Descendants of Amos Leroy Coleman of Bledsoe County Tennessee

Descendants of Robert Coleman of Nansemond County Virginia 1684-1930

Chapter 37. Descendants of Amos Leroy Coleman of Bledsoe County Tennessee

By permission, the text below is excerpts from a book, The Colemans of North Hamilton County Tennessee by Cy Yarborough.
Editor's notes are my additions based on reports people have given me or I have researched - Wes Coleman

(413) Amos Leroy Coleman was born 4/13/1875, in Bakewell, TN. His father was nearly 57 years old when Amos was born and he died before Amos reached his 8th birthday. Amos was raised by his mother and older half-brother, Frank. He grew up in Bakewell and was educated in the local schools of Bakewell. He farmed on his mother's land in young adulthood.

Amos bought 35 acres of land from J. L. Hackney, on 2/10/1910. This may have been the land he lived on for the rest of his life but I'm not sure. As far as I know his home was located on the present Highwater Road, East of Hiway 27, North of Soddy and South of Bakewell.

Editor's Note:
Map inserted to depict the area being discussed.
Hand drawn sketch map of the Lewis Chapel, Flat Top, and Soddy-Daisy area of Tennessee
Map of the Lewis Chapel, Flat Top, and Soddy-Daisy area of Tennessee, drawn by the author

Amos and Georgia Smith Coleman around their wedding date, early 1915

Amos married Georgia Smith on 4/4/1915, in Bakewell. Georgia was born 12/25/1892, in Bakewell, the daughter of James and Nancy Shipley Smith. They lived in the Soddy-Bakewell area all of their married lives.

In the summer of 1926, tragedy struck the family as an epidemic of colitus swept through Bakewell. Several of Amos' children came down with it and 3 of them died within days of each other. Amos and Georgia were devastated. Amos was known as a warm, compassionate man and some relatives say he never recovered from the loss.

Amos continued to farm his land until he retired late in life. He was a well known and respected member of the community. He died at his home on 8/25/1956, at the age of 81 years, 4 months and 12 days. His wife Georgia lived on for several years and died 10/10/1968, 2.5 months before her 76th birthday.

(413) Amos Leroy Coleman and wife Georgia Smith had eight children:

(1092)  1. Roberta Ruth Coleman,            b. 11/25/1915, in Bakewell, TN, d. 7/01/1926 of colitus
(1093)  2. Victor Morris Coleman,           b. 07/19/1917, in Bakewell, TN, m. Lonnie, d. 3/29/1981
(1094)  3. Eugene Russell Coleman,          b. 10/08/1918, in Bakewell, TN, d. 7/26/1926 of colitus
(1095)  4. Eva Ovaleen "Tootsie" Coleman (Laymon) (Penney),   b. 07/31/1920, in Bakewell, TN
(1096)  5. Robardean Coleman (dau.),        b. 09/01/1921, in Bakewell, TN, d. 7/2/1926 of colitus
(1097)  6. Madge Coleman (Johnson) (Holcomb) (Potter) (Gooden), b. 11/24/1923, in Bakewell, TN
(1098)  7. Ruben Cooper Coleman,            b. 12/10/1925, in Bakewell, TN,
(1099)  8. Laura Faye Coleman (Hickman),    b. 02/17/1928, in Bakewell, TN,

(1092) Roberta Ruth Coleman was born. 11/25/1915, in Bakewell, TN. She died of colitus on 7/1/1926, at the age of 10 years, 7 months and 5 days.

(1093) Victor Morris Coleman was born 7/19/1917, in Bakewell TN. He grew up and was educated in Bakewell schools and graduated from the old Soddy High School in 1935.

Morris lived in New Mexico as well as Soddy. He married Lonnie Robinson on 4/21/1956, in Tucson, Arizona. Lonnie was born 9/19/1936.

In later years, Morris and Lonnie lived at the old homeplace on Highwater Road.

Morris died 3/29/1981, in Chattanooga, TN, at the age of 63 years, 8 months and 10 days. He was buried in the Ware Cemetery, Bakewell. Morris and Lonnie had 3 children.

(1094) Eugene Russell Coleman was born 10/08/1918 in Bakewell, TN. He died 7/26/1926, during the colitus epidemic, at the age of 7 years, 9 months and 18 days.

(1095) Eva Ovaleen "Tootsie" Coleman (Laymon) (Penney) was born 7/31/1920, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and was educated in local schools in Bakewell and Soddy. She was stricken with colitus during the 1926 outbreak but survived it.

She married first Ocle Laymon of Bakewell. She married second Clifford E. Penney of Soddy. Tootsie lived most of her life in the Soddy-Bakewell area, and in late 1980s lived in the Hixson area where she and Clifford made their home. Tootsie had 3 children by her first marriage.

(1096) Robardean Coleman was born 9/1/1921 in Bakewell. She died 7/2/1926, of colitus, at the age of 5 years, 10 months and 1 day.

(1097) Madge Coleman (Johnson) (Holcomb) (Potter) (Gooden) was born 11/24/1923, in Bakewell, TN. She grew up in Bakewell and was educated in local schools. She married first Grady Johnson who was killed in WWII. She married second Frank Holcomb, married third Jack Potter, and married fourth to Ken Gooden. She lived in Illinois and Knoxville, TN for a number of years and was last known to live in Illinois. She had one child by her third marriage.

(1098) Ruben Cooper Coleman was born 12/10/1925, in Bakewell, TN. He grew up in the Bakewell area and attended local schools there. He graduated from Soddy-Daisy High School in 1944. He married Lois Devine. Cooper and Lois have lived away from the Soddy area most of their married lives. They lived in Louisville, KY for a number of years then in Richmond, Va., and last in Louisville again.

(1098) Ruben Cooper Coleman and wife Lois Devine had twin boys.

(1099) Laura Faye Coleman (Hickman) b. 2/17/1928, in Bakewell, she is the last of Amos and Georgia Coleman's children She grew up in the Bakewell area and was educated in the local schools. She married James Hickman of Soddy on 4/13/1945, in Soddy. Jim was born 10/27/1921, in Bakewell, the son of William Carl and Annie Welch Hickman. He is a relative of all other Hickman's in this book that previously had married into the Coleman family. Faye and Jim lived in Soddy and Spring City, TN. She is now divorced and lived in Newport, TN in the late 1980s.

(1099) Laura Faye Coleman and husband Jim Hickman had two children.