Letter April 17, 1967 - Steven J. Coker
Subject: Letter April 17, 1967
From: Steven J. Coker
Date: August 26, 1998

COPY
Rice Barton Corporation                               Worcester, Mass.

                                April 17, 1967

Mrs. W. E. Wilson
Route 41, Box 102
Cades, South Carolina

Dear Cousin Peach:

   I am very sorry about you not feeling well. I was down to the country last
week but you bad gone back to the hospital. Cousin Luther Dubose had also gone
back to the hospital.

   We have located great, great grandfather, Whitley Coker, in the 1830 census
of Sumter County. Great aunt, Rebecca, is buried at St. Luke's in Elliott, South
Carolina. My brother, Francis, and I sited with Mr. C. W. Coker, President of
Sonoco Products in Hartsville, South Carolina on April 10, 1967, and be says we
are cousins.

   My dear cousin Peach, I must make a correction on William David Coker's
dates. We went to the old Coker cemetery on Puddin Swamp, cleared the headstones
and found he was born on March 6, 1821 and died March 30, 1900. The headstone of
Robert Coker showed be died on September 22, 1856, age 4 years, 1 month, and 15
days. This would place his birth date on August 7, 1852. The headstone of Joseph
C., or Uncle Shug, showed that be died in 1889 instead of 1890. Other than that,
everything else seems to check.

   We checked the military records of great, great Uncle John, David, and great,
grandfather. Great, great, Uncle David, and great, grandfather fought with
Company I - Fourth South Carolina Cavalry. Great, great Uncle John, fought with
the 25th South Carolina Regiment. The History of Williamsburg shows that great,
great Uncle John fought at Haws Shop on Friday, May 31, 1864, then at Cold
Harbor on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the bloodiest battle of the war, then
on Saturday of that week, about June 8, 1864, he was captured at Trevillion
Station. The military records also shows that great, great Uncle David was paid
for his military service but great grandfather was never paid. This can all be
verified by the records at the South Carolina Archives and History of
Williamsburg. In talking with Mrs. Ruby Price Gardner of Society Hill, South
Carolina, she tells me great, great Uncle John died in the war.


                                 [page] 2
Mrs. W. E. Wilson                                      April 17, 1967
    
   As I promised. Cousin Peach, I am sending you a copy of my latest up-to-date
information. I would ask your kind help now in identifying all the children of
my great uncles and aunts. I am sending along sheets for each one of them and I
am frankly ashamed that I do not remember all of them; please help where you can
and if you feel up to it. I will, of course, send you back a copy.

   I'm sending you a chart developed by Doctor Robert Edwards of the University
of North Carolina showing the tree of John Coker and Dorothy Bishop. John Coker
first came to America in 1618 on the Ship Neptune at the age of twenty. It is
extremely important if you could remember whether great, Aunt Emma ever talked
about Great, Great Magdalen Coker being named for a beloved aunt named Magdalen.
Anything about names that Great Aunt Emma did say would be precious to me right
now.

   Dear Cousin Peach, do forgive me for writing you a book. I do so want to
preserve, for our future generations. these early years of our pioneering
heritage. 

   We all hope you are feeling better by now and I will drop by again when I am
down there. If you are feeling better the next time I am down, I will take a
meal with you.

   With all my love.

                             Your Cousin,
                             Frederick T. Coker, Jr.

/dk

Enclosures

-=-=-

Note: Letter transcribed by Steven J. Coker, nephew of the letter writer and son
of his brother James Francis Coker.

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