| "Coffee County’s History preserved in Cemetery Books" (courtesy of the Manchester Times) NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK !! |
Genealogy and History . . .
. . .
. . .
A new history book entitled “Cemeteries and Tombstone
Inscriptions of Coffee County, Tennessee” has just been
released. It is the continuation of a project that was first
begun over 70 years ago by the federal government’s Works
Projects Administration.
The WPA, designed to provide jobs and income for the
unemployed during the Great Depression, hired men and
women to compile local histories. Thus, many of the Coffee
County cemeteries were recorded for the first time in books
and titled “Bible, Family and Tombstone Records of Coffee
County, TN.”
Next to pick up and run with this project were Verna Jernigan
and Sarah Shapard. In 1970, the Coffee County cemeteries
were once again located and recorded. Although they
recorded many more cemeteries than the WPA and were
much more conscientious with their typing, they only
recorded those graves which contained headstones, says
author Linda Winters.
By the time their book, “Tombstone Inscriptions of Coffee
County, Tennessee” was published, many of the stones
recorded by the WPA were no longer in existence; therefore,
the information was not included in the new book.
“The Coffee County Library has an admirable collection of
genealogy materials, and this department is utilized by
patrons from all over the country,” Winters said. “Rarely a
day goes by that one of these old cemetery books is not
pulled from the shelves and used,” she said. “It was time for a
new and updated volume to be printed.”
And the venue for this new venture was simple: if someone
died or was buried in Coffee County, and the information
could be obtained, it was included. Recording began in June
2004 and continued for a rigorous two and a half years.
“There has been an enormous amount of interest in this
book, and countless people have had a hand in its
compilation,” Winters said. “People would call to tell of
someone who is buried in such-and-such a cemetery, but
never had a headstone or marker. Some would submit
annotations of whole cemeteries, or just their family
members.”
Coffee Countians were trekking through woods and across
fields to pinpoint and/or record old cemeteries.
Engravings were checked and double-checked; old stones
were washed with water and soft toothbrushes until they
could be read; maps were designed to visually identify the
location of all the cemeteries; old newspapers were combed
for death notices; cemetery deeds were looked up to gather
the history behind some of the cemeteries. And everything
was recorded.
As the recording was going on the information was checked
against every available source. Where information for this
book was missing, it was added. Where there were
discrepancies, every effort was made to determine and enter
the correct information.
Permission was granted to reprint information that was first
printed in the Coffee County Historical Quarterly that listed
death notices gleaned from old newspapers, where the burial
location is unknown or uncertain.
“Every effort was made to make this the most complete
record of Coffee County cemeteries ever compiled.” The
result of all this work is the most comprehensive, up-to-date
listing of the 220+ cemeteries in Coffee County. This wealth
of information grew to cover 1,200 pages, necessitating it to
be bound in two volumes.
For information on ordering the books visit www.lulu.com and
type Coffee County in the search box at the top of the page.
Cost for the set is $78.64 plus shipping. Or, sets may be
ordered locally for $83 by calling Linda Winters at 728-3918
or 723-5143.
View the Index
Place an Order
www.lulu.com
Sponsor this Page
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101 W Fort Street
Manchester, TN 37355
Tel: 931-728-0145
Historical Society Home Page
Manchester, TN 37355
Tel: 931-728-0145
Historical Society Home Page
| ~~ Family Histories ~~ |
| ~ Coffee County Historical ~ ~~ Society ~~ |
Coming Soon
"The Heritage of Coffee
County, 1836-2004”
“The Heritage of Coffee County, 1836-2004” was published
in 2004 by the Coffee County Heritage Book Committee and
Heritage Books, Inc. This 656 page, hardbound volume
contains many photographs, and covers the following topics
in Coffee County history:
County History
Military History
Schools and Education
Community Histories
Churches and Religious Organizations
Cemeteries
Businesses and Professional Histories
Historic Buildings
Slavery
Transportation
Club and Organization Histories
Sports and Recreation
Recollections
Pioneer Families
Current Family Histories
View the Index:
http://www.coffeecountyheritage.homestead.
com/files/Coffee_CountyS_Tenn.__Index.pdf
~Titanic Passenger List
is Available ~
www.FindMyPast.com
County, 1836-2004”
“The Heritage of Coffee County, 1836-2004” was published
in 2004 by the Coffee County Heritage Book Committee and
Heritage Books, Inc. This 656 page, hardbound volume
contains many photographs, and covers the following topics
in Coffee County history:
County History
Military History
Schools and Education
Community Histories
Churches and Religious Organizations
Cemeteries
Businesses and Professional Histories
Historic Buildings
Slavery
Transportation
Club and Organization Histories
Sports and Recreation
Recollections
Pioneer Families
Current Family Histories
View the Index:
http://www.coffeecountyheritage.homestead.
com/files/Coffee_CountyS_Tenn.__Index.pdf
~Titanic Passenger List
is Available ~
www.FindMyPast.com
~~ TN Statewide Death
Index Online, 1949-2005 ~~
http://register.shelby.tn.us/index.php
Index Online, 1949-2005 ~~
http://register.shelby.tn.us/index.php
| "Entire Coffee County Cemetery Book may now be viewed online" Click Here |