Hand drawn map of the Lewis Chapel, Flat Top, Soddy-Daisy,
Mowbray Mountain, Bakewell, and Sale Creek area of Tennessee
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By permission, the text below is excerpts from a book, The Colemans of North Hamilton County Tennessee by Cy Yarborough.
(408) Benjamin Carroll Coleman was born 4/20/1842, in what was then Bledsoe County, TN, on Walden's Ridge somewhere near the present site of the Lewis Chapel and Flat Top Mountain communities. He spent most of his childhood on the mountain and moved with his family to the Bakewell, TN, area sometime in the 1850s as a teenager.
Ben farmed with his father and brother Lewis on the mountain and in Bakewell until the outbreak of the Civil War.
On 11/13/1861, Ben joined the Union Army as a Private at Sale Creek, TN. He was mustered in the 7th Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry, Company H at the age of 19. This company was commanded by Col. William Clift of Soddy, TN, one of the most powerful and influential men of North Hamilton County at that time.
Private Coleman remained with the 7th Infantry for a little over a year but the unit was disbanded late in 1862. Ben was subsequently transferred to the 1st Tennessee Infantry on December 30, 1862. This began a malady of errors which would take over 40 years to straighten out.
According to one document Ben was transferred to the 8th East Tennessee Infantry by order of Major General Wright, Commanding Department, Ohio. However, there are no records of him joining either outfit until 4/30/1863, when several documents state he joined the 1st East Tennessee Infantry at Lexington, KY, through transfer from the 7th Tennessee Infantry. His where- abouts from 12/30/1862, to 4/30/1863 are unknown. One record states he was present for duty in May and June of 1863 and another states he was absent, sick, on 6/27/1863 at Crab Orchard, KY, and another shows absent sick again at Barboursville, KY. The next entry states he deserted on 8/16/1863 at Stanford, KY.
The next entry for the 1st Tennessee Infantry is dated 2/28/1864. It is a "Descriptive List of Deserters" document that also states Ben deserted 8/16/1863, at Stanford, Ky. The final entry for the 1st East Tennessee Infantry was dated 9/17/1864. It is a "Muster Out" roll prepared at Nashville, TN. It states that $9.03 had been received by Ben for clothing, that there had been no last settlement, that there had been no bounty paid and that he deserted on 8/16/1863 at Stanford, KY, that he was transferred from the 7th Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry on 4/30/1863, and that there was never a final statement received. The following information becomes even stranger.
On various muster rolls of the 9th Tennessee Cavalry, it is shown that Ben joined the 9th on 3/10/1863, at Liberty, Kentucky, and was mustered in at Cumberland Gap, TN. In January of 1854, he is shown as absent, deserted 8/26/1863. In October of 1864, he is shown as absent with leave since 10/20/1864. He is shown present in May and June of 1865, with the 9th. The last record is a "Company Muster Out Roll" dated 9/11/1865, at Knoxville, TN. It states $6.95 was due him, that a $25 bounty had been paid to him and a $75 bounty was still due him. It also states that he was a private from enlistment, that one revolver was retained under Gen. Order 101, a.g.o. 1865, $8.00., that he was present for duty and that a discharge was furnished.
A document dated 11/28/1903, from the Record and Pension Office of the War Department states that Ben was transferred from the 7th Tennessee Infantry to the 1st TN. Infantry on Special Order No. 41, Paragraph 1, Headquarters Department of the Ohio, dated 1/21/1863. This is over a month after the first document said he was tranferred. This would explain some of the missing time between December 20, 1862, and April 30, 1863, when he actually reported. There is still no record of how he went from the 1st East Tennessee Infantry to the 9th Tennessee Cavalry, except that records indicate he deserted from the 1st on 8/26/1863, and joined the 9th in violation of an article of war. One of his documents fromn the 1st E. TN. Infantry states he deserted from that unit on 8/26/1863, and joined the 9th TN. Cavalry on 1/25/1865, yet there was a document from the 9th stating he was absent with leave on 10/20/1864.
Undoubtedly there are somne records missing that would explain the descrepancies in the moves from one unit to another.
I've been told by some of Ben's grandchildren that he received a wound in the war and drew a pension for the rest of his life due to the wound. Also, where he is buried, he has a U. S. Government marker for U. S. Civil War Veterans, so he apparently got the errors cleared up in order to receive the headstone and the pension.
Ben came hack to Bakewell after his discharge in the fall of 1865 and began farming with his father and brother again.
In 1868 he had an affair with Martha Gross which resulted in the birth of an illegitimate son (see Benjamin Franklin Coleman IV.)
Ben then married Adaline Elizabeth Varner on 9/22/1869, in Hamilton County, TN. Addie was born 3/27/1846, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. She was the daughter of Allen and Elizabeth Bryant Varner, and the granddaughter of James Varner, one of the first settlers of North Hamilton County. She was a second cousin to B. F. Coleman III's wife Sarah Jane Varner. After their marriage, they lived on Mowbray Mountain which was, at that time, just inside the Sequatchie County line. He lived on top of the mountain near his cousin Barbara Coleman Harvey and his brothers and sisters-in-law, Jim Varner, Lewis Varner and Louretta Grant. Ben and Addie remained on Mowbray Mountain all of their married lives. Ben farmed and was credited with starting the old "Coleman School" which was one of the early schools on the mountain during the late 1800's.
Hand drawn map of the Lewis Chapel, Flat Top, Soddy-Daisy,
Mowbray Mountain, Bakewell, and Sale Creek area of Tennessee
Ben sold part of his land on the mountain to his brother-in-law, Jim Varner, and after selling the rest in 1890 to Mary M. Hughes, as they were preparing to leave the mountain and go back to Bakewell, his wife Addie died on 9/25/1890, at the age of 44. She was buried in the Varner Cemetery on Mownray Mountain.
After the funeral Ben and his children moved back to Bakewell on a 40 acre farm he bought on 12/16/1889, from W. E. Hughes, who may have been a relative of his mother's. This land was located on the present site of Back Valley Road in Bakewell near the Southern Railway tracks and backed up to the foot of Walden's Ridge. On the property was an old Hughes family cemetery and through the years, other citizens of Bakewell began being buried on property near it that was donated by Ben, thus the entire area became known as the "Coleman Cemetery."
Ben added to and sold off portions of this land but remained at the same location for the rest of his life. He farmed most of the rest of his life and became a well known and esteemed citizen of Bakewell. He never remarried after losing his wife in 1890.
Ben was associated with the Presbyterian Church in Bakewell as much of his family was.
(408) Benjamin Carroll Coleman appears in the photo below:
Benjamin Carroll Coleman, late in life. (c1920s)
He died on 6/11/1928 at his home in Bakewell, at the age of 86 years, 1 month and 22 days. The funeral was held at the Bakewell Presbyterian Church and he was buried in the Hughes (now Bakewell) Cemetery on Retro-Hughes Road near the railroad tracks in Bakewell.
(408) Benjamin Carroll Coleman and Addie Varner Coleman had 10 children:
(949) 1. Nancy Elizabeth Coleman, b. 11/27/1870, in TN (950) 2. John William Coleman, b. 3/09/1872, in TN (951) 3. Louella Elvira Coleman, b. 3/09/1874, in TN (952) 4. James Allen Coleman, b. 1/18/1876, in TN (953) 5 Millie Catherine Coleman, b. 10/31/1878, in TN (954) 6. George Washington Coleman, b. 5/04/1880, in TN (955) 7. Sarah Jane (Sally) Coleman, b. 10/06/1882, in TN (956) 8. Lewis Coleman, b. 5/11/1885, in TN (957) 9. Jackson Coleman, b. 2/O5/1887, in TN (958) 10. Adeline Coleman, b. 9/15/189O, in TN
Street level map of SW section of Soddy, TN showing Mowbray Pike.
[Source: U.S. Census Tiger Map Server, http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapsurfer]
(949) Nancy Elizabeth Coleman, (951) Louella Elvira Coleman, (953) Millie Catherine Coleman, (954) George Washington Coleman, and (955) Sarah Jane (Sally) Coleman appear in the photo below:
George Washington Coleman with his 4 sisters,
Lou Coleman McGill,
Lizzie Coleman Bolton,
Millie Coleman Edmonds, and
Sally Coleman Armor.
(949) Nancy Elizabeth (Lizzie) Coleman was born 11/27/1870, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. She grew up on the mountain and moved to Bakewell with her family as a young woman in 1890. On 3/25/1894, she married John V. Bolton in Hamilton Co., TN. John was born 11/?/1872, in Graysville, TN, but was raised in Sale Creek, TN. He was the son of David S. and Sarah E. Bolton.
In their early married life, Lizzie and John lived in Sale Creek where John was a merchant owning several General Stores in the North Hamilton County area as well as many other areas. John traveled quite a bit as a young man but the family settled in Cincinnati, Ohio in the early 190O's. John bought his first store in Cincinnati in 1922. He would buy a fledgling store, make it prosperous, sell it and buy another.
Lizzie and John remained in Cincinnati for the rest of their lives, owning many stores. He still owned the Home Store in Sale Creek at the time of his death on 1/26/1960, at the age of 87. He was buried in Cincinnati. Lizzie died 10/13/1961, in Cincinnati just one month and 16 days before her 91st birthday. She was also buried in Cincinnati. Little is known of them since they all grew up in Cincinnati. (949) Nancy Elizabeth (Lizzie) Coleman and husband John V. Bolton had:
(959) 1. David Fletcher Bolton. b. 10/?/1895, in Bakewell, TN.
(960) 2. Benjamin Roy Bolton, b. 02/?/1897, in Bakewell, TN. He
married in 1921 and had 3 children.
(961) 3. Arthur Lester Bolton, b. 06/?/1898, in Bakewell, TN. He grew
up in Cincinnati, married and had 2 children.
(962) 4. Clarence Bolton - He grew up in Cincinnati, married and had 2
children.
(950) John William Coleman was born 03/09/1872, on Mowbray Mountain. He grew up on the mountain and moved with his family to Bakewell as a young man in his late teens. John farmed early in life but became a builder and building contractor. On 8/29/1906, he married Annie Welch, a school teacher in the Hamilton County School System. Annie was born 12/22/1880, on Mowbray Mountain, the daughter of Walter and Catherine Thomnas Welch, members of pioneer families of North Hamilton County. Annie was educated on Mowbray, attended Terrell College, Louisiana State University and graduated from the University of Chattanooga.
John was a well known building contractor in N. Hamilton County, and throughout the county. Annie taught in the Hamilton County-Chattanooga City school systems for nearly 50 years, teaching at Mowbray, Soddy, Gold Point, Bakewell, N. St. Elmo and Normal Park elementary schools.
John retired as a contractor and died in Chattanooga, TN, on 8/13/1944, at the age of 72 years, 5 months and 4 days. He was buried in Chattanooga Memorial Park.
Annie retired from teaching that year after nearly 50 years. She lived with her daughter on Signal Mountain until her death on 9/18/1965, just a little over 3 months before her 85th birthday. John and Annie had 2 children.
(950) John William Coleman and wife Annie Welch had:
(963) 1. Walter Welch Colemnan, b. 02/03/1908, on Mowbray Mountain, TN (964) 2. Ben Addie Coleman, b. 03/31/1910, on Mowbray MTN, TN
(963) Walter Welch Colemnan was born 2/3/1908, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. He has been married 3 times, 1st to Marion Skeen, then to Mary ? , and also to his present wife, Elenor Hayes. Walter has lived in several areas of the Southeast, including Chattanooga, but presently lives in Springville, Ala. He has 5 children.
(964) Ben Addie Coleman (Parry) was born 3/31/1910, on Mowbray MTN, TN. She grew up in the Chattanooga area and married Arthur W. (Scotty) Parry, on 8/24/1946, at Signal Mountain, TN. Scotty was born 11/8/1908, in Bradford, England.
Ben Addie and Scotty were well known in the Chattanooga area for their Day Lilly Nursery they ran on Signal Mountain. They competed in shows throughout the South and on a national level. They retired eventually from an active nursery and Scotty died on 11/19/1975. Ben Addie still lives at their Signal Mountain home. They had 2 children.
(951) Louella Elvira Coleman was born 03/09/1874, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. She grew up on the mountain and moved with her family to Bakewell at the age of 16. Around 1894 she married John R. McGill in Bakewell. John was born 3/2/1861 in Bakewell, the son of William M. and Sarah McGill, members of one of the oldest families in the North Hamilton County area.
Lou and John lived in the Bakewell area all their lives. They were affiliated with the Bakewell Presbyterian Church. John was a farmer in the area until his death on 5/6/1920, at the age of 59. He was buried in the Gray Cemetery. Lou lived on for many years but never remarried. She died at the home of her daughter, Eula, in Bakewell on 6/27/1961, at the age of 87 years, 3 months and 18 days. She was also buried in the Gray Cemetery in Bakewell.
(951) Louella (Lou) Elvira Coleman and husband John McGill had 8 children:
(965) 1. Eula McGill (Asure), b. 02/04/1896, in Bakewell (966) 2. Virgil C. McGill, b. 01/01/1899, in Bakewell, TN (967) 3. Blanche McGill, b. 11/26/1900, in Bakewell, TN (968) 4. Archie McGill, b. 01/17/1903, in Bakewell, TN (969) 5. Sally Marie McGill, b. 02/09/1906, in Bakewell, TN (970) 6. Irene McGill, b. 09/04/1907, in Bakewell, TN (971) 7. Harold DeWitt McGill, b. 11/26/1910, (972) 8. Brownie McGill (Doss), b. 06/05/1916, in Bakewell, TN
(965) Eula McGill was born 2/4/1896, in Bakewell. Eula grew up in Bakewell but traveled and lived in several different areas during her adult life before even- tually re-settling in Bakewell later in life.
She married Oliver Asure on 2/4/1925, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Oliver was born 3/6/1896, in Philadelphia, Pa.
Oliver died at home in Bakewell in 1966. Eula died 12/28/1982, just a little over 2 months short of her 87th birthday. She was buried in the Coleman Cemetery, in Bakewell. They had no children.
(966) Virgil C. McGill was born 1/1/1899, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell where he has lived most of his life. In 1923, Virgil married Jean Stewart in Flint, Mich. Jean was born 11/21/1901, in Sale Creek, TN.
Virgil worked for several years as a welder at Coleman Brothers Welding Shop in East Chattanooga, which was owned by Virgil's first cousins, George and Lavoy Coleman.
Virgil and Jean now live on ploy/bray Mountain where they are retired. Virgil has been known as an avid hunter and fisherman for many years until recently when advancing age has begun to slow him.
(966) Virgil C. McGill and wife Jean Stewart had these three children:
(1209) 1. Virgil C. McGill, Jr., b. in 1924, he died as a baby. (1210) 2. Bobbie Irene McGill, b. 07/16/1926, in Bakewell, TN. (1211) 3. M. (name withheld) McGill, b. 08/29/1931, in Bakewell, TN.
(1210) Bobbie Irene McGill grew up in Bakewell and married James Lewis Yother in 1946, in Rossville, GA. J. L. was born 8/16/1925, on Mowbray Mountain. They had 4 children.
(1211) M. McGill resided on Mowbray Mountain. He grew up in Bakewell and married B. Smith in Soddy, TN, on 11/1/1952. She was born 04/02/1934, in Soddy. He was employed as an electrician for W. C. Teas Co., in Chattanooga. They had 5 children.
(967) Blanche McGill (Jones) was born 11/26/1900, in Bakewell, TN. She great up in Bakewell and married William Springfield (Quincy) Jones on 1/10/1925, in Sale Creek, TN. Quincy was born 10/15/1900, in Sale Creek. Blanche and Quincy have made their home in Sale Creek all their married lives. They had no children.
(968) Archie McGillwas born 1/17/1903, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell but left at the age of 17 for Flint, Mich., to work in the automobile factories, never to return to Tennessee to live. He married Alma Tuck and they resided in Flint, Mich. all their married lives. Archie was an auto worker. They had 3 children.
(969) Sally Marie McGill was born 2/9/1906, in Bakewell, TN. She died later that year.
(970) Irene McGill (Coulter) was born 9/4/1907, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and married Lewis Murrell Coulter on 11/27/1927, in Georgia. Lewis was born 8/31/1902, in Sale Creek, TN, and was a descendant of a pioneer North Hamilton County family.
Lewis worked for the Missouri Pacific R. R. He and Irene lived in the Bakewell and Sale Creek area in their early years of marriage but eventually came to live in the Knoxville, TN. area.
Lewis died 2/28/1971, in Knoxville, TN. He was buried in the Welch Cemetery, in Sale Creek. Before her sister Eula's death, Irene had been splitting her time between her home in Knoxville and Eula's home in recent years. She and Lewis had 2 children.
(971) Harold DeWitt McGill was born 11/26/1910, he died as a young child.
(972) Brownie McGill (Doss) was born 6/5/1916, at Bakewell, TN. She married Taylor Doss on 6/15/1935, at Rossville, GA. Taylor was born 1/16/1913, in Bakewell.
They lived in Bakewell most of their lives and presently make their home there. They had 3 children.
(952) James (Jim) Allen Coleman was born 1/18/1876, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. He grew up on the mountain and moved to Bakewell when he was 14, with his family. He remained in Bakewell and farmed as a young man.
James married Ideemie (Deemie) Estella Hickman on 12/25/1899. Deemie was born 1/30/1879, in Newton, Kansas. She was the daughter of John Anderson and Sarah Jane Bandy Hickman of Bakewell. She was the granddaughter of Henry Hickman, Jim's Aunt Margaret's second husband.
Jim and Deemie lived in Bakewell most of their married lives, but also lived in Soddy and Sale Creek for short periods of time.
Jim rented farms and raised crops, did carpentry work, ran a sawmill in Bakewell for awhile and ran a coal mine on Flattop Mountain for a time also. He was blessed with the Coleman ability to do most anything with his hands. He and Deemie also ran a WPA cannery in Bakewell during the Great Depression of the 1930's.
Jim left Deemie after all their children were raised and married and lived around Chattanooga the last few years of his life. He died on 11/19/1953, in Chattanooga, TN. just 2 months short of his 78th birthday. He was buried in Chattanooga Memorial Park, in Red Bank, TN. Deemie died at daughter Lorie's house on 1/17/1957, just 13 days before her 78th birthday. She was buried beside Jim in Chattanooga Memorial Park.
(952) James "Jim" Allen Coleman and wife Ideemie (Deemie) Estella Hickman had 7 children:
(973) 1. Orris Aurora "Iris" Coleman, b. 11/29/1900, in Bakewell, TN (974) 2. Arnold Anderson Coleman, b. 11/21/1901, in Bakewell, TN (975) 3. Mabel Thelma Coleman, b. 04/04/1903, in Bakewell, TN (976) 4. George Orval Coleman, b. 07/22/1906, in Bakewell, TN (977) 5. Lavoy Clinton Coleman, b. 07/21/1911, in Dunlap, TN (978) 6. Elizabeth Jane "Lib" Coleman, b. 11/26/1913, in Bakewell, TN (979) 7. Ova Lorie Coleman, b. 09/13/1917, in Bakewell, TN
(973) Orris Aurora (Iris) Coleman (McKeehan) (Salvo) (Leach) was born 11/29/1900, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and married Earl McKeehan on 1/31/1923, in Lafayette, GA. She divorced Earl, then later remarried him. Earl later died and she married Robert Salvo of Chicago, Ill. She later divorced Salvo and married Robert Leach of Milwaukee, Wisc. Bob was born 6/5/1891, in Ottawa, Canada. Bob ran a bee farm and had other businesses in Milwaukee. They remained married until Bob's death on 8/9/1942, at the age of 51. During her marriages Iris lived in Bakewell, Chattanooga, Chicago, California and Milwaukee. After Bob's death, she eventually returned to Chattanooga and became the owner of Leach's Rest Home on Dayton Boulevard in Red Bank, TN for many years. In 1965 she sold the rest home and retired, living out most of the rest of her life in Red Bank. She died 12/28/1979 in Chattanooga, TN, at the age of 79 years and 1 month. Buried in Chattanooga Memorial Park, Red Bank, TN. No children.
(974) Arnold Anderson Coleman was born 11/21/1901, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in the Bakewell area and became a well known amateur baseball player for Soddy in the late teens and early 20's. He was signed by the Louisville Colenal's minor league baseball team in 1924, went to spring training but was either cut from the team or quit before the season started.
He married Anna Murriel Graves of Bakewell, in Sale Creek, TN, on 8/20/1924. Murriel was born 9/17/1904. Arnold and Murriel lived most of their married lives in either Bakewell or Rockwood, TN. Arnold made his living as an automobile mechanic. In 1953 Arnold divorced Murriel and married Wanda Strickland of Rockwood. Arnold and Wanda were married around 2 years when Arnold died on 10/7/1955, just about 1.5 months before his 54th birthday. He was buried in the Gray Cemetery, in Bakewell, TN. Arnold had 2 daughters by his 1st wife and 2 sons by his 2nd wife. (974) Arnold Anderson Coleman had:
by wife Anna Murriel Graves (980) 1. Betty Louise Coleman, b. 07/11/1925, in Bakewell, TN (981) 2. Laura Margaret Coleman, b. 06/18/1928, in Graysville, TN by wife Wanda Strickland (982) 3. withheld Coleman, b. late 1953 or early 1954 (983) 4. withheld Coleman, b. early 1956 after father's death
(980) Betty Louise Coleman was born 7/11/1925, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and Rockwood and married Charles Cecil Logan. Cecil was born 3/17/1922. Betty and Cecil have lived almost their entire married lives in Miami, Fla. They have 3 children.
(981) Laura Margaret Coleman (Pemberton), b. 6/18/1928, in Graysville, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and Rockwood and married C. W. Pemberton (or Pemberson?), Jr. They live in Rockwood TN, and have 3 children.
(982) withheld Coleman, b. in late 1953 or early 1954. He has lived in Rockwood all his life. He is married and has 1 son.
(983) withheld Coleman, b. in early 1956 after his father's death. He has also lived in Rockwood all his life and is married. No children.
(975) Mabel Thelma Coleman (Pickel) was born 4/4/1903, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and married Ernest Pickel, in Chattanooga, TN, on 4/9/1921. Ernest was born 11/3/1899, in Oliver Springs, TN. Thelma and Ernest lived in Bakewell and Red Bank early in their marriage. Tragedy struck when Ernest was burned to death in an oil heater explosion in the basement of Loveman's Department Store in Chattanooga. He lived several days after the explosion but had severe burns over his entire body. He died 8/22/1929, at the age of 29. Thelma never remarried but raised her children on her own. She lived in Red Bank when Ernest died but soon moved back to Bakewell. She helped support her family by working in a WPA cafeteria in Soddy during the depression, and later worked for many years at Miller's Department Store in Chattanooga as a switchboard operator, a position from which she retired.
She lived with her son Ernest Jr. all of his adult life and now resides in East Ridge, TN. She and Ernest Sr. had 2 sons.
(975) Mabel Thelma Coleman and husband Ernest Pickel had:
(984) 1. Ernest Pickel, Jr., b. 05/14/1922, in Bakewell, TN (985) 2. James Edward (Brother) Pickel, b. 03/05/1926, in Bakewell, TN
(984) Ernest Pickel, Jr., b. 5/14/1922, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Red Bank, Bakewell and Chattanooga. He was a veteran of the U. S. Army in WWII. He married Josephine Hurst of La Grange, GA, on 10/12/1944, in La Grange. Jr. worked for South Central Bell in Chattanooga most of his adult life. He lived in Chattanooga during his early married life but lived most of the time in East Ridge, TN. Jr. was known as an avid fisherman, hunter, outdoorsman and automobile enthusiast. He died on 12/29/1982 of a heart attack at the age of 60 years, 7 months and 15 days. He was buried in Chattanooga Memorial Park, Red Bank, TN. Josephine has been ill for many years and presently lives in an institution in Chattanooga. They had 1 son in Chattanooga.
(985) James Edward (Brother) Pickel, b. 3/5/1926, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Red Bank, Bakewell and Chattanooga, TN. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy in WWII, where he learned the refrigeration trade. James remained in the refrigeration business all his life. He has worked all over the world and lived in several places in the U. S. such as Wisconsin, TNessee, Alabama, Texas and California.
He married Joyce Marrissi who was born 11/14/1925, in Iron Mountain, Mich. They made their home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during their married lives. They divorced and James has married twice since then. He lived in Texas in the late 1980s. He had 2 children by his 1st wife.
(976) George Orval Coleman was born 7/22/1906, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in and attended school at Bakewell. He did all types of work as a young man but soon took up the trade of welding under Charlie Kimball and George Bailey at Chattanooga Welding and Machine Co. He became known as a master welder where he worked for Ortmeier Machinery in Chattanooga for 2O years before opening his own welding shop with his brother Lavoy on Dodson Avenue in E. Chattanooga.
George married Gertrude Catherine Price on 11/15/1924, in Sale Creek, TN. She was born 9/9/1905, in Nemo, TN. George and Gertrude lived in Bakewell during the early years of their marriage but in the spring of 1928 bought property on Hedgewood Drive in Red Bank and lived there the rest of their married lives.
George divorced Gertrude and married Lucy Teasley Vandergriff of Hixson, TN. They lived on Sandswitch Road in Hixson all of their marriage until George's death.
George was an avid outdoorsman and took pride in the game chickens that he raised.
George died 10/8/1961, at the home in Hixson, TN, at the age of 55 years, 2 months and 17 days. He was buried in Chattanooga Memorial Park, in Red Bank. Gertrude still lives in Red Bank and Lucy in Hixson.
(976) George Orval Coleman and his 1st wife Gertrude Catherine Price had three children, (no children by his second wife):
(1218) 1. Ralph George Coleman, b. 08/30/1925, in Bakewell, TN (1219) 2. Donald Edward Coleman, b. 06/07/1928, in Chattanooga, TN (1220) 3. Dorothy June Coleman, b. 08/13/1931, in Bakewell, TN
(1218) Ralph George Coleman, b. 8/30/1925, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Red Bank, TN, and attended school there. He was a veteran of WW II.
Ralph married Audrey Colston on 4/30/1945, in Rossville, GA. Audrey was born 12/21/1928, in Huntsville, Ala. Ralph and Audrey lived in Chattanooga while they were married. Ralph suffered drinking problems and Audrey divorced him, moved to Miami, Fla and later remarried. Ralph never remarried.
Ralph worked at least some of the time at his father's welding shop in E. Chattanooga. He died on 8/23/1966, in Buffalo, N. Y., just a week before his 41st birthday. He was buried the day before his 41st birthday in Chattanooga Memorial Park. Ralph and Audrey had 3 children.
(1219) Donald Edward Coleman, was born 06/07/1928, in Chattanooga, TN. He grew up and attended school in Red Bank, TN. He was married briefly to Mary Unknown. Donnie had an unfortunate life in which he had several scrapes with the law from his late teens until his untimely death on 8/25/1953, at the age of 25 years, 2 months and 13 days, when he was shot and killed by a policeman during a burglary in Chattanooga TN. He was buried in the Gray Cemetery, Bakewell. He had no children.
(1220) Dorothy June Coleman (Downey) (Lewis), b. 8/13/1931, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Red Bank, TN, and attended school there. She married first Samual F. Downey. She married second Daniel Lewis. Junie lived in the Chattanooga area most of her life. She had 3 children, 1 by her first husband and 2 by her second.
(977) Lavoy Clinton Coleman was born 7/21/1911, in Dunlap, TN. He grew up in Bakewell and attended school there. He married Verna Moore Sowders on 8/6/1932, in Lakeview, GA. Verna was born 4/18/1912, in Georgia.
They lived their early married life in Bakewell and on Bakewell Mountain. Their house burned on Bakewell Mountain and they lost virtually everything. They eventually settled in E. Chattanooga, just a few blocks from his and his brother's welding shop. He and George ran the shop for many years and Lavoy continued to run for many years after George's death until Lavoy's retirement in the mid-1970's.
Lavoy retired to property on the Tennessee River in Meigs County, TN. He died 1/26/1976, in Chattanooga, TN, at the age of 64 years, 6 months and 5 days Verna still lives on the river in Meigs County. They had 3 children.
(978) Elizabeth Jane (Lib) Coleman (Hutchinson), b. 11/26/1913, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell, attended grammar school there and graduated from Soddy High in 1932. She was one of the most outstanding female athletes ever to attend the old Soddy High as she led the girls track team to several county championships and the Soddy girls basketball team to a state championship in 1932.
After her graduation she married John Champion (Jack) Hutchinson on 6/2/1934, in Bakewell. Jack was b. 1/17/1904, in Tifton, GA. Jack grew up on a farm in Tifton, attended Georgia Tech and went to work for American Telephone and Telegraph.
They moved to Atlanta, GA where they remained all their married lives except for 3 years in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. during the early and mid 1950's.
Lib remained active in sports for many years, bowling, fishing and coaching church basketball teams. She was also an avid breeder of champion Pekinese dogs. Jack retired in 1969. They lived in retirement for several years and Jack's health failed all during this time. He died of cancer and emphysema on 9/26/1978, in Atlanta at the age of 74. He was buried in a family cemetery in Tifton. Lib still lives in Atlanta with her youngest daughter. Lib and Jack had 3 children.
(979) Ova Lorie Coleman (Yarborough), b. 9/13/1917, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and attended school there. She graduated from Soddy High School in 1935. She moved to Chattanooga after graduation and worked for Loveman's in Chattanooga as a model. While working for Loveman's she met and married James Monroe Yarborough. The marriage was on 9/21/1940 in Rising Fawn, GA. Jimmy was born 11/8/1914, in Birmingham, Ala. He was the son of Cleveland and Daisy Deaver Yarborough. Lorie and Jimmy lived in East Ridge, TN, most of their married lives except for several years in Atlanta, GA. Jimmy was a WWII veteran and worked several years as the manager of the roofing department of Southern Blowpipe and Roofing in Chattanooga. Lorie became a well known artist in the Chattanooga area. Lorie and Jimmy divorced in September of 1967, after 27 years of marriage. Jimmy remarried and died 5/25/1972, at the age of 57 in Chattanooga. Lorie has never remarried and presently lives in and around the Chattanooga, TN, area. Lorie and Jimmy had 2 children.
(953) Millie Catherine Coleman was born 10/31/1878, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. She moved to Bakewell with her family around the age of 12. She grew up in Bakewell and attended school there. She married Richard Bascombe Edmonds on 5/11/1901, in Hamilton County, TN, by Burke Priddy, Justice of the Peace. Richard was born 7/13/1874, in Sale Creek, TN , the son of Brice Anderson and Maggie Manning Edmonds.
Millie and Richard settled down to a long and fruitful marriage. They lived in Bakewell all their married lives, raised 4 children and were long time members of the Bakewell Federated Church.
Millie died on 1/30/1955, in Bakewell, at the age of 76 years and 3 months. She was buried in the Coleman Cemetery, Bakewell. Richard died on 1/4/1961, at the home of his daughter in Bakewell. He was 86 when he died. He was also buried in the Coleman Cemetery.
(953) Millie Catherine Coleman and husband Richard Edmonds had:
(987) 1. Leonard Edmonds, b. 04/25/1904, in Bakewell, TN (988) 2. Clarence Washington Edmonds, b. 01/01/1906, in Bakewell, TN (989) 3. Ruth Annette Edmonds (Green), b. 05/07/1913, in Bakewell, TN (990) 4. Richard Clifford Edmonds, b. 06/12/1915, in Bakewell, TN
(987) Leonard Edmonds was born 4/25/1904, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell and was educated in local schools. Leonard married Delphia Ann Harvey on 12/21/1932, in Graysville, TN. Delphia was born 10/7/1907, on Flat Top Mountain, TN, the daughter of Ephram and Emma Jane Bowman Harvey. Leonard and Delphia lived in Bakewell and in Chattanooga during their married lives. Leonard was a construction worker and retired from Brown Bros. Construction in Chattanooga.
Leonard died 11/13/1968, in Chattanooga at the age of 64 years, 6 months and 18 days. He was buried in Hamilton Memorial Gardens. Delphia now lives in Rossville, GA next door to her and Leonard's only child.
(988) Clarence Washington Edmonds was born 1/1/1906, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell, attending school there. He married Claudia Brannon on 7/7/1927, in Soddy, TN. As far as I know Clarence and Claudia lived in Bakewell all their married lives, and raised their family there.
Clarence died 2/13/1954, at the age of 48 years, 1 month and 13 days. Claudia is now living in Sale Creek, TN. Clarence and Claudia had 5 children.
(989) Ruth Annette Edmonds (Green) was born 05/07/1913, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell, attended school there and lived there all her life. She married Otto B. Green on 1/26/1930, in Graysville, TN. Otto was born 6/26/1907, on Flat Top Mountain, TN. Otto died 3/13/1964, in Bakewell. Ruth remained in Bakewell until her death on 12/18/1983. She was buried in the Coleman Cemetery, Bakewell, TN. Ruth and Otto had 7 children.
(990) Richard Clifford Edmonds was born 06/12/1915, in Bakewell. Clifford grew up in Bakewell but little is known of him. Richard married 1st Evelyn Newman. Richard married 2nd Patricia Unknown. Richard married 3rd Elizabeth Goins.
(990) Richard Clifford Edmonds had several children.
(954) George Washington Coleman was born 05/04/1880, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. He moved with his family as a boy to Bakewell after his mother died when he was 10 years old. He was educated in local schools in Bakewell and farmed for some time with his father.
George never married, but after the death of his brother-in-law, John Armor, he went to Cincinnati for a period of time and helped raise his sister's children.
Around 1920 George moved to Dunlap, TN. to live on the farm of his 1st cousin George Hickman. He remained there for 35 years until his death on 6/3/1955, 1 day short of being 75 years and 1 month old. George is said to have loved the Sequatchie Valley and to have been a gentle, warm and compassionate man. He was buried in the Hixson Cemetery, Dunlap, TN.
(955) Sarah Jane (Sally) Coleman was born 10/06/1882, on Mowbray Mountain, TN.
She moved with her family to Bakewell as a young girl. She grew up and was educated in Bakewell schools and married John Armor on 1/9/1906, in Hamilton County, TN. John was born 4/?/1879, in Bakewell.
Sallie and John lived in Bakewell during their married lives, however John died rather young, sometime in the 192O's.
After John's death Sallie moved to Cincinnati, OH, to be near her sister, Lizzie Bolton. Her children were mostly in their teens then and she and her children, all remained in Cincinnati. Sallie was the last surviving child of Ben and Addie Varner Coleman when she died in Cincinnati on 3/17/1963, at the age of 80 years, 5 months and 1 day. She was buried in Cincinnati. Sallie and John had 4 children.
(955) Sarah Jane (Sally) Coleman and husband John Armor had:
(991) 1. Hayden Armor, b. 04/27/1909, in Bakewell, TN (992) 2. DeWitt Pat Armor, b. 03/21/1911, in Bakewell, TN (993) 3. Micheal Vance Armor, b. 04/27/1913, in Bakewell, TN (994) 4. Anita Marie Armor, b. 12/21/1915, in Bakewell, TN
(991) Hayden Armor was born 4/27/1909, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell and Cincinnati, OH. He married Helen Smith of Kentucky on 5/10/1934. Helen was born 11/3/1918. As far as I know they always made their home in Cincinnati. Hayden is no longer living. He and Helen had 2 children.
(992) DeWitt Pat Armor was born 3/21/1911, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell and Cincinnati. He married Dorothy Weston in May of 1934. Dorothy was born 8/21/1917, in Whitley City, Kentucky. They also have always made their home in Cincinnati. Pat and Dorothy have 3 children.
(993) Micheal Vance Armor was born 4/27/1913, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in Bakewell and Cincinnati and married Emma Ruck on 4/27/1935. Emma was born 4/19/1914, in Cincinnati. Mike and Emma have also made their home in Cincinnati for all their married lives. One of Mike's favorite pastimes over the years has been playing in a country & western band in the Cincinnati area. He and Emma have 3 children.
(994) Anita Marie Armor (Schwegman) was born 12/21/1915, in Bakewell, TN. She moved to Cincinnati as a girl with her family. She married Arthur A. Schwegman on 2/15/1955, in Cincinnati. Arthur was born 4/30/1910, in Cincinnati. They have 1 adopted daughter.
(956) Lewis Coleman was born 05/11/1885, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. He moved to Bakewell with his family after his mother died when he was 5. He grew up in Bakewell and married Lena Mae Greene.
Not much is known of the life of Lewis or his family. His wife was a mountain woman and for at least several years of their marriage I believe they lived on either Bakewell or Sale Creek mountain.
Lewis and his family apparently didn't socialize with other family members much as a niece who grew up in Bakewell recollects that about the only time they saw Lewis or his family was when they came down off the mountain during strawberry picking season and canning season and the whole family would stay with them.
Lewis apparently farmed most of his life. He was divorced from his wife later in life. He died at his home at Bakewell on 12/27/1951, at the age of 66 years, 7 months and 16 days. He was buried in the Varner Cemetery on Mowbray Mountain.
Lena Mae remarried a man named Rogers after her divorce of Lewis. At last report she was living in a rest home near Dayton, TN, and was near 100 years old.
Lena Mae Greene (Coleman) (Rogers), former wife of Lewis Coleman, died 10/08/1934. She was 88 years old. (956) Lewis Coleman and wife Lena Mae Greene had these children:
(995) 1. James Nolan Coleman, b. c1914 (996) 2. Francis Coleman, b. 11/2/1915, in Bakewell, TN (997) 3. Faye Coleman, b. c1916 (998) 4. Henry Allen Coleman, b. c1918 (999) 5. John (Sonny) Coleman, b. c1919 (1000) 6. David Franklin Coleman, b. c1921 (1001) 7. Vernon Coleman (female), b. c1922 (1002) 8. Rhada Coleman, b. c1924 (1003) 9. Lillian Coleman, b. c1925 (1004) 10. Jean Coleman, b. c1926 (1005) 11. June Coleman, b. c1928
(995) James Nolan Coleman, He lived in Chattanooga area most of his life. He worked for Armour Company in Chattanooga, TN. at the time of his death. He died 5/15/1977 due to a drowning accident at Brown's Bridge in Sale Creek, TN. He had 9 children.
(996) Francis Coleman was born 11/2/1915, in Bakewell, TN. He married Myrtle Britt on 7/5/1939, in Rossville, GA. She was born 6/26/1926. Francis lived in Rossville at the time of his death on 10/24/1980, at the age of 64 years, 11 months and 22 days. He and Myrtle had 2 children.
(997) Faye Coleman (Robinson) married Harold Robinson and they lived in Nebraska. They had 3 children.
(998) Henry Allen Coleman lived in Hixson, TN and had at least 1 child.
(957) Jackson Coleman was born on Mowbray Mountain, TN, on 2/5/1887, he was the last child of Benjamin Carroll and Addie Varner Coleman to live to maturity. He grew up in Bakewell but apparently never lived there as an adult, leaving Bakewell as a young man.
He married Etta Dunning of Graysville, TN and lived in Florida and Birmingham, AL. Jack died on 3/23/1962, at the age of 75 years, 1 month and 18 days. He was buried in Birmingham, AL. He and Etta had 1 daughter.
(957) Jackson Coleman and wife Etta Dunning had:
(1006) 1. Violet Coleman
(958) Adeline Coleman was born 9/15/1890, on Mowbray Mountain, TN. She died on Mowbray Mountain on 10/12/1890, at the age of 27 days. She was buried next to her mother in the Varner Cemetery, Mowbray Mountain.
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