Zina Mae

Zina Mae Coffman
Age 18

 



My beautiful Mother, Zina Mae was a simple woman raised by a driven, kind and loving widowed Mother Ada Christine Jennings Coffman Bailey in the thriving Appalachian city of Beckley, West Virginia...located in Raleigh County.

Her father, Campbell Coffman died from complications of lung problems developed while inspecting the Coal Mines of West Virginia.  He was a young businessman who owned three homes in the downtown area of Beckley, one he and Ada lived in as newlyweds and two he rented.  After building his security as a young property owner, he decided to go into business with a friend and form a company that would appraise real estate and diversified into inspecting the coal mines. 

I do not have a lot of information about my Grandpa Coffman but I do cherish the photos I have showing him as a young man engaged to my Grandmother Ada. 

 

I am assuming with a name like Coffman, "Cam" as they called him, must have been of German ancestory.  His dark eyes, high cheekbones and olive skin might make you think otherwise. I actually think his eyes look Asian and did some research which led me to the Siberian areas...it's just a hunch and not proven by any means.  (The slant in his eye shape comes out in my Mother and her sister, Virginia as well as in my brother and me.) He was a small-framed man that was not much taller than his lovely petite Ada who stood at only 4'10" and wore a size 3 in childrens shoes.

 

 

 

I do know my Grandpa Coffman loved his Mother Lilly and stayed close to her all of his life.  He died young which broke his Mother Lilly's heart and young widowed Ada and her three young children stayed close to Lilly.  Great Grandmother Lilly lived in one of the homes Grandpa Coffman and Grandma Ada owned for the longest time and I believe Ada provided care to Lilly in her last days.