Chesley Shelton Coffey

Captain Chesley Shelton Coffey was a member of Co. D., 19th MS Infantry Regiment. CSA. I have written briefly about him here, and here.

Capt. Coffey was wounded at Williamsburg, VA and resigned his commission on Feb. 14, 1863.

He appears in Fayette, Jefferson Co. MS census record on July 30, 1850 with wife, Mississippi. He was 35-yrs old, and professed to be a farmer, born in TN. Mississippi was age 17, and gave her place of birth as MS.

George Petty, a 29-yr old male, born in KY, was also enumerated with the Coffeys.

The family appears again in the 1860 Fayette, Jefferson Co., MS enumeration. He was a 44-yr old planter with real estate valued at $10,000, and personal property valued at $5,200. He reported TN as his place of birth.

With him was his wife Mississippi Davis Coffey, age 27, and sons Bradford D., age 10, Charles C., age 8, and Chesley S., Jr., age 5. Mississippi and all of their children were also born in TN.

Included in the family that year was Stephen Johnson, an 18-yr old male with $175 in personal property, born in TN.

Chesley died in Feb., 1869. Goodspeed wrote that his wife died in Nov., 1844. That date is obviously incorrect for Mississippi. That, and the fact that he was much older than she when they married may indicate that Chesley was previously married.

I do not know the ancestry of Chesley, and would appreciate hearing from anyone who knows more about him.

Photo courtesy William Frazier Furr's 19th MS Infantry website. Click on title link for additional information.