STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - David Coble and His 32 Children ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Jodie Gee jgee2@sc.rr.com ========================================================================== From the Notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman: (Newspaper clipping) Not every generation in Stanly County produces a family of 32 children all stemming from the same parent. Yet 120 years ago, the first dozen or so members of a family of this size were being reared up on the west bank of Long Creek in the southern section of the county. It is doubtful if there are very many recorded instances in our country of families of greater proportions. Today when a family of four is considered a large family, it seems amazing and incredible that a family of 32 children could have survived the hardships that prevailed a century ago. But despite their primitive circumstances, all but two of the 32 grew to maturity and spread properity over Stanly County as elsewhere. Over A Half Century The family was that of David Coble, greatest patriarch in Stanly's history. For over half a century sons and daughters of David Coble came forth. They grew up, married and some of them reared large families of their own. But none of the children even came close to equaling the vastness of the family of which they were a member. Records, though meager and second-hand, have been preserved by descendants of the Coble family and list the children and their births. David Coble was born March 28, 1814 at the old Coble homestead on a knoll about one mile north of St. Martin's Lutheran Church. He was a member of a family of seven children. David Coble's father was named David and his mother was Martha Bray. The elder David was the son of George{Adam} Coble who died in 1774. The Cobles were native of the southern part of Germany around Norlingen, Ulne, Hoffenheim and Suiheim. There they spelled their name Kobel and Gobel. Apparently they came to America before the Revolutionary war and first settled in Pennsylvania. David Jr., apparently married and left home at an early age for his first child is listed as being born in 1834 when he was about 20 years of age. He acquired considerable land further south Long Creek, and built a substantial story and a half log house the huge family that was to come. School Register A list of the children of David Coble is contained in an old school register now in the hands of Paul Hartsell of Locust who is a descendant of the old man David. The dates of their births are also given. Mr. Hartsell says the names were copied into the register from the old Coble family Bible which was in too bad a state of repair to preserve. Though the accuracy of the names, dates, and their order of appearance may be questioned, the list in the register remains the most complete piece of evidence that has so far come to light concerning the family. Following is the list of 32 children and the year of their birth as taken from the pages of the old school register: 1. Eva 1834 2. James F. 1835 3. Rosey 1836 4. Mary M. 1838 5. John R. 1839 6. William M. 1840 7. Unamed child died at birth 8. David 1843 9. Penny M. 1843 10. Elizabeth 1846 11. Jacob 1847 12. Ephraim 1850 13. Martin Alexander 1853 14. Catherine 1855 15. Eliser 1856 16. Henry T. 1857 17. Daniel A. 1838 18. Juley M. 1860 19. Israel 1866 20. Alva 1867 21. Millard Fillmore 1869 22. Titus 1870 23. Hennetty 1872 24. Linsay 1873 25. Ely 1876 26. Dony Filipi 1878 27. Rebeccy Isabelle 1879 28. Allys 1880 29. Gilliam 1883 30. Adam 1886(twin) 31. Twin died 32. Julian 1889 20 to 75 years David Coble was 20 years of age when his first child was born. He was 75 years old at the birth of his last child. The only thing that made him stand out from the other men of his day was his large family. He was a poor man considering his possessions, yet he made a living for his family from the soil. A few people today remember seeing the old man David playing with his later children. They say he was a man of medium height and build and was spry of limb and mind right up until his death. Some say he wore a short beard in his later years. It is said that Dr. Ephraim Burris from Rocky River Springs officiated at the birth of one of the last children of David Coble. The birth occurred late at night and the supple old man, then in his 70's, stayed close by the doctor, worried, fretful, and anxious as any young man would have been. Died in 1890 The old man David Coble died March 20, 1890. Uncle Pink Boone of the Barbee Community built the coffin for him as he had done for three other members of his family, and the body of the old man was hauled in a two horse wagon to St. Martin's Cemetery. A preacher Moser conducted the last rites. Until in recent years passerbys on the dusty road that winds past the weather blackened Coble home could look upon the remains of the children of David Coble, grand old patriarch of Stanly County. Fred T. Morgan on June 20, 1952 published a story on David Coble in the Stanly News and Press and said that he had 32 children, but my mother told me many times there were 33 Coble children. Later, Ivey Underwood who remembers many stories told by the elderly people when he was a boy said he knew for certain there were 33..... I remember Aunt Malinda (David's third wife) quite well and some of her sons. In the early 1900's she and her family moved from the old homeplace to Albemarle, NC and when she went to town sometimes would stop by my mother's home and talk with her. Thirty of the thirty three children lived to maturity David kept the record of his children's births in the family Bible. It became so worn that the record was copied in an old school register - preserved by Paul Hartsell (son of Dony Coble Hartsell). -------------- Note from Jodie Gee: David Coble was born 26 March 1814, died 12 March 1890. He was married three times: (1) Penny Harward (13 Nov 1810-24 Nov 1847) Children 1) Eva 1 June 1834 2) James 29 Aug 1835 3) Rosenna 19 Dec 1836 4) Mary Melina 19 Mar 1838 5) John R. 17 June 1839 6) William M. 26 Sept 1840 7) Ada S. 26 Oct 1841 8) David 13 Jan 1843 9) Penny Milly 27 June 1844 10) Elizabeth 1 May 1846 11) Jacob T. 5 Oct 1847 Second Marriage (2) Elizabeth Barbee Children: 1) Ephraim 9 Mar 1850 2) Henry Tilman 8 Oct 1851 3) Martin Alexander 28 Mar 1853 4) Catherine 2 Jan 1855 5) Eliza 31 Dec 1856 6) Daniel Albert 5 Dec 1858 7) Juley 1 Dec 1860 Third Marriage(3) Malinda Hinson 9 April 1846-26 April 1914 Children: 1) Israel 4 Jan 1866 2) Alva 30 may 1867 3) Millard Fillmore 15 mar 1869 4) Titus 5 Dec 1870 5) Hennetty 1 Sept 1872 6) Lindsey 23 April 1874 7) Ely 8 Jan 1876 8) Rebecca Isabella 20 Oct 1878 9) Dony Filipe 16 Oct 1878 10) Allys 23 Oct 1880 11) Gilliam 18 Dec 1883 12) Adam 30 April 1886 13) Twin 30 April 1886-died 14) Julina 18 Mar 1889