James T. Coffey - Suicide in Marshall, Saline Co., MO

MARSHALL—REPUBLICAN, VOL. IX. MARSHALL. SALINE COUNTY, MISSOURI. JUNE 3. 1900. NO. 13.

SUICIDE IN HIS CELL.

James Coffey, a Farmer, Hangs Himself While

Confined in the City Jail. Insanity
the Cause.

Fatalities have become most frequent happenings about Marshall in the past few weeks.  Suicide and other manner of death follow so fast upon the tread of each other that they occasion little talk and less excitement. The last sensational happening of this nature, occurred Tuesday morning, an inmate of the city jail ending his life by hanging himself.

James Coffey was the suicide. He was formerly a farmer living about 4 1/2 miles northeast of Marshall, one-half mile west of Capt. Elliott's farm.  Since his family moved to Missouri from Tennessee, he had been regarded as an honest, sober and hard working man, though rather peculiar in his ways.  During the night of Wednesday, May 31st, he left his home, and was found on the Miami road near Fairville, wandering about next day, his mind seriously affected. Mr. Matt Hall, who happened along, observed his condition and brought him to Marshall, where he was turned over to the custody of the sheriff. 

Coffey seemed to return to his reason some what, and his trial before the Probate court led to the opinion that he would soon regain his mind completely. He was therefore ordered held in charge for a few days, when if recovery followed he was to be released and allowed to return home.  As the county had no suitable place for his confinement, the city officers took him to the jail quarters of the city hall, where in the day time he was allowed the freedom of the corridor. 

The prisoner, who in his ravings, imagined himself pursued by a threatening mob, was visited on Monday afternoon by his wife, who brought him a pie wrapped in a tea towel.  Monday night and Tuesday morning his actions evidenced a more violent insanity. At 9:30 Tuesday morning, keeper of the jail, Brice, when accompanying a lady visitor to his cell, discovered Coffey hanging from the upper birth of his cell, his body suspended by means of the tea-towel tied around his neck and attached to the lattice work of the birth. 

Assistance was at once called, little Charley Herndon cutting the cloth by which he hung, but the insane man was lifeless. The upper birth is only about five feet from the floor, and Coffey, in order to accomplish his death, had thrown his feet from under him allowing the weight of his body to produce a choking death. 

The coroner was notified and summoned a jury at once which returned a verdict that the deceased came to his death by "hanging himself with a towel," signed by Jno. Cunningham, foreman; J. R. Plynu, W. D. Black, A. J. Graves, M. T.  Campbell and N. F. Randolph.

His body was removed to the undertaking rooms and thence to his home on the farm, the burial taking place Wednesday at Shiloh. He was a heavy, rather tall, well built man, aged about forty-five years, with sandy hair, beard and mustache. He leaves a wife and four children who mourn deeply the loss of a father not responsible for this act of suicide in his demented condition.

Note: This was James T. Coffey who was born c1852 in Tennessee. His wife was Sarah E. Moore Coffey, born c1861 in Missouri. They appeared in the 1900 Marshall Twp., Saline Co., MO census. Their children then (all born in MO) were Grover C., born c1885; Hattie, born c1887; Joseph, born c1889; James Q., born c1875 in KY and a lodger, John Davison, age 29, born in MO. James was enumerated as James P., age 48, born in TN. Sarah was enumerated as head of household, likely meaning that James was already known to be incapacitated to some degree.

Who were the parents of James?

Sources:

United States Census, 1900," index and images,  FamilySearch  (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3D6-R5P : accessed 10 Mar 2014), James P Coffee in household of Sarah E Coffey, Marshall Township (excl. Marshall city, incl. Missouri Valley College), Saline, Missouri, United States; citing sheet , family 290, NARA microfilm publication T623, FHL microfilm 1240902

Library of Congress (http://tinyurl.com/kjulmmm)

DNA & The Augustus F. & Betty Beard Coffey Family

The family of Augustus F. Coffey
L:R rear: Archie, Spencer, George, Benson, Robert, Blaine Dillard
L:R front:  Maude, Cena, Betty Beard Coffey, and Bonnie
Photo courtesy of Brent Coffey

I have, over the past couple of days, exchanged much e-mail with Brent Coffey of Maryland concerning his descent from Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.  The exchange resulted from his recent DNA test which does show him to be an Edward descendant.

The problem [if there is one] seems to be one particular marker in his DNA that does not match most of those in the Edward group of the DNA project.  I won't go into a discussion about DNA because I frankly do not understand enough to hold an intelligent discussion.

However, the mis-matched marker also appears in the the DNA of another tested Coffey who descends from Thomas Coffey and Elizabeth Smith; Thomas being a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey.  Brent claims descent from Thomas' brother, Reuben and his wife Sarah Scott Coffey.  So, the question raised by Coffey DNA guru Fred Coffey was how positive Brent is that he descends from Reuben and not Thomas?!

Brent tells us that he descends from Reuben and Sarah Scott Coffey through their son Joseph > Jacob Zachariah > Jesse Patterson > Augustus F. > Blaine Dillard > Blaine Dillard, Jr.

[NB:  The children of Reuben and Sally are not entirely agreed upon by researchers.  The following then may be totally irrelevant in deciding who Brent's ancestor was.]

Joseph and his wife Isabella Lindsay had another son, Elisha born about the same time as Jacob Zachariah.  Both are thought to have been born in the 1813-1815 time frame and, could be twins.  I suggested that the certain DNA marker that does not match might be a result of the possibility that Elisha and Jacob were twins.

I don't believe a consensus has yet been reached and the questions remains open.

Blaine Dillard Coffey &
Faye Dell Van Klaveren
Wedding Photo
Photo courtesy of Brent Coffey

Keeping within that family, I learned from Brent that his grandfather was Blaine Dillard Coffey, born March 4, 1915 in Avery Co., NC to Augustus F. "Gus" Coffey and wife Betty Beard.  He was the eighth of their nine children. In error, I had him married to Maude Dillinger/Dellinger in Caldwell Co., NC on Jul. 13, 1935.  As it turns out, a Dillard Coffey did marry Maude but, it was Dillard Greene Coffey, a son of David William and Martha Etta Destimonia "Dessie" Crump Coffey.*  Dillard Greene and Blaine Dillard were second cousins, both descending from Jacob Zachariah Coffey, the son of Joseph.

Blaine Dillard was married on Sep. 11, 1946 in North Carolina to Faye Dell Van Klaveren, sister to a WWII shipmate of Blaine.  She was the daughter of Dick and Tillie Van Kotten Van Klaveren, Dutch emigrants who first settled in Iowa and later moved to Texas.  Faye was born in Cotulla, LaSalle Co., TX on Feb. 19, 1928.

  Jack

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*Readers who have a copy of my Edward Coffey Project DVD or, who have copied my research from elsewhere, should make a note of this change.

Thomas Coffey & Elizabeth Smith

Back in 2006 I wrote a short blog about Smith Coffey, thought by me to be the youngest child born to Thomas and Elizabeth Smith Coffey.

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Thomas was a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey and, a grandson of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.  He was born on Mar. 7, 1742[1] in Essex Co., VA and married first Elizabeth Smith c1762 in Albemarle Co., VA.  Thomas died in Apr., 1825[2] in Wilkes Co., NC; Elizabeth is thought to have died between 1775 and 1780, probably in VA.  Thomas' second wife was Sarah "Sally" Fields, married 1778/9, probably in Wilkes Co., NC.

Thomas and Sally had at least 10 children, many of which I have written about in earlier blogs.  If anyone want more info, leave a note or send an e-mail.

There were about six children born to Thomas and Elizabeth.  Two that I want to write about today are Elizabeth, the eldest and, John Franklin, next eldest.

Elizabeth was born on Oct. 25, 1765 and died in Oct., 1852[3] in Monroe Co., IN.  She is buried there at the Coffey Cemetery in Ellettsville.  She married David Allen, born in VA in May, 1765 and died in Apr., 1848.[3]  He too is buried at the Coffey Cemetery.

Their children were:

Thomas, born 1792 in NC, died and is buried at Ellettsville.  A death date is not shown on his headstone.

Polly, born 1794, probably in NC, died and is buried at Ellettsville.  She does not have a death date on the stone.

John, born 1797, probably in NC, died Aug. 31, 1844 in Elletsville.  John married Eliza Coffey, the daughter of John Franklin Coffey and his wife, Hannah Wilson.  Of course, this John Franklin is the brother of Elizabeth, making John Allen and Eliza Coffey first cousins. Eliza was born Nov., 1798 in NC and died Aug., 1844 in Elletsville.  They were married in Sep., 1818 in Wilkes Co., NC

Following John was Jesse, born 1800 in NC, died Feb., 1881 in Monroe Co..  I do not know his wife's name but, there were at least seven children born to her.  They were James, born c1828 in KY.  The rest, all born in IN, were William, c1830; David, c1832; Nancy, c1836; Joseph, c1838; Louisa, c1840 and John Allen, c1842.  Jesse is also buried at the Coffey Cemetery in Ellettsville.

Hanna, born Jul., 1802 in Wilkes Co., married Abner Wilson, born 1804 in Burke Co.  He died in Monroe Co. in 1844, she in 1877.  They too are buried at the Coffey Cemetery.

Martha "Patsy," born in NC in 1804 married John Candler Corder of VA, probably about 1824 or a tad earlier and, probably in IN.  John was born in Jul., 1800 and died in 1852.[3]  Martha died in Dec., 1887 [3] and both are buried at the Coffey Cemetery.

They were parents of at least seven:

Mary A., married Jonathan L. Allen, a son of John and Eliza Coffey Allen.   Mary and Jonathan were first cousins as well and second cousins.  They too are buried at the Coffey Cemetery.  I haven't yet searched for children.

Eliza Jane, born 1829 in IN, died there in 1899.  She married Lorenzo [Dow?] Coffey, first cousin once removed, a son of Larkin and Catherine H. Wilson Coffey.  Larkin was a son of Thomas and his second wife, Sarah Fields Coffey.  Lorenzo and Eliza had at least two children:  Wayland Everett, born 1854, died 1919 and, Nora E., born c1878, died 1947.  Wayland is buried at the Coffey Cemetery; Nora at the Presbyterian Cemetery in Ellettsville.

Rachel, born 1832, died 1912, married Jason Coffey, another son of Larkin and Catherine H. Wilson Coffey.  Jason was born in 1829, NC, died 1871 in IN.  Both are buried at the Coffey Cemetery.  They were parents of Merritt V., Ira E., Cyrus V., and Esther Martha.

Elizabeth was next.  She was born in 1835 and died in 1841.  She is also buried at the Coffey Cemetery.

Stephen, born 1838, died 1909, married Rachel Wilson in IN c1865.  She was born in 1843 KY, died in Ellettsville in 1929.  Chidlren were John; Frank; William S.; Clara; Emma H.; and Martha.  Stephen and Rachel.  All of the children and their spouses are buried at the Coffey Cemetery.

Sarah, born 1842, died 1860, buried at Coffey Cemetery.

Martha, 1845, buried at Coffey Cemetery, death date not given on headstone.  She married Asbury Coffey, her double second cousin, born c1838 in IN to James Wilson and Malena Coffey Coffey.  James Wilson was a son of first cousins, John Franklin and Hannah Wilson Coffey; Malena was a daughter of Rev. Reuben and Martha "Polly" Dowell Coffey.  Asbury and Martha had children Mary; Charlie; Willie; Freddie and Ethel Malena.  Asbury and Martha, as well and their children and spouses are all buried at the Coffey Cemetery.

The last child of David and Elizabeth Coffey Allen was David, born 1808, died 1881.  He married Eliza McCowan, born c1799 in VA.  Their children, all born in IN, were Elijah; Nancy; Mary; William; James; Sarah and Margaret.

John Franklin Coffey married Hannah Wilson in Oct., 1796, Wilkes Co.  Hannah was born there in 1769 and died in IN on Sep. 12, 1862.

I know of five children born to them:  Rebecca who married John Wilson;  Cassandra; Eliza, mentioned above as spouse of John Allen; John Wilson, mentioned above as spouse of Malena Coffey; and Jane Graves[4], born Mar., 1811, died in 1855, Monroe Co., IN.  Jane married Alfred Martin "Martin" Coffey, another son of Rev. Reuben and Martha Dowell.  Alfred was born in 1807, Wilkes Co., died in1836, Owen Co., IN.  They had at least two children:  James Martin, 1837-1861 and Christopher Columbus, birth unknown, died during the Civil War in 1862 at Corinth, Perry Co., MS.  He is buried at the National Cemetery in Corinth, Alcorn Co., MS.  James is buried at the Stouts-Houston Cemetery in Ellettsville.

I have more information about many of these families.

Updates and corrections are appreciated.

 Jack

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[1] Unproven
[2] According to Laurence Coffey, Thomas "...was buried in Hull Hill graveyard..", and after Sarah died, she was buried next to him.  "Years later the cemetery became neglected, and almost lost..."  Laurence and cousin Newell Sanders "...had their remains removed to Harper's Chapel burying ground, where a suitable monument was placed above them."  Harpers Chapel is located in Patterson, Caldwell Co., NC.
[3] Headstone - birth and/or death dates for everyone buried at the Coffey Cemetery in Ellettsville are taken from their headstones.
[4] John, in naming this child after his grandmother seems to have had a concept of where his roots lay.

John Clinton & Nancy Elizabeth Coffey Jacobs

What began as an attempt to correct a previous blog about a member of this family resulted in deleting that blog and starting over.  For some unknown reason I could not remove a link that connected that blog to a now deleted website.

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Nancy Elizabeth Coffey was born on May 23, 1861 in Rash, Jackson Co., AL and died there on May 16, 1918.  She was born to the union of Rice Abner Coffey and his first wife, Mary Ann Coffey.  She and Rice were first cousins as well as double-fourth cousins.  She was the daughter of Benjamin B. & Mary Elizabeth Roach Coffey while Rice was the son of Alexander Hamilton and Nancy E. Weatherly Coffey.  Benjamin and Alexander were brothers as well as double-third cousins.  These families go back to Edward through Rice and Sarah Bradford Coffey, Rev. James Coffey and wife Elizabeth Cleveland to Edward's son John and his wife, Jane Graves.

Nancy Elizabeth married John Clinton Jacobs in Stevenson, Jackson Co., AL on Nov. 1, 1883. [1]  He was born on Apr. 22, 1855 in Beech Grove, Maury Co., TN and died in Scottsboro, Jackson Co., AL on Jun. 30, 1938.[2]

Their first child, a daughter, was Bennie Coffey Jacobs, born in TN in 1884, died in Scottsboro on Oct. 17, 1899 at the age of 15 years.  She is buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Scottsboro.

Elmer Pruitt was born in Coffey Co., TN in 1887 and died in Bridgeport, Jackson Co. in 1970.  He was involved with the Gunter Stove Works in Bridgeport for many years.  His wife was Lena Geneva Givan or Givens, born c1890 in Missouri.  They were parents of nine children:  Geneva, Bettie, Elmer, Jr., Sallie Belle, Rice Abner, Henry Grady, Lethia Ring, Nathan Bedford Forrest and Mary Jane.  Elmer, Sr. died in Bridgeport in 1970, Lena in Marion Co., TN in 1977.  Both are buried at Cumberland View Cemetery in Marion Co.  Lena appears in the 1910 Finley Twp., Christian Co., MO census with her parents and a large number of siblings.  The handwriting is small and blurred making it difficult to determine what exactly the surname is: Givan, Givans, Given or Givens.

Annie Theodosia "Dosia" was born in 1890, Coffee Co., TN, and married Mitchell Luther Harris of Cumberland Co., NC in Scottsboro on Mar. 14, 1910.  He died in Scottsboro in 1960, she in 1974.  She is buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Scottsboro and he is probably there as well.  Their children were John Clinton, Roderick Edward, Dr. Elmer Jacobs; Dr. Ruth; Mitchell Luther, Jr.; and an unnamed son who was born and died in Feb. 1928 at Autauga Co., AL.

Henry Woodfin Grady was born in 1892, Maury Co., TN.  He married Sarah Louise Wilson in 1913, McMinn Co., TN.  Sarah was born there in 1893 and died in Scottsboro in 1988.  They too are probably buried at Cedar Hill but I have not found them there.  I know of a couple of children:  Nancy Elizabeth, born 1915 and John Clinton, born 1918, both in Scottsboro.

Rice Abner was born in TN in 1894 and died in Scottsboro in 1980.  He married Jewell Riggs, born 1898 in GA, died 1952 in Scottsboro.  Jewell was living with her paternal grandparents in Haralson Co., GA in 1900.  I have not located her parents.  I have not found the marriage record for Rice and Jewell and do not know of any children.

Veda Pearl was born in AL in 1896 and married Claude Evans Spivey of Rhea Co., TN in Dec., 1917 at Scottsboro.  They had at least two children, Carolyn, born 1918 and Lunita Jacobs, born 1925, both in Scottsboro.  Carolyn married William Bethel Wilson on Jun. 26, 1941 in Tuscaloosa Co., AL.  Their engagement was announced in the Tuscaloosa News on Jun. 15, 1941.[3]

Miss Spivey Is Engaged to Wed Mr. William Wilson

Mr. and Mrs. Philo Dayton Benham announce the engagement of their niece, Carolyn Spivey of Scottsboro, Alabama to William Bethel Wilson of this city.

The wedding will take place on the evening of June 26 at 7 o'clock in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Benham and Tuscaloosa relatives will attend the nuptial vows.

The bride-elect is the grand-daughter of the late John Clinton Jacobs, widely-known banker of North Alabama, and of Mrs. George Wesley Spivey of Dayton, Tenn. [sic].  She was graduated from Penn Hall Preparatory School in Chambersbury, Penn., and attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia where she was affiliated with the Kappa Delta sorority.

The bridegroom-to-be, known and admired in this city as Bill Wilson, is the son of Dr. and Mrs. John W. Wilson of Audubon Place and a nephew of Owen Meredith and of Commander J. E. Meredith (U.S. Navy) of Mobile.

Mrs. Wilson was graduated from the Tuscaloosa High School where he was a member of the S.E.A. fraternity.  At the University of Alabama he was affiliated with the Kappa Alpha fraternity and other social organizations. 

Philo Dayton Benham was the husband of Veda's sister, Fletcher Pitts Jacobs.  Fletcher was born in Jackson Co. in 1899 and died in Scottsboro in 1962.  Philo was born - according to the marriage record - in Delaware in 1895.  He and Fletcher married in Jackson Co. in 1929 and, he died in 1960.  Both are buried at Cedar Hill.  I know of no children for them.[*]

The last known child of John and Nancy was Lunita, born in 1902.  She married Robert Martin Lane in Scottsboro in 1927 and had at lest two children; Robert Martin and Frances Fletcher.  Nothing more is known of this family.

[*] Jerry Dickinson wrote in a Jan. 18, 2013 e-mail that "Fletcher Jacobs and Philo Dayton Benham did have at least one child - Nancy Benham b. 29 Jan 1933 in Alabama d. 9 Mar 1967 - Fulton, Georgia.  Married a Steenhuis.  Found her SSN/1940 census/some ship passenger list.  She is buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery."

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[1] "Alabama Marriages, 1816-1957", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQNJ-B2H : accessed 26 Nov 2012), J. C. Jacobs and N. Elizabeth Coffey, 01 Nov 1883.

[2] Information about John Clinton Jacobs was originally found at a website (Jacobs Family History) owned by Mary Ellen Harris.  There was an abundance of info about the family, including photos of all of the children of John and Nancy.  The site appears to be off line now; at least at the link I first found.

[3]The Tuscaloosa News

The photos were found on the Former Jacobs Family History website, no longer on-line with the same web address.

Lewis Russell and Bidant "Biddy" Moore Coffey

Lewis' will has been transcribed and can be found here.  In his will, he named his children Betsy, Rachel, Polly, James, Henderson, Shelby, Benjamin F.,Thomas, and Edward.  He mentioned his deceased son Jesse and named Jesse's daughter Sophronia as a legatee.  Son Cleveland may have been deceased without descendants as he is not mentioned.

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Lewis Russell Coffey was a grandson of John and Jane Graves Coffey through his father, the Rev. James Coffey and his wife, Elizabeth Cleveland.  James and Elizabeth, through their 11 children are responsible for many of the Wayne and Pulaski Co., KY Coffey families.

Lewis was number 11, born Nov. 18, 1772 in Amherst Co., VA, died Sep. 29, 1850 in Wayne Co., KY.[1]    He married Bidant "Biddy" Moore on Dec. 10, 1795 [2] in Wilkes Co. NC, a daughter of Jesse Moore and Alley Johnson.  Biddy was born on May 3, 1775 in Albemarle Co., VA and died in Wayne Co. on Jan. 13, 1857.[1]

Eleven children were born to Lewis and Biddy.  They were:

Elizabeth G. (Betsy), 1797-1868, who married Richard Northcraft Cullom.  Richard was a farmer and a legislator, born in Maryland in 1795.  He and Betsy were married in Wayne Co., KY where Richard's family had moved early in his life.  In 1830, he and Betsy moved to Tazewell Co., IL where they lived the remainder of their lives.  In 1836 he was elected to the 10th Illinois General Assembly where he served with Lincoln.  In 1840 he was elected to the IL Senate.  He served in a number of other elected offices and died in Tazewell Co. on Dec. 3, 1872.  Betsy died on Dec. 5, 1868.  Both are buried at the Old Washington Cemetery in Tazewell Co., IL.  They had at least five children, the third being Shelby Moore Cullom (1829-1914).  He followed his father into politics and was elected to the IL state house in 1855.  In 1865 he was elected to represent IL in the US Congress where he served three consecutive terms.  In 1876 he was elected Governor of IL and served nearly two terms.  He resigned in the middle of the second term to become a candidate for the US Senate, to which he was elected and served five consecutive terms and was considered several times as a candidate for the US presidency.[3]  He married twice, both wives daughters of Samuel and Hannah Beaver Fisher.  All are buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL.

Rachel, 1798-?, married Thomas Jefferson Jones c1830.  They were probably married sometime around 1830 and were in the 1860 Wayne Co., KY census.  Thomas was age 55; Rachel age 59.  I know of two children:  Margaret (1830-1862) married Martin Sallee.  In 1860 a John Jones, age 11, was in the household with Thomas and Rachel and, could be a son or a grandson.

Mary Jane "Polly", c1803-1855, married Jooshua Oatts in Wayne Co. on Jan. 4, 1821.[4]  They were in the 1850 Wayne Co., KY census with children Cleveland, age 21; Emily, age 18; John R., age 15; Safrona [sic], age 14; Lewis, age 10; T. J., age 8 [Thomas J.]; Shelby C., age 6 and Russell, age 5.  In addition to those, they also had Cosby [1823-1890] and James Douglas [1824-1893].  Joshua died in 1858 and is buried at Elk Springs Valley Cemetery in Oil Valley, Wayne Co.  Polly died of typhoid fever in 1855 and is also buried at Elk Springs Valley.

James Lewis, 1802-1855, married Sarah Alloway "Sally" Strange in 1830, Wayne Co.  Sally was born in McMinn Co., TN in 1807 to Archelaus Alloway and Elizabeth Coffey Strange.  Elizabeth Coffey Strange and James Lewis Coffey were first cousins.  James died in Wayne Co. in 1855 and Sally there in 1885.  Both are buried at Elk Springs Valley.  They had at least 10 children:  Jesse Columbus; Elizabeth E.; Anjeletta; George W.; Cleveland McKendree; Mary "Molly"; James Franklin; Sarah J. "Sallie"; Obidah Strange "Obie"; and Verlinda J. "Linnie."  More information about this family is available.

Henderon, c1802-1868, married Minerva Alexander in 1827, Wayne Co.[5] Minerva was born c1805 in KY and died in Wayne Co. in 1881.  Harrison died in 1868 and both are buried at Elk Springs Valley.  They had at least 10 children:  Telitha; Mary Alexander; Shelby; Joseph; Emily Biddy; Nancy "Nannie"; Elizabeth "Betsy;" Lewis; Mary Anna and Susan.  More information about this family is available.

Shelby "Shelly," 1811-1863, married Zerilda Emarine Meadows, daughter of Andrew and Jane Graham Meadows.  She was born in Wayne Co., 1822 and died there in 1900.  Shelly died in 1863 [6] and both are buried at Elk Springs Valley.  I have only three children for them:  Shelby, Jr., 1833-?; Andrew Lewis, 1844-1887; and Mary Jane, 1854-?.  More information about this family is available.

Edward Northcraft Cullom, c1813-?, married Rachel A. Isaacs.  Rachel was born in 1823 and died in Wayne Co. in 1872.  She is buried at Kendrick Cemetery in Monticello, Wayne Co., KY.  No further information.

Jesse Moore, 1815-1835, married Elizabeth "Eliza" Smith in 1832. [5]  They had a daughter, Sophronia, born c1833.  No further information.

Benjamin Franklin, 1816-1868, married Mary Ann Worsham in 1842. [5]  Mary Ann was born in 1826 in KY and died in Wayne Co. in 1886.  Both are said to be buried in Monticello at a Coffey Cemetery. [7]  Their children were Emma; Martha; William E.; Mary A.; Ida S.; Benjamin, Jr.; Robert Lee and Nannie J.  No further information.

Cleveland L., 1817-?, married Sophronia Oatts, born 1812m died 1877 in Wayne Co.  Children were at least two:  Lewis J. and Mary C.  Sophronia is buried at Elk Springs Valley.  No further information.

Thomas Coleman, c1819-1890, married four time, first to Mary Heaven or Havens in 1839, Wayne Co.[5]  No children are known to have been born to this union.  Second wife was Patience Jane Miller in 1848.[5][8]  He and Patience had at least three children:  Margaret, c1841, John, c1843 and Marshal, c1850.  Patience died in Wayne Co. in 1855.  That date is not proven and her burial place is not known to me.  Third wife was Sarah Havens, likely some relation to Mary, his first wife.  Nothing is known of her.  Thomas' fourth wife was Mrs. Amanda Jane Hudson Stone, born c1819.  They had at least three children:  Amanda, c1851; Alley, c1853 and Mary, c1856.  According to the KY DAR, Thomas died in Lincoln Co. and is probably buried there.[9]

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Some documentation as well as this information and Lewis' ancestors, his family and his descendants can be found on the Edward Coffey Project CD or DVD.  In fact, all of the Coffey's that I have written about in this blog over the past number of years can be found in my Edward Coffey Project, with much of it updated since the blog was written.

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[1] Grave monument
[2] Coffey, Laurence H., editor, Thomas Coffey and His Descendants (Chattanooga, TN: N. Sanders, 1931), Page 85.
[3] Governors of Illinois (Chicago, IL: Biographical Publishing Company, 1891), Pages 175-176.
[4] Dodd, Jordan. Kentucky Marriages to 1850. [database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 1997. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Kentucky.
[5] From Wayne County, Kentucky Marriages, 1801-1860. Source gives brides name as Mannen Alexander; Manerva in 1850 and 1860 Wayne Co. census. Bond missing; married 29 March 1827 by Racoon John Smith.
[6] “Kentucky Probate Records, 1792-1977,” Image database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/).
[7] Wayne Co. KY Cemeteries compiled by B. B. Coffey, Sr., Page 31.  This cemetery is referred to in the source as Coffey Cemetery and is said to be located at or near the intersection of Spruce St. and Hiland View Dr. in Monticello.
[8]The bride's name appears to be Jane Meeker in record. Surety was Isaac N. Shepherd. Bond dated 23 August 1848; Minister return is missing.
[9] Kentucky DAR, compiler, Kentucky Bible Records (: DAR, 1966), Vol. IV.

Ebenezer Fairchild of North Carolina

The Rev. Ebenezer Fairchild is said to have married Seleh (var.) Durham, a daughter of Mastin and Martha "Patsy" Coffey Durham.  Martha was the daughter of the Rev. James Coffey and his wife Elizabeth Cleveland.  James, of course, was a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey.*

Elizabeth Cleveland is said by Cleveland researchers to be an out-of-wedlock daughter of Edward Coffey and Grace Cleveland, Edward being a brother to John.  Edward is also reported to have married Grace at some later date.  If Grace's birth year of 1716 is close to being accurate, she would have been about 11 years old when Elizabeth was born in 1727.

The undocumented birth years of most of the early descendants of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey are somewhat speculative.  In many cases they are based on known birth dates of subsequent generations and an estimate of years between generations.  Personally, I am not comfortable with this method.

Searches for accurate data on Fairchild have proven futile, except for the following:**

"An old letter:

 Morris Town, August 23d, 1771.

The Church of Jesus Christ in this place holding Believers Baptism Laying on of Hands Eternal Election & Final Perseverance of the Saints in Grace &c

To the Church of Christ in Roan County in North Carolina of the same Faith, or to any one of the sister churches to whom These Presents may Come, Greeting:

Whereas our Brother Ebenezer Fairchild has Been Baptized in a Regular Way and Received by Us in Full Communion who for some time gave Good Satisfaction to this Church, But after faling [sic] into some Sensorious Errors was Laid under Suspension, And is now Removed from us without a Regular Dispensation has Sent us a Letter Dated September 28, 1770, wherein he seems to make very humble Confession of his Sins and Grievance to the Church and Desires Forgiveness for it which, as he Confesses, was Drinking too hard, Loose Living, and also not keeping his Place in the Church which he Acknowledes and Begs our Prayers to God for him that he may be Enabled to Live up to the Profession he has made, which may the Lord help him to do.

Wherefore as his Life and Conversation is now better Known to you that to us, Although by what we Hear from him we do hope he is a Humble Pentitent, Therefore, if you do Receive him, he is Dismissed from us, and the God of all Grace Bless you all.

Amen.

James Goble
Daniel Walling
John Brookfield
Sam'l Parkhurst

Brother Ebenezer Fairchild we rejoice to hear from you such agreeable News may the Lord grant you Grace and live Agreeable to the profession you have made...Pray for us.
Signed by us at our Meeting Part for All"

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*The book, A century of Wayne County, Kentucky, 1800-1900 by Augusta Phillips Johnson, page 9, reads:  "Reuben, Lewis Russell, and James Coffey were sons of the Rev. James Coffey and Elizabeth Cleveland, sister of Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, who was with Shelby at King's Mountain."  [emphasis mine]


**John Preston Arthur, Author, A History of Watauga County, North Carolina: With Sketches of Prominent Families, Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas Jr., added new material, 3rd ed. (Easley, SC: Southern Historical Press, Inc., 1986), Page 95.  It is also in this book that the author provides some insight to Ebenezer's arrival in North Carolina. He wrote that on July 10, 1893, Elizabeth Eagles of New York City, married Nathan Horton. "They went first to the Jersey Settlement, afterwards moving to Holman's Ford, from which place they came with William Miller and his wife, Mary, and their son, David, and Ebenezer Fairchild and family to what is now Cook's Gap, six miles east of the town of Boone." Chapter VIII of this book contains some additional information about Ebenezer, but in my opinion little of genealogical worth.  From this I would believe that Morris Town mentioned in the letter is Morristown in present day Morris Co., NJ.

The Georgians: Genealogies of Pioneer Settlers

This book was compiled by Jeanette Holland Austin and apparently originally published by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. in 1984.  It was reprinted for the Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing in 1998 and again in 2002.

It is an ambitious work but not without errors.

Beginning on page 84, the compiler provides a descendants list for Peter Coffee, born in Ireland between 1690 and 1700, who came to VA c1730 aboard the ship “Forward Galley.”  This is documented on page 188 of the 1981 work by Marion and Jack Kaminkow, Emigrants in Bondage.  In this work, it is stated that Peter was received on board the ship October 28, 1730.

Austin ends the Peter Coffee descent with the family of Michael Coffee, of Rockingham Co., NC and dates his will to June 23, 1804, proved Nov., 1810 in Rockingham Co.  In the will, Michael names wife Margaret and children:  Michael, Robert, Thomas, John, Sophia, Mary and Margaret.  She tells us that Michael was a son of Joshua Coffee, born 1745 in Prince Edward Co., VA, later of Granville Co., NC.

Clearly, I am not a Peter Coffee expert, but have read some fairly well documented work on this line.  The one that I most often refer to when asked about Peter is the compilation completed and privately published by Gene Brewington (dec’d).  His wife was a Peter descendant.  Gene named only five children for Joshua and wife Elizabeth Graves:  William, born Sep., 1768, died before 1797; Thomas Graves, born 4 Sep. 1769 in Prince Edward Co., died 1846 in Lauderdale Co., AL; Elijah, born 1770, died before 1797; John, born June 2, 1772 in Prince Edward Co., died in Florence, Lauderdale Co., AL on Jul. 7, 1833.

John Coffee was a life-long friend of Andrew Jackson, and they engaged in many business affairs together.  John raised a regiment of volunteers to help Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in Dec., 1814.  After that battle he was promoted from Colonel to Major General, and in 1817 was appointed Surveyor-General of Alabama.  He moved to Huntsville in that state and in 1819 moved to Florence in Lauderdale Co.  He died at the family home, "Hickory Hill" north of Florence.  William T. Hale wrote a bit about Gen. Coffee in his work A History of Tennessee and Tennesseans, published in 1913 by Lewis Publishing Co. of Chicago.  Coffee Co., AL is named for him.

Joshua’s brother, Peter, Jr. also named a son John who also became a General.  The two Johns are sometimes confused with one another.  Peter Jr.’s son was most famous in GA and served from there in the War of 1812.  He was also a US Congressman.  Coffee Co., GA is named for him.

Austin continues with the genealogy of Michael Coffey by writing that he married Margaret, last name not given, and cites his children as Thomas who married Mary Coffee, a daughter of Hugh Patrick Coffee whose last will and testament was written on June 15, 1828 and proved in August, 1828 at Rockingham Co., NC; John; Michael; Robert; Sophia; Mary; and Margaret.  She ends there, but writes that “The family in Wilkes Co., N. C. are descendants of either Peter, or Joshua, sons of Peter Sr.”

As far as I know, all of that could be correct.  However, following the above quote, Austin appears to tell us that James Coffey who married Elizabeth Cleveland was a descendant of Peter.  All Edward Coffey research that I know of, tells us that Rev. James Coffey was a son of John Coffey and Jane Graves, John being the eldest son of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.

James is one of the better researched of the known children of John and Jane Graves Coffey.  He was referred to as Reverend because he was a Baptist minister in Wilkes Co., NC.

Many researchers have assumed that James and Elizabeth were married in Orange Co. about 1750, and more specifically Aug. 30, 1750.  However, no source has been given for this date, and a record has not been found in Orange Co. marriage records.

James can be found on the Orange Co. "List of Tithables" in 1749, but not in 1754 meaning that he and Elizabeth moved [to Albemarle Co.?] soon after their marriage.

The first deed record found in Albemarle Co. is dated 1758.  They bought 124 acres from James' father John, at the head of the middle branch of the Hardware River.  (Many early Albemarle Co. records are missing making it impossible to determine the exact date that James settled in Albemarle Co.)

James did enter land on July 26, 1765 for 262 acres "on the head branches of Meechums River, under the Ragged Mountains."    This date is probably much later than actual purchase because James had already moved to Amherst Co. the year prior to that date.

James made his will on Sep. 13, 1786 and it was proved Oct. 26 in Wilkes Co.  All of his children are named except he mentions the "heirs of my son Archelaus."  This indicates that Archelaus died prior to Sep. 1786.

Elizabeth is said to have gone to TN with her son Rice where she died about 1827, at about 100 years of age.

From Virginia DAR Book; Big Blue Book, 1970, page 469:
 
James Coffey -- Born 1726 Ireland; Died 1813 Wilkes County, North Carolina; Married 1746, Prince Wm. Co., Va., Elizabeth Cleveland, born 1728, died 1828.
 
James Coffey served as a Private under Capt. Alexander Peoples.  Five of his sons were Revolutionary soldiers.  (Penn. Archives, 5th Series Vol. VI, p. 57).  He resided in Pennsylvania during the Revolution.
 
The accuracy of that DAR biography is very questionable.
 
Some researchers have mistakenly given James the middle name of Bluford or Edwen [sic].  I have even seen Ervin as a middle name for James.  Middle names did not become common in America until long after the Rev. War.  It became somewhat common only after the mid-1800’s.  I do not believe anyone can produce documentation that any of our early Coffey ancestors had middle names.  The proliferation of such errors as middle names in web-based genealogies is, in my opinion,  the result of copying undocumented work without question.
 
In a following paragraph, Austin then seems to name Thomas Coffey, another son of John and Jane Graves Coffey as a descendant of Peter.  I believe that has been proven to not be accurate in the work by Dr. Marvin Coffey, a descendant, in his 1984 work, James Bluford Coffey:  His Ancestors and Descendants in America as well as in Thomas Coffey and His Descendants, compiled by Laurence H. Coffey of Lenoir, NC (pub: Newell Sanders, Chattanooga, 1931).
 
If she knew differently, Austin may have simply miswrote (e.g., badly worded) or perhaps should have omitted all together the comment about the Wilkes Co. Coffeys being descendants of Peter.  I’m afraid that comment has mislead some to erroneously conclude that some of Edward’s descendants were actually Peter descendants.

William Richard & Maude Matilda Coffey Dodd

William Richard was a son of Alexander and Mary Alice Anderson Dodd and was born at Massies Mill, Nelson Co., VA in 1874.  He married Maude Matilda Coffey, a daughter of Ryland and Martha Wyatt Fortune Coffey on Nov. 26, 1899* in Nelson Co.  William died there on Nov. 4, 1965; Mary on Apr. 22, 1963.  Both are buried at Hebron Baptist Church cemetery** in Afton, Nelson Co.

William and Maude had at least four children, two of whom married into the Farrar family, also of Nelson Co.

Clark Hampton Dodd, born Oct. 15, 1902 married Russie Farrar on Dec. 22, 1929* in Staunton, VA.  Russie was born Aug. 28, 1912 and died Sep. 6, 2005.  Clark died Nov. 27, 1986.  Both are also buried at Hebron.

Russie was the daughter of Samuel Thomas and Lillie Myrtle Critzer Farrar.  Samuel was the son of Seaton and Mary M. Orfliter Farrar.  The Farrars are buried at Rodes United Methodist Church*** in Afton.

William and Maude's daughter Roxie, born Apr. 30, 1904, married Russie's brother, Henry Thomas Farrar (date not known).  Henry was born Mar. 28, 1904 in Nelson Co. and died Sep. 19, 1959 in Washington, DC.  Roxie died in Nelson Co. on Dec. 31, 1968.  They too are buried at Hebron.

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Ryland Coffey, Maude's father was a son of George Washington and Rachel A. Campbell Coffey.  I have not been able to locate details on George or Rachel, but believe he was born c1814 in VA, she c1821 in Nelson Co.

George goes back to Edward through William and Elizabeth "Betsy" Giles Coffey; Edmond S. & Nancy Barnett Coffey; to Edward's son, John and wife Jane Graves.

Seaton Farrar was a son of William H. & Esther Farrar.  Mary Orfliter was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Orfliter. Seaton and Mary were married Dec. 31, 1856* in Lovingston, Nelson Co.  In the 1850 census, The Farrar and Orfliter families were neighbors in Nelson Co.

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* https://www.familysearch.org, Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940,
**Cut and past coordinates into maps.google.com to locate this cemetery: 37 59 19.02, -78 50 3.37
***Use these coordinates to locate Rodes:  37 59 14.08, -78 50 5.68

Margaret Elizabeth Bessie Coffey

There seems to have been two with the same name, both born around the same time in the same place and, both called Bessie!

If you have an Edward Coffey Project CD or DVD, please note the following addition and correction:

The first Margaret Elizabeth Coffey

She was born to Thomas Clingman Coffey and his wife Margaret Coffey.  Thomas was a son of Smith W. & Charity Elizabeth Redmond Coffey; Margaret, a daughter of William Coffey, Jr. and his wife Margaret Robbins.  Smith and William were first cousins, once removed as well as second cousins, once removed (common ancestors were John Coffey and Jane Graves).

This Margaret was born Aug. 14, 1897 in Caldwell Co., and died Feb. 1, 1956 in Lenoir.  She married James Franklin Coffey on Aug. 30, 1916 in Yadkin Valley.  James was a son of Elijah M. and Caroline Amanda "Carrie" Dobbins Coffey.  Thomas Clingman and Elijah were third cousins, once removed.

I know of two children:  Wallace E., born Aug. 11, 1917, died Sep 1, 1992; and Millard Lafayette, born Apr. 2, 1922, died Oct. 25, 1976.

The second Margaret Elizabeth Coffey

She was a sister to James Franklin Coffey.  There is some confusion about her given name:  Some say Margaretta while others say Margaret.  I have it as Margaretta because that's the way it appears in the Caldwell Co. birth register, Vol. 6, Page 266.

She was born Aug. 29, 1894 in Buffalo Cove, Caldwell Co. and married Millard Porter Campbell on Sep. 24, 1916* in Yadkin Valley.  Millard was born Jul. 14, 1894 in Caldwell Co., died of influenza and pneumonia on Jan. 12, 1919 in Lenoir and was buried at Buffalo Cove.  His parents were George W. and Dorcas Elizabeth Beach Campbell.

Margaretta very likely remarried sometime later but so far, I have not found a second marriage record.

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Please contact me if you know where the Buffalo Cove and/or the Lewis Cemeteries are located.

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*Groom's Name: Millard Campbell Groom's Birth Date: 1893 Groom's Birthplace: Groom's Age: 23 Bride's Name: Bessie Coffey Bride's Birth Date: 1894 Bride's Birthplace: Bride's Age: 22 Marriage Date: 24 Sep 1916 Marriage Place: Yadkin Valley Groom's Father's Name: George Campbell Groom's Mother's Name: Elizabeth Campbell Bride's Father's Name: Elijah Coffey Bride's Mother's Name: Carrie Coffey Groom's Race: White Groom's Marital Status: Groom's Previous Wife's Name: Bride's Race: White Bride's Marital Status: Bride's Previous Husband's Name: Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M74476-1 System Origin: North Carolina-EASy Source Film Number: 590350 Reference Number: Cn 175. North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979 , digital images, FamilySearch.Org (www.familysearch.org).

Rice & Sarah "Sally" Bradford Coffey

This Rice Coffey was a son of the Rev. James Coffey and his wife Elizabeth Cleveland.  He is thought to have been born on Apr. 17, 1766 in Amherst Co., VA and to have died on July 24, 1853 in Bedford Co., TN.

Rice wrote a letter* to his nephew Thomas Jefferson Coffey - son of Ambrose, a younger brother to Rice - from Shelbyville on Nov. 15, 1844 which reads:

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

Sarah Bradford Coffey was a daughter of Bennett** and second wife Margaret White.  She is said to have been born in TN on July 22, 1770 and died on Sep. 3, 1840 in Bedford Co.  A sibling to Sarah was Henry Bradford, born Dec. 24, 1766, died May 10, 1871, married Rachel McFarland on Jan. 17, 1799.  Rachel was born Aug. 28, 1783 and died Aug. 26, 1852.  Their daughter Mary, born Mar. 22, 1809, died Oct. 20, 1893 in MO, was the wife of Asbury Madison Coffey***, thought by me to be the son of Eli and Hannah Allen Coffey.

Rice appears in very few North Carolina records meaning that he and Sarah moved to TN quite early in their marriage.  Their homeplace was near Wartrace, and he is on the 1788 and 1789 tax lists, and again from 1796 to 1799.  He has not been found in the 1790 or 1800 census.  This could indicated that he was gone during the period 1790-95, and that they moved permanently around 1800, or soon thereafter.

The first tax list in TN in which he appears in 1812 in Bedford Co.  A short account of the family written about 1890 by Rice Abner Coffey, a grandson, says that Rice moved from NC to Bedford Co. in 1808.  It also says that all of the children, except the last three were born in NC.  That would put the migration date a bit earlier.

He and Sally had 9 children.  Some discrepancy exists in various lists.  The 1820 census lists 5 male children and 3 female, which would be correct because Jerusha died in 1810.

Source‡ names children of Rice and Sarah as: Jurusha, d. age 16; Elvira; Henry B., m. Sarah Edmondson; Mary G., d. 1878, m. __ Kendall; Weightress (1801-1837), unmarried; Alexander Hamilton, d. 1864, m. Nancy Matherly; Martha (1805-1845), m. A. Yell; Benjamin B., (1809-1864), m. Mrs. Mary E. Beach; John R. (1815-1896), m. Mary A. Cross (Benjamin was Gen. in Mexican War). Marvin Coffee reports birth date for Sarah as Jul. 22, 1770 and death date as Sep. 3, 1840 in Bedford Co., TN.

Mary, a daughter of Rice and Sally, was born c1798 in NC and died Oct. 22, 1878 in TN, probably Bedford Co.  She is said to have married John Kendall on Mar. 4, 1821 in that county and to have divorced him before 1850.+

She and Kendall had at least one child, a daughter named Arcena, born c1825.  In 1850 when Mary appeared in the census with her widower father in Bedford Co., she was enumerated as Mary Kindle, age 42 with Hanna Kindle, age 25 and Nancy Bell Kindle, age 13.  Also in the household was a physician, Dr. William Pruett, age 24, born in TN.

We know that Arcena married a Prewitt but are unsure if William was her husband.  They are close in age and place and certainly had the opportunity.  Prewitt apparently died or otherwise disappeared sometime after 1859 and may have died in the Civil War, although I have not found a record of his service.  Mary and Arcena, along with Arcena's two chidlren, Nanny and Willis Prewitt, appear together in the 1860 and 1870 Bedford Co. census.  Arcena was found there in 1880 with her still unmarried children.

I would like to know who was Arcena's husband and, who was the 13-year old Nancy Bell Kindle in the 1850 census.

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*Sometimes referred to by Coffey researchers as "The Said Rice Letter."
**All information about Bennett comes from: Genealogical Publishing Co., Reprinter, Genealogies of Virginia Families: From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2007)
***Read more about Asbury here and here.
‡Lost Links, Elizabeth Wheeler Francis, Southern Western Historical Quarterly, LXIX, 1945, pps. 98, 156, 157 and Descendants of James Bluford Coffey by Dr. Marvin Coffey
+Mary G. Kendle (Kendall) vs John Kendle for divorce. Mary G. Kendle and John Kendle were married in Bedford Co on 4 Mar 1821.  Source: Page 600, Chancery Court Records 1837-1845 by Marsh; call no: 976.858 M366ch

Caveat Emptor

I have been forwarded a few extracts from a book by Jim White who I believe lives in Missouri.  The book is ostensibly about the Boone family but contains some undocumented Coffey family lineage.

The author writes that Edward Coffey Sr. was the son of John Coffey, born in 1611, in Dublin, Leinster, Ireland, and died in 1674 in Essex Co., VA at age 63.  Instead of the usual Mary Joliffee or Rebecca Ireland spouse, author White names a new spouse for John:  Mary Julian, a daughter of William.

In another place, the author reports that descendants of Edward have ignored his eldest son and heir apparent, Edward Coffey, Jr. who White states was one full year older than his brother John who married Jane Graves.

Mr. White also seems to have ignored them.

The author also seems to have mixed descendants of Peter Coffee and Edward Coffey when he writes - without evidence except for the "sheer number of [Coffey] records in South Carolina" - that Edward Jr.'s wife, Grace Cleveland, moved from Caroline Co., VA to Charleston, SC.  He further states that other Coffey/Coffee families, all descendants of the North Carolina branch, moved to SC some 15 years after Grace and began using Coffee as their surname. 

One reason that Edward, Jr.'s children have been somewhat ignored is that no proof of who they were has ever been found.  Marvin Coffey speculated that Cleveland, husband of Elizabeth Coffey, residing in Orange and Albemarle counties from 1762 to 1774 is one of his sons.

Benjamin, born in VA in 1763, in the Burke Co., NC census from 1790 to 1850 (Caldwell Co. in 1850) was possibly a son.  Marvin pointed out that Grace would be been closing in on age 50 when Benjamin was born and that was somewhat late for a woman of that era to have been giving birth.

The possibility exists that other thus far unconnected Coffeys of the period could be Edward, Jr.'s children; e.g., James in the 1785 Botetourt Co. census; William in 1781-1785 Montgomery Co., VA and William of 1783 to 1797 Buckingham Co., VA.  The possibility is equally likely that they were sons of Peter.

Another possible son of Edward, Jr. was Jesse, found in Wilkes Co. from 1779-1786.  There was also an Isaac in Wilkes Co. from 1782-1796.  Jesse could be the one found in South Carolina in the 1790 and 1800 census.  He named his sons Cleveland, Edward, Joel, Elijah, Elisha and John.  All of these are common names among the descendants of Edward and Ann Powell Coffey so Jesse could be an Edward, Jr. son.

Mr. White offers no bibliography for his book.  He does post a warning on his website however, that readers should first consider his reasons for omitting it:

I'll try to summarize his "top three" reasons:

 - It is his opinion "that family historians need to provoke their own research."  By not providing sources, the author hopes to promote his book as a guide and, "not become the source of data, in and of itself."

 - When he states that an event is "documented" in his book, such as a marriage for some couple and a place is given, the reader should go to the place given to locate the record.

 - His "final point" states that owners of personal documents, with whom he consulted, did not want their names and personal contact information shared with others.  Makes one wonder how Mr. White came to meet them!?

To be fair, I have not read more of this book that the extracts sent to me for review.  I have looked at his website, and that of his publisher and Mr. White appears to be a prolific "author" with probably a dozen or more books, none of which will likely be on my list of books buys this Christmas season.

Whether Mr. White desires it or not, his book may become a "source of data...," and one more publication with probably well meaning but unsourced and often incorrect data.

John Coffey 1699-1775

All Edward Coffey researchers know that John was Edward's eldest son and that he married Jane Graves.  But, was Jane his first and only wife or, was he married before Jane?

In studying his will, which reads in part:

Imprimis, I order that my just debts & funeral expenses be first paid out of the whole.

Item. I will & bequeath to my sons, James & William Coffey, to each of them five shillings sterling.

Item. I lend to my dearly beloved wife, Jean Coffey, during her widowhood the rest of my estate, real & personal, & at the end of her widowhood to be equally divided among the rest of my children, viz. Thomas Coffey, John Coffey, Edmond Coffey, Reuben Coffey, & Benjamin Coffey, Winifred Moran & Betty Field & the above estate to be sold at said time.

All of John's nine children were named in his will.

The question then is why John chose to leave 5 Shillings to each of his two eldest sons while deferring the legacy of the other seven until their mother died and the estate was sold?  That would probably be normal if the wife were young and children were young and dependent on the surviving spouse for support.  All of the remaining children, with the exception of Elizabeth (Betty) were over 30; all were married and presumably self-sufficient.


Were James and William sons from a first marriage and perhaps more endeared to him?

I don't think we'll ever know!

Ernest Irven Coffey Ahnentafel

Generation 1

1. Ernest Irven COFFEY: born Mar. 13, 1888 in Missouri; died Sep. 23, 1955 in Clayton, St. Louis Co., MO.

Generation 2

2. Squire Jackson COFFEY: born Nov. 1851 in Missouri; married Oct. 2, 1876 in Maries Co., MO; died May 20, 1926 in Lawton, Comanche Co., OK.

3. Sarah F. GIBSON: born Jul. 3, 1858 in Missouri; died Feb. 16, 1944.

Generation 3

4. Irvin S. COFFEY: born ca 1822 in Kentucky; married Nov. 3, 1842 in Jackson, Osage Co., MO.

5. Nancy HUGHES: born Feb. 7, 1826 in Osage Co., MO; died abt 1860 in Maries Co., MO.

Generation 4

8. Marvel COFFEY: born ca 1790; married Feb. 2, 1813 in Burke Co., NC; died before Aug. 17, 1840 in Gasconade Co., MO.

9. Rachel BOONE: born 1793 in Burke Co., NC.

10. John HUGHES: born Oct. 6, 1780 in Virginia; married c1803 in Burke Co., NC; died c1856 in Sacramento Co., CA.

11. Jane BILYEU: born May 22, 1785 in North Carolina; died Oct. 8, 1845 in Osage Co., MO.

Generation 5

16. Thomas COFFEY: born Mar. 7, 1742 in Essex Co., VA; married 1778/9; died Apr. 1825 in Wilkes Co., NC.

17. Sarah "Sally" FIELDS: born c1750 in Virginia; died Nov. 21, 1828 in Wilkes Co., NC.

18. Jesse BOONE: born c1748 in York Co., PA; married 1772; died Dec. 11, 1829 in McMinn Co., TN.

19. Sarah MCMAHAN: born c1750 in Rowan Co., NC; died 1830 in McMinn Co., TN.

Generation 6

32. John COFFEY: born bet 1699 and 1700 in Essex Co., VA; married c1728 in Virginia; died bet Jan. 1775 and Feb. 1775 in Albemarle Co., VA.

33. Jane GRAVES: born c1708 in Essex Co., VA; died 1792 in Wilkes Co., NC.

34. Richard FIELDS: born c1727 in Virginia; married; died c1764 in Virginia.

35. Elizabeth MURREL: born c1723 in Virginia; died Sep. 14, 1830 in Virginia.

Generation 7

64. Edward COFFEY: born c1670 in Ireland; married 1700 in Essex Co., VA; died cNov. 20, 1716 in Essex Co., VA.

65. Anne POWELL: born bet 1683 and 1685 in Essex Co., VA; died bet Oct. 1744 and Dec. 1744 in Essex Co., VA.

66. John GRAVES: married.

67. Hannah  .

Generation 8

130. Thomas POWELL: married c1665.

131. Mary PLACE: born bet 1648 and 1649 in Virginia; died Dec. 1710 in Richmond Co., VA.





No. 984

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.

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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

Lorenzo and Eliza Corder Coffey

Lorenzo was born c1832 in North Carolina to Larkin and Catherine H. Wilson Coffey.  Not too much info has been found for Lorenzo.

Eliza Corder, born c1830 in Indiana, was a daughter of John Candler and Martha "Patsy" Allen Corder.  Patsy's parents were David and Elizabeth "Betsy" Coffey Allen.  Betsy was a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Smith Coffey; Thomas being a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey.  Another son of David and Betsy, John Allen married Eliza Coffey, a daughter of John Franklin and Hannah Wilson Coffey.  John Franklin was also a son of Thomas and Elizabeth Smith Coffey.

Lorenzo and Eliza had at least two children; Wayland E. or Waland, born Dec., 1854 in Indiana and, Nora E., born 1878 in Indiana.

Wayland married Clara Risdon on Dec. 22, 1875 in Owen Co., IN.  Clara was the daughter of James and Ellen Risdon who emigrated to New York as a family from England on Jun. 3, 1858 aboard the Ocean Monarch.  Although Clara always claimed to have been born in England, and was born some two years before their arrival, she was not found on the passenger list with her parents.

Clara and Wayland had at least three children:  Norman L., born Apr., 1877, Nora E., born Nov., 1878 and, Iva A., born Jan., 1888. 

Norman married Estella M. Dowell on Feb. 3, 1900 in Owen Co., IN.  Their children were:  Lawrence, born c1902; Loyd F., born c1904; and Arthur, born c1906.  All were born in Indiana.

Nora married Alva Preston Christy c1903 in Indiana.  Alva was born in Nov., 1872 in Indiana and had been previously married to Essie Sharp c1892 in Indiana.  Essie gave birth to one son, Clyde Wallace Christie and apparently died at or shortly after his birth. On Jun. 9, 1900 Alva was a widower with one child, Clyde Wallace Christy, born Aug., 1893.  Both resided in the household with Essie's parents, George Parks and Martha S. Allen Sharp and was enumerated as their son-in-law and grandson, respectively.  With Nora, Alva fathered at least two additional children:  Corliss W., born c1904 and Clara Faye, born c1909, both in Indiana.

I have no information on the child Iva A.  She appeared with the family in the census of 1900 as a 12-yr old female, born in Jan., 1888.

Many of these families and their descendants are buried at the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Ellettsville, Monroe Co., IN.

I would like to have more information about this family, and especially Lorenzo and his Corder wife. I need to know when and where they died, and perhaps where they are buried.

Please drop me a note if you can help!

Veteran's Day

Originally called Armistice Day, tomorrow is the day set aside to honor Veterans of all branches of the military.  This date was chosen because "the war to end all wars" was concluded on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

More than 9 million soldiers of all nations died on the battlefields and it is estimated that an equal number of non-combatants died from, genocide, starvation, disease and other privations brought on by the conflict.

Please take time to remember those Veterans in your family, whether living or deceased.  These are just a few of the Veteran headstone photos that I have and are included here as a gentle reminder to make sure you have similar photos of your family heroes.

Thomas Bullen, husband of Cornelia Jane Coffey, a daughter of Elias Henry "Eli" and Hannah Bullen Coffey.  Buried at Scaffold Cane Cemetery in Roundstone, Rockcastle Co., KY.

Arnold "Red" Church, husband of Ola Coffey, a daughter of Fredrick Abner and Mary Octavia Loudermelt Coffey.  Buried Woodlawn Cemetery, Blowing Rock, Watauga Co., NC.

Aaron Coffey, son of Thomas Jefferson and Malinda Graves Haley Coffey; husband of Mary Summerville Smith.  Pecan Grove Cemetery, McKinney, Collin Co., TX

Carl Gwyn Coffey, son of Carl Sylvester and Margaret Tate Gwyn Coffey.  Buried at Greenwood Cemetery, North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., NC.

Charles Wilson Coffey, son of Dock Charles and Elizabeth Jane Turner Coffey.  Buried Evergreen Cemetery, Clermont Co., OH.

Cline Coffey, son of Thea and Stella May Coffey Coffey.  Buried at Woodside Cemetery, Middletown, Butler Co., OH.

Dock Charles Coffey, son of William and Sarah Saleney Womble Coffey.  Buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Miamiville, Clermont Co., OH.

Guy Woodson Coffey, son of John Woodson and Nevie Gertrude Clements Coffey.  Buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Richmond, VA.

Johnny Othel Coffey, son of Walter Othel and Mamie Matilda Baltimore Coffey.  Buried at Pine Knot Cemetery, McCreary Co., KY.

Marvel Coffey

As long as I've been researching Coffee/Coffey families I've read that other researchers who are interested in the Marvel Coffey who married Rachel Boone, have concluded that he was named Asbury Marvel Coffey. As one who has taken those researchers to be accurate (for the most part), I continued the search for Marvel's father without any success.

Just recently, with thanks to Janet de la Peña and Bonnie Culley, I received a copy of the Jesse Boone will. Jesse was the father of Rachel. In his will Jesse divided his estate between Daniel Boon [sic], Israel Boon, Jonithan Boon, Marvel Coffey, Jonithan [sic] Wilson, Smith Coffey, William Gregg [sic] [Gragg], and William Coffey. The will was written on Nov. 23, 1829 and recorded in McMinn Co., TN.

Jonathan, Daniel and Israel were his sons. Smith Coffey was his son-in-law, husband of Hannah, Jesse's daughter. William Coffey was also a son-in-law, husband of Anna Boone. William "Buck" Gragg was a son-in-law, husband of Celia Boone and Marvel Coffey, a son-in-law, husband of Rachel.

Jonithan Wilson may be the John Wilson who married Rebecca Coffey. Rebecca was the daughter of John Franklin Coffey, another son of Thomas Coffey and Elizabeth Smith.

Jesse appointed Asbury M. Coffey and his son Israel as executors of his will.

It is likely that many people reading this will believe that Asbury M. Coffey was the son-in-law, Marvel. However, Asbury M. was really Asbury Madison Coffey, an attorney in McMinn county at that time and believed to be the son of Eli and Hannah Allen Coffey. Asbury Madison later achieved fame in Kansas and Missouri.

In 1830, the McMinn county census lists only two Coffeys as head of household: Asbury M. and Marvel. We know that both Marvel and Asbury Madison relocated to McMinn county, so this - in my opinion - proves that the two of the Boone will were different people.

Now, how do we determine who the father was of Marvel? I can only speculate and offer the following:

Thomas Coffey, a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey, was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Smith with whom he had six children:

Elizabeth "Betsy", born 1763, died 1850 in Indiana, married David Allen.

John Franklin, born c1765, died c1812 in Wilkes Co., NC, married Hannah Wilson. Parents of Rebecca who married John (Jonithan?) Wilson. Several of John Franklin's children married children of Reuben Coffey, another son of John and Jane Graves Coffey.

Thomas Jr. born c1767, married first Margaret Coffey (parents not yet known) and 2) Nancy Pendley. born c1800. There were two Nancy Pendleys, both married Coffey men. However, the two were born about 18 years apart. The second Nancy was born c1818 in NC and married a Marvel Coffey who was the son of James Coffey and Delilah Ferguson. This Marvel remained in NC throughout his lifetime. Thomas, Jr. and his Nancy named one son James Asbury Coffey.

James, born c1772, died c1840 in Wilkes Co., NC is the son who married Delilah Ferguson and were parents of Marvel who married Nancy Pendley. James and Delilah's other children were Thomas, Lovancy, James, Jr., Eli, Myra and Louisa.

Mary, born c1775, died c1828 in NC, married William Coffey, born c1775 in Burke Co., NC, and a son of Benjamin Coffey and Mary "Polly" Hayes. Benjamin was a brother to Thomas making Mary and William first cousins.

Thomas' last child with Elizabeth Smith was Smith Coffey, born c1776, died 1839 in Cherokee Co., NC. He married Jesse Boone's daughter, Hannah.

It is interesting to note that James and Delilah named a son Marvel, and Thomas, Jr. and wife Nancy named one son James Asbury.

It is also interesting to me that of the nine children born to Thomas Coffey and second wife, Sarah Fields, the first four were born pretty much like clock work; e.g., every two years between c1780 and c1788. The next five were also born more or less like clock work, every two years. There is a gap between Elijah - fourth child, born c1788 - and Sarah, the fifth child, born c1792, that Marvel, born c1790 would fit into pretty well.

All of this assumes, of course, that the given approximate birth years for these children are somewhat accurate.

So, let me see if I can sum this up correctly!

- James Coffey was a son of John Coffey and Jane Graves

- James and wife Elizabeth Cleveland were parents of Eli, who married Hannah Allen and were parents of Asbury Madison Coffey.

- Thomas Coffey, also a son of John Coffey and Jane Graves.

- Thomas married 1) Elizabeth Smith and were parents of Smith Coffey. Thomas married second to Sarah "Sally" Fields.

- Thomas and Sarah "Sally" Fields Coffey were parents of William Coffey who married Anna Boone.

- William Coffey, Smith Coffey and Marvel Coffey, along with Asbury Madison Coffey all involved in the Jesse Boone will.

- A gap exists between the first four and last five of Thomas and Sally Fields Coffey's children; a gap that Marvel could fit into given that birth years are somewhat accurate.

Could it then be concluded from this somewhat preponderance of evidence that Marvel Coffey was a son of Thomas and Sarah "Sally" Fields Coffey?

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated!