No. 12 Lafayette Coile

We've taken a look at the Jacob Oakes family. Now let's explore backwards in time and learn about the family of Jacob Oakes' wife, Matilda Elizabeth Coile. We'll start with her father, Lafayette Coile. Lafayette was one of 11 children born to James S. and Elizabeth Leonard Coile. He was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee about 1839, living most of his life in the Rocky Valley community near Strawberry Plains and the Quaker community of Lost Creek. County records show that he married Malinda McKnight on 5 December 1855. Lafayette was a gristmiller before and after the Civil War. The picture shows the 1860 census record of Lafayette and Malinda's small family. M.E. is Matilda Elizabeth, my great grandmother. Notice that a 13-year old girl is also living with them. I don't know who she is. By the 1880 census his is listed as a carpenter. Court records show that Lafayette was commissioned by the county to build a coffin for the widon anderson on 5 Jan 1876. It is likely that he had gone from miller to carpenter by this time. It is likely that he also farmed to some extent. The only other exception and that which is very interesting were his years of military service during the Civil War. I will share about Lafayette Coile's military service in subsequent blog entries. Lafayette and Malinda died sometime before 23 August 1889 when his will was executed and he was buried in the Vance Cemetery in Rocky Valley, not far from where he lived. We don't know who placed a tombstone on the graves of he and his wife, Malinda McKnight Coile. The Vance Cemetery is located in a wooded area on a hillside. I visited the graves on three occasions. In the late 1970's my uncle Charles Oakes took me to visit these graves. We asked permission from the home owners on the road below in order to climb up the hill and visit the cemetery. They were very kind and allowed us to visit. We were able to read the inscriptions on the tombstones. In order to read Malinda McKnight Coile's tombstone I had to rub some dirt on it. In 1983 I showed Boyd Coile, a great grandson of Lafayette, where the graves were. He had been under the impression that they were buried in the Oakes Cemetery in unmarked graves. In 2005 I returned to visit the cemetery with my uncle. A driveway has now been put in to a new horse barns on the hillside. We went to the barns to ask permission to visit but couldn't find anyone. We went on to visit the cemetery. Soon the owner of the barns came out and was angry at us for trespassing. Unfortunately no amount of explanation would suit this person. Nonetheless I am glad that I know where my great great grandfather is buried. I do plan to visit his grave again in the future. I believe that this right cannot be taken away from me, new landowner or not.