This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the APRIL 17, 2014 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            An interesting phone call came to us from Ron Owsley of Ohio who is researching his family.  His parents met and married in Jackson, OH but both have eastern Kentucky roots.  His mother was born in 1932 at Gunlock, KY, the daughter of Columbus Coffey and Margaret Wireman. 

            Ron’s paternal grandparents were William Thomas “Willie” Owsley and Darcy Ousley.

            Columbus Coffey was born 12 October 1874 in Monroe, Overton Co. TN and died 29 September 1951 in Ray, OH.  Columbus was a son of Thomas Jefferson Coffey and Rebecca Egleton.  Margaret Wireman’s parents were Dan Wireman and Susan Bradley.  Dan was a son of Jacob Wireman and Susannah Sizemore.  Susan Bradley was a daughter of Jacob Bradley and Barbara Watkins.

            Through the help we received from genealogy material contributed by Donna Hamons Miller of Shelbyville, KY and William “Bill” Patton of Floyd Co. KY we found that Ron is a descendant of the Rudd family through his father’s line.

            Ron’s grandparents appear in the 1940 Floyd Co. KY census.  Willie Owsley was age 40; his wife Darsie was age 34.  They had children Orbie Owsley age 13, Berlin Owsley age 9 and Lonnie B. Owsley age 2 in their household.

Darsie Ousley Owsley was born 26 May 1906 Floyd Co. KY and died 20 January 1995 in Vinton, OH.  She was the daughter of Henry Ousley and Nancy Jane Hicks.  Henry Ousley was a son of Edward Ousley and Malissa Rudd.  Nancy Jane was a daughter of Emery Hicks and Jemima Samons.

Henry and Nancy Jane Ousley’s other children, besides (1) Darsie were (2)  Bertha Ousley Bradley, (3) Lula Ousley Prater, Edna Ousley m. 1^st Herbert Bradley and m. 2^nd -?- Reffett; (4) Oliver Ousley, (5) Willie Ousley and (6) Dewey Ousley. 

Our Rudd family manuscript does not have much additional info on the descendants of Henry and Nancy Jane so perhaps you will recognize some connections to this family and help us add to the genealogy.

Interestingly enough, another phone call came from Indiana from a researcher of the Samuel Henry Coffee family.  We do not know if there is a relationship between the two families.

Samuel Henry Coffee was born in 1861, a son of Jesse Coffee and Louisa Rudd.  He married first in Magoffin Co. KY in 1878 to Sarah Burgess, dau of Abraham Burgess. 

Sam Henry and Sarah had these children: (1) Albert Coffey, (2) Lizzie Coffey, (3) Jim Coffey, and (4) Lou Coffey m. John Dingus.

His second marriage was to a Sarah Smith.  Sam and Sarah had these children: (5) Rennie Coffey, (6) Hettie Coffey, (7) Charley Coffey, (8) Minnie Coffey m. -?- Nipper and (9) Jesse Coffey.  The children Rennie and Hettie died in the 1918 flu epidemic.

A third marriage occurred for Samuel Henry Coffee in November 1914 Morgan Co. KY to Martha Thomas and they were the ancestors of our Indiana caller.  Martha had also been married twice before.  Her first marriage was in 1891 Morgan Co. KY to Miles Ross and her second marriage (1902, also Morgan Co. KY) was to David Eli Ferguson.  Martha and David Eli Ferguson had a daughter Minnie Ferguson who married Edward Feltner.

Sam Henry Coffee’s 3^rd wife Martha Thomas was a daughter of William Thomas (1831-1911) and Frances Ann Benton (1831-1911).  We found Martha in the 1930 census of Morgan Co. KY and Samuel H. Coffee living in the household of his wife Martha’s daughter Minnie and son-in-law.  Samuel H. Coffee was age 68 as recorded in that census and Martha was age 61.  We would like to know where Samuel and Martha are buried. 

We thank Garnett Amyx for a good bit of the above genealogy.  Again, if anyone can help expand our knowledge on this family, please contact us here at the Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 or email [email protected].

We got one query that we have no further info on and ask for your help.  J. P. Fulton writes that his ancestors, William Anderson Cole and Obedience Collins are both buried on a Burning Fork Cemetery.  Their daughter Keziah Cole was married to Benedict Wadkins and they had a daughter Arminta who married a Price and this is J. P. Fulton’s line.