STEVENS, Maud ^{1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10}

  General Notes:

Maude Stevens Coate was a true character. She is remembered by me as a great storyteller, chronic complainer, and the life of any party she attended. I really enjoyed how much fun she could be. The minute she attended a get together, she'd be laughing and ready to do a jig. I remember her very expressive face as she scared the wits out of her grandchildren while telling them ghost stories around the campfire. I came to be a storyteller myself, partially due to her influence.

When I interviewed her, she related an interesting story about how she and her husband met. She had gone to visit her cousin Helen Lee. Helen's cousin was Albert Pickering Coate. He came to visit Helen at the same time. The three of them raided the chicken coop and cooked their catch on the day they met. Maud and Albert married 7 months later when she was almost 18. My father says that Maud's sister, Keturah, forged her mother's name on the parent consent form for their marriage. Maude remembers that she weighed 98 pounds at this event.

She had a very demanding life raising nine children through the depression years. She had to have a strong nature to make it through those years mastering the tasks of caring, cooking and sewing for such a large crowd with absolutely minimal resources. Her husband died early in his fifties which meant she was alone to raise nine children. To her great credit, all of them graduated from High School. Four of them also completed several years of college. A fifth son, Richard, not only went to college, but was likely the first Coate in our tree to achieve a degree, a B.A., majoring in theatre, minoring in American Literature and Art.

Most of her children had some involvement in the service and major wars of the 20th century. Warren and Bob served in the army in World War II. Ben served in the Air Force. Richard served in the Korean War. Shirley was in the U.S. Air Force from 1952 -1955 serving in Newfoundland.

Maude was one of the original liberated women. My uncle Richard, relayed the story of when she and her husband had gotten a new horse and buggy. Albert P. had warned her not to go near the horse until he had broken him in, but Maude was a stubborn woman. She rigged him up to the buggy to go pick up her husband after work at Armco. Not only was she in for a wild ride, but she sure surprised her husband when she flew past him in the buggy where she was trying to pick him up. She also was the first woman in Trenton to open her own business. She was an artist with her handmade afghans and crafts. Her craft store was apparently still open when I was very small. I have one memory of it. She had had the store for many years at that point in time. Her social security number, 301-30-0046 was issued in 1952, years after she had started her business. She lived most of her life at 113 John St. in Trenton, Ohio, the yellow wood home where her children were raised. Her sons helped move her to Columbus, Ohio for her last few years to be near her family. (C-2108E)

According to the newspaper clipping from the Columbus Dispatch, she was a member of the Mt. Olivet Presbyterian Church, the W.S.M. Sewing Club, the C.I.C. Sunday School class, and the D.A.R. in Trenton, Ohio. Upon her death, just shy of 90 years, she left 20 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. (C-281, 282, 283, 285, 286)

She and her husband are buried a couple rows from her cousin, Albert Dimmack in section 19 of Woodside Cemetery in Middletown, Ohio and son, Bill who is in section 20 of that cemetery. (C:Doc) ⁹

  Noted events in her life were:

• Occupation. Crafts-Business

• Will, Jan 6, 1966, Trenton, Butler, OH, USA. ¹²

Maud married Albert Pickering COATE, son of Warren C. COATE and Ida Jane HARB, on May 2, 1910 in Covington, Kenton, KY, USA. (Albert Pickering COATE was born on Dec 12, 1887 in Ludlow Falls, Miami, OH, USA,¹³ died on Jun 2, 1941 in Trenton, Butler, OH, USA ^{14 15} and was buried on Jun 4, 1941 in Woodside Cemetery, Middletown, Butler, OH, USA ^{10 11 15}.)