Familysearch.org has uploaded a copy of the Bond for Marriage, Marriage License, and Certificate of Marriage of Pleas H. Lovell and Samirah Coffee in Newton County, Arkansas in June of 1890. The license was obtained June 2nd, and the couple married in Cassville, Newton County, Arkansas the next day--June 3, 1890.
Familysearch is a free site--but requires registration. The direct link to the Lovell-Coffee marriage data is:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMRN-4XT
That marriage came to a bitter end, as Mr. Lovell was sent to prison. Samirah soon remarried William Curtis:
Familysearch.org has the copy of their marriage records here: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMBF-JM4 - as seen below:
Citation: "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch : 18 March 2019), 004331445 > image 663 of 686; county offices, Arkansas.
William Curtis was recently widowed when he married Samirah. The couple were together 23 years before he died in 1923 at age 63. Samira lived much longer. She died in 1955 at age 95. She is survived by many great-grandchildren who remember her still.
I appreciate Beverly Joe Vaughn for tempting me with her family stories on Findagrave.
Beverly shared lovely photos and history data on her direct ancestors' memorials that I found fascinating. It led me to search for married records to add to my family tree--as I too am a distant Coffee relative. A fun afternoon this hot August day during the Pandemic!
My 3x Great-Grandfather was a younger brother of Elijah Coffee (1799-1873). Elijah Coffee and his wife Peggy (Patrick) Coffee were the grandparents of Elijah "Bud" Coffee. Bud and Samirah Thomas married in December of 1879. They had three girls before Bud's untimely death in 1885 at age 29.
UPDATE: I found secondary proof of Samirah Thomas' first marriage. Here Elijah is listed by his initials, and poor Samirah's given name was frequently misspelled, as it is here:
