Name:                     Nathan COFFEY

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Birth:                      1760                       Anson Or Wilkes County, North Carolina

Death:                     Aft Nov 1827           Jackson County, Alabama

Father:                     Chesley COFFEY

Mother:                   Jane CLEVELAND

 

Edward COFFEY (1650-1670 - abt 14 Feb 1716) & Ann POWELL (1683-1685 - )

        Edward (Jr) COFFEY* (bef 16 Jul 1700 - aft 1774) & Unknown MARTIN

            Chesley COFFEY (Bet 1720-1730 - aft 1760) & Jane CLEVELAND (1725 - aft 1760)

                *Salathial COFFEY (abt 1753 - 1784) & Elizabeth NEWTON (1758 - )

                    **Eli COFFEY** (8 May 1775 - 18 Jul 1833) & Mary "Polly" COFFEY (7 Dec 1785 - 1872)

 

                *Nathan COFFEY (1760 - 1823) & Mary Ann SAUNDERS (1770 - )

                    **Mary "Polly" COFFEY** (7 Dec 1785 - 10 Mar 1872) & Eli COFFEY (8 May 1775 - 1833)

 

                        Newton Eli COFFEY (2 May 1823 - 13 Jan 1890) & Martha Louise VERMILLION (1827 - 1904)

                            William COFFEY (27 Oct 1848 - 16 Mar 1896) & Malcena BARBRE (1855 - 1920)

                                Newton COFFEY (23 Sep 1875 - 26 May 1969) & Adelia Gertrude ROBINSON (1878 - 1973)

                                    Leo Newton COFFEY (22 Jul 1901 - 26 Oct 1998) & Elsie Maureen WALKER (1903 - 1983)

                                        Fred Coffey

 

·       Salathial and Nathan were brothers, therefore ** Eli and Mary were first cousins.

·        

Misc. Notes

 

Note from Fred Coffey -

While living in Miami, son Bryan & I did an afternoon's research at the library - - our first-ever genealogy lookup (thus began our research!).  We found reference in a “Daughters of the American Revolution” book to Nathan Coffey as follows -

 

COFFEY, Nathan, b 1760 d 1823 m Mary Saunders Pvt NC.

"Nathan Coffey (1760-1823) served as private in the North Carolina militia.  He was born in Anson, N.C.; died in Jackson County, Ala.

 

Nathan is listed in the DAR Patriot Index.

 

Note from Timothy E. Peterman: Application for recognition as a descendant of Nathan Coffey says “...assisted in establishing American Independence while acting in the capacity of Private, North Carolina Militia.”

 

(SEE NOTES WITH CHESLEY COFFEY FOR MORE DISCUSSION BY TIM)

 

The 1784 "Incident":

Circumstances are not clear, but Wilkes County, NC, court records suggest Nathan was involved in some sort of incident (riot?) in 1784, in which his brother Salathial (also our ancestor) and others were killed. See the report with Salathial Coffey for more details.

 

ADDENDUM: Tim recently (2008) turned up some additional evidence (found on “footnote.com”) about Nathan. In 1827, Nathan swore an affidavit about an acquaintance Solomon Campbell, as follows. Phrases I can’t read are marked “(??)”

 

“State of Alabama, Jackson county: Before me, Robert McCamy,  a Justice of the Peace for said county, personally appeared Nathan Coffey at the home of William S. Coffey in said county on the 6th day of November 1827 and being first Sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God (??) That he was acquainted with Solomon Campbell in the years 1777 & 1778, that he was then in the Service of the United States, Commanded first by General Greene afterwards by General Marion, while under the command of General Greene he was of the Tenth Regiment North Carolina continental line in a company commanded by Capt. Jarvis in which service he remained this witness thinks about eighteen months, when he was attached to the command of General Marion in the same line in which service he remained this informant thinks about eighteen months. That afterward in the year 1780 this informant was again in the army of the United States with the said Solomon Campbell at the battle of Kings mountain and in guarding the prisoners to the Maravian towns and knew him to be the Same Solomon Campbell who was in the (??) previously in 1777 & 78 as above stated. That Said Campbell was about six feet and a little upward, about twenty or twenty one years of age in 1777 from appearance. That he was known by the name of Sol. Campbell and was so called generally by his acquaintancy; that the Same Solomon Campbell is now present and has the appearance of being upwards of Seventy years of age, is a tall lean man, hair a good chalk white, a little inclined to be bald, has a moal immediately above his left eye at the lower part of his eye brow. And further this (??) was Sworn to be (??) before me the 6th of of November 1827.

Nathan (“X” his mark) Coffey

Witness

Robert McCamy

Justice of the Peace

I do certify that the foregoing disposition of Nathan Coffey was taken at the home and place also as mentioned in the (??) under my hand & dated the 6th of November 1827.

Robert McCamy (seal)

Justice of the Peace”

 

“State of Alabama

Jackson County

I Stephen Carter clerk of the County court of said County do hereby certify that Robert McCamy whose name appears above Signed is and was an acting Justice of the Peace in and for said County and that full faith and credit are due and ought to be given to All his offical acts as such in Testimony of Which I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my Private Seal having no seal of office this 8th day of November 1827. Stephen Carter Clerk”

 

 

 

OBSERVATIONS (Fred Coffey):

 

Obviously, the original DAR citation above was wrong about the 1823 death year of Nathan, since he was clearly alive and swearing testimony in 1827. Also, I note that William S. Coffey (in whose home the deposition was taken) was his son William Saunders Coffey, born in 1795.

 

Some genealogies have asserted that Nathan served at the Battle of Kings Mountain, but then offered no proof. NOW we have a sworn affidavit by Nathan himself that he did indeed serve there!

 

I am also intrigued that on my MOTHER’s side, I had another GGGG Grandfather, Robert Walker Jr., who ALSO fought at the battle of Kings Mountain. Further, there is a reference to Nathan “guarding the prisoners to the Moravian towns”. This would almost certainly be a reference to the Moravian settlements in the Wachovia Tract in Surry County, NC, where GGGG Grandpa Robert Walker lived. (See the notes with Robert Jr. and his father Robert Sr.). It seems possible that these men would have met and known each other some 140 years before their respective descendants (my parents) met and married in Iowa!

 

I have appended the images of the above document below:

 

 

 

Marriage:                 abt 1784

Spouse:                   Mary Ann SAUNDERS

Birth:                      1770

Misc. Notes

Nathan COFFEY (1760 - 1823) & Mary Ann SAUNDERS (1770 - )

    Mary "Polly" COFFEY (7 Dec 1785 - 10 Mar 1872) & Eli COFFEY (8 May 1775 - 18 Jul 1833)

    Rutherford COFFEY* (1786 - )

    Rutherford COFFEY* (1786 - ) & Elizabeth “Graney” COFFEY (abt 1775 - )

    Absolem COFFEY (1788 - )

    Joel COFFEY (3 Aug 1790 - 1850) & Mary KNOX

    Elizabeth COFFEY (1791 - 1837)

    Grace COFFEY (1793 - )

    William Saunders COFFEY (1795 - ) & Elizabeth SCHUYLER

    Nancy COFFEY (1797 - ) & Richard LOCKETT

    Catherine COFFEY (1799 - ) & John BAXTER