James David Coffey

James David Coffey was born Nov. 2, 1837 in Monroe Co., IN and died Mar. 3, 1899 in Owen Co., IN. He was a son of Archelaus & Rachael Wilson Coffey; Archelaus a son of James D. and Hannah Alloway Strange Coffey.

James was the second child and first son born to Archelaus and Rachel. He married (date not known) Martha Jane Coffey, a daughter of Isom and Martha Smock Coffey.


Martha was born Jan. 2, 1841 in Monroe Co., IN and died in Owen Co., IN on March 26, 1899. She and James were second cousins, both descended from Reuben and Sarah (Sally) Scott Coffey.

James and Martha had at least two children: John, born c1863 of which nothing more is known. Their second child was Rosa Etta, born Mar. 8, 1868, died Mar. 22, 1920.


Rosa Etta married James Abraham Pauley, born Jun. 15, 1861 in Monroe Co., IA, and died on Sep. 30, 1943 in Albia, Monroe Co. He was the son of Solomon P. and America Smock Pauley. They had three children, one of which died young. The other two were daughters, Doris, born c1901 and Margery, born c1905.

James and Rosa are buried in Hickory Grove cemetery, Monroe county, Iowa.

James' father, Archelaus, was a native of Wilkes Co. in North Carolina who came to Monroe Co., IN with his parents in 1834. He lived there until 1860 when he moved to Owen Co. He and Rachel were married in Ashe Co., NC in 1834, the year the family departed for Indiana. For more information about Archelaus see Tales of Pioneers: History of Owen County, Indiana, Vol. II published by the Spencer, IN Chamber of Commerce in 1963.

The photographs and updated birth, marriage and death dates for the James David Coffey family are courtesy of Roxanna Crail, a great-granddaughteer of Rosa Etta Coffey Pauley.

William M. May

William M. May, an enterprising farmer and stock-raiser of this county, was born November 13, 1844 in Bloomington Township, this county, and is the second of ten children born to William R. and Eliza (Threslur) May, natives of Virginia, and of German descent. William M. was reared on a farm, and attended school part of the time. In November, 1864, he enlisted in Company G., Forty-third Indiana Infantry, under Capt. Moss. He was located at Indianapolis on guard duty for a time. Jun 14, 1865, he was discharged, and returned to farming, living with his father until his marriage. On November 29, 1866, Mr. May was wedded to Eliza A., daughter of William R. and Tabitha (Everman) Coffey. She was born January 23, 1851, in Monroe County. By this union there were five children - William R., Rosa Ethel, Frank N., Mamie Elsie and Walter E. Mrs. May's parents were among the earliest settlers of the county. Mr. May is the possessor of 206 acres of land in a good state of cultivation, well stocked, and ornamented with a good residence, barn and out-buildings, and a fine orchard. With a start of $2,300 from his wife, he has established his farm and home, worth about $6,000. Mr. May formerly belonged to the Sons of Temperance. They belong to the Christian Church, and are liberal in all charitable movements. He is a Republican.


William Riley Coffey was born Jun. 27, 1818, the son of James D. Coffey and Hannah Alloway Strange. He married Tabitha Everman c1849 in Indiana. He died Aug. 27, 1855 in Monroe Co. Tabitha was born Jun. 19, 1827 and died Feb. 25, 1901 in Monroe Co.

Please contact me with additions and/or corrections.







Source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana: Historical and Biographical [Bean Blosssom Twp.] Charles Blanchard, editor; F.A. Battey & Co., pub., 1884, Chicago, p619

Reuben and Sarah (Sally) Scott Coffey

For the past month or so I have been given invaluable research material by one of Reuben's descendants. Margaret Coffey Farley of Winston-Salem, NC has given me photos and family history that would have otherwise taken me years - if ever - to uncover.

Thank you, Margaret!

Margaret descends from Reuben Coffey and Sarah Scott. Reuben, a son of John and Jane Graves Coffey, were parents of at least 13 children, 12 of which have known descendants. Two of his sons, Jesse, born between 1775 and 1780, and Joseph, born c1785, are pretty much responsible for most of the Coffeys found in North Carolina today.

Many of Reuben's children moved out of North Carolina and headed west. Many of them settled in Missouri and Indiana. Jesse and Joseph remained pretty close to home.

- Reuben, Jr. married Naomi Hayes. Some of their children were born in NC and TN, but much of the family was in Indiana by the late 1820's.

- Jesse who married Margaret Edmiston, remained in North Carolina where they produced at least 10 children. His son Jesse married in Grainger Co., TN in 1838. At least one of son Jesse's children, Mary Jane, returned to North Carolina where she settled with husband Wyatt Hayes in Watauga County.

- Elizabeth married John Greene and produced at least 10 children, all of which are thought to have remained in NC. After John Greene died in 1853, Elizabeth married Thomas Roper and moved to Greene Co., IN. She is thought to have had at least one child with Thomas.

Nancy, one of the Greene children, married James Coffey, a son of Levi and Dolly Edmundson Coffey. Levi was a grand-nephew (as well as first cousin twice removed) to Reuben.

Many of Levi's descendants are also found in North Carolina today.

- Elijah married Polly Dyer. The first six of their 11 children were born in NC. In about 1816 or 17 they moved west. Their seventh child, Joel Anderson, was born in Tennessee, William Trimble, their eighth, was born in Kentucky, and the next three in Indiana. It seems that all of the children born in North Carolina eventually settled in and around Owen Co., IN.

- Sally married Samuel Curtis and had at least one child, Hezekiah, born c1810. Hezekiah later married Celia Coffey, a daughter of William and Annie Boone Coffey. William was nephew to Reuben. Some of the Curtis children are believed to have remained in Wilkes and Burke Counties.

- Joseph married Isabella Lindsay. They produced seven children, most of which remained in Caldwell County. Margaret Coffey Farley is his descendant through his son Zacheus (Zack) who married his first cousin, Margaret, daughter of Jesse who was Joseph's brother.

- James married Hannah Alloway Strange, producing at least seven children. Many of those children were born in Wilkes Co., but moved on with their parents to settle in Spencer and Owen Counties in Indiana.

- Nancy married Joel Anderson Dyer and raised at least nine children. Her first husband was a Durham but I know nothing of him. I have not looked at this family sufficiently to know where the Dyer children were born, but both Joel and Nancy died in Indiana; Joel in 1850 and Nancy in 1866.

- William, married Mary Faulkner and had at least two children. The family moved out of North Carolina sometime after 1812 and ended up in Owen Co., Indiana.

- Joel Benjamin married Saphronia Stepp/Stapp. They had at least seven children, one of which is know to have been born c1817 in Burke Co., NC. The remainder are thought to have been born in Monroe Co., IN. After reaching adulthood, many of Joel's children moved on to Gentry Co., MO.

- Thomas married Sarah Stokes and became mother to at least 12 children. I do not have a lot of information on any of them except Leven Stokes, born Dec. 4, 1819. He moved on to Meigs Co., TN where he married Celia Perry in 1844. He and his family eventually settled in Laclede Co., MO. Another of Thomas' sons, Joseph Alson, also settled in Laclede Co.

- And finally, Jane, Reuben and Sarah's last child. She married James Benjamin Webb. Little is known of them, but James died in 1827 in Overton, Shelby Co., TN.

I suppose it would be safe to say that if your surname is Coffey and your parents and grandparents were born in North Carolina, you are very likely to be a descendant of Reuben through either his son Jesse, or son Joseph.

Please contact me to add to or correct any of this information.

Coffey, Mills and related families

On occasion I have mentioned in this space that my ancestry has proven to be Mills related, and not Coffey1. The following is presented both as a way to record and share my thoughts, and to show the close relationship of these families living in one small corner of North Carolina.

While researching the Mills family, I have discovered that my ancestry goes directly to William Mills who married Sarah Ellis2. The best information found so far indicates that William married Sarah c1741 in Virginia. They had at least eight children:

Isham, for which little is knows, was probably born in North Carolina c1761. Other researchers have indicated that he was much married (perhaps as many as 5 or 6 times), and had about 25 children. I currently show him married to a Giddings c1784 in North Carolina, and the father of six.

His Giddings wife is probably a close relative - perhaps sister - of the James Isham Gideon (sic) written about in two very different biographical sketches [this link no longer available in 2010] by Gideon descendants in the last century.

Hardy, born in Halifax Co., NC c1763, married Frances Carpenter, born c1767 in Stafford Co., VA. She was the daughter of Stephen Carpenter and Rebecca Collins. They are thought to have had at least four children, all boys.

Elizabeth, born c1765 in North Carolina, married Jesse Carpenter c1785 in Wilkes Co., NC. Jesse was a brother to Frances, and was born sometime between 1770 and 1780.

Mary Judah, born c1767 in Virginia, married George Hayes, Sr., on May 14, 1785 in Wilkes Co., NC.

Martha (Patty), born c1768, probably in Virginia, married the above mentioned James Isham Giddings on Feb. 1, 1787 in Burke Co., NC. Bondsman for the marriage was Stephen Carpenter.

Twenty-four years between the marriage of Hardy to Frances, and Martha to Stephen seems to me to be a stretch. I have seen no documentation for Hardy's marriage.

Nancy, born c1770. No additional information available.

William II, born c1780 married Sarah (Sally) Strutton on June 30, 1802 in Wilkes Co., NC. Sarah was the daughter of Hezekiah Strutton; her mother is not known to me.

John, born c1788 in Wilkes Co., NC, married Alice (Alley) Coffey, born c1788 in Burke Co., NC. She was the daughter of Ambrose and Mildred (Millie) Moore Coffey.


Research credited to Raymond Porter, Sr. Giddens Family History)3 who has apparently extensively researched the North Carolina counties of Wilkes and Burke, many of the above mentioned families lived and often moved with each other as they migrated from Virginia to North Carolina and eventually into Tennessee.

One of Porter's research pages shows that Nebuzaraden Coffey was in Burke Co. in Dec., 1778. He is mentioned as having property on "Blares fork of Lower Creek" that joins property transferred to Zadicaha (sic) [Hezekiah] Strutton.

This Nebuzaraden was probably the one who married Elizabeth Hayes c1780. Much is known about the descendants of this couple, but little or nothing about their ancestry. Nebuzaraden has been attributed to Chesley and Jane Cleveland Coffey. However, researchers are having difficulty locating any facts about Chesley, and some are beginning to suspect that he may not have existed. Others believe that Chesley may have been his middle name, and left no records using that name.

James Giddings apparently entered Burke Co. c1779. Porter listed his name "from an index of first entries into Burke Co."

I am slightly confused from this point on in the Porter work. That part of the page cited in the above link is titled "Burke County, NC." However, when he writes of the James Giddens marriage to Martha Mills he asks "Where are the rest of the Giddens? The next record is in 1795. Could there be records in Burke County?" Perhaps Porter is writing about Wilkes Co.? In any case, he also lists a Burke Co. court record dated 1787 naming Moses Waters and John Gatewood, Wm. Wright, Kiah Strutton, and Ezekiel Strutton.

The following men are mentioned in a Nov. 3, 1795 Burke Co. court record ordering that they "view" certain roads:4

- John Coffey
- Thomas Coffey, Sr.
- Benjamin Coffey
- Reuben Coffey
- Eli Coffey
- Ambrose Coffey
- Thomas Coffey

John, Thomas, Benjamin, and Reuben are probably the sons of John Coffey and Jane Graves.
Eli and Ambrose are probably the sons of James and Elizabeth Cleveland. James was also a son of John and Jane, and died in Wilkes Co. in Oct. 1786. The last Thomas listed is likely the son of Thomas, Sr., and the Thomas who married Nancy Pendley.

- David Allen
- Hezekiah Strutton
- Michael Israel
- Abraham A. Strange

Michael Israel may be the same Michael Israel, Jr. who married Sarah Coffey on Feb. 26, 1800 in Wilkes Co. She was born 1779 in Wilkes Co., and was a daughter of John and Mary Hall Coffey. This John is the son of James and Elizabeth Cleveland Coffey, mentioned above.

I'm not certain who Abraham Strange is. His middle name is probably Alloway, and descendant of Archelus Alloway Strange who married Elizabeth Coffey (sister of Sarah who married Michael Israel) on Nov. 23, 1802 in Wilkes Co.

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Update Mar 8, 2012


Abraham Alloway Strange married Mary A. Moore on Apr. 18, 1778 in Fluvanna Co., VA.  They had a number of children, at least three of which married Coffeys:


Archelus Alloway Strange, born Jul. 12, 1780 married Elizabeth Coffey, born Jan. 10, 1782 in Wilkes Co., NC to John and Mary "Polly" Hall (Hull or Harbord?).  He died Oct 23, 1852 in KY.  Elizabeth died in Adair Co., date unknown.  Only the marriage date is confirmed.*  One of their daughters, Sarah, married James Lewis Coffey, a son of Lewis Russell and Bidant "Biddy" Moore Coffey.


Susannah Alloway Strange, born c1788 in NC is said to have married a Coffey but, which one has not been determined.


Hannah Alloway Strange, born Feb. 18, 1790, died Feb. 14, 1871, probably in Indiana, married James D. Coffey.  James was born in Caldwell Co., Globe Twp., NC in 1786 and died in Owen Co., IN on Oct. 27, 1869.  He was a son of Reuben and Sarah "Sally" Scott Coffey.


*Precision Indexing North Carolina Marriages, 1801-1825, Index Book A-F.

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- William Hulme
- George Hulme

No info on the Hulme family.

- Charles Gordan, Jr.
- Charles Gordan (sic)

No information on the Gordan (Gordon) family.

- Robert Epperson
- James Epperson

No information on the Epperson family, except that Lydia Epperson married John Hayes, a son of George and Mary Judah Mills Hayes.

- James Gittings (sic) [Giddings]

- William Parham

No information on the Parham family.

- Thomas Fields

There was a Thomas Fields, Esq. who married Elizabeth Coffey, a daughter of John and Jane Graves Coffey. He died in 1807 in Wilkes Co., NC.

- Owen Humphrey

I find an Owen Humphrey who married a Mary Lea. Their son, William Humphrey married Mary Fields, son of the above Thomas and Elizabeth Coffey Fields.

- Widow Mills

Not sure who she is, but speculate that she is either Sarah Ellis, the widow of William Mills, or Sarah Strutton, widow of William Mills II. I do not have death dates for William or William II.

- Daniel Yarnell
- James Demoss
- William Demoss
- Lewis Demoss
- Thomas Ellison

No information on the above families.

- Mastin Durham

Mastin Durham married Martha Coffey, a daughter of James and Elizabeth Cleveland Coffey. They were married Feb., 1774 in Albemarle Co., VA. He died in Aug., 1844, probably in KY. Martha died in Wayne Co., KY c1826.

Please contact me if any of the above information is incorrect, or unclear.



1 I believe that my surname was originally spelled Coffey. However, my 3G-grandfather's surname was always "Coffee" in public records. In one probate record hearing for Joel "Coffey" in Hempstead Co., AR he was recorded as Lilburn Coffee. In all other documents (census, marks, brands, and estrays, tax rolls, deeds, etc., it is spelled Coffee while the same name for people in the same county, is spelled Coffey.

2 DNA testing using the 37 marker test provided by FTDNA.com. Details on request.

3 See also http://members.tripod.com/~MrCIO/index-gideon.html

4 See the "pages" link for a location description of these roads

Three Moore Women

Mary "Mollie", Mildred "Millie", and Bidant "Biddy" Moore, all daughters of Jesse Moore and wife Alley Johnson, married Coffey brothers.

Mollie, born 2 Jun 1766, married James Coffey, Jr. on Aug. 30, 1794 in Wilkes Co.,NC.

Some researchers claim that James never married. Some report that Mollie married Abraham Alloway Strange. The Moore Family of the Globe, published in the Lenoir Topic of Oct. 7, 1891, and reprinted in Gleanings from the Heart of the Corn Belt, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1970, pp18-22 are two publications that make the argument for the Strange marriage. The only Abraham Strange that I have any information on was born 1808, and died 1866. He was a son of Archelus Alloway Strange and Elizabeth Coffey. Because of the age difference, I doubt that this Abraham is the one claimed to have married Mollie.

But, on the otherhand, a marriage record for James and Mollie has not yet been found. There is a marriage record dated Aug. 30, 1794 in Wilkes Co., NC for a James Coffey to a Sarah Coffey, but so far I have't placed these with a definite family.

Research hasn't been sufficient yet to separate this James in records of NC from the James, son of Thomas and Delilah Ferguson Coffey. There is a James, Jr., mentioned in Wilkes Co. Court of Pleas, and in the Yadkin Baptist church in 1790 is probably the son of Rev. James Coffey.

This James Jr. lived next to his father in in Wilkes Co., and later moved to Wayne Co., KY in the early 1800. He returned to NC and traded his land in KY to his brother Lewis Russell Coffey. James, Jr. hasn't been definitely identified in the 1800 or later census records of Wilkes Co., nor in Wayne Co. Perhaps we went with Rice and others to Bedford Co., TN. There was a James there in 1830 who is of the approximate age, and another in Jefferson Co., TN, listed on the 1800 and 1807 tax rolls.

So, we can only say that James and Mollie are placed here more out of tradition than any proven research.

Mildred's marriage to Ambrose is more certain, although we only have an approximate year (1788) for their union. Millie was born Mar. 31, 1770 and died in 1812, probably in Pulaski Co., KY.

Mildred gave birth to at least 12 children; five daughters, and seven sons. All were born between about 1788 and her death in c1812. More information on these children, and their descendants can be found at the Coffey Cousins' website by clicking on the link to Edward and Ann Powell Coffey.

Bidant was born May 3, 1775 in Albemarle Co., VA, and died Jan. 13, 1857 in Wayne Co., KY. She and Lewis Russell were married Dec. 10, 1795 in Wilkes Co., NC. Lewis' will was made April 13, 1850, and proven on Nov. 25, 1850. Lewis was a slave owner, and willed a number of them to his wife and children. A copy of his will can also be found at the Coffey Cousins' site.

If any reader has more information that will add to the accuracy of the genealogy of the Coffey and Moore families should write to me at my published e-mail address, or leave messages in the discussion site at Coffey Cousins'.