The following was generously
provided to Coffey Cousins by Vivian Zollinger, editor of the Owen
For more information visit
the
Joel Anderson
Coffey, His Life Story
One of a series of stories in 1874 issues of Owen County Journal
that were contributed by J. W. Archer, of Spencer
J. A. Coffey was born in
In the year following he built a little cabin on Congress land in Clay Township, Owen County, said lands now belonging to Jonathan Allen. Here he planted himself in what was then an almost unbroken wilderness, there being but four other families in all the region for several miles around him: Caleb Stansbery, Daniel Ellett, William McDonald, and Jonathan Gilbert. These four men were all land owners, and in them was thought to center all the wealth and aristocratic pride of the entire neighborhood, the wealth in the eyes of the early settlers comparing well with that of the A. T. Stewarts and Vanderbilts of today, in ours.
I am here reminded of a little incident somewhat illustrative of the times, as it occurred in high life. There lived in an adjoining neighborhood a gentleman by the name of Baker who was considered wealthy, and one of the leading men of the times. The most common bill of fare at the time was bread and milk for breakfast, bean soup for dinner, and milk and mush for supper. Mr. Stansbery visited Mr. Baker’s very early one morning, arriving just as breakfast was ready. Families in those days being rather large, and milk somewhat scarce it often happened that there was not any more that would well supply the wants of the family. Upon this occasion the milk had been well apportioned, giving to each one his or her exact share, the tin cups containing it being placed around to each seat. Mr. Stansbery appeared at the door just as they were in the act of setting down to breakfast. Mr. Baker, after the usual good morning, very gravely turned to his wife and said, “There old woman by God, the milk as got to be divided again,” whereupon the good woman proceeded to pour a little from each cup into an additional one, thereby making the new divide. This being done they all sat down in one fraternal ring around the table and partook of the morning’s repast, without all the envying the Prince in his palace or the King on his throne.
But to return, here, Mr. Coffey, in the wild woods, without any well defined ideas of “States Rights,” or the doctrine of “squatter sovereignty,” but in the strength and prime of his manhood and relying on the strong arms and stout hearts, of himself and boys, and the certainty of his old Tennessee rifle, he felt himself complete master of the situation, and proceeded at once to fix up for housekeeping. He put down posts in the corners of the cabin, bored holes in the walls, put in small poles each way reaching to the posts, then covering over with boards, thereby making steads, upon which ticks filled with leaves were placed for beds. After making and arranging various other fixtures in the way of boxes, shelves, benches, stools, &c., &c., all felt that everything was fully realized that is included in that beautiful phrase, “Happy family.” Thus proudly domiciled in his own happy home, and feeling that there was a bright and prosperous future before him he took down his rifle and proceeded at once to bring in some wild game for the use of the family.
This being done he then turned his attention to other unmistakable necessities of his situation, and with the boys proceeded at once to make a bold attack on the forest. By planting time the next spring they had cleared and fenced some ten acres of ground, carrying every rail that fence it, on their shoulders. By the help of one small horse, a shovel plow and some old hoes, they cultivated this piece of ground that season, making a pretty fair crop. He continued as fast as possible, to clear and fence more land, and to improve the place as to make it more available in supporting the family.
At some period in the first few years, there was some
sickness in the family. Dr. Stephen
Roach of
At this early day the wants and actual necessities of the
people seemed to be but few, yet there were some articles of prime necessity
they could not do without. Mr. C.
obtained his salt by taking his horse, pack-saddle, ax, sack, some provisions,
and going to some salt works fifteen or eighteen miles southeast of
Bloomington, and chipping cord wood until he had paid for what sale he could
carry home on his horse and pack saddle.
His indispensable articles of merchandise he obtained from the store of
John and Alexander Owens at
Here amidst all the trying scenes of pioneer live, and all the vicissitudes incident to the early settlement of a country, was J. A. Coffey, the subject of this sketch, reared up. Trained to all the hardships of early settlers, clearing out land in green timber, rolling logs in the day time, burning brush at night, planting and cultivating by hand, harvesting wheat with reap hooks, threshing it out with flails, separating it from the chaff with bed sheets, taking it elecen miles to horse mills to get it ground, hauling in corn on sleds, dragging in fire wood on the snow, grinding meal on hand mills, beating hominy in ortars (they were made by cutting off a log square at both ends, standing it up and burning out one end hollowing) without wagons, carriages, hay rakes, sulky plows, walking cultivators, reapers, mowers, threashers, and separators, roads, mills, schools, churches, banks, railroads, salary grabbers, and credit mobiliers, he grew up one of the yeomanry, a hardy son of toil.
In the spring of 1836, he hired himself to William Nesbit of
At the close of his month with Mr. Dunn, he was taken sick and it proved to be the commencement of a long protracted illness. Dr. John Sedwick of Spencer, was called to see him, and attended him during his entire sickness which lasted for some months. The Dr. visited him at a distance of six miles eleven times giving him medicine enough to supply a small doctor shop, and when the amount of the bill was ascertained it was found to be eleven dollars and fifty cents. This Mr. Coffey promptly paid, and thus vanished at once the principle part of his much cherished wealth, but with it he did not lose all hope of his future and final success.
After somewhat recovering from his spell of sickness, and
before he was again able to perform hard labor, he attended country school five
or six months, this being about all the educational privileges he ever
enjoyed. In the spring of 1837 he bought
the first hat he ever owned, except of home manufacture. This hat he bought of one Anthony Hussey, a
hat maker, then living in the country, on lands now owned by John Ellis, and
known as the Huff farm. For this he
agreed to pay two dollars, to be discharged in eight days work, clearing
ground. While he was performing this
labor, Mr. James Rumple, yet a citizen of
Mr. C. remained at home with his father assisting him in
clearing out land improving his place and doing such other work as was
necessary for the comfort and support of the family, until he was about
twenty-three years old. During his
period he took some lessons in vocal music, making some considerable proficiency. In 1841 to 1846 he followed teaching almost
exclusively, teaching through Owen, a part of Morgan,
He and his youngest brother, Wiley Coffey, bought a small farm, borrowed four hundred dollars from colonel John Franklin, giving him a mortgage on the land for security. They then bought two sows and pigs of A. W. Reeves, and a milch cow of James Dowell, paying for them in labor and at once went towork in dead earnest. They made a very fair crop the first year, and felt greatly encouraged. In December of that same year, he was married to Miss Charity McDonald, with whom he had had a engagement for eight years, borrowing clothes to get married in. A young man of the neighborhood made a little light of this, and perhaps it was well that he did so, as it more fully confirmed Mr. C. in a previously formed resolution, and he took a solemn vow, that with life and health, and the blessing of Almighty God, and in the strengthof his own personal manhood, he would yet someday feel himself independent.
The next spring he bought out his brother’s interest in the little farm, and all that was on it, assuming all the liabilities, thereby greatly increasing his indebtedness. His motto was to “make a spoon or spoil a horn.” From this time until the spring of 1851, he continued on the farm, clearing ground, rolling logs, making rails, building fence, raising grain, feeding stock, selling hogs at one dollar and a half per hundred, wheat at forty-five cents, calves one dollar and a half to two dollars per head &c., &c., thereby relieving himself of much of his indebtedness. In February, 1851, he purchased the hotel property in Spencer, then knows as the Spencer House, formerly owned and kept by Judge Amos P. Howe. During that summer he kept hotel, charging boarders one dollar and a half per week, transient customers fifteen cents per meal, citizens of the county ten cents, man and horse all night, supper, breakfast and lodging, sixty-five cents. During the summer he did much in the way of repairing, repainting and otherwise greatly improving the property.
That fall having made money enough for one year he sold the hotel to Mr. James M. Archer. Early the next spring he moved to the country to again try farming. He remained in the country one year and a half, once more going for the grubs, bushes, brush, briars, logs, chunks, &c., &c. This time his wife persuaded him (it was not hard to do) that he was not able to stand so much hard labor, so he bought back the hotel, and again moved to town. He also bought some land adjoining town, and continued farming.
In March 1857, he, in company with four others, engaged in selling goods, under the first name of Johnson, Coffey & Company, more familiarly knows as the “five horse team.” On footing up the books at the end of the first year it was found that they had made a large amount of money (all on paper), so the next spring they lined the whole country with posters large as barn doors saying :Groceries on Credit.” “The first horse team still ahead.” In the fall of that year, 1848, they were brought to realize a state of the case not so desirable, (it was yet all on paper) their money was all gone. Then he and John J. Cooper bought out the old firm name of Coffey & Cooper, until June, 1863.
Mr. Coffey feeling that he had enjoyed enough of the profits and pleasures of selling goods, he at time date transferred his interest in the store to Mr. Cooper, since which time Cooper & Son have run the business with some considerable success. From that time until the present Mr. Coffey has followed farming and “kinder laying around loose” watching any opportunity of turning an honest penny.
In 1869-70 he remodeled, repaired, and greatly enlarged his hotel property, with a view of better adapting it to the wants, comforts, and convenience of the traveling public, and put it in its present shape, as now presided over by the prince of good fellows Bishop Evans, as the National Hotel. In March, 1871, he sold out the hotel and moved back to his little cottage on the hill, where he feels permanently settled, and hopes to see his three children all located along side him, that he may spend the few remaining years of his life in improving, beautifying and making happy the homes of himself and children, having struggled boldly for many long years with all the hardships, disappointments, ruff places, and ups and downs of the early settlement of a country.
By his own personal courage, strict economy, and perservering industry, he has saved up enough of this world to make him independent, and has fitted himself up a very cozy little office down town where he will at all time take great pleasure in accommodating those who may desire sure indemnity against loss or damage by fire, or certain provision for their families by a life policy in a first class company.
Ed. Note: Joel Anderson Coffey was the seventh of eleven children of Elijah and Polly (Dyar) Coffey originally from Globe Settlement, Burke County, North Carolina. He died March 21, 1901. His siblings were: Lucinda who married Emanuel Falkner; Allen; Alfred who married Martha J. Harrah; Amos who married Martha K. Neill; Jane Louisa who married Elisha Stansbury; Albert who married Caroline Hall; William Trimble; Wiley H. who married Harriet McDonald; Malinda Caroline who married Isaac G. Franklin; and Nancy Emmaline who married John D. Mayfield. A biographical sketch on Page 831 of History of Owen County, Indiana 1884 states that Joel Coffey, besides being a farmer, teacher, hotel proprietor, merchant and insurance agent, did carpentering and painting, was an agent for Singer Sewing Machine Company for a time, and also served as Spencer postmaster.
[Allen Coffey married Susan Basket Jun. 17, 1830 in Monroe Co., IN. My records show that Alfred married first Susan K. Caivins on Feb. 26, 1830 in Monroe Co. and second Mrs. Martha J. Smith on July 21, 1865 in Owen Co. (jkcoffee)]