Eighth Generation

7565. William Alexander Coffey was born on 12 October 1859 in Maury Co., TN. William died in Cleburne, Johnson Co., TX on 23 July 1900 and was buried at Cleburn Memorial Cemetery in Cleburne, Johnson Co., TX in July 1900 .^{24401,24402,24403}

Death Report, The Fort Worth Morning Register, Fort Worth, TX, Wed., Jul. 25, 1900, Vol. IV, Issue 248, Page 8

Instant Death of a Conductor at Cleburne

He Was Standing on the Track When a Passenger Engine Passed Over Him, Instantly Killing Him

Special to The Register

Cleburne, Tex., July 24. -- One of the worst accidents that has occurred here in a long time happened this morning, leading to the instant death of W. A. Coffey, a popular freight conductor on the Santa Fe road.

Mr. Coffey was standing on the railroad track at the depot watching a double-header train that was passing. He was directly in the way of the northbound passenger train, which was just parting, and as the train pulled slowly out Mr. Coffey was caught by the engine, which passed over his body, rolling it along the track in such a manner that it was horribly mashed and mutilated, the head and face being crushed and some of the limbs severed from the body. Death was instantaneous, and the unfortunate victim never uttered a cry after being struck.

Blame is not attached to the crew of the passenger train, for knowing that Mr. Coffey was a railroad man himself they supposed that he was on his guard and would get out of the way of the engine in time.

Mr. Coffey lived at this place and leaves a widow and childen. His run was between Cleburn and Gainesville, through Fort Forth, and he has many friends and acquaintances in the latter place who will deeply deplore his death.

Funeral Held - The Houston Post, Houston, TX, Fri., Jul. 27, 1900, Page 3

W. A. Coffey's Funeral

Cleburne, Texas, July 25. -- The funeral of W. A. Coffey, who was killed yesterday in the Santa Fe yards, occurred this afternoon. It had one of the largest following ever seen in Cleburne. Deceased was a member of the O. R. C. Woodmen of the World and Knights of Pythias orders.

William Alexander Coffey and Mary Annice Cooper were married circa 1883. They appeared in the census on 12 June 1900 in Cleburne, Johnson Co., TX.²⁴⁴⁰⁴ Mary Annice Cooper was born in February 1865 in Missouri. Mary died in Texas in 1939 and was buried at Cleburn Memorial Cemetery in Cleburne, Johnson Co., TX in 1939 .²⁴⁴⁰⁵

William Alexander Coffey and Mary Annice Cooper had the following children: