Joe Coffee was born October 11, 1880, in Georgia. His father, Ed Coffee, came to Arkansas near Cato, just north of Camp Robinson, when Joe was a small boy. He began to work on a large ranch where his brother was overseer. Soon after, Ed was killed in an accident and Mrs. Coffee took the children and went back to Georgia. She had relatives on Crow Mountain, Pope County and in correspondence with them decided to come back to Arkansas and Pope County. It wasn't long until she married a man by the name of Grant.

Joe stayed at home and worked hard on the farm until he was twenty years of age. He then decided he wanted to go to school and get a little education. mr. Grant consented for him to go to school but wasn't able to help him. So Joe went to Atkins on his own and began to work at odd jobs and went to school. He had met a man by the name of Hendrix who took an interest in him and through his influence, Joe got a job as janitor at the school. It paid him five dollars a month and his tuition. He then got a job working on Saturday at a Livery Barn, making deliveries and later loaded cotton seed in a box car for six dollars a day. He then had money in his pocket.

He quit school after that year and went back to the mountain to farm. While driving a wagon, the mules ran away and he fell out and broke a leg and had to lay on a mattress for 42 days and nights. Old Doctor Gardner of Pottsville drove to the mountain and set his leg.

Joe was married to Effie Parasley, January 17, 1904, at Liberty Grove, by W. J. Chambers, He had met her at Liberty Grove but she lived where the Drivein Theater is now located, where her father owned a farm. She was only fifteen when Joe ask her to marry him and the family refused but finally agreed, then backed out again, but they got married anyway. They sent for her to come home and get her clothes but Joe refused to let her go and told her to wait until they cooled off. Finally he took her and they were so glad to see her that everything went off all right. They were good friends from the day on.

Mr. and Mrs. Coffee started attending the Pottsville Baptist church and soon made a profession and was baptized in Galley Creek. Then they moved to Holly Bend to farm and he bought a blacksmith outfit. He go so busy doing blacksmith work that he couldn't make a crop and so he quit farming and has been doing blacksmith work for 70 years. Finally moving to Russellville, he worked in different shops until he put in for himself. He stayed in the shop at the corner of N. El Paso and West D St. for thirty-three years. On account of his wife's ill health he built a small shop at home and moved there, and was still doing blacksmith work at the age of 93. Mr. Coffee had three halfsisters who stayed in Ga. and three own brothers but all are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Coffee had five girls and two boys: May; a son who died in infancy; Julia; Emma; Ruth; Thurman who died in 1934 and Thelma. Mrs. Coffee died in 1966, at the age of eight-eight but Mr. Coffeee is now 97 years of age and drives his auto to the Second Baptist church every Sunday morning. (1977)