Martha E. Buzbee was born July 1850 in Coffee County, Alabama to Lawrence and Caroline Laney.
Marriage and Family
Martha E. Buzbee married Thornton B. Coleman on 05 Dec 1869 in Hillsborough County, Florida. Thornton B. Coleman and Martha E. Buzbee Coleman settled next to Lawrence and Caroline Buzbee in the Alafia District of Hillsborough County, Florida. In 1870 Hillsborough County, Florida census, Thornton and Martha are listed as newlyweds being married in Dec 1870. By 1880, Martha is living with her parents and is listed as a widow, the census taker lists Martha’s son, Hughey L. Coleman as the son of Lawrence and Caroline. In the same census, Thornton Coleman is listed as a widower with 3 small children. Listed with Thornton Coleman is Eloina Coleman, age 10; Texas Coleman, age 8 and Joseph Coleman; age 6. These three children are also Martha Buzbee Thornton’s children. Thornton B. Coleman remarried twice, first to Lecey Barnes; 20 Jul 1885 and Leatta Scott; 27 Feb 1887. Martha and Thornton Coleman separated; divorce was not common. Martha E. Buzbee later married S. L. Burnett and had a daughter, Mattie Burnett, who was born sometime in 1885. 1885 State Census shows that there was a Dolly Coleman, who was born in 1881 with S. L. and Martha Burnett. Dolly is believed to be another child of Thornton Coleman, being born after the couple separated.
NOTE: If you are unable to view the above marriage licenses, check and see if you have adobe. They are pdf files.
Death
Martha E. Buzbee Coleman Burnett died 25 May 1903 at the age of 53 in Gulf City, Florida. It is not known when her husband died. It is possible that Martha is buried in the Gulf City Cemetery, which is located South of Ruskin, just off Hwy 41. I am working on gathering information on her children. Also, no information has been found about Mattie Burnett to date. Her daughter, Dollie Coleman married Herman T. Jahn and had numerous children. If anyone has any information about this family or Martha and S. Labe Burnett, it would be most certainly appreciated.
I recieved information about Thornton Coleman and Martha Elizabeth Buzbee from Gerry Coleman. This is his email
Thornton Coleman was a rascal and is known as the outlaw of our family. He was born in 1847 to Daniel and Martha Matthews Coleman in Edgefield District, S. C. He was in the tail end of the war between the states and was a bushwhacker afterwards. He was married at an early age to Elizabeth Yarbrough in Edgefield and went to live with his mother and father in Emanuel County, Georgia because he had killed several people around Edgefield and Saluda. The story goes that he had 31 notches on his gun when he left for Georgia.
During the recontruction period, he killed a yankee colonel who was in charge of a group cutting timber on his father’s land. He left the area and I’m sure went to Florida. I have a copy of a letter from Elizabeth to Martha in 1869 and he had just returned to Georgia at that time. He did not return to Elizabeth and she married a man in Edgefield by the name of Charles Plunkett. He married Martha Elizabeth Buzbee in 1869 in Florida and had the children mentioned. He later married Leacy Barnes and then Leatta Scott.
It is interesting to note that Evaline married John L. Barnes and Elizabeth Texas married John Scott. Texas had 3 boys, Horace, Julian and Guy Scott. In the 1900 census, John Barnes and Evaline Coleman have 5 children; Evelina, Esther, Ludy Viola, Mamie G. and Zenith. John Thornton and Bonnie are listed in the 1910 Census. Thornton died in 1897 in Ty Ty, Georgia. One of his nephews was living with him and had to bring his body back to Swainsboro, Georgia. It was in July and Thornton’s body was not embalmed, the conductor was going to put Dan and the body off the train because of the smell, but they found some chloroform and poured it on the body to cut the smell. He is buried in HawHammock Baptist Church Cemetery near Swainsboro. I got this information from Mr. Mose Coleman of Vidalia, Georgia, Thornton Coleman’s nephew.
Email sent by Gerry Coleman, who is researching the Coleman Family
Spouses
Children
- Evaline Coleman/ John L. Barnes
- Elizabeth Texas Coleman/ John Scott/ William Jennings
- Joseph Coleman
- Hugh Lafayette Coleman
- Dolly Coleman/ Herman T. Jahn
- Mattie Burnett
