William Jackson & Pauline Myrtle Logan Coffey

William Jackson Coffey

Pauline Myrtle Logan Coffey

William is the son of Thomas Jackson "Stonewall" and Mattie Payne Coffey. They are all part of the Coffey/Saufley/Payne/Tartar/Logan families that I've been writing about in the last few blogs.

Thomas was the son of Stanton P. and Mary C. Saufley Coffey.  Stanton descends from Eli and Mary "Polly" Coffey Coffey.  They all descend from the so-far unproven Chesley and Jane Cleveland Coffey through Salathiel and Elizabeth Gore Coffey.  These families migrated out of NC to KY in the late 1700 to early 1800 time frame.  Some settled in Green Co. before moving on to Russell Co., and then to KS.  Mattie Payne was born in Russell Co. in 1866 to William Pigg and Mary Jane Tarter Payne.

William married Pauline c1925 in KS.  Information on some of her family can be found in the last few blogs.  Kevin Coffey of Franklin, TN tells me that his grandmother was quite tall for her era - something close to 5' 10" - and played basketball for her high school in Mulvane, Sumner Co., KS.  She once set a state record for consecutive free throws without a miss.

Kevin also included this photo of Pauline with the rest of her team from 1921.

Please drop me a note if you recognize any of the other ladies.

Pauline - Second from left

Elijah and Mariah Coffey Coffey

Elijah was a son of Cleveland and Jane Witherspoon Coffey; Mariah was the daughter of Eli and Mary "Polly" Coffey Coffey. They were double-second cousins, their common ancestors being the mysterious Chesley and Jane Cleveland Coffey.

Elijah was born in Wayne Co., KY in 1807 and died in Casey Co. on Sep. 10, 1876. His burial place is not known. Mariah was born Jan. 17, 1802 in KY and died in Russell Co., KY in Oct., 1854. Her burial place is also unknown. They were married in Russell Co. on May 18, 1826.

They were the parents of at least four children, all daughters:

Emily Caroline

Lucy Jane, born Jun. 27, 1831, died Jun. 6, 1907. She married William T. Jackman, born to Adam and Elizabeth Triplett Jackman on Mar. 17, 1829 in Russell Co. He died Sep. 7, 1891 in Adair Co., KY. Their children were: James, Mariah, John W., William A., Fethah [?] J., Laura J. and Frank [Francis?].

Mary E., born c1834 in Russell Co.

Mariah Ann, born c1838 in Russell Co., and died there on Sep. 21, 1854.

I have no further information on this family and would appreciate additions and/or corrections.

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.

Jesse and Eleanor Coffey Compton

According to some sources, Eleanor Coffey was born Jan. 9, 1793 in Wilkes Co., NC to John Coffey and Mary Hall.  Mary's maiden name has also not been agreed upon,  Some research shows it as Hull or Harbord.  I do not know which is correct.

John, born c1753, probably in Albemarle Co., VA, was a son of James and Elizabeth Cleveland Coffey.  He died Dec. 27, 1825 in Wilkes Co.  Mary was born Dec. 18, 1755, location unknown.

James Coffey, born Jul 4, 1729 in Essex Co., VA, was a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey.  Elizabeth Cleveland is said by some to be the illegitimate daughter of Grace Cleveland who may have been a daughter of Alexander Cleveland.  Some researchers believe that Elizabeth was the daughter of Edward Coffey, a son of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey, because he eventually married Grace.

By tradition, Alexander's wife has been named Mildred (Milly) Presly.  Her name is also the subject of some controversy.

In my opinion, and to my knowledge, this family arrangement has not been satisfactorily researched.

Eleanor is believed to be the ninth of 11 children born to John and Mary.  Jesse was the son of Hezekiah and Jane Fields Compton.  Jane Fields was the daughter of Thomas Fields and Elizabeth Coffey.  Eleanor is in the fourth generation of descendants of John and Jane Graves Coffey.  Jane Fields is in the third genereation of descendants.

Jesse Compton and Eleanor Coffey are said to have married in Feb., 1819.  They were in Forsyth Co., GA in 1840 and remained there at least through the 1850 census.  Eleanor seems to have died before 1860.  That year found Jesse in the household with his son Marshal in Polk Co., TN.

In addition to Marshall, born c1835, Jesse and Eleanor had at least three other children:  Jane Elvira, born c1821; Mary, born c1825; and Sarah, born c1832.  There were likely others.

Marshal is the only child for whom I have found descendants.  He married Jane, born c1829 in Kentucky, c1856.  Their first two children were Henry, born c1858 and Georgia, born c1859 and were born in TN.  The next child was Lovedy [sic], born c1862 in GA.  In 1870 Jane appeared as a widow in the 1870 Whitfield Co., GA census with those three children as well as a son Caswell [?], born c1867 in GA. 

Marshal enlisted in Co. H., 36th Inf. Regt., GA on Apr. 24, 1862.  He died on May 16, 1863 at Bakers Creek in MS from wounds received there.

Bakers Creek was a battle fought between Union and Confederates as part of the battle at Champion Hill in Hinds Co., MS.  The Raymond Road forded Bakers Creek, and was a Confederate escape route to the Vicksburg road and, of course, into Vicksburg.  The Confederates lost some 4,300 men in the campaign.

Please contact me at the above e-mail address to add to or correct any of this information.

Daniel Webster Coffey

Daniel Webster Coffey was a son of Joel William and Elizabeth Ann Moore Coffey, born Feb. 14, 1858 in Alabama. This family is thought to be in the Edward Coffey-Grace Cleveland line. To my knowledge, Grace and Edward have not been extensively researched.

Other children, all born in Alabama, born to Joel and Elizabeth were:

John James, born c1851, married Martha Virginia Epperson, a daughter of William and Sarah Epperson of Alabama. They married c1871 and had at least seven children: William Ann (female), born c1871; Joel William, born c1874; John D., born Feb. 1878; James Arthur, born Jun. 1882; Oscar O., born Oct., 1885; Buena Vista, born 22 Feb. 1888, died 4 Dec 1959; and Rufus M., born Oct. 1891.

Ann Eliza, born c1852

Joel William, born c1855, married Fannie E.; children were William W., born c1886 and Mary D., born c1895. There may have been others.

Sarah E., born Jan., 1860

Eleanor, born c1861

Joseph, born c1864

Harrison, born c1867

Charles, born c1869

Daniel married Margaret Leeann Coates on Sep. 16, 1877 in Rock Creek, AL. She was born Dec. 5, 1861 in Hot Springs, Garland Co., AR and died Jun. 24, 1928 in Ravia, Johnston Co., OK. Daniel died Apr. 24, 1928 in Ardmore, Carter Co., OK.

More information, including photographs, can be found at the well designed website created by Joan Coffey. She has researched Daniel, her husband's grandfather, quite well and lists her findings in chronological order.

Joan's website can be found here.

Chesley and Jane Cleveland Coffey

No longer a valid offer!


I have created a website for descendants of Chesley and Jane Cleveland Coffey.


The site can be found by clicking on this blog's title.


The information is available on CD from Jack Coffee, 110 Lydia Road, St. Joseph, LA 71366. Please include $7.50 for postage and materials.


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

Martin Coffey (1762-1867)

Martin Coffey is said to be a son of the so-far unfound Chesley and Jane Cleveland Coffey. Those of you researching Chesley know what I mean. He was allegedly born Sep. 15, 1762 in Essex Co., VA and died Nov. 27, 1867 in Wayne Co., KY.

A Martin Coffey is known to have married two or three times*. I know of two wives: His first wife was Nancy Phelps who he married on Aug. 17, 1798 in Madison Co., KY. There were at least six children born to this union:

Mary, born Sep. 16, 1799, died Aug. 24, 1881. She married Henry Meadows on Mar. 24, 1818 in Barren Co., KY. He was born Mar. 28, 1797 in Russell Co., KY, and died in Berwick, Warren Co., IL on Jan. 13, 1851. They had children: James V., born 1825, died 1911; Henry Winfrey, born 1831, died 1896; Althea, born 1834, died 1924; Artemesia, born 1836, died 1919, and Erastus, born 1842, died 1882.

Martin, born c1804 and Elizabeth, born c1811 - nothing known

Nancy Ellen, born c1813, married William Perry Meadows on Apr. 15, 1831 in Barren Co., KY. He was born Jun. 26, 1811 in Wayne Co., and died Apr. 24, 1870 in Warren Co., IL. I do not know of any children.

Artemesia, born c1817 in Wayne Co., married William Kelsay on Sep. 10, 1835 in Wayne Co. He was born c1810 in TN and died c1850 in Russell Co.

Joel, born c1818, married first to Permilia Haynes. She was born c1818 in Russell Co. They were married Jul. 31, 1836in Russell Co. There were at least three children born to this marriage: Martha Ellen, born c1838, Logan C., born c1843 and Quincy, born c1844. Permilia died sometime before 1855 when Joel married for a second time, this time to Mary Ann Mann. She was born c1835 in Virginia. Their children were: Baxter, born c1857, James W., born c1859, Theodore, born c1861; Viola O., born c1863, Ebenezer, born c1866 and Helen M., born c1870. Joel and his family were in Russell Co. at least from 1836 through 1880. I do not have a death date for him.

Martin's second wife is said to be Nancy Heriford (var). She was born 1795 in Jamestown, Russell Co., and died there in 1875. Their children were:

James, born Sep. 7, 1818, died Jul. 27, 1897. He married first on Jun. 30, 1836 to Martha (Patsy) Tucker, born Dec. 7, 1818 in Wayne Co., KY and died Mar. 7, 1877 in McKinney, Lincoln Co., KY. Their children were at least 12: James Washington, born 1837, died 1840, William Martin, born 1838, died 1890, Francis Marion, born 1840, died 1933, Moses, born 1843, died 1902, George Alfred (Dr.), born 1845, died 1919, Albert Galatin, born 1847, died 1929, Henry Jackson, born 1850, died 1929, Robert Blain, born 1852, died 1927, Mildred Ann, born 1854, died 1935, Nancy, born 1857, died 1928, Eliza Ann, born 1859, died 1861, and Sarah Elizabeth, born 1861. James' second wife was Clarinda Estes, born c1826 in KY. They were married Jan. 8, 1879. I do not know of any children.

Frances, born c1819 in KY, married George M. Brown Aug. 28, 1843 in Russell Co. I have not found any children yet.

Golson Wilson, born 1822 in Jamestown, Russell Co., married Rebecca Ann Shackleford Sep. 10, 1895 in KY. She died c1891. Their children were William F., born 1844, Ruben G., born 1847, Martin, born 1855, Nancy J., born 1856, James R., born 1858, Laura B., born 1859, and SarahF., born 1861.

Andrew, born c1823 in Jamestown, married there on Jun. 29, 1844 to Sarah A. Bernard, born c1826 in KY. Their children were: John W., born 1845, James W., born 1850, Golson W., born 1851, Lucinda Jane, born 1853, Frances A., born 1855, Walton N., born 1858, Elizabeth Ann, born 1860, Nancy, born 1862, Thomas A., born 1865, Edgar, born unknown, and Bryan A., born 1871.

John C., born 1828 in Jamestown, married Nancy LNU. Children were Martin A., born 1851, David F., born 1853, James W., born 1855, William Jefferson, born 1857, and Minerva E., born 1859.

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Update, Feb. 9, 2013:

*Some researchers believe a third wife - actually his first wife - was Elizabeth Bronson (1762-1798).  I have seen some of those genealogies but, have not been able to confirm any information.  One proposed descendant of this marriage was Joel Coffey who married Ann Sharp[e] of Virginia.

John Reid and Mary Ann Cross Coffey

John Reid Coffey was a son of Rice and Sarah Bradford Coffey. He was born March 27, 1814 in Wartrace, Bedford Co., TN, and died March 21, 1896 in (probably) Jackson Co., AL. His wife Mary Ann Cross was born Dec. 29, 1831, and died Sep. 6, 1887. They were married Aug. 21, 1849.

The Coffey Cousins' website contains at least two researcher submitted papers on John Reid and Mary Ann. Now, through the courtesy of Pamela Howell we have photographs of John and Mary.

The photographs can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/4lzld          [link no longer valid in 2014]

The photographs remain the property of Tammy Howell and should not be used in any other website, forum or service where a fee is charged to access them. Her permission should be asked for prior to using them on any other otherwise "free" website.

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Update July 25, 2014

Gen, John Reid Coffey

COFFEY, JOHN R, of Fackler, Jackson County, son of Rice and Sallie (Bradford) Coffey, was born at Wartrace, Bedford County, Tenn., March 27, 1814.

Rice Coffey* was born in Pennsylvania [sic] [Amherst Co., VA] in 1766. When a young man he removed to North Carolina and became a gunsmith. He married and again removed to Tennessee about 1801, and settled on a farm of a thousand acres of land which he bought of General Jackson, and on which his son, John R. Coffey, was born. He died in 1853, and his wife in 1840. He was a son of James Coffey, of early times, who raised a large family, all of the older sons of whom served as soldiers in the Revolutionary War. The Coffey family are Baptists.

John R. Coffey spent his early days on a farm attending the common old-field schools. When he was thirteen years of age he went to a high school at Shelbyville, Tenn., and remained there twelve months. After this, he came to Bellefonte without an acquaintance in the county or a dollar in his pocket, and became a clerk in a store. At the age of twenty-two, he established a mercantile business of his own in that village, and continued it until 1846. In 1840, he was elected Sheriff of Jackson County. At the breaking out of the Mexican War, he enlisted in the army in a company commanded by Capt. Richard W. Jones. He afterwards acted as lieutenant, lieutenant-colonel, and major-general in the militia; went to Mobile and organized the First Alabama Regiment and was elected its colonel, and as such, participated in the siege of Vera Cruz. After the war with Mexico, he became a general of the militia.  He had now returned to his farm and devoted his attention to its cultivation until 1853, when he moved to Stevenson and engaged in the mercantile business, which he prosecuted with considerable success until the beginning of the late war, when he again closed his store and returned to his farm of 4,000 acres, on the banks of the Tennessee River.

In 1861 he was elected a delegate to the convention which passed the ordinance of secession. He was bitterly opposed to that ordinance, but, being overpowered, he submitted with the best possible grace, and thereafter gave moral and substantial support to the Confederacy. (General Coffey's grandmother was a sister to Col. Ben, Cleveland, who commanded a regiment at the battle of King's Mountain.)

Mary Ann Cross Coffey

General Coffey was married January 21, 1849, to Miss Mary Ann Cross, daughter of Col. Chas. and  Eliza (Clark) Cross, of Jackson County. They were natives of North Carolina and came to Alabama about 1826. He was a soldier in the Indian wars, and was drowned in the Tennessee River about 1848. (His wife's great-grandfather, Col.Wm. Maclin, and her grandfather, Robert Clark, were in the Revolutiouary War; the latter was wounded in battle at Eutaw Springs, from which he died. Her grandfather, Maclin Cross, was in the battle at Nick-a-Jack, Indian Nation.)

General Coffey is the father of six children, of whom four grew to maturity, namely: Eliza, wife of Wm. J. Tally; Sallie B., wife of C. W. Brown, chief clerk in the office of the State Superintendent of Education; John B. and Clark Maclin. General Coffey's wife died September 6, 1887. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Masonic order. General Coffey is a man of commanding presence, being over six feet in height and having apparently the vim and energy of a youth. He is one of the best known men of the State and one of the most influential men in Northeastern Alabama.

[Both the General and Mary Ann are buried at the Cross Cemetery just a bit north of Scottsboro in Jackson Co., AL]

Source for this biography: Smith & De Land, Editors/Publishers, Northern Alabama: Historical and Biographical (N.p.: n.p., Alabama, 1888), Transcribed by Veneta McKinney at http://genealogytrails.com/ala/jackson/.  Other sources for information on the General and his family are:  TN, Davidson Co., Coffey Collection, file: "Biography of John R. Coffey," Coffey Family 324, Bio, John R. Coffey, 26 December 1894; Coffey Family History, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN and, Thomas McAdory Owen LL.D., Compiler, History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, 4 Volumes (Chicago, IL: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1921), Vol. III, Page 368.

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Shelbyville, Tenn*
November 15, 1844

Dear Jefferson:**

I received your letter of the 16th of September and have read it with entertaining interest. Indeed, it is always a source of gratification to me to hear that my friends are doing well.

You request some information respecting the history of our ancestors. I have no written biography of the Coffee family and therefore can only relate to you such facts as have come within my own recollection and such as have reached me by tradition.

I remember to have seen my paternal grandfather. His name was John Coffee, and he was raised in one of the lower counties of Virginia and died in Albemarle. My grandmother's maiden name was Jane Graves, and my father's name was James Coffee.  He also was raised in the lower part of Essex and from thence to Albemarle, where your father Ambrose Coffee was born in the year 1762. From this county my father (James) removed to Amherst and here his children grew up to manhood. My mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Cleveland. My maternal grandfathers's name was Alexander Cleveland. He was a descendant of the English and was an own cousin of Oliver Cromwell, a gentleman who figured conspicuously in the sixteenth century. He was raised in Virginia and born in the year 1663 and died in 1775, at the age of 112 years.

My father was born in 1729 and died in 1786. His children were nine sons and two daughters. My brothers'names were John, Archelaus, James, Reuben, Ambrose, Eli, Joel and Lewis Coffee. They are all dead save Eli and Lewis, the first of whom resides in Missouri and the other in Kentucky.

I became acquainted with your maternal grandfather Jesse Moore about the close of the revolutionary war. He then lived in Burke County, N.C., where you were born. He was born in Virginia, and many of his descendants now live in Kentucky.

I am still living at the same place you last saw me, but cannot expect, in the course of nature to remain much longer.  I am now in my 80th year.

May God bless you.

Rice Coffee


* From Tennessee Library and Archives:

**Jefferson was Thomas Jefferson Coffey, born 1805, Burke Co., NC, died 1858 in Brazoria Co., TX.  He was the son of Ambrose and Mildred Moore Coffey, both of whom died in Pulaski Co., KY in early 1800s.