COFFMAN
(west of Anna in the area of the Coffman
Cemetery)
On the Wing
Weekly Democrat-Gazette
May 11, 1913
contd Chambersville
R. L. Taylor, who is another hog
man and who's in the business because it fills his purse with easy money,
allowed the hot air department of The Weekly Democrat-Gazette to get between him
and his last dollar in payment for one year's subscription to the Best Paper on
Earth. His favorite breeds are the famous O. I. C. and the Essex. The former
commend themselves because they are very prolific of large size and the meat,
when cured is a superior quality of bacon. The latter because they are light
breeders, require very little grain in growth and development when furnished
sufficient pasturage. In connection with his hogs, Mr. Taylor has a flock of
sheep, and the White Leghorn Chickens. He is a man, who believes in the best of
everything motoring his plows and other impliments on the farm with a span of
black Percherons two and three years old, weighing over 2,500 pounds.
J. L. Rallins was born in
Kentucky but grew to manhood in West Tennessee, jumping late Arkansas where he
was married to Miss Richel Pierce who is the mother of his five children. He has
resided in Texas fifteen years and we thank him for the tender of a long green
for fifty-two copies of the Best Paper On Earth.
While in this community, we spent
a very pleasant night in the home of two former Fannin County friends, Mr. and
Mrs. E. L. Sims. Mr. Sims has bargained for a 140 acre farm within three
quarters of a mile of the school house and store and three miles southwest from
Anna which is convenient to the rail road. Mrs. Sims was formerly Miss Lizzie
Sumner, and a first cousin to W. B. Wilson, one of the editors and publishers of
The Daily Courier-Gazette and The Weekly Democrat Gazette. They have a family of
six children and all girls but one. The Best Paper On Earth is an old weekly
visitor in this home and esteemed highly by each member of the family.
J. L. Anderson was looking for us
because he wanted to subscribe for a county paper that knew how to stop when its
last breath had left it. When assured that the Best Paper On Earth "winked out"
with the last paid up copy, he quickly went after his purse. In 1911 he and Miss
Myrtle Blackerby were married and the stork had paid them only one visit. Mr.
Anderson has leased the George Coffman farm and it goes without saying that he's
a successful farmer. Fifty-two copies of The Weekly Democrat-Gazette will
furnish him the campaign, war and local news as it drops from the wire daily in
our office.
***
contd Wood Dale
COFFMAN JOTTINGS
Daily Courier Gazette, May 17, 1938
by Mrs. O. S. Scott
This is an old established
community, located three or four miles, slightly northwest of Melissa. It is in
the midst of one of Collin County's best agricultural sections. The Coffmans,
after whom it is named, settled in this section in an early day in the county's
history. The late George Coffman was one of the most successful farmers and
livestock breeders our county ever had. He was a breeder of jacks and jennies
and prided himself on raising choice big, heavy mules and supplied the farmers
and mule buyers, who came many miles to his farm to supply their needs.
Miss Sue Evelyn Rattan is teacher of
the Coffman School. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dow Rattan, another
pioneer family, who settled just a short distance northwest of the Coffman
Schoolhouse in the last days of the Texas Republic. The Rattans came to Texas
and settled in this part of the state along with the Throckmortons. One of the
latter, James W. Throckmorton, became one of the noted figures of the state and
was elected as eleventh Governor of Texas in 1866. He also served in the State
Legislature before he was elected Governor and after serving as Chief Executive
of our state was several times elected to the Lower House of the National
Congress, at Washington, D. C. He married a Rattan daughter.
Wheat, oats, corn and cotton all
look only fairly well, in this community, as elsewhere over the county. But,
with a few days of dry, sunshiny weather, a wonderful pick-up in crop conditions
will be forthcoming.
We visited in the home of Mr. and
Mrs. F. M. Simmons, who recently bought the place of the late Mrs. Eskew,
located on the old Telephone road, from McKinney to Sherman, a short distance
west of Melissa and located in the Coffman School District. Mr. Simmons is
diversifying his crops, this year, and co-operating with the government set-up
program in crops and soil conservation. Like other farmers, he is very busy at
his mid-spring season of the year. The Simmons farm is due to have a good
orchard in the course of a very few years. During recent months, Mr. and Mrs.
Simmons have set out a variety of fruit trees, berry vines and also a vineyard.
Many farms, whose enterprising owners have done likewise several years ago, are
now enjoying the fruit of their labor, in homegrown fruits, berries and grapes
that they are harvesting in season in different parts of Collin County. Mrs.
Simmons is a real lover of pretty yards and flowers. While she lived in McKinney
as the wife of the late Walter Hedgcoxe, she was active in P. T. A. work and
other women civic activities. She has a large flock of Rhode Island Red baby
chicks that are coming on rapidly to the broiler and fryer size and seem healthy
and well taken care of. Mr. and Mrs. Simmons' place is located on Route One,
Melissa, of which John A. Lacy is the accommodating carrier. It is a great
privilege to live on the farm, especially at this pretty spring season of the
year and yet have such conveniences as Free Mail Delivery, every day, and other
modern conveniences, formerly enjoyed only by city residents. The Rural Electric
line will soon be built along by their farm. They are looking forward with
eagerness to the time when electric lights will be available in their farm home
and for other uses that electricity can be put to on farm premises. They are
also looking forward with eager anticipation to the grading and rocking of the
road along by their farm, so that in the future they will not be mud-bound
during wet weather and be free to go and come at will at any time, regardless of
the state of the weather. The Simmons home has three children in it as follows:
Pafford Hedgcoxe, stepson of Mrs. Simmons; Mamie Hedgcoxe, daughter of Mrs.
Simmons and Frances Simmons, granddaughter of Mr. Simmons. These complete the
happy family circle. Both of the young girls are pupils in the Melissa Public
School, going to and from each day in the school bus that passes along in front
of the Simmons home front door.
We are pleased to announce that Mrs.
F. M. Simmons will henceforth serve as regular correspondent from Coffman for
the Daily Courier-Gazette and Weekly Democrat-Gazette. Mrs. Simmons invites her
good neighbors and friends of the community to cooperate with her in getting all
the news for publication in Collin County's only Daily and its oldest newspaper
-the Weekly Democrat-Gazette. It is a greeat advantage for a community to be
represented with its current news items and personals in the columns of these
papers from time to time. Mrs. Simmons, while we were visiting in her home,
ordered the Weekly Democrat-Gazette to be sent a year to her married daughter,
Mrs. Mildred R. Gibbons, Route 4, Box 149, Austin, Texas. We thank her for her
courtesies and business given us in this subscription and otherwise.
Coffman Cemetery
Communities Index
- Recommended
citation:
-
"Coffman - Collin County Communities,"
Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of
Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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