The following story of "Fannie York Stevenson" written by Peggy Wellbern as told to her by her Mother-in-law, Crissie Wellbern, who was the granddaughter of Fannie York Stevenson Coomer.
Betsie Green married Reubin Wheeler around 1750. She was an Irish girl with red hair, Reubin Wheeler had black hair, was Dutch and came from Norway or Sweeden. They had a son that was given his father's name, Reubin Wheeler.
When the father died Betsie Green Wheeler married again. This man's name was Reubin Gibson. Reubin Gibson adopted Reubin Wheeler Jr. and changed his name to Reubin Gibson. This family line continued with the name of Gibson by adoption but Wheeler by blood.
The boy, Reubin, married a girl named Araetta, her last name is not known. Areatta had red hair and was English. It is said Araetta was born before her parents got in a house. These complete circumstances are not known.
We know of one child, a daughter, born to Reubin and Araetta. Her name was Nancy Gibson and she was born in 1809. She died at age 64, May 24, 1872.
Nancy Gibson married Hiram Stephenson. Hiram was the son of John Stephenson and his mother's last name was Stover. Hiram filed a claim on fifty acres of land on the Waters of Yellow Creek. Yellow Creek runs near the Cumberland Gap in Kentucky. They had two children, a son, Marion and a daughter Fannie York, born March 11, 1833 in Bell County, Kentucky on Yellow Creek (died at age 92, March 31, 1925).
Hiram and Nancy separated. The two children stayed with Hiram and he married again to Emiline Henderson in Tennessee. Nancy later married Sammie Benington (he was great uncle of Doc Benington) in Laurel County, Kentucky.
Marion and Fannie were unhappy with their stepmother and felt she was mean to them. They decided to run away from home when Fannie was eleven years old and Marion was nine years old. The two children walked across a mountain to a neighbor's house. He put them in a canoe and sent them out on the Cumberland River. They floated on the river all night until late the next afternoon. Fannie remembered to her children that it was fall of the year and she was cold. Marion took his coat off and put it around her.
A man saw the canoe in the near sundown with the two children in it. The canoe was then only one and one-half miles from the Cumberland Falls. The canoe would have reached the falls that night. He swam out and rescued them. They were then sent to some of their relatives in Tennessee. They never again saw their father.
Fannie York Stephenson married Joseph Newton Coomer in 1864. Joseph Newton was born June 17, 1844 (died at age 81, June 26, 1925) (both are buried in Metcalfe County, Kentucky). Joseph Newton's father was William (Bill) Coomer and his mother was Maria Ashbrook. Maria was born July 12, 1814 (died December 1882). Her mother's last name was Fry. Joseph Newton Coomer was raised in Casey County, Kentucky near Mill Springs. He had a brother named James (Jim).
As soon as Fannie was old enough she hired out doing general housework, weaving cloth, etc.
Joseph and Fannie rented for 18 years, living in any kind of a cabin, before they had a home of their own. They settled finally in Edmonton, Kentucky.
They raised sheep, cotton and flax, geese and chickens and mot of their food. Fannie made thread and wove cloth from wool, cotton and flax. She then made the clothing and household linens from these, stitching them by hand. Fannie and Joseph (they were known as Mama Coomer and Pa Joe to their grandchildren) had four daughters. A son was born between each girl but they died in infancy.
Fannie dug ginsang for most of what she bought in stores. She was considered a good midwife and gave a lot of time to this. Fannie worked in the field, did all the housework, until her girls were old enough to help. Fannie pieced quilts, made feather beds and pillows. Almost all their clothes were made by hand. She was an accomplished weaver, making different weaves such as seersucker, birdseye, honeycomb and many other kinds. Fannie knitted cotton socks for summer and woolen ones for winter. Her days startedlong before daylight and lasted until long after dark.
She lived until age 92, continuing to work until her death. Her back was bent with age and hurt all the time, but she would not sit idle for any length of time.
It is said in the family that she took a bath one night, outside, in cold weather and took pneumonia. Fannie died from this, preceding Pa Joe by three months.
Fannie and Joseph Coomer's children were:
1. Nancy Myriah married Jim Acree Children: Hershel, Sherman, Bruce, Bettie, Loren, Jasper, Mary Helen and Paul.
2. Araetta (Rettie) - (Named for Fannie Coomer's grandmother) married William Haskell Garmon. (Part of the information about Araetta's family has been added by Lillie Rackley, Araetta's granddaughter) They had two children, Clifton and William Robert (Robbie). Clifton married Minnie Phelps, just 3 months before he was killed when a board went through him while working at a sawmill, in 1911. Araetta's husband died Feb. 27, 1905. The cause of his death is not now known. Her second marriage was to Doc Stephenson. She & Doc never had any children. William Robert was a barber. In his early life, he was a rural mail carrier, and delivered mail on horseback. He met his first wife, Esta Hubbard, by delivering her families's mail, and she would come to meet him to get the mail. He & Esta had two daughters, Dorothy Marie & Beaulah Mae. Robbie & Esta divorced.
Robbie later married Christine Hubbard (a niece to Esta). They had two children, a boy and a girl, Lillie Mae & William Earnest (Bill). Lillie Mae married William Newton Rackley; they have a son and a daughter, Sammy Joe and Donna DeLynn. Bill married Paula Kay Fowler and they have one son, Brian.
3. Mary Katherine (Mollie) (12-6-1877---10-16-1951) married FinisBenton Williams (6-23-1882---4-24-1954). Their four children were:
Inus Golon 8-30-1906---12-27-1926 (had three boys); Lizzie Mae 3-17-1906;
Mary Lee 12-4- 1908; John K. 4-3-1911 (John K. was living in Breeding,Ky in 1993).
4. Sarah Delina (Sallie) married Daniel Lawson Coomer - their children were George, Lawrence, Cecil, Ercy, Crissie, Fannie, Joseph, Eva, Dexia.
Crissie Coomer married Arthur Randolph Wellbern on January 1, 1918. Crissie died Dec. 25, 1986. They had one son: Fredrick Arthur. He married Peggy McDougle and they had four sons: Stephen, Michael, Gary and Warren.
Submitted by: Lillie Rackley
email: lrackley@unicomp.net
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28 November 1809 -- James Parks, Henrico Co., Va., to Job Crabtree, Lee Co., Va., - $600, 1000 acres on Mulberry Creek, beg--- corner to land of Reuben Wheeler's -- Wit John Crabtree, Randolph Noe, Nimrod Chrisman. Book 2 page 277
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Branch, James. grantee. DATE 8 April 1800. NOTE Location: Lee County.
NOTE Description: 1000 acres on the head of Mulberry Creek. adjoining Reuben Wheeler.
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William Carmack, born February 24, 1784 in Washington County, Virginia; died April 21, 1861; married Rosannah Wheeler 1808 in Hawkins County, Tennessee; born January 01, 1790; died July 18, 1849.
This may be Reuben Gibson, father of Reuben Wheeler Gibson, Reuben Gibson is found in Orange County, North Carolina tax with Thomas Gibson.
