COFFEE CEMETERY

Surveyed 22 March 1969,
by the late William Q. Hill

Location: From downtown Florence take Cloverdale Road (State Highway 157), go for about 2 miles, turn left about 50 yards after crossing Cox Creek. A historical marker can be seen here (about General John Coffee and the War of 1812) at the entrance to the property. Follow driveway about 200 yards to the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Barnett, Jr., present owners [in 1969] of the property surrounding the cemetery. The cemetery is located about 150 yards west of the house and it is enclosed by a brick wall about 4 feet high and is about 100 feet by 100 feet in area. This cemetery has a picturesque location. As far as can be determined, there are about 38 graves, 20 of these are of the marble vault type (box tombs), 4 are of marble slab type, 8 are marble vertical or perpendicular type, and 6 are stones with no engravings at all. Much of the engraving was very difficult to read and some was completely illegible.

NAME                         BORN           DIED     INSCRIPTIONS/COMMENTS
Asher, Mary Jane           1 Jun 1835    17 Jul 1836 dau of Allen & Jane Asher of Marida
Asher, John Andrew         7 Feb 1833    21 Jul 1836 son of Allen & Jane Asher of Marida
          [These two graves appeared to have had brick vaults at one time, but many of the bricks
             were disarranged.]
Coffee, John           "Sacred to the memory of Gen. John Coffee, who departed this life on the
                       7th day of July A. D., 1833,aged 61 years. As a husband, parent and friend
                       he was affectionate, tender and sincere. He was brave, prompt and skillful
                       General; a distinguished and sagacious patriot, an unpretending just and
                       honest man.
                                 To complete his character, religion mingled with these virtues, her
                       serene and holy influence gave him that solid distinction among his fellow
                       men, which distraction can not sully nor the grave conceal. Death could do
                       no more than remove so excellent a being from the theatre he so much
                       endorsed in this world to the bosom of the God, who created him and
                       who alone has the power to reward the immortal spirit with exhaustless
                       bliss."
Coffee, Mrs. Mary         13 Jun 1793    11 Dec 1871 wife of Gen. John Coffee
Coffee, Alexander Donel    3 Jun 1821     9 May 1901 "I am the resurection and the life, he that
                       believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live."
Coffee, Ann Eliza         10 Sep 1824    22 Mar 1871 dau of Rev Jas L & Lititia V. Sloss and
                                                     wife of Alexander D. Coffee
Coffee, John D.           15 Mar 1815   not readable son of John and Mary Coffee
                       [Death date was completely eroded and could not be read.]
Coffee, Elizabeth          2 Feb 1817    19 Jan 18__ dau of Genl. John and Mary Coffee
                                                     [year of death not readable.]
Coffee, Camilla                  1842           1928 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the
                                                     death of his saints.
Coffee, Eliza Croom       18 Aug 1879     5 Sep 1904 dau of Alexander D. and Camilla Coffee
                       Blessed are the pure I heart for they sahll see God. The dead live never
                       more to die and often where we mourn them dead, they never were so high.
                       PRECIOUS
Coffee, Emily             23 Jul 1828     7 Aug 1829 dau of John and Mary Coffee
Coffee, Inf. Daughter                       Dec 1857 In memory of our infant and beloved daughter.
                       [There appeared to be other inscriptions on this stone, but were not legible
                       enough to be read.]
Coffee, Infant Daughter                         1877 Infant daughter of A. D. & C. M. Coffee
                                                     As a flower she faded.
Coffee, Virginia Malone          1840           1891 wife of William Coffee
Coffee, William                  1830           1902 son of Gen. John Coffee and Mary Donelson
                                                     Coffee.
Coffee, Catherine H       24 Sep 1826     9 Nov 1881 dau of Gen. J. and M. Coffee; Blessed are the
                                                     dead which die in the lord.
Coffee, Joshua            19 aug 1832    25 Jan 1879 son of Gen. J. and M. Coffee; Though he slay me
                                                     yet will I trust in him.
Donelson, Capt. John      23 Apr 1787    28 Apr 1840
Hutchings, Coffee         14 Mar 1838     4 Sep 1844 sonof Auther & Mary Hutchings
Hutchings, Andrew J.       1 Jun 1839    29 Apr 1862
Hurchings, John Coffee    29 Nov 1831    25 Dec 1831 inf son of Andrew and Mary Hutchings
Hutchings, Col. Andrew "departed his life 15 Jan. A. D. 1841, aged 28 years. He was reared, educated by
                       his uncle Andrew Jackson, in virture and morality became a useful man in society,
                       respected by all who knew him, was raised to some of the hightest honors
                       in his adopted state, a sincere _____[?], a pious christian, a tender husband and
                       father, an honest man, the noblest work of God cut off in the memory of his glory
                       in the prime of life, his soul rest in the bosom of his God. "
                       [A copy of his stone made in 1934 shows the illegilbe word to be "friend".]
Hutchings, Mary        24 Sep 1826       11 Dec 1839 dau of Genl. John and Mary Coffee; I am going
                                                     to my Lord and Master.
Hutchings, Mary           8 June 1836    16 Jun 1836 inf dau of A. J. and M. Hutchings
Lorance, John             22 Sep 1787    22 Sep 1846 He was a good man and a just
[2 graves next to above, but stones had no engravings.]
Lorance, Mary S.          23 Jan 1831    15 Feb 1857 consort of Wm. Lucius Lorance
Lorance, Lucius        "In memory of our little Lucius, W. L. L."
                       [This stone seemed to have been originally placed in the center of the grave listed
                       just above, possible both could have been buried in the same grave.]
McFadden, Alexander    born near Ballymina Co. of Antrim Ireland,
                       departed this life at Florence, 29 July 1825.
[The grave next to Alexander McFadden was a slab-covered grave with no inscriptions; it is possible that the
slab had the top side down.]
Morgan, James T.             Jan 1839       May 1894 born near Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Morgan, Rachel Posey       4 Oct 1845     7 Aug 1906
Morgan, Maud H.              Sep 1878       Dec 1898 dau of Dr. J. T. and R. A. Morgan; Blessed are
                                                     the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Posey, Calista De Pries   26 Mar 1814    21 Jul 1854 wife of S. C. Posey; She is not dead but sleepth
                                                     righteousness is immortal.
Posey, Mary L.            10 Nov 1843     9 Aug 1903 [Stone broken and on the ground]
[Next to Mary Posey was a grave with no inscriptions on the stone.]
Nye, Mary D.              29 Mar 1857    18 Oct 1884 dau of Wm & Virginia Coffee; wife of Chas. N. Nye
Waddel, Lucinda           19 May 1812    28 Aug 1852 Be ye also ready.

Six unmarked graves in the back of the cemetery. It is possible that these were graves of slaves.

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