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Showing posts with label Ann Powell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ann Powell. Show all posts

October 27, 2017

I stopped to think...

and never got started again!

I thought I would have been blogging more now that my health is back to near normal.  But, that hasn't been the case.

The Edward Coffey Project (ECP) is huge and I have begun to realize that many of my sources are incomplete, non-informational and lacking links.  So, that's what I've been doing; that is, I have been checking birth, death, and marriage facts to make sure I have provided at least a link to those who have been added to Find A Grave.  Of course, that are many that married or died long before the 19th or 20th century and are not on anyone's list or lie in abandoned cemeteries. They still lack sources but I rely on some form of genealogical publication to get them into the ballpark.

Many facts on the early Coffey families, such as children of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey, came from Dr. Marvin Coffey's book, James Bluford Coffey, His Ancestors and Descendants in America, Vols. I and II. I am attempting to source those to his books and page numbers.  I am also returning to archived copies of the Coffey Cousins' Newsletter to provide more detailed information about some of the families contained in those publications.

Many of the early families researched by Dr. Coffey are qualified in his book by his statements such as "the children are not well defined," etc.  But, they are your key to the past and to be 100% certain of your Coffey heritage it will require you to pick up the trail and do some early American research.

This current work is a long, tedious job but somebody has to do it!

I hope to provide better service to those who have purchased the CD, DVD or thumb drive.  If you are one of those owners needing help clarifying a few sources, drop an e-mail to me.

Previous efforts to share the data (see above paragraph) have been just OK.  But, I am hoping to do something even better in the future. I am not yet ready to talk about it but when I am, you'll read about it here as soon as I can assure you, and myself, it is a viable alternative to the other methods I have used.  

The database is getting to be much too large to compile webpages, a distribution scheme that I have relied on in the past.  My computer is beginning to struggle to create the pages.  It takes nearly 36 hours to compile them, the photos, documents, sources, etc.  And, each time I do that I pray that there isn't a power outage requiring a restart!

I've noticed a lot of websites, family genealogies on FamilySearch.org, etc. that have used my work to enhance their Coffey genealogy but have failed to properly name me as the source of their info. I know this because of wording I have used in comments for certain individuals. But, I don't really mind; that is until they begin showing up on sites like Ancestry, WikiTree, etc.

So, hang in there for a while longer and prepare to see the most accurate compilation of Edward Coffey descendants available.


Jack




December 18, 2010

Edward and Ann Powell Coffey

William Moseley [sic] was a resident of Essex, Colony of Virginia and gained many land grants by importing indentured servants. For each indenture signed, a quantity of land, typically 50 acres, was given and the servant bound to him for a specific number of years. 

Indentured servitude in the colonies generally meant that the servant coming from abroad signed a contract prior to leaving to work in colonial America.  These servants could be from anywhere (England, Ireland, The Netherlands, etc.) but typically left from English ports.  Their contract generally specified they work as a laborer for 4-7 years; the actual number of years depending on the laws of each colony.  In Virginia it could have been as few as 4 years or as many as 9 years.

At the end of his servitude, the servant would receive "freedom dues" in the form of land, money or other considerations. Some of the plantation owners were required to give their ex-servants a couple of hoes, a spade or two, an ax, a bushel of corn, a new suit of clothes and, other tools to help them get started as freedmen.  Along with any of this he might have received, William Mosely also willed his "servant Ed. Coffe one heifer of 2 years old."

The indenture of Edward Coffey to William Mosely apparently did not end amicable as I previously believed.  R. Stanley Harsh, through John Chenault and published in Issue 118 of the Coffey Cousins' newsletter dated Sept. 10, 2010, wrote that Edward achieved his "freedom, corn and clothes..." in a lawsuit in Essex Co., VA on Sept. 10, 1700.  Mosely was already deceased as his will was proved in Essex Co. on Apr. 10, 1699.  The lawsuit may have been a formality, but we may never know without discovery of further documentation.

Some sources used for this blog point out that indentured servants were neither allowed to marry nor, to participate in politics during their servitude. We know from this that Edward and Ann's marriage date of 1700, as given on page 58 of The Index to Marriages of Old Rappahannock and Essex Counties, Virginia, is accurate.  The source cites  record of marriage as contained in Essex Book D&W 10, page 75. 

There is a mention of Edward's wife Ann Powell Coffey in the March 10, 1700 will of Thomas Powell of Sittingbourne Parish, Essex Co. in which he willed one shilling to his daughter Ann Coffey.  A witness to the will was Edward Coffey.  From this we can deduce that Edward and Ann married between Jan. 1, and March 10, 1700.

Apparently little or nothing is known of their life together between marriage and Feb. 7, 1706 when "Edward Coffey of St. Ann's Parish, Essex Co., bought 118 acres on branches of Occupation Swamp from Mr. Augustine Smith and wife Susanna for 4720 lbs. of tobacco with apparently half down." Edward and Ann took possession on Mar. 6, 1706/7 as witnessed by Robert King and Thomas Warren.  Edward Coffey's name does not appear on the 1704 Quit Rent Roll of Essex Co. indicating that he owned no land on that date.

"This land was part of 2,359 acres granted Smith by patent on 2 May 1705."  The property "adjoined Thomas Warren on east side of Chickahominy Path, corner to Mr. Francis Gouldman hill near head of branch, corner to Beverly's great tract."

Edward and Ann apparently lived on that 118 acres until Nov., 1714 when they sold it to John Barbee for 5000 lbs. tobacco. On July 16, 1716 they purchased from John Mosely, the son and executor of Edward Mosely, "a plantation of 200 acres in St. Ann's Parish." Edward Mosely appears to be the brother of William.

The plantation purchase included "houses, buildings, barns, tobacco sheds, gardens, etc." It was described as being on the "east side of Occupation Creek, a small ranch [sic] [branch] of Gibsons Creek," and "part of a parcel commonly called Mosely's Quarter. They paid 8,000 lbs. of tobacco for the property.

This is the land that Edward left in his will to his sons John and Edward. He died sometime between making his will on Feb. 14, 1716 and July of that year because title to the land was finally recorded in the name Edward Coffey on July 16 of that year.

Edward likely made the deal with the Mosely family well prior to his death but the deed went unrecorded until his death.  I am uncertain what the age of majority was in the colony at the time, but it seems unusual that a pair of teenagers would be permitted by laws at the time to own property.  There may have been other considerations in the law which allowed it in the case of an inheritance.

This is also an indication - as some researchers have maintained - that John and Edward Coffey were twins.  In his work, Marvin Coffey wrote that the boys "were not 16 on February 14, 1716 but were on July 16."

It is also interesting to consider that William Mosely himself may have been an indentured servant at one time.  There is a record of one Major George Colclough receiving 1050 acres on Sep. 5, 1660 for "transportation of 21 persons into this Collony."  In addition to the other 20, the list includes a William Moseley.

Thoughts, additions or corrections welcomed!

June 15, 2010

Number 1000!

This blog began on Dec. 7, 2004.

Since then I have been adding to it for 5 years, 6 months and 8 days.  I thought that reaching this milestone would be an inspiration for writing something brilliant and perhaps historical.  But, as it turns out the mere creation of 1000 essentially one name blogs, may be historic in its own right.  I don't know!

Research has found a lot of bad Coffey genealogies on the web.  Most of it lacks sources and, in general, are mere copies of another bad copy.  That is not to say that there are no good Coffey genealogies on the web; they are just few and far between.  

Over the course of the five and a half years I have met and/or corresponded with some very serious Coffey researchers who have faithfully documented their work and have been willing to share their hard work with me*.  In many instances, they have gone out of their way to help.  They inspired my goal to help improve and add to those good genealogies and perhaps inspire others to correct their bad ones.

I am always the skeptic when someone tells me they are new to genealogy yet have "documented" their Coffey line back to Ireland and include the mythical John Coffey and Mary Joliffe [sometimes his wife is Rebecca Ireland] as parents of Edward Coffey.  No serious Edward researcher that I know [and I know a few] has ever documented that.  Some folks that I know who claim to have seen documentation, cannot recall where it was found or why they did not get copies. 

In these genealogies, John and Mary/Rebecca are always followed by the addition of "Joshua" as Edward, Jr's middle name.  It is then rather obvious that the "newby" has merely copied someone's poor work and believes they have the perfect family history!  I often wonder why they wrote to me in the first place!?

One of my favorite finds on the web was the unblemished photo said to be of a Coffey couple who lived and died long before cameras were invented!

I don't know if I have accomplished my goal. However, if my statistics are correct, these blogs and photographs have been downloaded by readers a few thousand times.  Although I have found many genealogies on the web with information that could have come only from me [verbatim sentence structure, poor grammar, lack of punctuation, and other clues], "researchers" are still failing to document the work with the proper source.

In many instances I have provided sources for information contained in my blogs.  Sometimes I have been lazy and anxious to wrap up a blog and failed to show sources.  But, they are available to anyone with questions about how I - or a contributor - arrived at a particular conclusion.  Typical responses from those who I question about their sources are usually glib and/or evasive.

I will now be taking a sabbatical from this blog to concentrate for a time on my other work.

It is my obligation to my family to once more concentrate on our COFFEE ancestry by correcting, updating, and better documenting what research I have completed.  I doubt that anyone of my children - at this stage of their lives - or any of my distant cousins will want to pick up where I left off, so, it falls to me to make available as much of it as I can.

This blog will still merit my attention, just not as often as in the past.  I will continue to update it from time to time as needed.

Research of the Edward Coffey-Ann Powell line will continue when time allows.  I will also update the Edward Coffey Project in a timely manner.  The CD and/or DVD will still be available for purchase.  A reminder to anyone wishing to buy either:  They are not mass produced and each is burned only when the order is received, thereby assuring that the buyer gets the latest update.

One last word and it is directed to those critics of the researcher's fondness for family crests and/or coats of arms:  I believe that most of us are aware of the fact that they were awarded to individuals and that we have no claim to them.  However, knowing the history behind the design, colors and symbols is fun and, knowing the history cannot be anything but helpful.  So, don't write to me with trite comments about displaying and/or making the Coffey coat of arms available for download on this blog page!





*I hesitate to name those who have helped me over the years for fear that I will omit someone.  However, credit must go to my biggest supporters:  John Taylor who did a lot of the up front work on the Jordan Coffey family; Margaret Coffey Farley who provided so many marriage records, original documents, obituaries and photographs of those Coffey families in Western North Carolina; Wayne Coffey who offered guidance and provided headstone photographs and other information for those Coffey families in Virginia, especially those in Augusta county and in Staunton; Sharon Steele-Smith for her help with families in and around Bristol, TN and twin city, Bristol, VA.  I also want to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Marvin Coffey (dec'd) for his early work on Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.  I have heavily relied on him because he was a careful and trustworthy researcher. With grateful thanks I apologize to all of the others who have submitted family files, documents, photos, etc.:  you are too numerous to list but are nevertheless appreciated.


March 22, 2010

Dr. Erval Richard Coffey

Dr. Erval R. Coffey*
Erval Richard Coffey, second son of Dr. Richard Nightingale and Mae A. Gano Coffey, was born Dec. 31, 1896 in Jackson Co., MO.

Dr. Richard Coffey was a son of Dr. William A. and Elizabeth Hill Coffey of Madison Co., KY.  Dr. William Coffey was a son of Dr. Rev. Richard Nightingale and Margaret Catherine McCormick Coffey, originally of Amherst Co., VA then of Lincoln and Madison Counties in KY and finally of Platte Co., MO.

This family descends from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through John and Jane Graves Coffey, Willian and Elizabeth Osborne Coffey and Osborn and Mary "Polly" Nightingale Coffey who settled in Casey Co., KY.

Erval was a graduate of the University of Kansas where he was active in sports.  After graduation he began a career in the US Public Health Service, eventually becoming Assistant Surgeon General.  He served overseas and was once appointed to Thailand under the Foreign Economic Assistance Act.  He had been Regional Director of the PHS in Washington DC prior to his appointment.

According to an article rife with typographical errors, and which appeared in the Memphis World on Dec. 26, 1950, Erval married Catherine Ann Borchdt [sic] of Chicago and were the parents of three daughters and a son.  In a later undated article found here, [clicking this link will download a PDF] Dr. Coffey eventually accepted an appointment at the regional office of the PHS in New York City.  Upon retirement he accepted an appointment as Health Officer for the city of Greenwich, CT.  He died in April, 1968 in Pinellas Co., FL.

Very little information has been found for Dr. and Mrs. Coffey, probably due to their travel and overseas work.  After he registered for the draft in 1917 he entered the US Army.  I found one source1 that reports him serving at Camp Funston in one of the Divisional Cantonment Training Camps at Fort Riley, Riley Co., KS.  Prior to that he resided at #7 Jackson Bldg in Lawrence, KS, which I presume was a dorm on the University of Kansas campus.  The Cantonment camps were among the first places in the US where the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic began.

The last time I found him in a census record was 1910 while he was still living with his parents in Barber Co., MO.

His draft registration card described him as being tall with medium build, brown eyes and light brown hair.

He and his wife were found on a List of first class In-Bound Passengers at San Francisco, arriving on the SS President Cleveland from Yokohama, Japan on Mar. 6, 1953.  Dr. Coffey was then 56 years old and Catherine was age 52.  Catherine listed her place of birth as Illinois.

I have not yet found Catherine's birth date, which from the passenger list I estimated to be 1901.  I am still searching for a record of their marriage, Catharine's death date and where they are buried.  Her maiden name as printed in the Memphis paper is also suspect.

Erval's older brother, Dr. George McDowell Coffey continued his family's medical service tradition as a dentist.  He married Helen Marjorie Miller and died in Grant Co., KS in 1969.





Update:  July 5, 2011
Jack Coffee,

Good morning. I am the first grandson of Dr. & Mrs. Erval Richard Coffee as described in your blog. 

Just wanted you to know that I am hosting a small family reunion of their direct descendants at a gathering in Old Town Alexandria, VA in late October. We are expecting: the two surviving daughters (Germaine Sava and Beverly Burns); most of their children/grandchildren; and, the children/grandchildren of their deceased children (Richard Coffee, Bargara Vogt). We're expecting about 30+ folks from the DC/Maryland/VA area, New Jersey, California, North Carolina, Norway and Thailand.

Just wanted to pass the news to you. 

RICHARD A HESS
1338 UNION ST, #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109
CELL: +1 808 292 9086
GOOGLE VOICE: +1 202 596 6314
SKYPE: +1 415 644 5233; ID: hessrick
hessrick@gmail.com
http://www.google.com/profiles/hessrick
I received the following e-mail today:






1The Graduate Magazine [Univ of KS], Oct., 1917, Vol. XVI, Page 217
*Photo credit National Library of Medicine

January 10, 2009

James Brown & Harriet E. Coffey Blair (Update)

This photo was sent to me by Gail Hewett, a descendant of James and Harriet.  It is in remarkably good condition.  The young man in the photo is Fredrick Blair, their grandson and son of Gilliam Colbert "Cub" Blair.  According to Gail, James and Harriet raised Fredrick after his mother died.

Harriet Coffey was the daughter of Gilliam and Mary (Polly) Moore Coffey.  Gilliam was a son of William and Anna (Annie) Boone Coffey who descends from Edward and Ann Powell through their son John and his son Thomas Coffey who married Sarah (Sally) Fields.  Thomas was a brother to Reuben Coffey who married Martha (Polly) Dowell.
In her note accompanying the photo, Gail wrote that Polly Moore may be the daughter or Job and Susan Stone Moore.  Job was known to minister to boys at the Globe Academy.  Gail thought that Polly may have been Cherokee, taken in by Job to help care for the boys, and perhaps to save her from the "Trail of Tears."  Her daughter, Harriet, appears to me to have the quaint and beautiful features of a Native American woman.  In this photograph, taken c1908, she is still a very attractive woman, and must have been a real beauty in her younger years.
Harriet was born Sep. 6, 1843 in Cedar Valley, Caldwell Co., NC and died Dec. 12, 1937 in Elizabethton, Carter Co., TN.  She is buried at Harmony Baptist Church Cemeter in Keeneburg, Carter Co.  James Blair was born in May 1845 in Caldwell Co.  We're working on it, but do not yet know when and where he died or, where he is buried.
Their children were:
Henry Lee, born c1869
Gilliam Colbert "Cub", born Jul. 15, 1870, died Dec. 9, 1934.  He is buried at the Concord Church Cemetery in Bostic, Rutherford Co., TN
Harvey, born c1873
John C., born Jan., 1875
Job W., born c1878
Mary E., born Dec., 1881
Hatibel, birth unknown
Lillie M., born May, 1887
Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to or to correct any of this information.





Hi Jack,


James Brown Blair was born May 1, 1844 in Cedar Valley, Caldwell Co., N.C. He served in the Confederate army during the Civil War. Was captured and held prisoner at Rock Island Il. until the end of the war. He and Harriet Coffey were married Oct. 7, 1866. He died May 24, 1929 in Carter Co. Tn. He and Harriet are buried at Harmony Baptist Church in Keeneburg Tn. ( just outside of Elizabethton). He was the son of Colbert and Mary (Polly) Barnes Blair.

Harriet E. Coffey Blair was born Sept. 6,1843 in Caldwell Co. N.C. She died July 19, 1937, and is buried next to James in Harmony Baptist Church cemetery in Keeneburg , Carter Co., Tn.

If I can help you any further just let me know.

Another Coffey Cousin,

Gail

September 18, 2008

John and Nancy Snyder Coffey

This John was a son of James M. and Frances Lane Coffey.  He was born Apr. 22, 1810 in Wayne Co., KY and died Apr. 8, 1879 in Lookingglass, Douglas Co., OR.  Nancy was born Dec. 1, 1815 in Virginia and died Feb. 28, 1893 in Lexington, Morrow Co., OR.

He descends from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John and wife Jane Graves; their son, James and Elizabeth Cleveland; their son Archelus and Eleanor Wade.  Archelus and Eleanor were parents of James M.

John and Nancy were married on Sep. 13, 1832 in Gallatin Co., IL.  They settled there, and received a 40-acre land grand in 1835.  They sold this land on Sept. 20, 1841 and went to Missouri.  They were back in Illinois by 1848, and were on the Hamilton County, IL census for 1850.

By December 1852 the family was back in Missouri, probably preparing for their westward trek.  A family record cited by Marvin Coffey in his family genealogy says only  that "they moved from southern Illinois to Missouri joining a wagon train and crossing the plains in 1853."

The Coffey family arrived in Oregon on August 12, 1853.

Their children were at least 12:

Vandexer Lee, born Oct. 26, 1833 in Gallatin Co., IL, and died May 2, 1909.  He married Rebecca J. Wright, born Jan., 1854 in Indiana, on Jan. 5, 1871 in Marion Co., OR.  Vandexer died in Beech Creek, Grant Co., OR.

Miles, born c1835 in Gallatin Co.

James Bluford, born Oct. 11, 1837 in Gallatin Co., IL, died Jul. 3, 1924 in Adams, Umatilla Co., OR.  James married first to Mary Ann McCorkle on Oct. 19, 1862 in Marion Co., OR.  Mary Ann was born Nov. 26, 1847 in Marion Co., and died there on Jan. 30, 1853.  They had one child, George F., born Jan. 20, 1864, died Jul. 3, 1912 in Canada.  Mary Ann died 10 days after George was born.  He married second to Mary Elizabeth Bolin of Jul. 16, 1866 in Salem, Marion Co., OR.  Mary was born Jul. 24, 1848 in Indiana and died in Oregon on Apr. 26, 1927.  They raised at least 13 children.  This is the family of Dr. Marvin Coffey (dec'd).

Martha Ellen, born c1839 in Gallatin Co., IL and died (probably) in 1861 in Clackamas Co., OR.  She married William Arthur, Jr., born c1831 in Missouri.  They were married on May 8, 1856 in Clackamas Co.  Their known children were Mildred A., born 1857; Martha Josephine, born 1859 and William C., born c1861.

Julia Ann, born Oct. 10, 1841 in MO, died Nov. 25, 1928 in Portland, Multnomah Co., OR.  She was married to Joseph A. Hugh on Dec. 24, 1861 in Clackamas Co.  Their children were John L., born 1868, died 1960; Minnie V., born c1877; Sam J., born c1879; and Richard D., born c1881.

Eli D., born c1844 in Missouri, died between 1860 and 1879.

Infant daughter, born c1846.

Winfield W., born c Nov. 1848 in Illinois, died Nov., 1849.

Mary Jane, born c1850 in Hamilton Co., IL, died before 1900 in Morrow Co., OR.  She was married first to John Sloan in July 1874 in Douglas Co., OR.  They had at least one child, Nancy E., born c1875.    Her second husband was Arthur McCarty to whom she was married on Jan. 24, 1877 in Douglas Co., OR.  They had at least one child, Eli Howard, born Nov. 13, 1877, died Dec. 18, 1918.  Mary Jane's third husband was William W. Kirk, to whom she was married on Apr. 14, 1899 in Morrow Co.

John Achilles Winfield, born Dec., 1852, died Mar. 10, 1931.

Thomas Wesley, born Sep. 27, 1854 in Coos Co., OR, died in Portland on Sep. 2, 1939.  He married Amanda E. Coon on Jun. 27, 1878 in Douglas Co.  She was born to Jacob L. and Sarah Miller Coon on May 18, 1854 in Linn Co., OR.  Amanda died Sep. 27, 1903 in Camas Valley, Douglas Co., OR.  Thomas may have married again, but I had no information.  Their children were at least four:  Lillian L., born Jul., 1879 in Douglas Co., died 1956; Fred L., born c1881; Sarah; and Mildred V., born Oct., 1886, died Oct., 1870.

The last known child born to John and Nancy was Louisa, born and died in 1857.

Please send additions and/or corrections to me at the above e-mail address.

December 31, 2007

Happy New Year!

This new year ushers in my 69th on earth and 49th in marriage! I've been researching family ties since the early 1980's, and have been blessed with an understanding wife who has followed me around the world in both my military and civilian life in pursuit of various goals. She has (more or less) supported me in all of my hobbies. I have been a fox hunter, with all that entails, a radio amateur (WD5ELJ, WS5X, 9V1UQ, and currently W5JKC) and since 1978-9 when I bought my first Tandy TRS-80 Model 1, a "computer freak" (as she tells her friends) "with a weird habit of reading obituaries from all over the country."

She is also a licensed radio amateur with the call sign WB5TQL. The TQL part does NOT stand for "tender, quiet and loving." Well, maybe T and L is accurate, but surely not Q!

Neither of us are any longer active on the bands, but we do keep out licenses current.

For the most part 99.9% of all researchers that I have met over the course of my "genealogical life" have been great people. Many of them have remained great friends over the years to both me and my wife. Hopefully, I have been just as good a friend to them.

Forgive me while I digress!

The purpose of this blog is to provide information, seek to make it accurate and, to give it to as many people as need it. Errors are a given. It's up to you to correct them.. I am always glad to hear from anyone who can provide correct info on any family I write about.

Only occasionally does someone come along with an attitude that really chaps my $@#!

Fortunately, that happened only once in 2007. It was a tirade-turned-hissy-fit by someone who failed to recognize that what I do here is neither advertised as 100% accurate, nor is 100% accurate. Neither is it 100% inclusive. That is, I might not have found all children; some names may be spelled incorrectly, etc. It's sometimes difficult to determine just how a person's first name was spelled, or even what it really was. Family members may have grown up hearing it said one way and spelled it phonetically when they put together the family tree.

That very thing arose the other day when I received a very nice e-mail from someone whose ancestor's first name was Dorothy. Someone else had written to me earlier about her and had spelled her name as Dartha. Names being what they are - labels applied by our parents - it's impossible for me to determine if a name given to me by a descendant is accurately spelled.

At any rate, the greater majority of readers understand and relate courteously to what I attempt to do here.

I am grateful and thank you for your support!

Digression over!

One of my resolutions for 2008 is to continue to put together the best documented genealogy that I can of the descendants of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey. That project has turned into a more-or-less genealogy of the descendants of their son John and his wife Jane Graves. I don't know of any researcher who descends from any of Edward and Ann's other children. And, I have yet to meet a researcher interested in Ann's sons, William and Thomas, by her second marriage to a Mr. Duling (Dulin, Dula, Dooling?). They of course, would be half-siblings to her children by Edward.

Feel free to write, ask questions, make corrections, or even to just say 'Hi-de!'

Be nice, and please have a safe New Year!


















*Bulletin Board Service

October 21, 2007

Glen Shirley and Lida Anne Coffey Faxon - Updated Mar. 4, 2011

Lida, or "Dearie" as she was called by family, was born Sep. 13, 1909 in Hammond, Clatsop Co., OR, the daughter of Ernest Garfield and Ester Martina Nelson Coffey. Ernest was born in Oregon, the son of James Norman and Laura Ellen Hays. These Coffeys were descendants of Lewis Moses Coffey, himself a descendant of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John who married Jane Graves.

Glen and Shirley were married Jun. 11, 1927*, probably in California. Glen was born Mar. 4, 1903 in Solano Co., CA to Willis Howe and Martha Leona Crabtree Faxon. Willis was a native of Hillsdale Co., MI; Martha a native of Humboldt Co., CA. Willis had been a shipbuilder, a dairyman and, in 1930, an attendant at an asylum in Marion Co., OR.

Martha Crabtree was the daughter of Seth H. & Emeline Crabtree. Emeline appeared as a widow in the Jun. 1, 1900 census of Rohnerville Twp., Humboldt Co.

Willis Faxon was the son of Samuel E. & Lizzie S. Faxon. Samuel was born in New York in Feb., 1836; Lizzie in New York in 1839. They were married c1863. The family appeared in the Jun. 7, 1900 census at Rohnerville where Samuel was employed as a stage driver.**

Siblings to Glen were: Milton W., born 1905, died 1994; Edwin Jesse, born 1909, died 1910; Edna Bessie, born 1910, died 1989; and Gilbert L., born 1915, died 2002.

Lida and Glen are known to have had at least two children:

Glen Shirley, Jr., born Nov. 6, 1928 in Solano Co., CA. He married Elizabeth Howes Lacy of Virginia in that state in 1952.

Barbara Ester, born Feb. 5, 1933 in Benton Co., OR, married Herald Franklin Stout, Jr.

Glen, Sr. died Jan. 31, 1984 in Edinburg, Shenandoah Co., VA. Lida died there on Mar. 24, 2007. Her obituary appeared in The Shenandoah Valley Herald on mar. 29 of that year:

Lida Anne Faxon

EDINBURG- Lida Anne Faxon, 97, died Saturday, March 24, 2007, at her home.

Mrs. Faxon was born in Hammond, Ore., daughter of the late Ernest G. and Ester Nelson Coffey. She was the wife of the late Glen S. Faxon.

Surviving are a son, Glen S. Faxon Jr. of Sacramento, Calif.; daughter, Barbara F. Stout of Edinburg; sister, Norma Johnston of Vallejo, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.

Services will be private.

The family will received friends from 1 to 4 pm. Saturday, March 31, at the Faxon home.

Memorial contributions may be made to Blue Ridge Hospice, 333 W. Cork St., Suite 405, Winchester, VA 22601.





*No source
**1900 Humboldt Co., Rohnerville Twp., ED35, Sheet 3B, dwelling 73,family 74, Faxon, Samuel E., head, white male, born Feb., 1836, are 64, married 37 yrs., born NY, parents born NY, stage driver; Lizzie S., wife, white female, born Jan., 1839, age 61, married 37 yrs., mother of 10, 6 living, born NY, father born VT, mother born NY; Willis H., son, white male, born Nov., 1873, age 26, single, born MI, parents born NY, livery man; Edna, dau., white female, born Oct., 1875, age 24, single, born MI, parents born NY

July 18, 2007

The Coffey / Chenault Connection

Fred Coffey, in collaboration with Rev. John Chenault of Frankfort, KY has made several discoveries that provide clues to probable descendants of Annister Coffey, daughter of Edward Coffey and Ann Powell.

Click on the title link to view Fred's discussion.

May 19, 2007

Wiley Hill and Ellen Hodges Moore

Wiley Hill Moore was born Apr. 28, 1883 in Watauga Co., NC. He married Ellen Hodges, born c1883 in North Carolina. A marriage date has not been found. The union produced at least seven children, two of which married into a Coffey family.

Their first son and third child Ralph James Moore, was born Apr. 4, 1908 in Watauga Co. Ralph married Lottie Murl Coffey, a daughter of Roby Monroe and Annie Lee Wright Coffey. Roby was the son of George Washington and Matilda Coffey Coffey. Annie was the daughter of Thomas A. Wright and Margaret Ann Coffey.

Lottie was born Feb. 24, 1912 in Caldwell Co., NC and died May 3, 1998 in Culpeper Co., VA. A death date has not been found for Ralph.

Their children were:

Lonnie Desmon, born Jul. 20, 1928
Collis Eugene, born Dec. 12, 1932
Unnamed, born Dec. 29, 1934
Margaret Ruth, born Dec. 25, 1937
Betty Jean, born Jul. 20, 1939
Jay Harold, born Dec. 21, 1941
Theodore Monroe, born Dec. 18, 1944


Amy Moore, the fourth child and third daughter of Wiley and Ellen, was born Apr. 12, 1910 and died Jan. 25, 1987. She married Bruce Glen Coffey, born 1908 in Caldwell Co., and died Sep. 2, 1971 in that county. They were married c1928 in Caldwell Co.

Bruce was the son of Julius Pinkney and Louise A. Edwards Coffey. James was born Apr. 24, 1858 in NC and died Feb. 11, 1933 in Caldwell Co. He and Louise were married Mar. 30, 1913 in Rowan Co., NC. Louise was born c1875 in NC. A death date has not been found.

I know of only two children for Bruce and Amy:

Marland [?], a son, born about Sep., 1929
Unnamed daughter, born Oct. 12, 1941

Update Aug. 16, 2009

Barbara Campbell has updated the information on Bruce Glenn Coffey. She reported that Bruce and his sister Hazel were not the biological children of Julius and Louise. She believes they were either adopted or were just foster children because they did not inherit from Julius when he died. Their mother was Carrie Hathcock of Cabbarus Co., NC. Carrie died in 1919 and no father has ever been found. Bruce and Amy's children were Maynard; Marlene, born Sep. 17, 1933; Mable, Mary and James.


Other children of Wiley and Ellen were:

Floy Belle, born Apr. 26, 1902, died Dec. 6, 1986, never married
Lula Mae, born Oct. 26, 1905
Jessee Glenn, born Dec. 26, 1916
Loan Raymond, born Feb. 12, 1919
Cleny Coe, born Aug. 21, 1921

Julius Pinkney and Roby Monroe were distant cousins. Their nearest common ancestor was John Coffey, a son of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey. John married Jane Graves.

George Washington Coffey and Margaret Ann Coffey were first cousins. George and his wife Matilda were also first cousins, once removed. Matilda was the daughter of Jesse Calton and Nancy Raines Coffey. Jesse and George were also first cousins.

April 2, 2007

Coffee/Coffey Blogs Available on CD

All of the Coffee/Coffey Call blogs from Dec. 2004 through Mar. 2007 are now availabe on CD.

The Edward Coffey/Ann Powell Project CD is also available for the same price.

For your copy via first class mail send check $7.00 for each CD to:

Jack Coffee
110 Lydia Road
St. Joseph, LA 71366

Cost of each CD via Pay Pal is $7.50:


PayPal—eBay's service to make fast, easy, and secure payments for your purchases!
PayPal!

February 6, 2007

Thank You!

I began this work on Dec. 7, 2004. Since then I have written 408 (this is number 409) pages.

To date, visitors have read 20,383 pages for an average of 48 pages per day. That's an average of 4.7 pages per reader or, a little over 10 readers per day. My stats show that researchers from every continent have read the posts. The stats can be skewed somewhat by the few readers who sometime spend a couple of hours, or return more than once per day and read 40 or more pages during their visit.

When I first began researching my family name I thought I was only one of a handful of Coffee/y researchers. Nearly 30 years later I find there are literally thousands researching this ancient surname.

A number of readers have chosen to share their family information, including photographs and other documents, and for that I am thankful.

It appears that many of those researchers descend from ancestors who emigrated to the United States from Ireland or England during the 19th century. By and large however, those interested are descendants of Edward Coffey and Ann Powell through their son John and wife Jane Graves.

Edward and Ann had only three known sons: John, Edward and Austes [sic]. Little to nothing is known of the last two, making John the best researched of all of their sons.

I have compiled more than 8000 of John's descendants. Here are some interesting (to me, anyway) stats:

For those who have a known birth, marriage or death date:

Average age at marriage for males: 24; for females: 21
[I thought the average for females would be lower!]

Average age at death for males: 62; for females: 61
[I thought the spread would be wider and in favor of females!]

Average children per family: 3.4 males; 2.4 females
[Again, I am surprised that the average per family is not higher.]


All in all, I am heartened by your positive response to my meager effort.

November 6, 2006

James Coffey, of Surry County, North Carolina

[Updated Oct. 3, 2009 to add new link to Fred's website]

Fred Coffey, a Coffey Cousin and resident Coffey "DNA expert" has prepared a document containing his prospective on a James Coffey found in early Surry Co., NC. This James might be the illegitimate son of Annister Coffey, daughter of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.

Little or nothing is known about Annister except that she "was indicted by Grand Jury in Essex County, Virginia, on November 17, 1736 for 'having a base born child.' She named this child, James Coffey."

The author also provides a bit of history of the area, and links are given for those that would like to dig further into this fascinating and historic area of North Carolina.

Readers can find the document by clicking on the title link.

October 9, 2006

Family History Archives

Have you checked out the Brigham Young University on-line Family History Archives?

I did a quick search and found three fully reproduced books that contain references to some Coffey families available for download:

The Hawk Family by E. L. (Ellis Leroy) Hawk, Nov. 15, 2000. A description of the book reads: Ellis Leroy Hawk, Jr. was born 24 March 1926 in Seymour, Indiana. His parents were Ellis Leroy Hawk (b. 1898) and Edna Linke (b. 1901). Chapter XXVII begins with Edward Coffey and Ann Powell and continues through Chapter XXX with Calvin Coffey and Josephine Simmonds. Chapter XXXI covers Thomas Powell and Mary Place. There is one page of photographs of the Calvin Coffey family.

The well-known Laurence H. Coffey book Thomas Coffey and his Descendants is also available for download.

The third book is titled Wolfe and Hickman of East Tennessee by David B. Trimble, © 2004, Austin, Texas. The index contains references to a number of Coffey families.

There were no results when I searched for Coffee.

Click on the title link to visit the archives.

September 23, 2006

Searching for Photographs

Genealogists love old family photographs!

They make an otherwise dull genealogy book more interesting. Many readers have supplied photos of their ancestors for use in the Edward Coffey "project," and I have used many of them here. Based on e-mail comments, readers of the blog have enjoyed them as much as I.

If you have any photographs of your ancestors please consider sending scanned images to me along with your family information for use in this blog. I can use any format (jpg, tiff, or gif). Please scan them at the highest resolution that your scanner can handle, and at least as large as 4" x 5". I can always cut them down to fit the blog format, but need the higher resolution to get as much detail as possible. Be sure and include as much information as you can on each person in the photographs.

The Edward Coffey "project" is my effort to assemble the most comprehenvice genealogy possible on the descendants of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey. It represents my efforts over the past 20+ years, and has involved travel, book purchases, months of census work, thousands of e-mail exchanges, telephone calls, and "snail mail." At last count the file was closing in on 900 pages in PDF. It includes photographs, sources and full name index. The most up-to-date version is available on CD for a reasonable price.

Contact me for more details.

February 16, 2006

The Wild Geese of Eire (Part III)

Part III (actually Part II as submitted by the author) appeared in the Dec., 1990 edition of Coffey Cousins' Clearinghouse newsletter:

My 85-year old father likes to tell a story concerning the mark of our ancestor Fielden Coffey (his great-grandfather) and how it related to a run-in with Pardee Butler along the Missouri River in the vicinity of the present Atchison, Kansas, where I was later born. The Atchison area was over-run by Missourians who were descendants of old-line Virginians. These Missourians, including my Fielden (who had been born in Kentucky), adhered to old mid-southern rules and customs, including occupying land by pre-emption which was technically not open to settlement. Fielden had placed his distinctive mark on a certain tree, intending to sometime cut it and make it into lumber. He was in no particular hurry to cut it, as everyone knew his mark and respected his claim on any trees so marked. Atchison had the first newspaper in the state, aptly named the Squatter Sovereign, one issue of which tells of the tarring and feathering of Pardee Butler, a northern free-soiler who was tied to a raft in his feathered state and sent on an ethereal flight down the Missouri River. My Fielden's encounter with Mr. Butler came when someone came rushing to Fielden's house with the disconcerting news that Butler was cutting down a tree with Fielden's mark on it! My father's interpretation of Fielden's response, although more visually demonstrated than by words, leaves little doubt that Fielden's adrenaline surged. Although short of stature and of generally agreeable disposition, on this occasion, when his distinctive mark was ignored, he was as if challenged in battle, and this proved to be one of the few occasions which he settled with assistance of a gun. I am assured by my father that he did not kill anyone, but that is all that he would say.

Although we see the strange M-like mark on Edward Coffey, Sr.;s personal papers, it takes little imagination to see that this would have been the mark by which he signed chits and notes for the plantation Moseley's Quarter. Today certificates representing enormous wealth in corporate stock are still "signed" by means of a cryptic mark made by the pen of the transfer agent in some financial back room. At the time Edward Coffey signed the M-like mark to his will, he had a vested interest in the plantation of "Mosley's Quarter" to say the least. To what extent his interest was so vested 16 years earlier, when he witnessed a document by signing the same M-like mark, is still a matter of conjecture. To make a different mark for his personal affairs than the mark he made for the plantation would have not only been confusing to all concerned but probably to himself as well. He obviously was known by his mark, which for historical reasons was associated with Moseley's Quarter, regardless of whether at any specific time he may have been overseer or owner.

Descendants of Joel Coffey and Martha Stapp have noted that the names "Woodson Coffey" or "Joel Woodson Coffey" appear in the lines of at least two of Joel's children, although no Woodson ancestor is readily apparent in published genealogies. If only one of Joel's children had named a son Woodson, we might shrug it off, saying that the child must have been named for a highly respected neighbor or godfather of no blood relation. But even in parallel cases in other families, such neighbors or godparents, upon further research, often prove to be blood relations. Woodsons proliferated from Virginia through the South and West and were sometimes Coffey neighbors although no blood relationships have been previously suggested. Let us examine the family of Joel and Martha, as there is evidence that their children may be triple Coffeys in the sense of being descended from Edward Coffey, Sr. in three lines: 1) Edward Coffey, Jr., and a wife who may have been a daughter of a Chesley Martin, 2) Martha Coffey and Joshua Stapp, through their grand-daughter Martha Stapp; and 3) Elizabeth Coffey and John Cleveland through their daughter Jane Cleveland. I am reserving details of these genealogical interpretations for another discussion. (I am myself a descendant of this triple Coffey line through Celia, the daughter of Joel and Martha, but my line is further complicated by a descent through Celia's marriage to Fielding, son of Isaac Nebuzaraden Coffey, of yet uncertain ancestry, but undoubtedly going back again to Edward Coffey, Sr.) The tripling in the Joel-Martha line, for one thing, would magnify the likelihood that any Woodson connection would be in a Coffey line merely because there are fewer non-Coffey lines to contend with. We need to analyze the heritage of Joel's family. Joel has all the appearances of having inherited his parents' wealth under the British primogeniture system. His 14 slaves appearing in the 1787 Wilkes County, North Carolina, census are ten times the average for Wilkes County families of the period. Nebuzaraden has only one and many Coffeys none at all. Only Jane (Graves) Coffey, the widow of John Coffey, came close with 7. Her wealth was preserved by her failure to re-marry. Colonial custom was to leave the estate to the wife only until she re-married or died. Thus, Edward, Jr., and John Coffey (rather than their mother who re-married) inherited Moseley's Quarter. Upon the death of their mother Ann, she willed her possessions to her sons by her last husband (Dooley) and to her daughter or daughter-in-law, Annister, rather than to her earlier sons by Edward Coffey, Sr. Joel's wealth is further confirmed by the lands appearing in his name on tax lists of the period. Joel was likely the prime heir of his father, Chesley Coffey, Sr., who may have died young but was probably the eldest son and prime heir of Edward Coffey, Jr., thought by Coffey genealogists to have been the twin brother of John Coffey, the twins being the inheriting sons of the original Edward Coffey, Sr. That Joel Coffey's full name may have been perpetuated by his grandson Joel Woodson Coffey is suggestive, although only that. Under the British primogeniture system (which was repudiated with the success of the American Revolution), the elder branch of a family was the depository for tradition. A father passed not only his wealth to his oldest son, but a responsibility to be head of the entire group of related families descending from the father. This family headship was in a sense that we can barely comprehend today. It was the senior son who not only inherited the vast proportion of the estate, but who also had an obligation to help junior families out if the fell on hard times. We believe that Irish families adhered to primogeniture, as well. This is all in way of explaining how we would expect Joel to have been trained in family traditions forward. It would not be unusual, therefore, for him to have known the name of his great grandfather of his wife, Martha Stapp. Did anyone in the lineages between the original Edward's mother and Joel or Martha have Woodson as a middle name? Or did they have a Bible record of a Woodson ancestor? Remember, Joel's grandson was named Joel Woodson Coffey and two other grandchildren had Woodson incorporated into their names in some way. Was there a Woodson in Joel's ancestry? If such a Woodson ancestry were in colonial Virginia rather on the other side of the Atlantic, it would have had to have been in the very early generations of the Virginia Woodson family. The patriarch of the Virginia Woodsons settled in the Jamestown colony in 1619 and was killed by Opechanchanough's brutal massacre of 1644, but Mrs. Woodson protected two sons by hiding them, one in a tub, the other in a potato pit. Genealogists have married off the descendants of these two sons to account for the Woodsons living in America between 1619 and the present, although little attention was given to the female lines. We should look for a Woodson daughter of an extremely early generation who may have had an early marriage but was remembered by genealogists only for a second marriage to a person with property. Sarah Woodson, daughter of Robert Woodson and Sarah Ferris, is the likely candidate, particularly since the Ferris family was intermarried with the Washingtons and one of Joel's grandsons was named Meredith Washington Coffey. Is this sheer speculation? Not at all! Although genealogies commonly state that this Sarah Woodson married Edward Mosby, Henry Morton Woodson in his book Historical Genealogy of the Woodsons and Their Connections states that this was Edward Moseley and that the line is untraced. Sarah's father was Robert, one of the little Woodson boys saved from the Indians by being hidden by his mother. Sarah's brother John is known to have been a carpenter. There is evidence that many Coffey connecting families were carpentering families who followed building booms at the edge of settlement, but this topic is reserved for another discussion. Such books spread from the Jamestown colony eventually to Henrico County, up to old Rappahanock (Essex), to Spotsylvania, to Orange, to Albemarle, and eventually into the back country of the Carolinas and from there south and west.

[Frank believed in writing long paragraphs!]

If Edward Coffey was not a Wild Goose in the sense of the 1691 exodus, what was he? It is commonly said that "birds of a feather flock together." Graves women who married Coffeys in two widely separated lines both seem to be descended from Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown colony. It is significant that a Thomas Graves signed as security for Edward Coffey, Sr.'s widow when she administered Edward's estate. Was he descended from the Captain Thomas Graves mentioned above? If there is a Woodson connection, the progenitor again would be an old-line Jamestown colony Virginian. Could our Coffey ancestors go back this far as well? Descendants of colonial Virginia Coffeys have tried to trace their ancestry by looking at dates when people with names similar to those of their ancestors were supposedly imported to America. Recent research indicates that landgrants given by Virginia for importing settlers often were fraudulently issued, the supposed importees merely being ship's crews who returned to England. It is axiomatic that Coffeys supposedly imported seem to have left no descendants. Paradoxically, Coffeys tracing back to colonial Virginia can find no ancestor who unquestionably was the one who immigrated. Do the Edward Coffey and Peter Coffee lines track back to a common ancestor as some long-deceased Coffeys once claimed? [Recent DNA testing reveals that Peter and Edward were related, but not closely] Descendants of Peter Coffee now have evidence that he was not the Peter Coffee of importation records. Carpentering tendencies of the Peter Coffee line led to John Coffee's boatbuilding which led to a water-freighting partnership with Andrew Jackson, then to the Coffee-Jackson victory in the Battle of New Orleans, and finally to the election of a President. The carpentering connection between the Edward and Peter lines may be partly because of carpentering being a Graves characteristic. This would not explain carpentering in the line of Edward Coffey, Jr., however. Perhaps the Graves met the Coffeys through carpentering in relation to Coffeys and their connections, which is found in another discussion, also explains why these carpenters excelled in the military.

Although our Coffey immigrant ancestor may not have a Wild Goose in the restricted meaning of the 1691 sense, today the term is used for practically any ancestor who fled from Ireland at any date, as shown by the recent article in Town and Country magazine. These Wild Geese intended to fly home to Ireland when conditions permitted. That our ancestor was a Wild Goose in the broad sense of having fled from Ireland is taken for granted from the very Irishness of the name Coffey, for what true Irishman would have willingly left the emerald Isle unless forced by circumstances to do so? Coffey is a true old Irish name, not a "Scotch-Irish" name, and not an Irish name of English origin.

In reviewing the document whereby Ann, the widow of Edward Coffey, Sr., was granted administration of Edward's estate, the very Irishness of the names of all involved simply flows out from the paper. Here was Ann Powell who had become a Coffey, with a Thomas Graves signing as security together with a John Hart. The Irish family of Powell as an alias for MacFullafoil, a Gaelic name freely translated as a "devotee of St. Paul," the Paul part of the name inspiring use of the name "Powell." Hart is exactly equivalent to the family of O'Hart to which belonged the author of the book which takes the Coffey pedigree back to Adam. Graves was a family in the 1659 census of Counties Dublin, Meath and Louth. The Graves family was noted for certain prominent clergymen, one the Anglican Bishop of Limerick. John Graves was sheriff of Limerick. Arthur Graves wrote the ever popular sons "Father O'Flynn."

Historians are intensely interested in early Irish settlers in Virginia prior to the coming of the Scotch-Irish to the Great Valley of Virginia. Of interest is whether the very early Irish existed as isolated families who lost their Irishness amid the predominant English, or whether they associated together with some social binding so as to make an ethic group. If they did make a group, however so small, historians would like to know if they had any effect on development of the country. If Coffeys can ever sort out and document their family history, there may prove to have been significant influence by descendants of early Irish who settled in the Tidewater region of Virginia, long before coming of the Scotch-Irish.

My interest in my ancestor Fielden Coffey being a traveling merchant led me to research traveling merchants in colonial Virginia. There was great interest by historians in a diary of a traveling merchant written shortly after 1800 which revealed that he belonged to a secret society or brotherhood of Irishmen in Virginia which met something like the Masons. Unfortunately no one has discovered who wrote the diary or anything about the society other than that no one had suspected that the Irish had such social connections in Virginia at such an early date. The merchant's route closely corresponded to some of the territory where Coffeys lived. In the Tye river area of old Albemarle County (now Nelson County), with its Coffey connections, he mentioned coming to Crosthwait's as if it were an old stopping point or way-station, which it probably was. Descendants of colonial Virginia Crosthwait/Crosswhites have never discovered whether they are of the English or Irish branch of the family, only that their ancestor came down from Pennsylvania to Spotsylvania County about 1732, possibly descending from the Charles Crosthwayte who settled near Boston in the previous century. Charles had descendants in West Jersey prior to 1700 who were living on the opposite side of the river from the point where the new town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was being built. If Crosthwaits were of the Irish branch, they would, like the Coffeys, be very early examples of Irish immigrants. A Thomas Crosthwaite once served as Governor of the Bank if Ireland and High Sheriff of Dublin. This is mentioned because a Coffey presently is Minister of Finance of Ireland and has served as Governor of the Bank of Ireland, an interesting parallel. I am reserving an analysis of the fiduciary or "treasurer" meaning behind the surname Coffey for another discussion.

[I hope readers have enjoyed this dissertation by Frank Crosswhite. He never again submitted such work to Coffey Cousins for publication, and I understand that he died within a few years of this publication. That is too bad! Many, if not most researchers today are simply satisfied with copying and/or citing the work of others. Besides the obvious problem with that, neither one has cited a credible source for any of the information. If anyone would like to submit such scholarly work as this paper, please contact me or Bonnie Culley. I was unable to reproduce Edward's "distinctive mark" here, but imagine this: A printed letter E, tilted slightly to the right where it almost appears like the printed letter M, except that the legs of the M do not dip in the middle, but rather go straight across like the spine of the E.]

January 26, 2006

John Alfred and Cynthia Monk Coffey Family

Alfred Coffey Family

Double click photo for larger view


John Alfred Coffey was born March 9, 1872, son of Colby C. and Sarah Emily Ann Parris Coffey. Colby is in the Edward Coffey/Ann Powell line, and descended from their son John and wife, Jane Graves Coffey.

I have no information on Cynthia. She and John were probably married in Tennessee c1892. They had at least two sons: Henley Clay, born October 12, 1891, died Nov. 13, 1922, and Colby Willis, born December 20, 1893, died December 5, 1966. They had other children, as evidenced by the photo.

Please e-mail me if you have researched this family and can add to or correct any information.

January 21, 2006

Edward & Ann Powell CDs

Several readers have asked me when I plan to update the Edward and Ann Powell Coffey webpages again.

I try to update them on average about every six months. I hope to update again in the spring, just prior to taking off the the Coffey Cousins' Convention in late April.

It takes a moderate amount of time and effort to make the updates, even though my genealogy software automatically prepares the pages. However, before I can update the on-line files, I have to input the new info that I have received. Most of that information comes to me from other reseachers, and it takes time to go through their data, ask for more facts or sources, and finally make changes or additions. I also like to research the census for families to verify names, ages, etc. before posting updates.

Some readers have asked if they could perhaps get a CD of the entire database. It does not take too long to create a CD. In fact, it takes more time for me to drive from the country to the post office than it does to create it.

So, in order to accomodate the readers that want the CD I have added a link to the bottom of this page that will (hopefully) make it easy for them do that. I have had a PayPal account for several years, so I've just added a link button to that account. For a $5 "donation" per CD you can get a CD with your choice of how the info is presented. I can create a CD with one large PDF file, or perhaps you want a GEDCOM, or even an "autostart" program created by my Roots Magic software. Any format you choose will include all of the source data and collected photos.

This is not a money making venture. The "donation" is meant to cover cost of the CD, jewel case, envelope and postage...not to mention driving to the post office to mail the packet.

Click on the link to order. If it doesn't work like you expect, cancel the transaction and e-mail me.

January 14, 2006

Thomas Kinnett and Nancy Pratt

Thomas Kinnett (var), born c1791 in Bedford Co. (probably) VA, and Nancy Pratt, born c1792 in the same place, had at least 11 children, all born between c1817 and c1837. The first two, both sons, were apparently born in TN while the remainder were born in Wayne Co., KY.

Information that I have thus far found shows that their son, Stephen, born c1830 in KY, married Malinda Coffey, also born c1830 in that state.

I need information that may identify to which Coffey family Malinda belonged.

Another son of Thomas' was Green Berry (Green), born c1825 in Wayne Co. He married Sarah Arthur, and together they had at least nine children, all born between Sep., 1849 and c1868.

Their oldest son, Jefferson P. Kinnett married Eliza A. Coffey probably c1880 in KY. Eliza was the daughter of Andrew Jackson and Martha J. Spann Coffey.

Andrew is a descendants of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey. He descends from James and Elizabeth Cleveland Coffey through their son Joel and wife Martha (Patsy) Coffey. Martha's maiden name is unknown. Joel's son Nathaniel (Nathan), born c1795 married Louisa Eliza Durham c1823 in Wayne Co. and were the parents of Andrew who married Martha Spann.

Please contact me if you can identify Malinda, or would like more information about any of the Coffey families mentioned above.

January 4, 2006

James Asbury Coffey (1827-1879

"While Coffeyville was named for Colonel James A. Coffey, he only stayed long enough to help lay out the town and its foundation. Not being one to stay in one place for too long, Coffey made many stops in his 51 years, helped lay out two towns - Coffeyville and Humboldt - fought slavery and set up several trading posts."

The preceding is from a longer article in Coffeyville's Legacy, a story by Roger Huff. Click on the title link to read more of Huff's story about this historic figure and to view James' photograph.

From my files:

James Asbury Coffey was born Nov. 18, 1827 in Gallatin Co., IL, and died Jan., 1879 in Dodge City, Ford Co., KS. He was the son of Achilles (some genealogies say his father's nam was Archelus) and Jane Dean Coffey. He is a descendant of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey through their son John and wife Jane Graves Coffey.

As far as we know, James was married only once and then to Louisa Adelade Ferris Long Carnahan, who was born c1833 in Wayne Co., KY. There were at least eight children born to this union: John Jerry, Phoebe, Mary, Ebben Rice, Lulu, Irena, Amy and Elizabeth.

There is some descendant information available for Lulu who married Thomas Cline Murdock on Dec. 25, 1888 in Dodge City, and for Irena who married John Franklin Moore, probably also in Dodge City. However, more research is needed on the families and descendants of the remaining children of James and Louisa.



Update Nov. 23, 2011 - The Huff piece is no longer on-line at the link given.  James is buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Dodge City, Ford Co., KS.  Louisa died in Delta Co., CO and is buried there in the Cory Cemetery, along with other family members, chiefly those of her son Eban Coffey.



Update May 4, 2012

Children of James and Louisa:

Ebenezer (Eben) Rice was married c1887 to a lady named Iola.  They appeared in the Beaver Co., OK census in 1900 and then from 1910 through 1930 in Austin, Delta Co., CO.  Eben died there on Oct. 6, 1935 and is buried in the Cory Cemetery in Delta, Delta Co.  Iola died in Delta in 1923 and is also buried at Cory Cemetery.  They were parents of at least six:  James L., Sarah Louise, Eben Ruble, Clara, Oscar K. and Mary A.  All but Oscar were born in OK; he was born in KS.

The daughter Amy is said to have married George Stacy Emerson c1882 in KS.  In 1900 they were residing in Huerfano Co., CO and, in 1920 in Pueblo Co., CO.  Children were:  Waldo S., Louise, Ruth and George E.  George died in Mesa Co., CO in 1980 and is buried at Orchard Mesa Cemetery in Grand Junction.

The daughter Elizabeth is thought to be Laura Elizabeth, born c1859 in Humboldt, Allen Co., KS. I have yet to find any descendant information for her, Phoebe, John Jerry or Mary J. Could be they died young.

Coffeyville has a brief on-line history of that city and cites the Huff book mentioned in the 2011 update to this blog.