Amos Acts Out.

From the Concord Daily Tribune, Feb. 8 1911

Amos Coble was the only son of Israel S. Coble and his first wife, Sarah Murray/Coley. He is mentioned in the estate records of his grandfather, Edmund Murray (aka Coley), along with his sister, Sarah Coble Broadway.  Edmund Murray had out-lived his daughter Sarah, and her two children were nearly adults, when his estate papers were brought to court and questioned by the division of his heirs. Some believed others were not entitled to a share.  This dispute eventually led to the murder of Edmund's son John by two of his teenaged Great Grandsons. This story is featured in the post: The Murder of John Murray.

At the age of 27, Sarah, daughter of Edmund, had married a teenaged boy named Israel Coble. Both families were from Stanly County, North Carolina, located in the Southwestern Piedmont section of the state. I featured Israel in the recent post:The Six Wives of Israel Coble.

These families existed in the Victorian Era/turn of the century North Carolina. They lived in a time when suddenly travel had become quicker and easier, 'The Train Age", and industries were springing up, some relocating from the industrialized north, to take advantage of the South's abundance of cotton and displaced farm families aka 'cheap labor'.

Amos Coble's father was said to have skipped from Cotton Mill to Cotton Mill and his movements show he skipped from town to town. According to a later interview in court, Israel Coble stated that his first wife, Sarah Murray Coble, had died of 'consumption'. Consumption is what we now refer to as tuberculosis, or "TB" and it was rampant in that era.

By the time young Amos shows up in his first census, Israel has married his third wife, Angeline Furr, as his second wife, Eugenia Lee died after having her only child, Lorenzo. Amos is seen by his middle name "Ozell", here.

Name:	Ozell Coble
Age:	8
Birth Date:	abt 1892
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1900:	Johns River, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Female
Relation to Head of House:	Daughter
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Name:	Israel Coble
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's name:	Angeline Coble
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Occupation:	View on Image
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age Israel Coble 35 Angeline Coble 40 Sarah Coble 14 Ozell Coble 8 Lorenzo Coble 1

By 1910, young Amos has moved to Cabarrus County and working as a laborer on a farm. He was on his own and his sister Sarah Coble Broadway had already passed away after having only one child, Lillian.

Name:	Amos Cable [Amos Coble]
Age in 1910:	18
Birth Year:	abt 1892
Birthplace:	North Carolina
Home in 1910:	Township 1, Cabarrus, North Carolina
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Relation to Head of House:	Brother
Marital Status:	Single
Father's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace:	North Carolina
Neighbors:	View others on page
Household Members:	Name Age William Whitley 59 Molly Whitley 53 Varchey Whitley 16 Amos Cable 18

Although the transcriber lists the relationship as "brother", that is an incorrect translation. The actual document says "boarder".

So about the time of the above incident in 1911, Amos was on his own, and his father was in a great deal of trouble legally. It seems he and his third wife Angeline had parted ways and Israel and his fourth wife, Rosa Almond Coble, were living in Charlotte. Rosa discovered that Israel had not taken the time nor trouble to divorce his third wife and went to the police. This event may have put an additional stress on young Amos, and lead to the above reported incident with the gun.

But Amos and his troubling gun were no strangers to the courts or police. Just two years prior, in 1909, he'd had other problems.

From the Concord Daily Tribune, May 2, 1909

It could have very well have been family problems that was at the source of young Amos Ozell Coble's woes. He'd lost his mother at a young age, and seemed displaced by the gypsy existence and multi-marrying existence of his father. There were orphanages about, but not a safety net for children as we have in existence today. Many fell through the cracks and several were on their own to fend for themselves and find work at young ages, especially teenagers. Intact families usually had hefty broods of their own and did not need another mouth to feed. A youngster was fortunate if they found someone to take them in.

After his first run-in with the law, Amos would be forced to mature.

Amos Coble  Event Type:Draft Registration  Event Date:1917-1918  Event Place:Charlotte City, North Carolina, United States   Gender:Male  Birth Date:08 Aug 1891   Birthplace:Stanley, North Carolina, United States Nationality:United States Affiliate Publication Title:World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards Affiliate Publication  Number: M1509GS Film number :1765627 Digital Folder Number:005152102 Image Number:05715

World War I forced a lot of young men to mature.

Amos became a painter and settled in Charlotte, Mecklengurg County. He married Carrie Leona Jordan, the daughter of Thomas and Carrie Fisher Jordan of South Carolina and became the father of 8 children, 3 whom died as infants:

1920 Roy Ozell Coble
1923 Evelyn Marjorie Coble
1926 Twin: Carroll Helen Coble (lived 1 month)
1926 Twin: Harold Amos Coble (lived 7 months)
1929 Francis Pauline Coble
1932 Patsy Ruth Coble
1934 Alvin Leon Coble (died as child)
1936 Catherine Ann Coble


Today's strict laws concerning guns and teenagers would have unfolded into an entirely different story for Amos Coble. Fortunately, he was born at the turn of the century, when he was still given a chance to grow up, become a mature, contributing member of society, have a family and live out his life.

Amos passed away on July 22, 1944, of a cerebral hemorrhage, at the age of 52. He is buried in Rock Hill, South Carolina. His death certificate states that he was the son of Israel S. Coble and Sarah Coley. Even after all of those years, no one could cement the name of Murray to the descendants of Edmund Murray (aka Coley).  His widow Carrie, lived to be 72, and is buried in Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina.

Concord Daily Tribune, May 24, 1909