No. 16 James Coile of Jefferson County, TN

James Coile was my great-great-great grandfather on my mother's side. He was born in 1801 in Tennessee according to the 1850 Jefferson County Census. We do not know who his parents are. He is married to Elizabeth Sally Leonard. She is listed as being about three years older than James. James is listed in that census as a laborer. This may mean that he is not the owner of the land where he lives and works. He may have been sharecropping. The 1863 Jefferson County tax records for the 1st Civil District indicate that James had few taxable possessions. His total tax for that year was $1.25. This meant that he owned no land or slaves and very little property. The children listed in this census record are:

• Sarah
• Edy
• William
• Martin
• Archibald
• Jane
• Lafayette
• David

One other genealogical researcher has indicated that there were three additional older children who had left the home by the time of the 1850 Census. At this point I've not found proof that the following three are their children:

• James C. Coile
• Catherine Coile
• John Leonard Coile

While I would like to agree that these three are children of our John Coile, the ages of these children, supposedly being born prior to Sarah, would force James and Elizabeth to have started their family too early.