Eighth Generation

11604. Lura Finley Coffey was born on 17 April 1918 in Statesville, Iredell Co., NC. Lura died on 18 April 1988 at the age of 70 in Austin, Travis Co., TX and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., NC.^33203,33204

Born at Statesville, NC she attended Wilkes county schools and also Peace and Mary Washington Colleges.

Married James Elliott Deans 10/4/1942 in New Orleans.

Lived in Freeport and later Houston, Texas where she was interested in genealogy. A DAR member she was also past state historian of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in Texas. [J.Deans]

Lura Finley Coffey and James Elliott Deans were married on 4 October 1942 in New Orleans, LA.³³²⁰⁵

Marriage Announcement, The Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, NC, Sun., Oct. 11, 1942, Page 29

Miss Lura Coffey is United With James E. Deans

North Wilkesboro, Oct. 10.-- Of wide interest is the announcement of the marriage of Miss Lura Finley Coffey, of North Wilkesboro, and James Elliott Deans, of North Wilkesboro, and Angleton, Tex., which took place Sunday, October 4, in the St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian church, New Orleans, La.

Dr. John Land, pastor of the church, performed the ceremony, using the ring service in the presence of members of the bride;s family who accompanied her there.

Because the date chosen was the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Coffey, Sr., the bride's grandparents, she wore on her right hand their wedding ring. In her bag were the three handkerchiefs that had been carried by her paternal grandmother, her maternal grandmother and her mother when each was married.

Immediately after the ceremony, the bride's parents entertained at a wedding breakfast at Antoine's in New Orleans, honoring the bridal couple.

Mrs. Deans in the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles MacDonald Coffey, Jr., and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Coffey, Sr., and Mrs. Thomas B. Finley, and the late Judge Finley, all of North Wilkesboro. She is a graduate of Pence Junion college, Raleigh, and attended Queens college in Charlotte, and Mary Washington college, Fredericksburg, Va.

Mr. Deans in the son of Mrs. J. E. Deahs and the late Mr. Deans of North Wilkesboro. He s a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and holds a position with Dow Magnesium corporation, at Velasco, Tex. James Elliott Deans was born on 19 January 1902 in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., NC. James died on 28 July 1984 at the age of 82 in Houston, Harris Co., TX and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., NC.^33206,33207

After attending Wilkes county area schools he attended UNC Chapel Hill majoring in Business. Moved from North Wilkesboro to Texas in 1940 after working as a salesman/accountant in his father's jewelry store. He then had a position at a geophysical company based in Dallas before he began employment at Dow Chemical's wartime magnesium plant in Freeport, Texas in 1942 as an instrument calibration technician. He and his family moved to Houston, Texas in 1945 and he lived there for the remainder of his life. He ran a small wholesale jewelry distribution business from his Houston home. [J.Deans]