STANLY COUNTY, NC - HOFFMAN - Ephraim Coble Family
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From the Notebook of Lilly Carter Hoffman:
( exerpts from a letter)
 
................my grandfather Ephraim Coble owned more slaves than any other 
person in that community. His grandfather David Coble gave him Mam and Dad - a 
married slave couple and their children. Ephraim's mother had died and Mam had 
an infant child so that is why he gave the family to his grandson. Mam was to 
enter the Coble home so many times a day and nurse him from her breasts just 
as she did her own baby. Ephraim grew up - married Mary Ann Catherine Efird in 
1849. He at the age of 17 inherited the David Coble plantation, Mam and Dad, 
their family and other slaves he inherited through his grandfathrer's will 
lived in the slave quarters. Mam looked after the kitchen - the cooking and 
she was still living and attending to her duties when my grandmother died. She 
was a faithful servant and stayed with the Coble family until after Ephraim's 
death Mar 16, 1862. She cried when Ephraim died and said she would have no one 
to take care of her - but Grandma Elizabeth (Correll) Coble promised to take 
care of her as long as she lived. She died suddenly one day while walking a 
road to visit a neighbor.....................
My step grandmother had been a widow for three years. The slaves had stayed 
with her throughout the war, and now did not want to leave; but she told them 
she could not keep them any longer, but she did keep her faithful servant Mam. 
She received her dower, which included the homeplace. The court appointed 
Simon Efird, guardian over my mother and Uncle Titus. They were to get an 
income from whatever the farm produced and sold such as cotton, etc. When my 
grandfather was living, the cotton was hauled by slave labor to market at 
Cheraw, SC and he went along with the wagons. I do not know how Simeon Efird 
handled things, but Grandma Tucker claimed that he never did give her anything 
for the two children but he always sold some of the crops. He claimed that his 
percentage had to be paid for his services and that when he took his pay there 
was nothing left for Titus and my Mother. Later, she married Alfred Tucker, 
the court appointed Alfred Tucker as guardian.
I never heard mother or Grandma Tucker mention it, although Grandma visited us 
many times and stayed about a week, but I was in the Archives at Raleigh in 
the spring of 1964 looking up records and I found a record saying that the 
court had appointed Robert A. Carter (later my father) as guardian for the 
Coble children. It didn't say why. My father was nearly 17 years older than my 
mother and at the time mature enough to be their guardian......there was a 
widower Isham Coley (had a good many children). He came home from the war and 
went to see Ephraim Coble's widow. My mother suspcioned that he had come there 
to court her stepmother - so she hid behind the door. She heard him say 
"Lizzie, we'll get married and we won't have a thing to do. Betty(my mother) 
and Titus can do all the work and you and I and my family can take it easy." 
Mother came from behind the door - ran him away and told him to never return 
which he didn't.....
Alfred Tucker began going to see Lizzie Coble (widow) soon after his first 
wife, Isabelle Melinda Efird died in 1866. Now she was a daughter of Martin 
and Mary Coble Efird (Judge O.O. Efird's line). She and my grandmother, Mary 
Ann Catherine Efird were first cousins and made Judge Efird and I double third 
cousins.............
 Alfred Tucker and Melinda had ten children. The eldest Daniel was born in 
1846 and youngest John born 1865. My mother said that she saw her step mother 
was determined to marry so she said nothing pro or con. He brought 9 of his 
children with him-from 19 yrs to a baby...........he had a boy that was the 
age of Titus. The two boys could not get along and would often have fist 
fights - so Alfred and Lizzie bound him by law to Daniel Reap until he became 
21. At that time Mr. Reap was to set him free and give him a horse, bridle and 
saddle. A few days before his (Titus) 21st birthday, Mr Reap picked a quarrel 
with him and tried to run him off but Titus refused to leave. After his 
birthday Mr Reap persuaded him to stay on and work for him which he did......
In 1949 Walter Tucker was living in the Coble home. Daniel Efird and Soloman 
Efird had inherited the Jacob Efird saw mill and they sawed the logs which 
were cut by grandpa's slaves and built the home. The house was 1 1/2 stories 
built of logs but weatherboarded outside and painted and sealed on the inside. 
A winding staircase led to the upper story....(note: house burned).
I remember a large cupboard in the corner of the kitchen. I don't know who 
made it but the kitchen had been the original  David Coble home. I suppose 
David had made the cupboard.  When Ephraim and MAC were married and 
immediately went to their new home to live his grandmother, Martha refused to 
give up her old home - so Ephraim connected the old home to his new home with 
a long porch. She lived in the little log house - later used as the Coble 
kitchen ..............
 
 
Submitted by Jodie Gee