Genealogy & Family History of Mamie L. (Washington) Coffey
Mamie L. Washington was born in 1893 in South Carolina. Research is still conintinuing to uncover her story and family history. On June 30, 1918, she married Dr. George Washington Coffey (1872-1952) in Etowah County, Gadsden, Alabama. She worked as a public school teacher for elementary and high school-aged students and was active in the community. They had one daughter, Dorothy Elizabeth (October 1919 to April 25, 2002).
Discover some of Mamie Coffey's family history below.
Mamie (Washington) Coffey
(Born 1893, South Carolina)
Census records, a marriage index, city directories, and a newspaper article help form a framework of Mrs. Coffey's genealogy.
From census records, we can learn:
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1920: she and her hsuband George had a newborn daughter named Dorothy
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1930: George's sister-in-law (Ada Coffey) lived with Mamie, George, and young Dorothy, along with Ada's two sons.
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1940: Mamie's 85-year-old widowed mother (Mary Washington) lived with her and George. The census tells us that in 1935, Mary Washington lived in Montgomery, AL but was born in South Carolina.
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1950: (just released) shows that she and George had their daughter (Dorothy) living with them, and her 2nd husband (Carmen Kelly) and Dorothy's 10-year-old son (Richard Fleming, Jr.).
Father
George Washington, Sr.
(Born circa 1850, South Carolina)
It's possible this is her father. An 1880 census for Union County, SC shows George Washington (age 30) with wife Mary (age 21) and two children: Sally (3) and John (1). He is a house carpenter and Mary does housekeeping. He can read and write, but not Mary. All were born in South Carolina, as well as their parents--however, George's mother was born in Virginia.
We find him again (age 50) on the 1900 census in Union County, South Carolina on Cranford Hill Street. Also listed is his wife Mary (age 45) with children: Pearl (17), Columbus (15), George Jr. (12), Jim (8), Mancy (6- believed to be Mamie), Lonnett (5), and Annie (3).
Also nearby on the same 1900 census is a younger man named C.W. Washington (23) with wife Mary (age 18), a young child Mary (age 1, born March 1899), and his mother Lutecia Peter (40). Could he be a relative?
Mother
Mary (last name unknown)
(Born circa 1855, South Carolina)
The 1940 census for Gadsden, Alabama (Etowah County) offers a big clue about Mary because she is shown living with her daughter Mamie and son-in-law Geowrge W. Coffey. Her age is given as 85 and she is widowed. It also tells us that in 1935 she lived in Montgomery, Alabama--possibly with another child, although this is unknown.
Her maiden name is not known, nor her burial location. However, it is possible that she is buried at Sixth Street Cemetery in Gadsden, Alabama.
This list is based on census records for 1880 and 1900 (Union County, South Carolina). Research continues to verify this information and to locate additional history.
Siblings
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Sally (1877)
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John (1879)
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Pearl (1883)
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Columbus (1885)
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George Jr. (1888)
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Jim (1892)
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Lonnett (1895)
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Annie (1897)
Brother
George Washington Jr. (born 1888) Gadsden, AL
Out of all of Mamie Coffey's siblings, her brother George Washington Jr. is the one we know the most about, or is the most traceable. These records include census, marriage, and city directories.
He worked as a brick mason and lived in Gadsden, Alabama. He married Bessie McClellan- license records for August 15, 1925; Jefferson County, Alabama.
Their children were:
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one daughter, two sons (possibly still living)
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Robert Curtis (1934-1988)
