wilson
posted by Ginny (Wilson) Thomas

Featured National Park champion connections: Edward is 14 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 19 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 16 degrees from George Catlin, 15 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 16 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 17 degrees from George Grinnell, 25 degrees from Anton Kröller, 18 degrees from Stephen Mather, 23 degrees from Kara McKean, 14 degrees from John Muir, 18 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 24 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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