Burial: Jan 23 1941.
Middle name may be Philip, shown as Phipps on draft card.

One of 12 children of Benoni "Ben" Cocke and Louisa Josephine Hunt.

David was born as "Cocke". His marriage record is as David P. Coke, and subsequent draft and census records are as "Coke". David and several (not all) of his siblings appear to have changed their name to Coke in the early 1900s.

m: Gertie L. Gregg Dec 26 1905, Bates Co. MO.
ch inc: Alice M., Lucille L., Eugene K., Kenneth D., Benoni, Josephine, Minni Lee, Ernest. (more children may have been born after 1930 census)



Occ. shown as coal miner on his WWI draft registration.

1920 St. Clair IL: COKE David P/35, Gertie/32, Alice M/13, Lucille L/10, Eugene K/8, Kenneth D/5, Bennorie/0.
1930 St. Clair IL: COKE DP/46, Gertie/42, Lucille/20, Eugene/18, Kenneth/15, Beoni/10, Josephine/7, Minnie Lee/4, Ernest/1.
(note: Beoni may be Benoni, the name of David's father)

"Rock Springs Daily Rocket, Jan 24, 1941
DAVID P. COKE DIES THURSDAY

David P. Coke, 58-year-old Rock Springs resident, died at 2:30 o’clock Thursday morning at the Wyoming General hospital after an eight-day hospitalization.

Coke was born in Creighton, Mo., March 29, 1884. He is survived by his wife, Gertie; four sons, Gene, Kenneth, Benoni and Ernest of Rock Springs; four daughters, Mrs. Alice Stone of Tilden, Ill., Mrs. Lucille Adams of St. Louis, Mo., and Josephine and Minnie Lee of Rock Springs.

The body is at the Wildermuth mortuary pending funeral arrangements."


David's son, Ernest, died in a bicycle accident about six months after David and is beside him. Records show that Mrs. David Coke purchased the burial spaces.

Thanks to Angela for entering the memorials and for submitting obits and looking up the burial dates.

The following interesting letter written by David to his daughter in 1938 was kindly transcribed and submitted by decendant Gary, with thanks:


"4-26-1938

Well will try and add a little to my letter, will give my moving history from my birth untill the present day. To begin with I was born on March 29,1884 on what is or was known as Old French Fulton Place, 4 1/2 miles north and west of Creighton MO, Cass Co. on a farm. Moved from there to Grant, Cass Co., MO, an old inland town about three miles north of Creighton. Here my father run a General Store and from there we moved to Creighton, MO, store building and all, which was the first store in Creighton, MO. This store Dad traded to Renick McCoy for his farm in Henry Co. about 5 miles northeast of Creighton. On this farm is my first rememberence. This farm is now knowm as the Weymeyer Farm. Here is where my brother Lon Coke was born, July 24, 1888. From this farm we moved back to Creighton, MO in the spring of 1889 to a house known as the Dall Stall Place. Here my father was again engaged Store Business (grocery store). Next moved to Bates Co. MO in the fall of 1889 or 1890. The place was bought from a man by the name of Wm Stayton, the farm was called by us ( the Coke family ) as the Peter Creek Farm. We lived on this place untill the fall of 1897 then moved to St Clair County MO to a town named Vestas MO. Here my dad again engaged in the mercantile business. Was in Vestas, MO untill the fall of 1899. Then moved back to Creighton, MO on a farm 3 miles west of Creighton in a log house. They were two houses on the farm. In the spring of 1900 we moved to the box house on the south 40 acres of this farm. From there we moved back to the north 40 acres, moved house and all. Here is where my father died in 1908 in June. Alice was then about 18 months old. I was married in 1905 on Dec. 26 to Gertie Elizabeth Gregg. Started to keeping house in Creighton, MO in what was known as the old Joe Crawford Place. Not where he lived but a place he owned. From this place we moved to the Green House in the the east part of Creighton, MO in the Jinkin house, from this place we moved to a farm called the Lucy Creighton Farm. Here I worked 23 days and moved back to Creighton in the Green House again. Where we left all the straw that was under the carpet and had to clean it up myself. This is the house where Alice was born in Jan. 20 1907. Then in April of 1907 we moved to Windsor, MO in the Bowen Rowe (Roe). Stayed there 10 days and moved to the Coal Camp of Bowen, MO in String Town up by the Old No. 2 Mine. Lived there a little over 2 years and moved to a 8 acre farm west of Bowen, MO in Johnson Co. Bowen was the county line of Johnson and Henry County. On this farm is where Lucille was born April 9, 1909. We lived there about seven months and moved back to Bowen, MO in a place I bought from Bert Stichrod. This place was in Henry Co. of the "Camp". This is the place where Eugene was born Oct. 23, 1911 and from here we moved back to Johnson County side of the Camp in 1/2 of the Bowen Boarding House, of Joe Welhout (Wilhite) and from there we moved to Iola, Kansas in the fall of 1912 or early winter of 1913. I think it was winter of 1913. We lived at 811 Walnut Street in Iola, Kansas. This place I bought also. In June 1913 I moved back to Bowen, MO in the Miller (Roe)Row, lived there a month and moved to a farm east of Southerland, MO in Johnson County. Here we lived from the 8th day of July 1913 to the 8th day of February 1914, then we moved to Windsor, MO Feb. 8, 1914. Ora and Lee Jones moved me. It was really cold. We moved in a house rented from Thompson the feed store man. Here is were I raised the half or 3/4 acre of cain I did not get to harvest. From this place we moved to the Wesner place next to the Wesner place next to old man Wesner. Here is where Kenneth was born Sept. 2, 1914. Next we moved just one house south on the corner where we had a barn for the pony I drove to work at Bowen, MO No. 5 Mine. This is the pony I had to kill or did kill accidently. And from this place we moved back to Creighton, MO on July 29, 1915. We went to house keeping in the place we rented from Joe Crawford. This is the year I went to North Dakota to work in the harvest field. From Creighton, MO we moved to Lexington, MO in a house with Fred Robinson on the bluff south of the Missouri River, lived here from Dec. 18, 1915 to some time in March 1916 and then moved to Huntsville, MO (Randolph County) lived in Huntsville about 5 months, lived first next to a Italian store keeper named Jim and his wife was named Mary. We moved from this house in south untsville, MO to a house over by the cemetery in the north west part of town and from there we moved back to Myrie at the foot of Irish town hill. Myrie is a part of Lexington, MO where the rail, the M.O.P. had a branch road which go over to Sedalia, MO. We moved to Myrie in the fall of 1916. Here we lived in a big boarding house again with Fred Robinson and rented the upstairs to a guy named Hanson. And we moved back to Windsor, MO in April 1917. That spring we visit Kansas and I went to my brothers Art Coke at Yale, OK for a while and then came back to Windsor, MO. Then went to Illinois in May 1917 and worked at O'Fallon, IL and Rentsler, IL and came back to Windsor, MO and went back to Lexington, MO to look for work and then went back to Illinois and got a job at the Tin Can Mine at O'Fallon, IL sinking a mine, rented a house in Lebanon, IL, where I and Pete Scott lived together, lived in Lebanon, IL. Just a month and moved to Vinegar Hill farmplace. Just a mile from Lenzburg, IL. Here is where Benoni was born Oct 9th 1919. Lived here from Sept. 24, 1917 to Oct 19, 1919. Old Ed Jones of Marissa, IL moved me from the Vinegar Hill place to Marissa, IL in the old man Charley Steward place just back of the Baptist Church and from that place we moved to Reppel Place next to Old Town Marissa. From this place we moved to a place I bought off of Wm.KLyons at 320 South Hamilton Ave. in July 1920. Here is whereJosephine was born Oct. 21, 1922 and Minnie Lee Oct. 10, 1925. From here we moved to Taylorville, IL. All on L.E. Nagel truck by Ernest Sauerwine to a place on Franklin Street. Paid $25.00 a month rent and from that place we moved to a place on Poplar Street in 1926, lived at this place 33 days paid $30.00 a month rent and moved to Heistville, IL next to Mine No. 58 in the edge of Taylorville, IL from this place we moved back to Marissa, IL 320 South Hamilton Ave. Here is where Ernest was born Jan. 29, 1929. And there in August 30, 1937 we had a public sale of house goods and started for Rock Springs, Wyo. and moved in a place. I said moved, we only moved a sewing machine and two boxes of bedding and a matress, to Tony Rudolph's on H Street 361 Rear Alley. We drove from Marissa to Rock Springs, Wyo. in an old delapidated 1930 Chevrolet Sedan car. Lucille made the trip and stayed about 6 weeks with us. From Tony Rudolphs place we moved to 407 Walnut Street, Rock Springs on the 24 day of April 1938. Alice come and see us when you can, your Ma is washing today and she will write next time. The kiddies are all in school now, Benoni is working, Kenneth is out scouting around for a days work. He got a days work Sunday from the lumber yard man cementing abasement. Today is another pretty day, sun shining bright and just warm enough to make it pleasent. Well you may not be interested in my moving history but it will give you something to read. Save it for Lucille when she comes down, your Ma said to tell you she sure likes her house where we are now making our present domain. The house has new paper on it just papered 2 days before we moved in and the kitchen and dish closet were Kaloomised also the kitchen has greenpainted oil cloth like wainscoating up 5 feet high and the cealing is 10 1/2 feet high. This makes spring house cleaning over with. Well will close this epistle with love and best wishes to everone of youse. From your dad, D. P. Coke address as P.O. Box #369 Rock Springs, Wyo."