Lieut. Elijah Coiner (CSA)

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2nd Lt.,Co.E,1st Va.Cav.Regt.

ELIJAH COINER

Almost 100 years ago, on Feb. 25, 1915, the Augusta County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution honoring an extraordinary individual who had served on the board for 21 years until his retirement in 1912. For all but the first two of those years, he had also served as chairman of the board.

Elijah Coiner, a native of Augusta County, was the great-grandson of Michael Keinadt who, in 1789, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Augusta County. The German surname of Keinadt was quickly Anglicized to Coiner (or Koiner or Coyner). And, in case you were wondering, all those Coiners of various spellings still around in the county today all are related because the emigrant Michael brought nine sons and three daughters, and their families to Augusta County. They still spoke German and the Keinadt family, together with other German settlers, became instrumental in forming the Lutheran congregation just north of Waynesboro that became known as Koiner's Congregation (now called Trinity Lutheran Church).

In 1786, Michael's son Caspar, then 22, had come to Augusta County to look for land, three years before his parents made the move to Virginia. Caspar's son Simon was born in 1805 and, in 1887 Simon was interviewed by a reporter from the Staunton newspaper about "old time life in Augusta County." He was the oldest living Coiner at that time. Simon's son, Elijah, was born in 1834 on the family farm just outside of Waynesboro. German still was spoken in the Coiner home and Elijah did not speak English until he went to school. Before the Civil War, Elijah lived on the family farm, excelled in horsemanship, and enjoyed singing. He belonged to a local singing circle that served as a social outlet for the young people of the neighborhood. When war broke out, he joined Company E of the 1st Virginia Cavalry and served as an officer under Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. He was with Stuart in the spring of 1864 when the general was killed at Yellow Tavern.

During the war, Coiner had married a woman from New Market, Annie Bettie Read. Their marriage was fortuitous because in November 1864 Coiner was badly wounded near Mount Jackson. His new wife hooked up the wagon and went in search of him. She brought him back to her family's home in New Market and nursed him back from the brink of death. Although his ankle wound eventually healed, he was disabled for life and walked with a limp. A family story tells of how when he was molding bricks for his new house, he dug a hole in the ground in which to anchor his good leg so he could stand and work for long periods of time.

Elijah and Bettie Coiner returned to the Coiner family farm near Waynesboro after the war. Although still on crutches, Elijah set about bringing the land back into production. The Coiners had three boys and three girls, born between 1866 and 1878. With the help of other family members who admired his hard work, the size of the farm grew.

By 1891, Elijah Coiner was one of the most respected men in Augusta County. In May of that year, the men of the community elected him to the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to represent the South River District. Although he initially refused to serve, pressure from the neighbors proved too much and he reluctantly took office in July of 1891. After just two years on the board, his fellow supervisors elevated him to the chairmanship where he remained until his retirement. As far as I know, no other supervisor has ever held the position of chair for 19 years in a row. Coiner was re-elected continuously until he retired in January 1912 because of old age.

During his years on the board, Coiner helped the county recover from the devastation of the war and its aftermath. Under his leadership, numerous steel bridges were erected, and a new courthouse and a new jail were constructed.

Citing his advanced age, 77, Coiner asked to be allowed to retire on Jan. 1, 1912. He died on Feb. 20, 1915. Five days after his death, the board of supervisors passed its resolution honoring him: "No man has ever served on the Board of Supervisors of this County in whom the people of the County and the members of the Board had greater confidence, both in his integrity of character, his honesty of purpose and his fidelity to the interests of this County, than Elijah Coiner. This Board deeply felt the loss of his wise counsel and large experience when he retired from its membership, and it now feels that by his death the County of Augusta has lost one of her most useful and patriotic citizens."

The newspaper echoed the comments of the board, calling Elijah Coiner "One of Augusta's Most Valuable Men." Just under 20 years later, the extended Coiner family gathered to celebrate what would have been Elijah's 100th birthday and to remember his importance to Augusta County and Waynesboro.

The family of Elijah Coiner still remembers the story of their ancestor. In fact they have his saddlebags, guns, sword and the boot he was wearing when he was wounded in the left ankle. They also have the stories and memories that have been handed down through the generations, and the resolution from the board of supervisors honoring a man who served both his country and his county with honor.

As a former supervisor and a historian who loves Augusta County, I am eternally grateful for men like Elijah Coiner who created such a good foundation on which supervisors 100 years later could build upon. Thank goodness for public servants like Elijah Coiner (and for Elijah's descendants who supplied the information for this story). Let's hope that many more arise to serve in the future.

Staunton News Leader - Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia - April 19, 2013 - Friday.