This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the MAY 15, 2014 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            A telephone call came this week that brought back memories of 1997 and our Jenkins Founders Days.  That year we had many out-of-area visitors, along with our local family and friends come to our planning sessions.  Not only were we able to compile a set of books on the Jenkins genealogy but we also printed a cookbook, Journey with the Jenkins Family and Friends.  It was a good year.  The children of Oscar Jenkins and Vada Coffee, among many others, made many contributions of material to make all this be possible.

            Our telephone caller was Melaine Williams of Columbus, OH, the daughter of Minnie Jenkins Linchicum.  I believe they are preparing for a fall family Reunion, possibly in Ohio.  We will try to relay more information as we learn of it.

            Melaine had some sad news to pass on to us.  Her aunt Georgia Liming Jenkins died the first of March this year at age 92.  She was the last of Oscar and Vada’s children; the children in order of birth were (1) Hollie Jenkins, (2) Oscar Jenkins, (3) Hazel (m. Delbert Miller), (4) Georgie Jenkins, (5) Allie Jenkins, (6) Chris Jenkins (m. Loviska) (7) Minnie (m. Stan Linthicum), (8) Mary S. Jenkins, (9) James D. “J. D.” Jenkins, (10) and William “Billy” Jenkins.

            Their mother Vada was born in 1898 here in Magoffin County and died 10 Oct 1974 in Jamestown, OH.  She was married to Oscar Jenkins here in Magoffin County on 25 Feb 1915.  He was born 2 Apr 1893 and died in October 1971, also in Jamestown, OH. 

            Vada was the daughter of William Mason “Mace” Coffee (b. 21 Jul 1855 d. 23 Dec 1939) and Sarepta Prater (b. 28 Jul 1863 d. 16 Jan 1938).  William “Mace” and Vada were married on 25 Dec 1877 at the home of Thomas Prater with witnesses John W. Montgomery and Green Phipps.  The minister was W. Coffee.

We will list here the children of Mace and Sarepta: (1) Bruce “Bud” Coffee, (2) James Washington Coffee, (3) Frank F. Coffee, (4) Ballard Coffee, (5) Nora Coffee, (6) Cora Coffee, (7) Minnie Ann Coffee, (8) Paulina Coffee, (9) Morton Coffee, (10) Vada Coffee, (11) Oney Coffee, and (12) Charley Coffee.

Mace Coffee was the son of Amos D. Coffee (b. 1830 Morgan Co. KY d. Jan 1893 Magoffin Co. KY) and Nancy J. Williams b. 1829).  Amos and Nancy appear in the 1860 Magoffin census; he was age 30 and she was age 31.  In their household that year were Eliza J. age 9, Aranthy age 7, Mason W. age 4 and Rosetta age 11 months.

            Amos D. was a son of William Coffee and Elizabeth Lacy.  William was born about 1795 in Fayette Co. KY and was in Magoffin Co. KY by 1860.  William Coffee as an early minister of the Burning Springs Association and served as moderator for about 20 years.  His married Elizabeth Lacy in Montgomery Co. KY.  She was born in 1786 VA.  She and William died in Magoffin County before the 1870 census was taken. 

William Coffee was a son of Ambrose Coffee and his wife Alcey -?-.  Ambrose was born in 1759 in Ireland and came to America at about age 12, the son of William Coffee and Sarah Raleigh.  Ambrose died on Slate Creek in Montgomery Co. KY in 1820.   

Back to the Prater side of the family: Sarepta was the daughter of Thomas W. Prater, Jr. and Eliza Ann “Allee” Phipps.  Thomas and Eliza Prater are buried on the Thomas Prater Cemetery at the Mouth of Phipps Fork on Rockhouse Creek. Eliza was a daughter of John Phipps and Cynthia -?-

            Thomas Prater, Jr. was a son of Thomas Prater (b. 1793 VA.  Thomas married in 1813 Floyd Co. KY to Rebecca Cope. 

            Among the pieces of mail that arrived this week was a set of two CD’s from Elsie Risner Beiswanger of San Pierre, IN.  The CD’s include a video of a 1999 trip to Magoffin County during the “Shepherd’s Shine in ‘99” Founders Days and their trip to the Carty Cemetery.  There are pictures of all the grave markers in the Carty Cemetery.  We can always count on Elsie to send us interesting and helpful material. 

We also received a very nice genealogy, complete with family remembrances, of James Lorn Wireman, the father of Shirley Wireman Calhoun.  James Lorn was born in Magoffin County in 1917 and died in 1990 Hobart, IN.  He was a son of Morgan J. Wireman and a grandson of Joseph “Big Joe” Wireman.  He served in the Army from 1942 until 1945.  This material arrived too late for the Salute to Veteran’s book that we finished a few months ago but will be included with the index as additional info. 

            Which brings to mind that we have some other publications nearing completion.  These are the Life Along the Licking River Index with well over 200 additional pages of stories and pictures and also the Sesquicentennial set of books.  If you had intended to send any material on a family that lived in Magoffin County, a business, a civic organization, etc. then please do so soon.