COKER

 

My current information on the Coker line comes from several sources, each differing somewhat from the others. Also, I have had to depend on the nicknames used by the noted historian Silas C. Turnbo, since there were so many William Woods’ and William Cokers’.

William (Buck) Coker was born in Virginia Colony in 1769, to Charles Coker Sr, and was the first of five children: His mother’s name is unknown and she must have died prior to 1786, since that is the approximate date Charles married his second wife, the widow Judith Moore Lee. Judith is believed to be the mother of Charles’s last four children. William (Buck), Charles Jr., Leonard, Thomas, Jesse, Joseph, Warren, Elizabeth, and Jane. Charles Sr, and his brothers William and Joseph moved from Virginia to the Globe settlement in Burke County North Carolina about 1780. Charles Sr, and his brothers moved to Knob Creek, near present day Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee in 1792 since brother William claimed 400 acres there. Joseph died in Knox County about December 1799/January 1800.

Buck’s brother Leonard moved to Greenville County, SC in 1791 and moved later to Alabama, contributing Coker descendants to that state. Brother Warren eventually moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, dying in 1858, and leaving descendants there. Brother Joseph lived in several counties in Tennessee before moving to Hopkins County in Kentucky. Some of Buck’s Uncle William’s descendants settled in Illinois.  All of which shows this to be a very prolific family.

Buck married Judith Lee’s daughter, Nancy(or Mollie) Lee (born c. 1775) about the same time his father married her mother. He stayed in Burke County, North Carolina until the will of Judith Lee’s first husband Edward Lee was settled. On 31 May 1791 he received his wife’s share of the estate.

"Then received of Charles Coker full satisfaction for the part due to my wife of her fathers Estate I say received by me." William (his mark) Coker.

Shortly thereafter Buck moved to Greenville County, South Carolina. On 7 April 1799 Buck sold his land in Greenville County to Charles Estes. At this time he is believed to have moved to Georgia. In 1806 He was living in Knox County, Tennessee near his relatives. If the story told by Abigail Coker Churchmen to her children is correct, the Cokers left East Tennessee about 1813 for Arkansas Territory, excepting Joseph Dempsey, Catherine (Katie) and her husband Girard Leiper Brown, and Sarah (Sallie) and her husband William W. Trimble who are believed to have left from Alabama. Abigail claimed the Cokers traveled from East Tennessee by ox-drawn wagons and were two years enroute. Buck pitched a tent on the north bank of the White River January 8th, 1815 on the spot later called Jake Nave Bend. This date is remembered since it was the date of the "Battle of New Orleans." Most of his children had arrived in 1814. Buck Coker died in 1855 near West Sugar Loaf Creek where he had moved in 1844...he was 86 years old. He was buried on the old Charles Coker farm.  Buck Coker’s wife had become ill while they were living in the area of Jake Nave Bend in Boone County, AR and she is buried near where the cabin stood (the first burial there. The date of her death may have been about 1820 (according to Turnbo, she died "a few years" after Buck's arrival).  At the lower end of the bottom is where Buck Coker pitched his tent. This tent stood in the midst of tall cane, and the family lived in the tent until Buck could build a cabin to protect them from the winter weather.

Buck’s grandfather was also named Charles Coker.

Buck was certainly a farmer by necessity, but a trait he shared in common with his sons and with other early pioneers of the White River region, was a love of the hunt. The history of the county is filled with stories where these pioneers would drop all farm work to participate in bear hunts.

At the time he and his family moved to Arkansas (c. 1814), The Louisiana Purchase had occurred only 11 years before, and Arkansas was still a territory, only recently divided from Missouri Territory. The U.S. Government had yet to purchase land from the Osage to settle the eastern Cherokee on, though many Cherokees already were living in what became Marion County. The "History of Marion County" recounts villages of Shawnee and Cherokees in the area, including an Indian Agent. Some of these Cherokee were undoubtedly from Alabama, based on Joseph Dempsey Coker’s "marriage" to Cynthia Rogers, whose birthplace was Alabama.

In 1816, only four "white" families were known to be living on the White River above its starting point: William W. Trimble (with wife Sarah Coker); Buck Coker; Joseph Dempsey Coker; and Girard Leiper Brown (with wife Catherine Coker).

The following report is quoted for the "History of Marion County":

"Dubuque in 1850, was a steamboat landing and a thriving settlement located about six miles north of Lead Hill on the south bank of White River and at that time, a part of Marion County. Dubuque very likely, was one of the first settlements in the upper White River Valley. A man by the name of Coker settled there sometime before 1818 (either Joseph Dempsey or William "Buck" Coker). One of the earliest explorers of this area, Henry R. Schoolcraft whose report is probably the first description of this area, visited Mr. Coker on December 9, 1818. Mr. Schoolcraft described his visit.

‘We were received by Mr. Coker with frankness and blunt hospitality, which are characteristic of the hunter. Our approach to the house was as usual, announced by barking dogs whose incessant yells plainly told us that all who approached that domain, of which they were natural guardians, were considered as enemies, and it was not until they were repeatedly recalled that they could be pacified. Dried skins, stretched out with small rods and hung up to dry on trees and poles around the house, served to give the scene the most novel appearance. This custom has been observed at every hunter’s cabin we have encountered, and as we find, great pride is taken in this display, the number and size of bear skins serving as a credential of the hunter’s skill and prowess in the chase."

His descendants are as follows:

1.    Joseph Dempsey Coker, b. 1787 in North Carolina

2.    Leonard Coker, b. c. 1790 in North Carolina, d. before 1850. (Leonard is the least known of Buck's children, and several Cokers named in censuses whose parents are unknown, are considered possible children of his.

3.    Catherine (Katie) Coker, b. 1791 in North Carolina

4.    A daughter (Minerva?) Coker, b. 1794, in South Carolina m. Jesse Yocham

5.    Sarah (Sallie) Coker, b. 1796 in Georgia

6.    William Coker (Jr?) b. c. 1798 in Granville Co., South Carolina, d. before 1850

7.    Charles Coker, b. c.1800 in Georgia

8.    Edward (Ned) Coker, b. c.1801 in Tennessee

9.    Mary Jane Coker, b. c.1805 in Tennessee

10.    Nancy Coker, b. c.1810

1.    Joseph Dempsey Coker, b. 1787 NC d. 1862 AR. An account says he lived in Alabama with his first wife Mary Wood, who was born, and died there c. 1813. An Alabama marriage record shows the marriage of Joseph to Mary Wood 28 April 1800 (.but Joseph appears to be too young...13 years old). Their four children were:

Elizabeth (Betsy) Coker m. William (Squirrel Bill) Wood. They were parents of at least three children:

William (Dick) Wood

Frank Wood

Mort Wood, b. Mar 1838

Sarah (Sallie) Coker m. John Carter, issue unknown

William I.(Prairie Bill) Coker, b. c. 1810. m. Arminta Fancher, b. 14 Feb 1823, TN, d. 16 Mar 1848, Carroll Co., AR. She was the daughter of James and Elizabeth (Carlock) Fancher. He remarried and moved to Denton, TX. The children were:

Mitchell (Mitch) David Coker b. 1840 (served in Co. C, 14th Ark Inf, and Co. A, 27th Ark Inf )

James Alexander Coker b. 1842 (served in Co. A, 27th Ark Inf)

Richard Coker b. 1843 d. before 1850?

Martha J. Coker b. 1845

George M. Dallas Coker b. 1848, m. Charlotta L. McCracken

Hardin (Herrod) Coker, b. 1811 , m. Mary A. Orr (She married William [River Bill] Coker after Hardin’s death). They were parents of the following children:

Sarah J.Coker b. 1836

Randolph B. Coker b. 1845 (Co. C, 14th Ark Inf, and Co. C, Harrell’s Batt’n)

Felix Thornton Coker b. 1847

James William Coker b. 1848

Catherine Coker m. William H. Holt.

Joseph sent his children and slaves to Arkansas Territory with his brother Charles in 1813. He married Ainey (or Aney, b. c. 1802), of the Cherokee Nation in Alabama, and moved to Arkansas in 1814.  Joseph built a mill in the area which is now Lead Hill, Boone County. His and Ainey's children were:

Joseph D. Coker Jr, b. 1824 AR, d. 1853 m. Mary_____, b. 1832 AR.

 Joseph Coker Jr (with children) is listed in family group 220 of the Cherokee "Old Settlers" roll of 1851. Joseph Jr.’s nicknames were "Little Joe" and "Cherokee Joe". His mother Ainey Coker lived in a log cabin on the Marion Wilmoth land. Cherokee Joe initially lived in a small cabin near the big spring below where Lead Hill is, but later built a house of hewn logs he hauled from the nearby pine forests.  Joseph Sr. erected a mill as early as 1814 at the big spring below the present town of Lead Hill.  Later he also built a whiskey still. At one time he owned all the land where Lead Hill now stands. He donated ground there for a school, a church, and a cemetery.  In 1849 he built the first church there of logs he hauled from the pine forests. The cemetery had as its first interments his son "Little Joe" in 1853, and his son George in 1854. Little Joe and Mary’s children were:

James M. Coker, b. 1844 (Co. A, 14th Ark. Inf.)

Lucy Ann Coker, b. 1846

Araminta Coker, b. 1849

Jane Coker, b. 1829, d. 19 Nov 1878, m. George Hogan.   (Jane Hogan and daughter Sarah Ann listed in the Old Settlers Roll, # 217)

Jane Coker, b. 1829, d. 19 Nov 1878, m. George Hogan.   (Jane Hogan and daughter Sarah Ann listed in the Old Settlers Roll, # 217)

Rebecca Coker, b. 1831, m. William (Bill) Daniel

Mary Ann Coker, b. 1834 m. Emmet Robert (Bob) Trimble, b. 1828 (Mary Ann Trimble listed on Old Settlers roll #219) At least one child born:

Arminta F. Trimble 1864-1954, m. John H. Patton

Daniel G. Coker, b. 1838 (achieved some fame as violinist). Co. C, 14th Ark Inf Regt. (Old Settlers roll #216) Daniel was captured at the Battle of Elkhorn, or as the U.S. called it, the Battle of Pea Ridge March 7/8 1862. He was held as a prisoner of war at Alton, Ill until May 1862 when he was transported to Ft Pillow, TN to be exchanged. He died there.

Henderson L. Coker, b. 1840 (Old Settlers Roll #216) There is no information on him although a Laffety Coon Coker is frequently mentioned as a son of Joe. "Lafferty Coon" or "Coon Coker" as he was also called, was also a member of Co. C of the 14th Regt, Ark Inf. Killed at Port Hudson, LA (no information of Henderson L. in later censuses).

Joseph’s third wife was Cynthia Rogers, 9/16 Cherokee and a daughter of John Rogers and Elizabeth (Coody) Rogers. He took her as a concurrent wife c. 1814. Cynthia’s birthplace is listed as Broomtown, Cherokee County, Alabama. John Rogers was the last principal chief of the "old settler" Cherokees, before the arrival of John Ross and the Eastern Cherokees. Cynthia lived on the Sugar Loaf Prairie, while wife Ainey lived on the river.

It was not uncommon among the Cherokees to have two wives. Even after the Cherokees had been relocated to Indian Territory, this was still a common practice.  Joe’s white neighbors professed to be scandalized by this conduct.  After several years, Cynthia left Joe and moved to Indian Territory where she married John Crump.

 Joseph and Cynthia’s children were:

George W. Coker b. c. 1814, d. 1854, m Nancy Patton. Children:

Joel S. Coker, b. 1840

Francis R. Coker, b. 1842

Mary J. Coker, b. 1844

George W. Coker, b. 1846

Emeline Coker, b. 1847

Margaret E. Coker, b. 1848

Elisa Coker, b. 1850

 

The story is told by S.C. Turnbo that in 1854 George Coker, with Charley Stalcup riding beside him, rode to Jake Nave’s house to kill him, for some unknown reason.  Nave had just been warned of this when Coker rode up.  When Coker arrived, he jumped his horse over the fence in the front yard, then rode him up on the porch. Nave grabbed the bridle and led the horse off the porch.  Jake Nave was a widower, his wife Sally Coker (daughter of Edward Coker, and cousin of George) having died about a year before, leaving several small children.  As soon as Nave had led the horse off the porch, Coker forced the horse back onto the porch and into the house. Nave led him out and Coker drew his pistol to shoot Nave. Nave was quicker and shot Coker twice with a 7-shot pepper-box revolver, before he could shoot. Coker fell from his horse dead.  Since George Coker had many friends, Nave hid out in the White River bluffs where his brothers and friends carried him provisions until the excitement had died down. The reason for enmity between the two was never provided. After the killing, Jake Nave sold his house, blacksmith shop, and other improvements to "River Bill" Coker, his brother-in-law.

Minerva Coker, b. c. 1820, m1 ______? Yocham, m2 John Daniel.

Dempsey (Demps) Fields Coker, b. c. 1825 m1 Eliza Jane Marlow, m2 Elizabeth Sigmon (Dempsey and son Lewis are in family group 7 of Old Settlers Roll) Dempsey became a minister, and was later elected a councilor, then a solicitor of Cooweescoowee District, in the Cherokee Nation.  Children:

Lewis Cass Coker b. 1849

Minerva Rebecca Coker

Lewis Granville b. 1860

Mary L. b. 1863

Martha E. b. 1865

David N. b. 1868

John Randolph b. 25 Aug 1870

Cynthia J. b. 9 Apr 1871

Randolph Coker, b. c. 1827 m. Minerva Foster. (This or another) Randolph Coker was a 3rd Lt in Capt. John W. T. Spencer’s Co, of either the 1st or 2nd Cherokee Mounted Volunteers (Col. Stand Watie commanding.)

John Rogers Coker, b. c. 1828 m Annie Hogan (John and son Calvin are in family group 8 of Old Settlers Roll)

Calvin Coker, b. 16 July 1850, m1 Elizabeth Bullette who d. 14 May 1891.  m2 22 Nov 1891 Mary Eliza (Couch) Wimley (b. 30 Jan 1861).  Children:

Nancy Ann Coker b. 16 Apr 1873, m. John Sharp

Ida May Coker b. 28 Apr 1879 at Coody’s Bluff, C.N., m. Herbert F. Couch 1 Mar 1896.

William Penn Coker b. 25 Apr 1883

Joseph E. Coker b. 6 May 1891

James M. Coker b. 4 Jan 1857, m. Mary E. James

Joseph Dempsey, Cynthia, and their children can be found in Dr. Emmet Starr’s "History of the Cherokee Indians".

Joseph and Cynthia’s son John Rogers Coker stabbed and killed James L. Churchman, the husband of Abigail (Abby) Coker 1 September 1849. A family story says it was because James beat his wife, but the Arkansas Gazette in an article says it was in an argument over a card game. When Billy Brown, sheriff of Marion County attempted to arrest John Coker, John’s brother Randolph shot and killed the sheriff.  Both were confined in chains, in jail at Yellville awaiting trial. During a dark and stormy night, someone entered the jail, cut the chains off the two, and they made their escape.

Yellville’s original name was Shawnee town, since the town was populated by Shawnee when white men first arrived. The whites took possession of it in 1832. Later, after the Mexican War, the little town was named after Colonel Archibald Yell of Mexican War fame.

During the Civil War, nearly every building in town was burned.

2.    Leonard Coker, b. c. 1790, m. unknown,  reared William "Thresher Bill" Yocham (believed to be a son of Minerva? Coker and Jesse Yocham) with his own children. Thresher Bill m. Rietta _____.  Only Joseph, of the following names is a proven son of Leonard.  The others are only "suspected" children of his.

Joseph Coker

Strander (Dud, or Strother Dudley) Coker, b. 1827, d. 1865, m. Jane Wood. (Dud’s killing by bushwackers in Spring of 1865 is recounted by Turnbo). Children:

Charity "Josephine" c. 1859-1880, m. c. 1874 William Akin. Two daughters were born before her death:

Mary J. Akin b. 1875

Nancy C. Akin b. 1879

William C., b. Oct 1859, m1. 25 Apr 1880, Georgia Ann Capps, m2 1887, Mattie Burton, m3 1895, Sarah M. Clark. 2nd and 3rd marriages in Bardwell, Ky. Children:

William, b. Ark 1881

Edgar, b. Ky 1883

George Thomas b. Mar 1900

Wallace

Mamie

Eula

Rebecca Josephine

3.    Catherine (Katie) Coker, b. 1791 NC, d. Dec 1856, m. Girard Leiper Brown. Brown was killed on the Arkansas River.

According to Turnbo, the Browns married in Alabama and left soon after for Arkansas. They first arrived above where Batesville is, in 1816. Together they took a black walnut tree and made a dug-out canoe, starting up the White River with all their possessions. The weather was dry and the shoals were shallow, and they experienced great difficulty at times in pushing and pulling their heavy dugout over the shoals. They reached the mouth of Bear Creek on the White River in October of 1816, and there began unloading. Their first cabin was covered with long boards, and had a dirt floor. They dug a cellar and Brown began laying in a supply of wild meat for the winter. The next year they were able to floor the house with puncheons... split logs, dressed with an axe.

Their children were:

Thomas A.(Tom) Brown, b. c. 1817, d. Mar 1853, m. Sarah (Sallie) Coker, b. 1827, (daughter of William Coker, Jr.) c. 1843. After Tom’s death, Sarah m2. Allen Trimble. Their children were:

Lorinda Brown, b. 1844

Mary Ann Brown, b. 1847

Araminta Brown, b. 1849

William L. Brown, b. 1852, m. Elizabeth B. Whitlock, b. 1854. Their children were:

Virginia Brown, b. 1874

William T. Brown, b. 1878

Alex Brown

Robert Brown

Rebecca (Becca) Brown, m. Harvey Yocum. Becca’s Branch is the name given to a rough hollow just below the mouth of Trimble’s Creek which empties into the White River.

Catherine Brown, m1. Tom Magness, m2 Pew C. Anderson

Guion L. Brown b. 1837

 

4.    Female (possibly Minerva) Coker m. Jesse Yocham , died soon after marriage leaving a son William ("Thresher Bill" Yocham), who was raised by his uncle, Leonard Coker.

(from the writing of S. C. Turnbo) "Allen Trimble told that when he was a small fellow, there was a large encampment of Indians which extended from Trimble’s Creek down to the mouth of Becca’s Branch. Jess Yocham visited the Indian camp frequently to gamble with the Indians and to win deer hides, beads, and moccasins from the red men at a game called chuckaluck.  Allen said he would visit the Indian village at night with his uncle Jess, and Yocham would remain and gamble with the red men until late at night before leaving. "Mr. Yocham would go to the camp on horseback when the river was fordable, and I would ride behind him. When the river was past fording we would cross in a dugout canoe and walk down to their camp."

5.    Sarah Ann (Sallie) Coker, b. 1796 m1. William W. Trimble, 1808 in AL. He was b. 1778 in KY, and d. 20 Apr 1820 in Arkansas, shot by a man named Grant.

 William’s Father Robert was born in Virginia in 1739, and William is though to have been born there or in Kentucky. The Trimble line has been documented (although I haven’t seen it, they have been quoted by other genealogists) in at least two books, Wanda June Trimble Hutcheson’s "The Trimble Trail", and John Farley Trimble’s "Trimble Families of America".  Sarah and William’s three children were:

Redissa (Dicy) Trimble, b. c. 1810, d. 1861.m1. James Wood, m2 John Nave, who d. 24 Dec 1864

(from the writing of S. C. Turnbo) "John Mahan who was a union soldier during the Civil War was captured twice before peace was made. He said the last time he was taken he fell into rough hands and was ill treated which came about this way.  I and my father, Isaac Mahan, P.R. Martin, Pate Johnson, and John Nave had been down together from where we lived in Douglas County, Missouri, to our old homes on Little North Fork collecting our stock that we had left there when we refugeed to Missouri for better protection. We had found about 27 head of hogs that belonged to us and started home with them, when we stopped one night where Mose Martin lived on Beaver Spring Creek to stay over until the following morning. During the night Jim Helms with 10 men swooped down on us and made us prisoners, and captured our horses and equipment. They stripped us of our boots, hats and over-coats and set Dick Martin, Mose Martin, and Pate Johnson at liberty. It was Christmas Eve night, 1864. The weather was cold and the ground frozen, but the sky was clear of clouds and the mood was full. The enemy who were irregulars made me, my father, and John Nave go with them down the creek and we were forced to walk on the frozen ground in our sock feet. This was rough treatment and we suffered with cold, but dared not complain. While they were robbing us one of the men put his hand in my father’s pockets and took out an old barlow knife, a silk handkerchief and a dollar in money which he kept of course. When we got some distance down the creek John Nave, seeing that they intended to kill him, made an attempt to escape by running and Helms' men fired at him as he run. They pursued him and over-hauled him in a gully where Nave begged hard for his life but it was a waste of words, for they shot him to death with shotguns about 100 yards from the road. It was a critical moment for myself and my father, for I really believed that he and I would have to meet death there too. But after they taken us further down the creek, and having made me trot on the frozen ground in my sock feet a while, they released us both and told us to go on our way."

Allen Trimble, b. 15 Jun 1815, d. 13 Apr 1889, m1. Elizabeth Nave, b. 1820, d. Aug 1857, m2. Sarah Coker Brown, b. 1827.  Children (by both Elizabeth & Sally): 

Redissa Trimble b. 1835

Sarah Trimble, b. 1836, m. Wendell Lantz

William Trimble, b. 1840, m. Mary Jane Casebolt, b. 1842

DeKalb Trimble, b. 1868. m. Sarah Elizabeth Jones

Sarah Trimble, b. 1871

Eliza Trimble, b. 1873

Elizabeth Trimble, b. 1876

Mary J. Trimble, b. 1879

Lucinda Trimble, b. 1840

Josiah Trimble, b. 1842, m. Betsey Risley

Mary M. Trimble, b.15 May 1844, d. 9 Oct 1906, m1 (according to Turnbo) William L. (Yellville Bill) Coker. M2 James King. Was parent of a son Calvin, by William L.  This would mean that Yellville Bill must have divorced the wife of his first four children, Elizabeth Hudspeth.

Milton Trimble, b. 17 June 1848, d. 12 Nov 1926, m1. Nancy Emeline Copelin, followed by three other wives. Milton and his family moved to Texas. His children were:

Elizabeth Trimble

William Thomas Trimble, b. 27 Mar 1870, d. 5 Dec 1957, m. Ida Adelia Langwell (1875-18 May 1956) 4 Oct 1890.

Harry Samuel Trimble

Bessie Faye Trimble

John Trimble, b. 1849, m. Margaret Francis Wilmoth b. 1863. One child: 

Mary Trimble b. Jan 1880

Malissa Trimble, b. 1856, m. Reed Keesee, b. 1854. Three children: 

Ada Keesee, b. 1875

Monty A. Keesee, b. 1877

Elsie Keesee, b. 1879

Mary Jane Trimble, b. c. 1820, m. Abraham (Abe) Nave, b. 1810 (killed during the war years). Their seven children were:

William Nave, b. 1837, m. Nancy Johnson

Sarah (Sally) Nave, b. 1838

Michael Nave, b. 1840, m. Mariah Lawrence

James M. Nave, b. 1842

Dice Nave, b. 1844

Winnie Nave, b. 1846

Isaac Nave, 1849-1896, m. Grace Elmira Turnbo b. 1857, Three children:

William Nave, b. 1876

Ida Nave, b. 1878

Ary Nave, b. Dec 1879

Sallie Coker Trimble m2. Michael (Mike) Yocham, b. 1799 in Germany, d. Dec 1862.

According to Turnbo, Mike, with brothers Jesse, Solomon, and Jake had traveled from Germany to America as children. At the age of 17, Mike was captured by Indians and held captive for four years. At one time the Indians condemned him to death. The chief interfered as the Indians were about to fire their arrows, saving him. After four years, Mike and a negro named Ben, who had also been captured, made their escape.  

Mike was a successful mill owner and briefly a representative to the state legislature from Marion County. 

In the fall of 1862, Mike was arrested for being a southern sympathizer and, although he was now old and feeble, was taken to Springfield, Missouri where he was imprisoned. He was released in December, but ill and without money, he had to walk all day, to finally reach the house of a friend "June" Campbell, where the exhausted man died.  Sallie and Mike’s seven children:

1.    Asa Yocham.b. 1819, d. May 1863, m. Eliza Denison, b. 1825.  Their eight known children:

Sarah Yocham, b. 1845, m. 1860 John B. Piland (both died in Mo. During the war years.)  One child?:

Eliza Jane Piland, b. 1861

Win Yocham, m. Sarah Casebolt

Michael Yocham, b. 1847, m. Nancy J. _____, b. 1852.  Four known children

Harvey Yocham, b. 1868

Telitha Yocham, b. 1875

Milton Yocham, b. 1877

William T. Yocham, b. 1879

John Yocham, b. 1848, m. Diana _____, b. 1852.  Three known children:

Eliza C. Yocham, b. 1870

Avarilla E. Yocham, b. 1873

Mary E. Yocham

Jacob Yocham, b. c. 1851

Harvey Yocham, b. 6 May 1854, m. Anna A. Pace, b. 1858.  Two known children:

James Allen Yocham, b. 1876

Nancy J. Yocham, b. 1878

William Yocham, b. 1856, m. Elizabeth _____ b. 1853. One known child:

Christine Yocham, b. 1877

Nancy M. Yocham, b. 20 Feb 1859, m. H.H. Perkins, b. 1858. Ten Children:

Ollie M. b. 1879, m. William Estes

Eliza Ann b. 1881, m. William Henry Wingate

John C. b. 1882

Hosea H. b. 1885, m. Virginia E. Coker

James C. b. 1888, m1 May Wilson, m2 Winnie Shinn

John V. b. 1889

Louella b. 1891, m. Ben Wilson

Hurley Haskins b. 1893

William Ralph b. 1896, m. Daisy Emery

Wallie W. b. 1898

(from the writing of S.C. Turnbo) "Asa was in a party of 30 southern men who rode on a raid into Ozark County, Missouri. The federals in Missouri, having been warned, surprised the southern sympathizers camped out on Turkey Creek, at about 9 a.m. With the federals charging in and firing, the confederates scattered. Asa ran about 250 yards with the union second in command chasing him. Growing tired, Asa stopped under a post oak tree and tendered the officer his pistol, butt foremost. The officer took the pistol, then raising it, shot Asa in the left eye.  Asa was the only casualty, although more than a hundred shots had been fired. While coming north, Asa’s group had stopped at the residence of Sam and Joe Piland (brothers of Capt Bill Piland, leader of the federals).  Joe was sick and home from the union army on leave.  Asa had prevented the men in his group from killing Joe and Sam Piland.  Harve Yocham his brother and another member of the raiding party, found the body the next day, and sent for Asa’s wife.  Assisted by other women, she returned with Asa’s body to bury him in the cemetery near their home."

2.  Harvey Yocham, b. 1821, m. Rebecca (Becca) Brown

3.  Jacob (Jake) Yocham(twin), b. 12 Jan 1829, m. Emerline Denison (sister of Eliza), b. 1829. Their eight known children:

Martha Ann Yocham b. 8 Jan 1852, m. Seymour W. Orcutt

William Dode Yocham b. May 1854, m. Anna A. _____

George W. Yocham, b. 16 Mar 1855, m. Paulina Belle Hammonds

James M. Yocham, b. 1857, m. Mary Ann Beasley

Eliza Jane Yocham, b. c. 1859, m. William Gregory

Sarah Yocham b. c. 1861, m. Richard Anderson

Jacob Yocham b. c. 1863

Isabella Yocham b. c. 1864, m. Rob McGregor

4.  William Yocham(twin), b. 12 Jan 1829, d. May 1861, m. Nancy Keesee, b. 1833. Two children:

Minnie Yocham, b. 1849

Jacob Yocham, b. 1852, m. Mary E._____, b. 1856. One known child: 

Clydon Yocham, b. 1878

5.  Sarah (Sallie) Yocham, b. 1834, m. Calvin Hogan, b. 1828

Ewing Hogan, b. 1861

Micajah Hogan, b. 1865

Sarah Ann Hogan, b. 1867

Idelia Hogan, b. 1870

Josephine Hogan, b. 1872

John C. Hogan, b. 1879

6.  Winnie Yocham, b. 1836

7.  Michael Yocham, b. 1838

 

6.    William Coker (Jr.)  b. c. 1798 Greenville Co., SC, d. before 1850, m. Sarah Green/Greene (maybe).  His children were:

Abigail Coker, b. 1819, d. 1869, m1. James Churchman, b. c. 1810, d. 1 Sep 1849.  Their two children were:

Adeline Churchman, b. 1839

Melinda E. Churchman, b. 1843, m1 Joseph Carter, m2 William Y. Corley.  Joseph and Melinda Churchman Carter's son:

William Joseph Carter, b. 19 Jan 1863 (see Carter Line)

m2 William H. Churchman, b. c. 1809, d. c. 1874 (see Churchman line)

Charles Coker, b. 1822

Malinda Coker, b. 1824, m. William "Southfoot Bill" Wood, b. 1823. Southfoot Bill built a saw and grist mill on Georges Creek which was burned down during the Civil War. After loosing his mill, Bill left for Texas and died in Comanche County there. Their three children were:

Thomas Benton Wood, b. 1847, m. Louisa C. _____, b. 1852.  Four children:

Dilia A. Wood, b. 1872

Ida M. Wood, b. 1874

Malinda E. Wood, b. 1877

William J. Wood, b. 1880

Sylvester Wood, b. 1848

James Irvine Wood, b. 1849

 

Edward (Ned) Coker, b. 1826, m. Demaris Glover b. 1843 (He was a veteran of the Mexican War who afterward returned to Marion County) (Some researchers say a different Edward married Demaris.)  Three children:

Paralee Coker, 6 Jun 1861-1 Sep 1940, m. John Matlock.

Charlcie Matlock 1878-1942

John Matlock 1888-1956

Minnie Estle Matlock b. 17Feb1891, m. Henry George Wahl

Joseph Edward Coker, b. Sep 1869, m. Nancy Luthenia Golding.  Twelve children:

Ida Lillian Coker, 5 Aug 1897-30 Nov 1970, m. Will Thomas Akin

Ted Coker

Ulysus Coker

Joe Coker, d. c. 1966, m. Ethel _____

Pearl Coker, m. _____ Perry

Robert (Bob) Coker

John Coker

William Thomas Coker, 5 May 1885-9 Feb 1959

Demaris Coker, 10 Sep 1890-23 Jun 1986, m. Arthur Springer

James Franklin Coker, b. 20 Feb 1893

Margie Coker, 25 Dec 1901-9 Sep 1968, m. Joseph Harrison Booth

Columbus Beecher Coker, b. 5 Jul 1904, m. Gladys Petitt

Dinah Coker

Sarah (Sallie) Coker, 1827-Dec 1902, m1. Thomas A. Brown, b. 1819, m2. Allen Trimble, b. 1815. Their children have previously been listed.

Nancy Coker b. 1830, m. Elijah (Lize) Wood

Hannah Wood b. 1844

Martha J. Wood b. 1847

James C. Wood b. 1848

William L.(Yellville Bill) Coker, b. c. 1831, d. 1871, m1. c. 1850, Elizabeth Hudspeth b. 1830, d. 1892.  m2 Mary M. Trimble.

Bill was an early day merchant in Lead Hill, had some local fame as a fiddler, and was also a noted Confederate soldier. He was recruited into Capt Mitchell’s company, a part of the 14th (Powers) Regt, Ark Inf. with his cousin Dan Coker.

In 1868 Yellville Bill built the first dwelling and the first store, and sold the first goods where Lead Hill, Boone County, Arkansas is. When the town first started, it was called Center Point. According to S.C. Turnbo the historian, Bill m2. Mary Trimble, a daughter of Allen Trimble, in 1862. After his death, Mary married James King, son of Robert King.  Mary Trimble Coker King died at Harrison, Ark 9 Oct 1906.  But in 1894 his sons, during interviews for "A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region", said their mother Elizabeth Hudspeth Coker lived until 1892. William L.’s children with Elizabeth Hudspeth, were John, James, Margaret, and Martha.

John W. Coker, b. 29 Jan 1852, m. Josephine Methvin. Nine children:

James R. Coker, b. 1871

Nancy B. Coker, b. 1874

John W. Coker, b. 1876

Alonzo Calvin Coker, b. 1879

Eliza Coker

Edward Coker

Arthur Coker

Ansel Coker

Garvin Coker

 

Following is an article quoted from "A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region":  "J. W. Coker, county sheriff. Connected with the history of the elections of Marion County, Ark., no name is more prominent or has borne with it more eclat than that of Coker. This gentleman is admirably adapted to the position he fills, for he is courageous, energetic and wide-awake, yet he has at the same time a pleasant and affable manner, is full of business, and attends to his duties very promptly. As he was born in the county January 29, 1852, and has lived here all his life, the people have had every opportunity to judge of his character and qualifications, and naught has ever been said derogatory to his good name. He is the eldest child born to his parents (see sketch of Dr. J. M. Coker), and his early education was acquired in the district schools, where he gained an excellent knowledge of the "world of books" through that energy and push that has been so characteristic of him. After reaching manhood he began farming some ten miles southwest of Yellville on Hampton Creek, and there still owns a good farm of 640 acres some of which is exceptionally fertile, and as it is located in the great mineral belt it is probably rich in minerals also. In 1893 he was elected by the Democrat party, of which he has always been a member, to the office of county sheriff and county collector and is discharging the duties of this office. He held the office of justice of the peace for some ten years in Hampton Township, and has been notary public some years. He has always been active in political matters, is one of the leaders of his party, and is well known for the interest he takes in the welfare of his section. He is a member of Jefferson Lodge of the A.F.&A.M. of this county. Miss Josephine Methvin, a native of this county, and daughter of John and Cora Methvin, the former of whom died while serving in the Confederate Army, became his wife and by him the mother of the following children: Nancy B., John W., Alonzo C., Eliza, Edward, Arthur, Ansel, Garvin, and James R., who is the eldest, is married and is engaged in farming south of Yellville. Mr. Coker belongs to the Baptist Church, and his wife to the Christian Church. Since 1893 they have resided in Yellville."

James M. Coker, M.D., b. 28 Apr 1853, m. Martha Cantrell, their nine children:

Edna A. Coker, m. _____ Woodruff

Ewaltus A. (Wallie) Coker

Virginia E. Coker, m. Hosea Perkins

Charles W. Coker

John M. Coker, m. Nina Wickersham

James Herbert Coker

Bascum Coker

Two other children William and Bertha, died in childhood.

Another article quoted from "A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region:  "James M. Coker, M.D.  He whose name heads this sketch is a successful practicing physician who has no pet theories to demonstrate at the risk of his patients’ lives, and who is prouder of the confidence reposed in him by the numerous first-class families whom he counts among his patrons than he could possibly be of any fame that could come to him through the following of any fancy calculated to move him. He was born in Marion County, Ark., April 28, 1853, the second child of William L.(Yellville Bill), and Elizabeth (Hudspeth) Coker, natives of this State, and grandson of William Coker (Buck’s son), one of the first settlers of Arkansas from Alabama. He was a farmer as was his son William L. (Yellville Bill), and the latter accumulated a fair competency by tilling the soil as well as by following mercantile pursuits and stockraising. He died in Boone County, Ark., in 1871, and his widow in 1892, (this disregards the fact that Yellville Bill must have divorced Elizabeth, in order to marry Mary Trimble) they having become the parents of four children: John W., the present sheriff of Marion County; J. M.; Margaret who died after marriage with Thomas Railsbeck, and Martha, who is the wife of James Gilley and lives in Texas.  Mrs. Coker was a daughter of George Hudspeth, one of the early settlers of Arkansas, and she was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  Mr. Coker was a soldier of the Confederacy, was with Price on his raid through Missouri and was a participant in numerous fights.  He was afterward a strong Democrat and became well known throughout northwestern Arkansas as a man of shrewd and practical business views and in the immediate section in which he lived for his jovial disposition and his ability as a raconteur.  He was a great lover of music, was expert as a violin player and was the life and soul of every public gathering.  The Doctor passed his youth on the home farm near Yellville and when twenty-two years old began the study of medicine with Drs. Jode and Newton and about 1880 began practicing the "healing art" near Yellville, continuing until 1887, when he opened an office in the town and has since devoted his attention to all branches of his profession with marked success.  He is a member of the State and County Medical Associations and socially is a member of Yellville Lodge of the A.F. & A.M., in which he has been an official. He is the owner of a farm of eighty acres four miles south of Yellville, which he has rented, and was at one time engaged in the drug business.  Martha, the daughter of W. P. Cantrell, became his wife and the mother of his eight children: Edna A., Ewaltus A., Virginia E., Charles W., John M. and James H. William died at the age of five years and Bertha at the age of three years. Mrs. Coker is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and politically the Doctor is a Democrat, and had held the office of mayor of Yellville several terms.  He is one of the active men of the county and is liberally patronized professionally."

Margaret Coker, 1859-1881, d. after marriage to Thomas Railsbeck.  Two children:

Lorenzo Railsbeck, b. 1877

James Railsbeck, b. 1879

Martha Coker, m. James Gilley

Jane Coker, b. 1832, m. William "Rosin Bill" Wood, b. 1825 TN, Child:

James Wood, b. 1849, Marion Co., AR

 

7.    Charles Coker, b.c. 1800 GA, d. 1871, m1. Elizabeth Trimble, b. NJ (a daughter of Jim "Shawnee Berry" Trimble), m2. Elizabeth "Betsy" Friend, b. 1803 MO. Children with both wives, were:

William (Wagoner Bill) Coker, m. Sarah Ann Wood

Lucinda D. b. 1846

Winnie b. 1848

Sarah Jane b. 1849

Leonard Coker, b. 1822, m. ?

Lucinda Coker, 1824-1894 m1. Henry Nepp (or Nipps). Their children, as of 1850, were:

Henry Nepp, b. 1845

Jackson Nepp, b. 1846

Charles Nepp, b. 1849

Lucinda m2. Thomas Boatright Turnbo says that they moved to Missouri during the war years and both froze to death one cold, wintry night.

Edward (Ned) Charles Coker, b. 29 Oct 1828 Lead Hill, AR d. 4 Mar 1894 Everton, MO, m1. Eliza Bryan, one son:

John Coker

m2. 6 Mar 1865 in Lawrence Co. MO, Mary Evaline O’Kelley b. 31 Aug 1849 in TX, d. 20 Feb 1909 Everton, MO. She was a daughter of Charles O’Kelley and Rebecca Fitzgerald.

Ned served in the Union army, in the 1st Regt, Kansas Volunteers, and was wounded in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek in Greene Co., MO.  He received a wound in the left side, made by canister which fractured the hip bone and at the same time his right hip was dislocated as he was simultaneously being run over by a six mule wagon. (Information from war pension file.) Their eleven children were:

Jennie Coker, b. 1866, m. ______ Barker, two children:

Earl Barker

Dessie Barker

Charles Coker, 1868-23 Apr 1870

William Edward Coker, b. 1871 MO, d. 1916 Butte, MT. Three children:

Willie Coker

Ella Coker

Theodore Roosevelt Coker

Leonard Coker, 1870-1878. Buried Sinking Creek, AR

Sarah V. Coker, b. 1873

Clara C. Coker, 4 Jan 1875-20 Dec 1897

Fredrick Thompson Coker, 15 Jul 1879-18 Jul 1952, m. Ollie Haralson. Four children:

Irene Thelma Coker, b. 19 Feb 1905

Pauline Coker, b. 27 May 1907

Eugene Randolph Coker, b. 12 Jan 1909

Donald Freeman Coker, b. 09 Jan 1914

Maude Coker, b. 23 Apr 1881, d. 1893

Randolph Coker, 12 Mar 1883-1929

Dolly Coker, 19 Jan 1886-1962

Mame Effie Coker, b. 23 Oct 1891, m. Frederick F. Womack b. 29 Jul 1887 Taney, MO, d. Prescott, AZ. Their children were:

Ceril Womack

Cletus Womack

Ellen Maurine Womack, 13 Feb 1915-13 Jul 1981, m. Robert Wilbert Savage, Jr. b. 30 Aug 1931.

Mary (Polly) Coker, b. 1831, m. 1847 Henry Wiggins. Their four children were:

Enoch Wiggins, m. ?. At least one child was born:

Lillie Francis Wiggins m. _______ Sewell. Son:

James Robert (Sam) Sewell, m. ?, son:

Hestel Sewell

Joseph Wiggins

Robert Wiggins

William (Billie) Wiggins

Joseph Coker, b. 1832 (or 1843?)

Elizabeth (Betsey) Coker, b. 1834, m. William (Bill) Manley

Mahala Coker, b. 1836 m. Dock Boatright

Malinda Coker, b. 1839

8.    Thomas Edward (Ned) Coker, 1801 TN-1865 MO, m. Winnie Yocum, b. 1803 TN.

Ned and Winnie settled on the right bank of the White River in Crocket township, in Marion County, Ark. When they settled this bottom land, they built a small log cabin, cleared a few acres of bottomland, and planted it in corn in 1824.  Ned and Winnie each day cleared land of its thick growth of tall cane, cutting it off with homemade hoes.  By the time of the Civil War, Ned had become moderately successful.  During the war years Ned and many of his neighbors were plagued by bandits. All of his horses and cattle had been stolen except for one wild mare which he managed to keep hidden. Some villains supposed that Ned, who had been successful and owned several slaves, might have gold and silver concealed somewhere on his farm. Accordingly one night he was visited by masked robbers who demanded to know where he had hidden his gold. When he refused to answer they resorted to burning his feet in the fire place. When he still refused to answer, they hung him from one of the house’s beams, but as the robbers were leaving, one stepped back and cut the rope for the struggling Ned. After the robbers had departed and Ned had recovered, his slave Jeff brought up the wild mare and helped Ned to mount. Ned and Jeff traveled night and day, leaving Marion County for Green County, Missouri where he died in 1865.  His house was burned sometime during the war years.  Ned and Winnie’s two children were:

William E. (River Bill) Coker, 1822-1865 in Green Co, Mo, m1 Margaret Holt Pumphrey, 1822-1860, a daughter of William Holt. m2 Mary A. Orr Coker. Children:

George Washington Coker, b. 1849, m. 1873 Ruth Kelly, b. TN, a daughter of A. L. and Adeline Kelly. Nine Children, for whom no names were found..

Following is an article from "A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region": "George W. Coker. In compiling an account of the mercantile establishments of the town of Lead Hill, Ark., it is the desire of the publishers to particularly mention those classes of houses which are the best representatives of each special line of trade, and which contribute most to the city’s reputation as a source of supply. As one of the leading representatives of general merchants and cotton dealers, the firm of G. W. Coker & Co. may well be quoted, for the extensive trade they have built up is the outgrowth of enterprise and commercial sagacity. Mr. Coker was born in Marion County, Ark., in 1850, and is a son of William and Margaret (Holt) Coker, both born in the year 1821, the former in Marion County, Ark., and the latter in Cannon County, Tenn. Previous to her union with Mr. Coker, the mother of Geo. W. Coker married Thomas Pumphrey in Tennessee, and in 1839 came to Ozark County, Mo., where she remained a few years. From there she moved to Fulton County, Ark., where Mr. Pumphrey died. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs Coker they resided in Marion County, Ark., until the Civil War, when they refugeed to Greene County, Mo. There Mr. Coker died in 1865. He was a successful farmer and stockraiser, a prominent Mason for a good many years, and a Democrat in politics. He was a Southern sympathizer, but took no part in the war. Geo. W. Coker’s paternal grandfather, Edward Coker, came with his parents to northern Arkansas when that State was wild and unsettled, inhabited chiefly by Indians and wild animals. His death occurred in 1865, and he left a large family well provided for, being a thrifty and enterprising man. His father, William Coker, better known as "Buck" Coker, was one of the first white men to settle in the wilds of northern Arkansas where he located nearly eighty years ago (1815), being the first settler of whom there is any record. He landed on White River in what is now Marion County, Ark., the day the battle of New Orleans was fought and was well known by many of the old people now living here. He was a farmer, and followed that with more than ordinary success until his death, which occurred when our subject was a boy. The mother of George W. died in 1860. She was the daughter of William Holt, who came from Cannon County, Tenn., and settled in Ozark County, Mo., in 1840. Nine years later he settled on White River, Marion County, Ark., and there improved a good farm, on which his death occurred in 1860. Mrs. Holt died in Lead Hill in 1882, when about eighty-five years of age. Geo. W. Coker is the eldest of five children: Winnie, wife of William Magness, of Lead Hill; Edward, of Howard County, Mo.; Mary, wife of E.P. Kelly, who is the other member of the firm; and Casandra, wife of W.L. Brown, of Lead Hill. He was reared on a farm, and his educational advantages were interfered with by the war. After the death of the father he began for himself as an agriculturist, and followed this until 1871, when he embarked in the mercantile business at Lead Hill, under the name of Pumphrey & Coker. This he carried on for nine years, when he removed to Harrison and sold goods there for seven years. Returning to Lead Hill, the present firm was established, and since that time they have done a thriving business of between $20,000 and $25,000 per year. They carry everything the farmer needs, including farm implements, etc., and they also own extensive farming and stock interests. Mr. Coker was married in 1873 to Miss Ruth Kelly, a native of Tennessee, and the daughter of A. L. and Adeline Kelly, who came from Tennessee to this county about 1869, and are still living. Mr and Mrs. Coker’s union resulted in the birth of nine children. Mr. Coker is a Mason, a member of Polar Star Lodge No. 224, Lead Hill, and he has always been an active Democrat in politics, his first presidential vote being cast for Tilden in 1876."

Winnie Coker, b. c. 1853, m. William Magness

Edward Coker, b. 30 Aug 1856, m1. Jennie Wofford (d. 1876), one child:

Viola Coker

m2. Jennie Noe, no issue listed for second marriage.

 

The following article is quoted from "A Reminiscent History of the Ozark Region: Edward Coker. This gentleman is one of the active stockmen of West Plains, Mo., and an influential and progressive citizen of the same. He is a product of Arkansas, born in what is now Boone County, at Lead Hill, August 30, 1856, to the marriage of William and Margaret (Holt) Coker. The Coker family is probably the oldest in north Arkansas. The mother of our subject was a native of Tennessee, and a daughter of William Holt who moved from Tennessee to Marion County, Ark., in the thirties. Mr. Holt was a farmer and a prominent man in his section of the State, and he and wife passed their last days there. Our subject was fifth in order of birth of six children, as follows: Sarah, died young; G. W., a merchant of Lead Hill; Winnie; Sarah and Mary. He grew up in Lead Hill, attended the public schools of that place and in 1875 started out to make his own way in life. He first opened up a store at Isabella, Ozark County, Mo., and continued in business there until 1881, when he moved to Gainesville. Later he went from there to West Plains, embarked in general merchandising by himself, and continued this successfully for six years. After that he engaged in the stock business, buying, selling and shipping, and is now one of the foremost business men of the place. Fraternally he is a Mason, a member of Lodge No. 327, and Chapter No. 108, and also Commandery No. 48, at West Plains. He has represented the chapter in the Grand Lodge. Mr. Coker has ever been prominent in politics and is a stanch supporter of Democratic principles. He has made a success of the enterprises in which he has engaged and as a business man stands second to none in the community. He was first married to Miss Jennie Wofford, daughter of J. W. Wofford of Mississippi, but who at one time resided in Arkansas. Mrs. Coker died in 1876, leaving one child, Viola. Mr. Coker’s second marriage was with Miss Jennie Noe, daughter of H. J. Noe, of Yellville, Ark. Mr. Noe was an old pioneer of that State and was a merchant for many years in Marion County, Mo. Mr. Coker owns a nice home in _______, an addition to West Plains, and is a popular citizen."

Mary Coker, m. Ephraim P. Kelly (business partner and brother-in-law of George W.)

Cassandra Coker, m. William L. Brown

daughter Sarah, died young.

Sarah (Sallie) Coker, 1824-1852, m. Jacob (Jake) Nave, 19 Jun 1814-29 Mar 1890. Children:

Edward (Ned) Nave, b. 1840

Mary L. Nave, b. 1843, m. William Sheleton

Dice Ann Nave, b. 1848

William Nave

John Nave

 

9.    Mary Jane Coker, b. 1806 TN d. 19 Nov 1878, m. 1824 Charlie Sneed b. 1801 d. 1865. In July 1824, Buck’s daughter Jane married Charlie. Neighbors lived far apart, but Buck asked his friends to attend the wedding. Among Buck’s best friends was Payton Keesee and he was among the invited guests. It was a hot days ride from where they lived on Little North Fork to where Buck Coker lived on the lower end of the Jake Nave Bend of the White River, to be present at the wedding. Jane and Charlie had the following children:

Seaborn G. Sneed 1828-1871, m. Easter Delina 1831-1902

Louise M. Sneed 1855-1860

Charles Sneed Abt 1861-1879

James Sneed abt. 1861-1879

William R. Sneed 23Mar1837-1904, m. 14Feb1869 Melrose McCracken

Charley Sneed

Willie Sneed

Elizabeth B. Sneed b. 13 Nov 1839 Osage, Carroll Co. AR, d. 20 Dec 1916 in AR. m. 9 June 1857 in Carroll Co. Thomas Washington Fancher.

10.    Buck’s last daughter Nancy, born c. 1810 TN, married George Wood, born 1805. They were the parents of fourteen children who are listed as follows:

Dicie Wood born 1828, married James Laremore

Dora Belle Laremore b. 1850, m. Will Patterson

Martha Jane Laremore b. 1854, m. Silas C. Wilson

Dora Belle Wilson b. 1875

John T. Wilson b. 1876

Elmer C. Wilson b. 1878

Elder John T. Laremore m. Reese Young

Edward Kelsie Laremore m. Mary Ebee

Winnie Wood b. 1830, married Charles Stalcup. Both died in the Mountain Meadows massacre in Utah, 11 September 1857. Two children are as follows:

George Stalcup, never married

Rachel Ann Stalcup m. John Hampton

William Wood, b. 1831, died in Mountain Meadows massacre 11 Sep 1857.

Hannah Wood, b. 1832

Elizabeth Wood, b. 1834

Jane Wood, 1835-1880, married Strother Dudley "Dud" Coker. He was killed while hoeing corn in a field, shot by a large party of bushwackers, in early 1865. Jane and Dud’s children have previously been listed.

Soloman R. Wood, b. 1837, killed in Mountain Meadows massacre 11 Sep 1857

Malinda Wood, b. 1839

George W. Wood, b. 1841

John Hardin Wood, b. 1843, married ______ Dixson

Nancy C. Wood, b. 1844

Martha Wood, b. 1847

Belbruda Wood, b. 1849

Sarah Ann Wood, b. 1850 and married Elisha Henderson

Josephine Henderson, b. 1866

Melinda Henderson, b. 1869

John E. Henderson, b. 1875

Amanda Henderson (twin), b. 1877

Alabama Henderson (twin), 1877

Amilda Henderson, b. 1879

Many people from the Ozarks area were members of a wagon train traveling to California. In Utah the train was attacked, supposedly by Indians, and all the adults were massacred while the smallest children were spared. For a while, feeling ran high against the Mormons, for most people looked on Brigham Young and his followers as the principal instigators of the massacre.

 

11.    George Washington (Wash) Coker, b. 20 Feb 1814 in NC, m. Nancy A. King, b. 1821 in AL. (I have not proven that George W. is a son of Buck; I believe he was a nephew.  His father was probably Buck's brother, Leonard).  He was listed on censuses as a physician.

Mary Coker b. c. 1840, m. Bill Williams

Seaborn (Sebe) Coker b. c. 1843, killed in Marion County during the Civil War 1861-65, m. Nancy _____ 

Eliza Coker b. c. 1845, m. Newton Raines

Betty Coker b. c. 1847, m. James Summers

George Coker b. c. 1849, m. Martha _____

Nancy E. Coker, b. 1850 in AR

Emeline Coker b. c. 1851, m. James Stout

Frances Coker b. c. 1853, m. James Young

Joseph Calvin Coker b. c. 1855, m. Susan Burrow

Martha Ann Coker b. c. 1857, m. Newton Couch

Missouri A. Coker, b. 1861, m. William Dugger

Barnett "B" Coker, b. 4 June 1862 in AR

Bon Coker b. 4 June 1862 in AR (twin of Barnett)

 

S.C. Turnbo, a historian of the time, recorded in his unpublished manuscript several of the events of this period. He wrote: "I well remember being at Yellville one day in the month of July 1861, when a call was made for volunteers to join the Confederate Army. A company of men raised in Marion County and the Southern part of Taney County, Missouri, were present. These patriotic citizens had volunteered their services to defend the Southern Cause. Their commanding officer was Captain (later Colonel) William C. Mitchell, whose company afterwards formed part of the 14th regiment (Mitchell’s/Power’s Regt) of Arkansas Infantry. Captain Mitchell marched his company back and forth through the streets to the music of two violins in the hands of Dan Coker and "Yellville" Bill Coker, who were members of the company. As the soldiers marched along with the colors flying at the head of the column, invitations to the men present to enlist in their ranks were extended by both officers and soldiers.  A number of those gallant, young men responded to the call of their friends.......and fell in line to shed their blood for the sunny South."

In all, at least ten of the Cokers of Marion and surrounding counties enlisted in the 14th Infantry Regiment, nine of them in Company C. They were: Daniel G., Henderson L. ("Lafferty Coon"), Joseph, Mitchell D., Randolph B., S.C., S.D., William L.(Yellville Bill), and William P. The regiment was mustered into Confederate service August 1861, and assigned to Hebert’s Brigade, McCulloch’s Division, in northwest Arkansas in October. The regiment fought at the Leetown battlefield at Pea Ridge March 7-8, 1862. Col. Mitchell and several of his men including Daniel G. Coker were captured, but were exchanged in less than a year. Reconsolidating at Van Buren, Arkansas, the regiment marched overland to Des Arc. There the regiment was transported by steamboat to Memphis in an attempt to unite the Army of the West with Confederate forces in Mississippi, in order to attack Grant at Pittsburgh Landing, TN.  By this time, some of those captured had been reunited with the regiment.  May 19th is when Daniel’s group was exchanged at Ft Pillow, and Daniel died soon after exchange. The regiment arrived too late to participate in the battle of Shiloh. It was reorganized at Corinth, MS on May 8, 1862 and served in the Corinth Campaign of May-June 1862, followed by the Battles of Iuka, MS on September 19, and at Corinth on October 3-4, 1862.  The regiment was consolidated with the 18th and 23rd Arkansas Infantry regiments in January 1863, then reassigned to Beale’s Brigade, Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana in February 1863, where it was assigned as part of the garrison for the defense of Port Hudson, La.  The garrison was under siege for 49 days from May to 9 July 1863, surrendering on the latter date. It was during this 49 days, in June, that Henderson "Laffety Coon" Coker, was killed. A coffin was prepared, and his friends William Riddle and Tom Maxwell dressed the body and prepared it for burial. The regiment was paroled later in July, but was dissolved and never reformed. Some of the survivors enlisted in other Arkansas units early in 1864. Joseph and Mitchell D. joined Co. A, 27th Ark Inf. Randolph B. joined Co. C, Harrell’s Battalion.  

Confederate military records of the Civil War in general and Arkansas units in particular, are disappointingly brief. I was aware that Henderson L., son of Joseph Dempsey Coker, died during the siege of Port Hudson, La circa May-July 1863.  But I was not aware that his brother Daniel G. was captured March 7/8 1862 at the Battle of Elkhorn or Pea Ridge. He was in a group of prisoners transferred to Alton, Ill and later to Ft. Pillow, Tn May 19, 1862 where he died while awaiting exchange.

More strangely, William L. (Yellville Bill), son of William Jr, and like Henderson and Daniel, a member of Company C of the 14th Arkansas Infantry, was listed as deserted 26 January 1862 in the only record of his service. Obviously the records are incomplete, since Silas C. Turnbo after the war, wrote that William was "a noted Confederate soldier".

Whenever looking at military (Civil War) unit rosters on internet, there is usually a caveat about the term "deserted". There are many reasons for that term being used. An individual might not have returned from furlough on time; he might have become ill and needed to be nursed back to health while on leave; he might have been drafted into another unit while at home; he might have been killed or injured by irregulars while home on leave; he might be a prisoner of war, taken while on furlough or through circumstances unknown to his unit. I’m sure I haven’t listed all of the reasons possible.  Anyway, William (Yellville Bill) was singled out by Turnbo for praise for his military service.

From an unpublished manuscript of the historian, S.C. Turnbo, "she (Mrs. Z.B. Smith) quotes: ‘Lafferty Coon Coker, a half-breed Indian whose mother was of the Cherokee Nation and legal wife of Joe (Joseph Dempsey, Sr) Coker, was killed at Port Hudson. "Yellville" Bill Coker, a noted fiddler, (son of William Coker) was also a noted Confederate soldier.  Ned Coker (son of William Coker, Jr?) was a volunteer in the American army and fought through the war in Mexico and returned home. Joe Coker, son of Charles Coker, was a Confederate."

Records of the following Cokers in the Marion County 1850 census: 

William (Buck) Coker...farmer, 

William Coker (Jr.)...farmer, 

William (River Bill) E. Coker...farmer, 

Joseph (Dempsey) Coker...farmer, 

Edward Coker...farmer, 

William (L.) Coker...farmer, 

William (Prairie Bill) I. Coker...farmer, 

Dempsy (Fields) Coker...farmer, 

Hardin Coker...farmer, 

Calvin Coker...farmer, 

George W. (Washington) Coker...farmer. 

(Note: By the 1850 census, John R. and Randolph, sons of Joseph Dempsey and killers of James Churchman and Billy Brown, must have left the county....possibly for Indian Territory.)

 

 

 

 
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1