Sorry to be so late in replying but I don't check this site very often. This sounds like my family -- my grandfather's name was Jess Coffel. Part of the Coffel family moved from Ohio to Southern Illinois. The person who has the most information on this particular Coffel ancestry is Betty Reed. She in fact published a book with a wealth of information. Her e-mail is
reedtb@sisp.net. Good luck.