Fifth Generation

535. Joel Anderson Coffey²¹⁷⁶ was born on 10 June 1818 in Tennessee.⁴⁰⁵ In July 1882 he was appointed postmaster in Spencer, Owen Co., IN.²¹⁷⁷ Joel died in Spencer, Owen Co., IN on 24 March 1901.²¹⁷⁸

"Joel A. Coffey, Postmaster, is a native of Tennessee, born June 10, 1818. His parents, Elijah and Mary (Dyer) Coffey, came to Indiana when Joel was quite young, and located in Monroe County. They remained there but a short time, when they removed to Clay Township, Owen County, where they continued living until their deaths.

'Mr. Coffey is the sixth in a family of eleven children, and was reared on the home farm in Clay Township. He received a good education, attending school in the winter and helping on the farm in the summer.

'In 1851, he came to Spencer and purchased the Spencer Hotel, which he ran for a year, after which time he sold it and went to farming in Washington Township, where he remained about eighteen months. He then returned to Spencer, where he followed painting and carpentering for some time. In 1853, he traded his farm for the hotel which he had formerly owned, rented it partly for a store room, and the rest for a dwelling place. He then went into the general merchandise business, on the corner of the square where the National House now is.

'In 1863, he sold his interest in the store to J. J. Cooper and went into the insurance business, in which he continued for two years, and then took the agency for the Singer Sewing Machine in Owen County, which position he filled for about two years, when he went to farming.

'He soon afterward returned to Spencer, bought the same hotel, which he repaired and ran for a short time. He then sold it and became insurance agent again. In 1866, he was appointed Postmaster, has honorably filled the office, and at present occupies the same.

'In December, 1847, he was married to Charity McDonald, daughter of William and Ruth McDonald, old pioneers of Owen County. By this union there are three children. Mr. Coffey is a prominent member of the Christian Church, and is a stanch [sic] Republican. He is truly a good man, and one of whom his fellow-citizens may well be proud."

Joel Anderson Coffey and Charity McDonald²¹⁷⁹ were married on 12 December 1847 in Owen Co., IN.^2180,2181 They^2180,2181 appeared in the census on 6 November 1850 in Owen Co., IN.²¹⁸² They²¹⁸² appeared in the census on 1 June 1860 in Owen Co., IN.²¹⁸³ Joel and Charity²¹⁸³ appeared in the census on 4 August 1870 in Owen Co., IN.²¹⁸⁴ They²¹⁸⁴ appeared in the census on 2 June 1880 in Spencer, Owen Co., IN.²¹⁸⁵ They²¹⁸⁵ appeared in the census on 7 June 1900 in Owen Co., IN.²¹⁸⁶

Stephen, Alfred and Newton may not be children of Joel and Charity. Charity McDonald²¹⁸⁷, daughter of William McDonald and Ruth McFadden, was born circa 1819 in Kentucky. Charity died in Spencer, Owen Co., IN in 1904.²¹⁸⁸

Joel Anderson Coffey and Charity McDonald had the following children: