User:Narthring/Holland Coffee

Holland Coffee (1807-1846) was a trader, member of the Texas 3rd Legislature, plantation owner...

Born August 15, 1807.

Early life
Holland Coffee was born on August 15, 1807 to Ambrose and Mildred (Moore) Coffee, probably in Kentucky though the exact location is unknown.

Great-Grandparents were Edward and Ann (Powell) Coffee, who lived in Essex County, Virginia in the early 18th century. Ambrose had left Virginia to live in western North Carolina. Ambrose married again in 1812 and had another son, Christopher Greenup. Ambrose died in 1818.

Orphaned at age 11.

Grew up in McMinnville, TN with uncle Jesse Coffee.

1807-1846

Holland was associated with the Warren County residents.

Fort Smith
Arrived in 1829 at Ft. Smith, Arkansas with Silas Cheek Colville, James Mayberry Randolph, and several others.

Established Coffee, Colville and Company in Ft. Smith.

Supplied local settlers, Indians and trapping expeditions.

in 1830 George Strothers Gaines led a small company of Choctaws to the Indian Territory to choose land for the Choctaw relocations. He bought supplied from Coffee and Colville while camping on the south bank of the Arkansas river near Fort Smith.

Made contact with Sam Houston at the time, who was living with removed Cherokees.

First post
1833 conducted trapping expedition on upper Red River.

Led 40 trappers on the expedition

Established trading post at old Pawnee village, probably north bank village of the Taovayas near the site of present Petersburg, Oklahoma.

Major link in completing Camp Holmes treaty of August 24, 1835; First treaty authorizing relocation of eastern Indians to lands west of the Mississippi.

Camp Holmes treaty major resource: THE JOURNAL OF THE PROCEEDINGS AT OUR FIRST TREATY WITH THE WILD INDIANS

Coffee and Silas Coleville led an expedition in 1833 to establish a trading post. From Fort Smith Arkansas in spring of 1833. 40 men. Stopped at a once-inhabited site below the North Fork and the Red River in present day southwestern Tillman County, Oklahoma. Near an old trail. Crumbling ruins of a log house and stone chimney at the site.

Coffee built three more posts.

Led a trapping expedition to the area of the forks of the Red River in early 1833.

Established trading post near "old Pawnee village"; probably abandoned north bank village of the Pani Piques (Taovayas or Wichitas) that Athanase de Mezieres named San Bernando across the river from the present site of Spanish Fort.

Housed 30 men.

Surrounded by picket fence.

Considered within Choctaw Nation.

Contacts conducted out of that post that convened the plains Indians for the Camp Mason treaty negotiations of August 24, 1835 near present Lexington, Oklahoma.

Mexican agents tried to force evacuation of post;

Early locations served Comanches, Kiowas, Wichitas, Keechis, and Tawakonis.

James Bowie wrote in 1835 that Coffee advised local indians (Wacoes, Tewackances, Towakees) to go into the interior and kill Mexicans, bringing back horses and mules for a fair price.

Second post
Coffee established his second post in March 1836 at the mouth of Cache Creek near present day Taylor, Cotton County, Oklahoma. Coffee believed this site to be in Texas, west of the 100th meridian.

Respected by Indians.

Knowledgeable in Indian languages and customs.

Ransomed many Indian captives.

Third post
In April the trading post was moved down the Red River to Walnut Bayou near present Burneyville, Love County, Oklahoma. Able Warren operated this post from 1836 to 1848 and later returned it to the Cache Creek site. It was referred to as Warren's post. Warren bought this post and Coffee's first post around 1839.

April 1837 is the date referred to in some sources.

Last two became trading houses for Abel Warren, whose trading ventures continued until 1848.

Coffee's Station
In September of 1837 established their most famous trading post near the point where the Washita River runs into the Red River. This area, known as Washita Bend, Coffee's Bend, or Preston Bend,...

On September 28, 1837 George Ivey sold 1 league of land at the junction of the Washita and Red River to Holland Coffee for $350.

Established trading post with Silas Cheek Colville about 1837 on the south side of the river.

Known as Coffee's Station.

Along old Chihuahua trail. .

On hill overlooking Red River. .

Known as Coffee's Fort. .

11 miles northwest of modern Denison. .

High stockade 100 feet square. .

Near old indian trail that crossed Red River at Rock Bluff. .

Fort Washita founded north of here in 1842. .

Riverboats ferried goods to Ft. Towson and to here when the river permitted. .

built plantation of 4000 acres. .

Accused of aiding Indian depredations by trading guns adn whiskey in exchange for stolen cattle and horses.

Investigated by Texas Congress.

Winter 1837 visited Houston and explained self satisfactorily.

September 1837 post moved across river to Washita(Preston) Bend. Last location served eastern refuguees and removed tribes.

Ransomed whites brought to the post.

Coffee's Trading Post became a post office of the Republic of Texas in 1839: called Coffee's Station

Coffee turned to agriculture and landholdings.

Hart
John Hart and his partners James S. Baker and William R. Baker laid claim to the same land, insisting that they had cleared and cultivated 4 acres and built 3 cabins on the land, leasing the place to John F. Moody who abandoned the property.

Hart brought suit and lost. Later Hart met Colville at Warren and Hart was killed on May 1, 1841. Colville was acquitted. On October 20, 1841 Martin D. Hart, John's son, filed suit again and lost again.

Colville and Coffee divided their property in 1840.

Legislature and Indian Agent
November 16, 1837 President Houston made him Indian Agent.

Fannin County, Texas created December 14, 1837 from Red River County. Holland Coffee was elected as the first representative of the new county in the Legislature of the Republic of Texas. Served during the 1838-1839 session.

September 2, 1838 enacted treaty between Republic of Texas and the Kichai, Tawakoni, Waco, and Tawehash Indians at the Shawnee village near modern Denison, TX

Sophia
Brought Sophia here (Coffee Bend) in 1839. .

Married Sophia Suttenfield Aughinbauh on January 19, 1839.

Dissolved partnership with Colville and developed Glen Eden.

Wed Sophia in 1839.

Holland Coffee returned to Warren from Houston, where he had been serving with the 3rd Congress of the Republic with his bride Sophia. They stopped at Warren for a few days while waiting for an escort to take them to Coffee's Station. While waiting Coffee promised to re-establish peace with the Indians. Raised a party of men and negotiated a treaty. (Wilbarger, 'Indian Depredations in Texas', 394)

Glen Eden
Built two-story double-log mansion with massive stone chimneys at either end; broad porches at front and back, upstairs and down running the full length of the house. .

Known as Glen Eden. .

Frequented by Sam Houston, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and Fitzhugh Lee. .

Covered by Lake Texoma in 1942. .

Later life
Furnished supplied for the Military Road expedition of William G. Cooke in winter 1840-1841.

Participated in making the Texas Indian Treaty of August 24, 1842.

Developed town of Preston near his trading post in 1845.

Provided supplied given to indians in the Comanche treaty of 1846.

Developed town of Preston near his post in 1845.

1840-41 Colonel William G. Cooke blazed military road for Republic of Texas between Austin and Red River at Coffee's.

Cooke established temporary military supply depot near post.

From then on the community around Coffee's station was known as Preston, or Preston Bend.

1845 considerable popuation at Preston, with 1000 wagons of immigrants crossing in a single year.

Death
Holland Coffee died in 1846.

October 1, 1846 attacked Charles Ashton Galloway, trader from Fort Washita.

Charles A. Galloway charged with murdering Col. Coffee.

Acquitted by public sentiment.

Clearly case of self defense.

Grand jury involved.

Galloway was a resident of Fort Washita.

No children.

Entombed in brick above ground crypt at Glen Eden.

Grave removed to Preston Cemetery during creation of Lake Texoma.

Trading post abandoned after Coffee's death in 1846.

Post site inundated by Lake Texoma in 1840's.

Historical marker commemorating the post is located near Preston Bend Cemeter, just north of Pottsboro.

Holland Coffee of Red River
Cite

Done up to page 151.