From The Tuskaloosa Gazette, March 23, 1899, pg. 1:

Deadly Work Of A Cyclone.

A Whole Family Killed In Cleburne County, Alabama.

Fearful Damage Done

Dwellings Demolished and Farms Devastated In Storm’s Path

A terrific cyclone struck Cleburne county, Ala., near Edwardsville, at 7 o’clock Saturday night and there was loss of life and great damage to property.

             The storm had a wide path and was of great force. Trees were pulled out by the roots, fences blown for miles and houses picked up like feathers and smashed to pieces.

             The home of Lewis Coffee was literally blown to splinters and ten out of eleven in the family killed. The list is as follows:

             Lewis Coffee, aged fifty-five, tax assessor of Cleburne county; Mrs. Coffee, aged forty-six; Leila, aged twenty-two; James, aged twenty; Lula, aged eighteen; Jacob, aged thirteen; Devereo, aged eight; Dollie, aged ten; Grover, aged six; John, aged four.

             Bessie Coffee, aged twelve, the only remaining member of the family, will die.

             The home of Coffee stood on a little hill. He, with eleven members of his family, including his wife, were within and their awful feelings as death came can only be surmised. The large log house was picked up bodily and dashed to pieces, while the inmates were dashed up and down until life was extinct, finally to land at least 200 yards away. When help came all but one were dead, Bessie, the daughter, aged twelve, who was fatally hurt.

Buried In One Grave.

             Sunday morning arrangements were made for the funerals. It was decided to lay them all side by side in one grave and the grave digger was given his order. The excavation was six feet deep and was eight feet long and twenty-six feet wide.

             The funeral was held in the afternoon and a thousand people were present.

             The old home, torn and tattered, recalled the fact only that it had once been the abiding place of the Coffees, than whom none in the county stood higher.

             Immediately after demolishing the Coffee family and home the storm struck the residence of J.W. Wilder. It was completely destroyed, but he nor any of his family were at home at the time.

             Andrew Stiepan’s home went down next. Mrs. Stiepan and her little baby were caught beneath logs and both seriously injured.

             The cyclone at this point broke against a mountain, and went toward Muskadine, eight miles east of Edwardsville, where Hooper’s big grist mill was blown down.

             From all that can be learned the cyclone originated at Iron City, and two clouds forming the funnel-shaped one, got together just ahead of Coffee’s house.

             In addition to the dead, a long list of injured has been compiled.

             Those who saw the cyclone say that besides an immense funnel-shaped cloud, it bounded along like a rubber ball, rising at intervals and leaping for several hundred yards without doing any damage. Then when it descended it would pick up houses and crush them to pieces, uproot trees or twist them off level with the ground and sweep all before it.

             Near Heflin a white woman, whose name could not be learned, was killed and five persons in the same family hurt. It is estimated that about fifty buildings were destroyed, between twenty and twenty-five persons injured, in addition to those killed, and over a score of farms devastated.

             The path of the cyclone presents a terrible scene of havoc. Timbers of wrecked houses are scattered in every direction. Some were carried high into the air and others were driven deep into the ground or through the trees. Many head of cattle were killed. But for the fact that the country over which the storm passed is sparsely settled, the loss of life would have been much greater. There were many marvelous escapes.

From The Age-Herald, Birmingham, Alabama, March 19, 1899, pg. 1:

Ten Lives Lost During Cyclone

East Alabama Visited By Terrific Wind Storm.

Great Damage Was Done

Almost the Entire Family of Lewis Coffee Killed.

Awful Scenes Of Desolation

Were Left In the Wake of the Furious Tornado.

Other States Also Suffered

The Storms Covered a Radius of Several Hundred Miles, Destroying Telegraph Wires and Cutting Off Communication.

A disastrous cyclone passed through the upper part of Cleburne county, ninety miles east of Birmingham, last night, ten lives being lost and several persons injured. Dwellings, barns, fences and everything in the track of the powerful wind were razed to the ground as though mere toys.

             The west-bound passenger train on the Southern railway came through the storm-stricken region, and was delayed fifteen minutes by having to cut away fallen trees that were blown across the track.

             The dwelling house of Lewis Coffee, tax assessor of Cleburne county, was picked up bodily and carried some distance before it was dashed to the ground a mass of broken timbers and bleeding human bodies. Twelve people were living in the house at the time, and Coffee, together with nine members of his family, were killed.

             The path of the cyclone was between the towns of Heflin and Edwardsville, and before the wind had spent its fury an awful sight of devastation was left as a reminder of its terrible force.

He Was Tax Assessor

             Lewis Coffee, the man killed, was tax assessor of the county, and had been for several years. He was one of the best-known and most popular men in the county.

             No damage was done at Heflin, but from the strong wind blowing there and the threatening signs it was thought that a cyclone was passing through some part of the county, but none of the citizens who went on a tour of investigation ever dreamed that the calamity was so great until the fearful sight met their eyes.

             There is no night operator at Edwardsville, and nothing could be heard from there last night.

From The Age-Herald, Birmingham, Alabama, March 21, 1899, pg. 3:

Details Of Destruction By Terrific Cyclone

Which Swept Through Cleburne County.

Twelve Persons Killed

  Edwardsville in Mourning Over the Sad Event.

Some Of The Injured Will Die

Only Two Members of the Coffee Family Left – The Mutilated Bodies Found Among Stumps – All Buried in One Grave.

The details of the terrific tornado which passed over the upper part of Cleburne county Saturday night are even more harrowing than was at first supposed. As there is no night operator at Edwardsville nothing could be gotten from there until Sunday morning, but when the particulars of this direful disaster began coming into Birmingham, people stopped on the streets to discuss the details of the destruction caused by the mighty wind. The towns of Edwardsville and Heflin are draped in a feeling of sorrow over the many lives lost and the large number of people injured in Saturday night’s cyclone.

             The saddest feature of all is the almost total annilihation of the Coffee family. Mr. and Mrs. Coffee with eight of their children perished in the storm, Bessie, the 12-year-old daughter, being rescued alive, though it is thought she will die. Morgan, a boy of 16 years, was away at the house of a friend and was saved, and he and the little girl are all that are left of the once large and honored family.

             As the first streaks of dawn crowds began pouring into Edwardsville, and all went straightway to the ruins of the Coffee home, where they found some of the neighbors already taking the mutilated bodies from the ruins of the fallen house and tenderly laying them out preparatory to burial. It was thought that the earlier the funeral took place the better, as nothing could be gained by waiting. A large grave was dug, and they were all laid side by side in the same receptacle. The undertakers were early at work, and ten caskets were soon prepared and set in a row, the bodies being laid out in the following order; Lewis Coffee, aged 55; Mrs. Coffee, aged 46; Leila, aged 22; James, aged 20; Lula, aged 18; Jacob, aged 13; Devereo, aged 8; Dollie, aged 10; Grover, aged 6; John, aged 4.

The Family’s Funeral

             As soon as the bodies were taken from the ruins they were carried to the home of D.S. Baber, where they were prepared for burial. It was indeed a gruesome sight to see this large number of dead bodies laid out at one time in a town the size of Edwardsville, and the spectacle struck awe in the hearts of those who slowly moved around the room. When all were properly prepared the remains will be taken to the Primitive Baptist church, where the funeral service was held and the last sympathetic words were said over the once beloved family. There were ten wagons, and each one carried a coffin, a large crowd following the procession to the church, and thence to the grave. It was a sight which will never be forgotten in Cleburne county. On reaching the cemetery the ten caskets were tenderly lowered into the large excavation, which was six feet deep, eight feet long and twenty-five feet wide. Rev. James Hicks, a Baptist minister, paid a parting tribute to the deceased, and the people slowly returned to their homes to discuss the awful calamity which had befallen their community.

             An unknown woman was also found dead near Heflin. The following is a list of those injured in the catastrophe:

             Fatally injured:

             Bessie Coffee, aged 12; one leg broken, internally injured and body badly lacerated; will die.

             Mrs. Runnells, aged 75; will die.

             Injured:

             Mrs. J.H. Cason, body badly bruised.

             Tommie Runnells, cuts on head.

             Mrs. Andrew Stiepan, bruised.

             Wood Stansel, colored, aged 9, hurt on head.

             Mrs. Stiepan’s baby, Mary, body bruised.

             Lizzie, Runnells, hands badly bruised.

             J.H. Cason, hurt about hands.

             Georgia Stansel, colored, arms hurt.

             Gainesville Stansel, colored, aged 16, head and spine hurt.

             Coleman Stansel, colored, aged 2, arms hurt.

Origin of Cyclone

             As near as can be ascertained by tracking the wreckage left in the wake of the storm, it must have started somewhere near Iron City, a small town twelve miles west of Edwardsville. The wind commenced to gain in velocity, and it moved rapidly eastward, blowing down trees, fences, small houses and everything that lay in its awful track. The further it went its power grew stronger, and when the home of Lewis Coffee was reached the strong log structure was picked up bodily and carried two hundred yards before it fell, totally demolished. The family were whirled into the air as bits of tissue paper, being finally dashed to the ground among some stumps, where their crushed and mangled forms were found by the searching party.

More Disastrous Work

             After playing such fearful havoc with the Coffee home, the cyclone proceeded to the house of J.W. Wilder, totally destroying the same. The Wilder family were in Georgia, and no one was hurt. From here the tornado moved on to the residence of a Mr. Norton, but, taking a new direction, the house escaped destruction, being turned half around.

             The next family to suffer was that of Andrew Stiepan, a German farmer. The house, which was built of heavy logs, went down before the terrific force of the wind, and Mrs. Stiepan and her child were buried beneath the mass of twisted logs and frame work. By almost a miracle neither were instantly killed, though both suffered severe injuries. Mr. Stiepan was away from home at the time, and escaped uninjured. With the child in her arms, Mrs. Stiepan crawled out from the ruins and ran towards the home of a neighbor named Hilton, but fell in a faint as she approached Mr. Hilton, who, seeing the work of the winds, was coming to the rescue.

             Continuing on its career of destruction, the cyclone struck the house of J.H. Cason, leaving it a mass of ruins. Mr. Cason and three members of his family were in the house at the time, and all were injured.

             Mrs. Runnells, a lady of 75 years of age, who is Cason’s mother-in-law, received several ugly gashes about the head. She is not expected to live.

             In a northeasterly direction the storm moved on with fearful rapidity. Leaving the valley, it mounted a large hill and split into two sections.

Only One Witness to Storm

             It seems that only one man witnessed the approach of the storm. Charles Coggins, a farmer, was standing on an opposite hill to where the cyclone divided, and could see the terrible destruction it was wreaking. He describes it as a funnel-shaped cloud, which could be heard for miles as it came tearing along on its course of destruction. He says when it hit the hill it split into two divisions, one going around the hill and the other jumping clear over it and demolishing the home of a negro named Ben Stansel. He and his wife and five children were all in one room when their cabin was struck by the storm, and all were badly injured. However, it is thought that none of them will die.

             From here the cyclone made a long skip, coming to the earth again about a mile above Edwardsville. It then commenced to lose its force, and its last work was done in turning over Harper’s grist mill near Muscadine.

The Work of Rescue

             Several people heard the storm as it traveled over its course, and as soon as the wind had ceased blowing the work of rescue began. As stated before, the bodies of the Coffee family were all found among some stumps in an old field near the homestead, the form of a little child being wrapped around one of the stumps.

             Charles Bachman was the first to reach the scene, and he quickly dispatched a messenger to Edwardsville, who carried the news of the fearful disaster. In a short while hundreds of people were coming to the scene, ready to do anything in their power to help relieve the suffering and care for the dead.

             As was stated in Sunday’s Age-Herald, Lewis Coffee was an ex-Confederate, and was for a number of years tax assessor of Cleburne county. He was prominently connected throughout the county, and his loss will be severely felt.

From The Birmingham News, March 20, 1899, pg. 1:

Eleven Lives Lost; Cyclone’s Awful Work

Upwards of Twenty People Injured and Over Two Score Buildings Wrecked.

Ten Members Of Lewis Coffee’s Family Met Death.

Two Big Clouds Unite and Sweep the Country for Twelve Miles in Cleburne County, Leaving Ruin in Their Path. Ten Mangled Corpses Buried in One Grave Near Edwardsville.

Staff Correspondence:

Edwardsville, Ala., March 20. – A cyclone which swept over a section of Cleburne county for a distance of twelve miles, at 6 o’clock Saturday evening resulted in the death of eleven people and the injury of fifteen or twenty others, at least three of whom will die.

             Ten of the dead were members of the family of Lewis Coffee, former tax assessor of this city.

             The track of the storm was from 100 to 200 yards wide and it wrought terrific havoc in its path.

             It began near Iron City and seemed to have been formed from a union of two mighty clouds, which assumed a funnel shape and presented the effect of a mighty whirlwind, say witnesses. The storm rolled along like a monster rubber ball. It would rise from the ground at intervals and skip over a space of country. Then it would descend and sweep away all in its path.

             The scene of desolation is fearful. The storm finally spent its force near Muscadine, where a mammoth grist mill was wrecked.

             Two score or more of buildings were wrecked in its path and but for the fact that the country over which it passed is comparatively sparsely settled, the loss of life would have been very great.  

The Dead.

             The following is a list of the dead:

             Lewis Coffee, aged 55, former Tax Assessor of Cleburne county.

             Mrs. Nancy Coffee, aged 45, his wife.

             Miss Leile Coffee, daughter, aged 22.

             James Coffee, son, aged 20.

             Miss Lula Coffee, daughter, aged 18.

             Jack Coffee, son, aged 13.

             Dollie Coffee, daughter, aged 10.

             Daveroe Coffee, son, aged 8.

             Grover Coffee, son, aged 6.

             John Coffee, son, aged 4.

             Unknown woman near Heflin.

Fatally Hurt.

             Bessie Coffee, aged 12, daughter; internally bruised, one leg broken and otherwise badly lacerated; will die.

             Mrs. Runnells, aged 75, mother of Mrs. J.H. Cason; will die.

             Myrline Stansel, colored, aged 5, skull fractured and internal bruises; will die.

Seriously Injured.

             Mrs. J.H. Cason, bruises on body.

             Tommie Runnells, boy, cuts on head.

             Wood Stansel, colored, aged 9, hurt on head.

             Mrs. Andrew Stiepan, bruised.

Other Injured.

             Mrs. Stiepan’s baby, Mary, body bruised.

             Lizzie Runnells, hurt about the hands.

             J.H. Cason, hurt about the hands.

             Georgia Stansel, colored, arms hurt.

             Gainesville Stansel, colored, aged 6, gash in head.

             Tosh Stansel, colored, aged 16, head and spine hurt.

             Coleman Stansel, colored, aged 2, arms hurt.

Ten Buried In One Grave.

             Ten wagons, each bearing a body, followed by many vehicles carrying friends and relatives of the dead, wended their way from the residence of Mr. D.S. Saber yesterday afternoon to the Primitive Baptist Church and graveyard on Cain creek, two miles distance. The bodies were those of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Coffee and eight of their children, victims of the cyclone. It was a gruesome sight that was to be seen at the residence of Mr. Baber as the dead were being prepared for burial and the two firms, Reed, Evans & Co. and J.E. Burgess & Son, who handle coffins in this place, were busy all morning fitting up the coffins and preparing the bodies. When the bodies were properly incased the coffins, ten in all, were placed in two rows in the front room of the Baber home and many people from all over the county who had heard of the awful catastrophe came in and viewed the spectacle. All were buried in one grave.

             The fate of Mr. and Mrs. Coffee and their family was a terrible one.

             The funeral which followed was a sight that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed it.

Without Warning.

             The cyclone came without any warning and the ruin it wrought both to life and property was fearful.

             The cyclone seems to have started at Iron City, twelve miles west of Edwardsville and seventy-six miles east of Birmingham. The winds blew at a high rate and moved eastward. Trees, fences and small houses went down, and just before reaching the Coffee house it seemed as if two immense clouds came together forming a big black funnel-shaped affair. This cloud whirled around and around, jumping from hill to hill and then dipping into the valleys.

The Coffee Family.

             The Coffee home was a strong structure made of logs and had sheds attached to it. There was a large rock chimney and five rooms in the building. Mr. Coffee and his wife were the parents of thirteen children, one of whom died some time ago, two are married and the other ten lived with them. Of these ten children all were at home at the time of the cyclone with the exception of Morgan, a son, aged 16, who was at a neighbor’s house. He is the only survivor of ten children, who were not either killed outright or so badly hurt that recovery is improbable.

             The cyclone took up the Coffee home from the little hill and tore it asunder. The logs and planks were carried off like feathers. The inmates of the building were whirled up into the air and violently dashed against the ground and finally landed 200 yards away around some old stumps. All eleven of the family were killed outright except Bessie, a daughter aged 12, and she is so badly injured that she can hardly live another twenty-four hours.

The Wilder House.

             The storm then caught up the home of J.W. Wilder, and it was totally destroyed. Fortunately, Mr. Wilder and his family were in Georgia at the time and they escaped.

             The winds took a turn at the residence of J.C. Norton nearby, and moved it around, but did not destroy it. Over a little hill the funnel-shaped cloud proceeded, and in a dale picked up the house of Andrew Stiepan, an industrious German, who lived there with his wife and little child. The building was a stout log structure which had iron braces and a cellar. Mr. Stiepan was not at home at the time. The heavy logs and timbers which went to make up the house crashed in and completely buried Mrs. Stiepan and her child. Fortunately she nor the child were instantly killed. Both were hurt. Even the rings in Mrs. Stiepan’s ears were torn out by the winds. Mrs. Stiepan, with her child in her arms, ran towards the house of a neighbor named Hilton. The latter seeing the storm and the collapse of the Stiepan house, ran towards the lady with the child. As he neared her she fainted. As stated, both she and the child were injured.

             A house belonging to Mrs. Rhoda Warren was unroofed, but no one was hurt.

Went Down In A Heap.

             The home of J.H. Cason was next assaulted, and like the others it went down in a heap though shingles, boards and household contents were carried for yards and yards away. Cason was at home with his wife, his aged mother-in-law, Mrs. Runnells, and two little adopted children, Tommie and Lizzie Runnells. All were injured.

             Mrs. Runnells is 75 years of age and she has some very severe gashes on her head. Her condition is exceedingly dangerous and she is expected to die.

Saw The Storm Coming.

             The cyclone continued in a northeast direction and mounted another large hill. Here it was seen by Mr. Charles Coggins, a prominent young farmer. He was on an opposite hill, two hundred and fifty yards away, and heard and saw the awful monster approaching. He started to run away, but noticing that the funnel-shaped cloud splitting decided to await developments.

             The cloud split and one end went around the hill and another jumped completely over it, taking up the log home of Ben Stansel, colored. Stansel was not at home at the time, but was in the woods nearby. In one room of his home was huddled his wife, Georgia, and his five children, Tosh, aged 16; Wood, aged 9; Gainesville, aged 6; Myrline, aged 5, and Coleman, aged 2. The house was turned upside down in a jiffy and the occupants were roughly dealt with. The fact that only one-half of the cloud struck the place prevented the total destruction of the family, it is believed. All members of the negro’s family were badly hurt. They picked themselves up quickly and hurried under the flooring of their old home.

             The storm passed on, turning down four small buildings adjacent to Stansel’s home.

Jumped A Mile.

             It seems that the cyclone jumped from Stansel’s home to a point a mile above Edwardsville, where two outhouses were torn asunder.

             Two miles above the town the storm continued, wrecking small buildings, fences and trees right and left until Hooper’s grist mill near Muscadine, about six miles east of Edwardsville, was struck. It toppled down. Whether anyone was hurt here could not be learned. It appears that at this point the storm had spent its fury.

Work Of Rescue.

             The cyclone as it approached the home of Lewis Coffee was heard and seen by a number of people. Mr. Charles Bachman, a neighbor, ran over to the place and discovering the house gone he surmised at once that a fearful calamity had occurred.

             Just previous to the storm the weather was blustery. A lot of hail fell. Shortly after the storm rain began falling and it came down in torrents.

             Mr. Bachman sent Will Burton to Edwardsville, three and a half miles distance, at once with news of the terrible fate of the Coffee family and within two hours dozens of people, on foot, in wagons and on horseback, were on their way to the scene. It was an awful sight that was presented near where the Coffee house had stood. There is a plowed field on the east side of the hill in which are a number of stumps of old trees. Within a radius of ten feet about 250 yards from their home site the bodies of Coffee and his wife and children were found. All except two were dead, and one of these died a few seconds later.

Wrapped Around A Stump.

             One of the bodies, that of a child, was wrapped about a stump like a string and all the corpses were divested of their clothing. The brains of two had been dashed out and the elder Coffee’s long whiskers had been driven into his face.

             Bessie, the only living child, was lying unconscious beside her father’s corpse. She was still clinging to his neck. She was hastily carried to the residence of Jack Norton, 300 yards away, and there tenderly placed to bed. She was unconscious, but at times talked, asking that the rain be kept out of her face.

Bodies Gathered Up.

             The bodies of the Coffee family were tenderly gathered together and loaded on wagons and carried to Edwardsville about 1 o’clock, where they were taken to the residence of Mr. D.S. Baber, a brother-in-law of Mr. Coffee.

A Missing Baby.

             To the various wrecked houses the citizens of Edwardsville went to see that all the injured were cared for, and about midnight a party from Heflin, four miles off, consisting of Messrs. Robertson, Caruths and others joined the Edwardsville party and almost the entire night was spent in the woods, searching for the youngest child of the Coffee family who was missing.

             When the News representative arrived at Edwardsville, another party was made up by Mr. Charles Coggins and seven companions. The route of the cyclone was taken up at Stansel’s old home. Several parties in search of the missing Coffee baby were met on the way, but no trace of the child was to be found. It was reported that Judge T.J. Burton, of the County Court, and Mrs. B. Reece and Mrs. A.G. Grice had seen a human body in the clouds during the cyclone and it was believed that the body of the baby had been carried above the tree tops and hundreds and hundreds of yards off. All the tree tops were scanned, but nothing was found except a lot of clothing, blankets, quilts, boards, feathers and pieces of houses.

Among The Wrecks.

             Ben Stansel presented a pitiable sight. He was sitting in front of his big chimney, which was left standing, bemoaning his loss. He told of the injury inflicted on his family. From there the party moved up the heavy hills towards the Cason home.

             As stated, here a complete wreck was found. Mr. Cason told of the injuries inflicted on his family. Along the route old books which were used by Mr. Coffee in 1873 as justice of the peace were picked up and other effects. The home sites of Stiepan and the others were visited. When the house of Mr. Norton was reached the news spread that the little baby of Mr. Coffee had been found. It was then nearly 12 o’clock Sunday. The child’s body was discovered beneath a lot of rock which had once stood as the chimney to the Coffee home. Its little face was mashed and an awful death was evident. The little corpse was hastily carried to Edwardsville and placed in a neat casket beside those of other members of the family. 

             At the Norton residence Bessie Coffee was seen. She presented a pitiable sight. Drs. John and J.E. Burgess, who had responded for the injured, were here doing all in their power for the little sufferer.

The Wrecked Coffee Home.

             At the Coffee home site there was a large number of people, some from Heflin, Iron City, Muscadine, in fact, from every settlement in the entire county. The contents of Coffee’s barn, bushels of corn and much fodder, were unharmed, though the roof of the building had been taken off. The Coffee house was a total wreck like the rest. The old spinning wheel which was used by Mrs. Coffee was minus the legs. It was an old timer.

Woman Killed Near Heflin.

             A report gained circulation in the county that five miles from Heflin, in a southeastern direction, a woman had been caught in a falling building during the storm and killed. All efforts to ascertain her name or the details of the affair were in vain, though a searching party will go down through the country today to look into the report.

At Baber’s House.

             The bodies of the Coffee family were carried to Mr. Baber’s residence in Edwardsville and laid out on the floors. Messrs. Reed, Evans and Co. and J.E. Burgess & Son, the two firms selling coffins, were requested to supply the necessary cases and measures were taken. Ten coffins almost depleted the stocks on hand. The sight of the ten bodies being prepared for burial was a gruesome sight. Finally the bodies were prepared, neatly dressed and placed in the coffins. The coffins were placed on the floor in a front room in two rows. The many people who came to the place from all over the county were permitted to take a last look through the glass lids of the coffins at the unfortunate family.

             At 3 o’clock the coffins were placed in the boxes and one box was placed in each wagon, which had been collected from all around the town and neighborhood. The funeral procession was a long one. All kinds of farm wagons were pressed into service as hearses. Ten wagons, hacks and other vehicles followed the ten hearse-wagons. They bore the people who went to the funeral. The burial occurred two miles from Edwardsville at a Primitive Baptist Church on Cain Creek. The grave was eight feet deep by twenty-six feet wide. Rev. James Hicks, the Baptist minister, preached the funeral sermon, and, as stated, the bodies were placed side by side in the grave. A box containing the little clothing which was taken from the dead people was also buried in accordance with the belief of the people.

Who The Coffees Were

             Lewis Coffee was born and raised in Cleburne county. He has served in several capacities in the county, as justice of the peace, tax assessor and tax collector. He served in the Confederate Army, going out in Company E, Twenty-second Alabama Regiment, under Captain Northcutt. He was a brother-in-law to the following prominent citizens of Cleburne county: J.W. Bennett, J.T. Bennett, G.F. Bennett, Jim F. Hale, D.S. Baber, A.C. Burgess, A.G. Grice, W.H. Owen and J.D. Vaughan.

             There were thirteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. Coffee. One died. Mrs. Morgan, of Louisiana, and Mrs. Tollerson, of Heflin, are married daughters (pg. 6) and survive; Morgan, a son, escaped the storm and Bessie lies at the point of death. Mr. Coffee lost a leg in the war. He was a progressive farmer and made a good living.

Vocal Media FYI/Ashleigh Nicole - Remembering the Tragic Tale: Cleburne's Deadly Tornado of 1899