Fifth Generation

596. Caswell Coffey²⁵²⁶ was born circa 1806 in Wilkes Co., NC.²⁵²⁷ He appeared in the census on 1 June 1830 in Hawkins Co., TN.²⁵²⁸ He appeared in the census on 1 June 1840 in Hawkins Co., TN.²⁵²⁹ Caswell appeared in the census on 21 November 1850 in Hancock Co., TN.²⁵³⁰ He appeared in the census on 15 August 1860 in Grainger Co., TN.²⁵³¹ He appeared in the census on 26 August 1870 in Grainger Co., TN.²⁵³² Caswell died in Grainger Co., TN on 7 February 1882. His burial site is not known.²⁵²⁷
CASWELL COFFEY 1806-1882
Generation V

Caswell Coffey, born about 1806 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, died 7 Sept 1882 in Grainger County, Tennessee, was the son of Bennett Coffey and Sarah “Sally” Ferguson. Caswell was married at least twice, he may have had three and possible four wives. The death certificate of Caswell’s son Thomas Nelson Coffey records his mother as Annie Jordan, but she died before the 1850 census which was the first census to list every member in a household by name. Nelson was listed as two years old on that census. There was a Nancy Coffey, born about 1825, died 2 Nov 1860, listed with Caswell in the 1850 census. Nancy’s death date was in the White family Bible. I think, she was a young wife and not a daughter, because the 1830 census does not record any children for his household. Nancy would be wife number two, number three could be Martha Campbell married on 21 Dec 1857, but Calton Coffey's descendant, Charles VanBebber, claims this same marriage date for Calton Coffey and Martha Campbell. I thought maybe "Caswell" had been misread by earlier researchers in the MARRIAGE RECORDS FOR GRAINGER COUNTY, TENNESSEE and the Court Clerks Index, but Lillian Coffey Harrell, Jeanne Snodgrass Bonham, Ann Coffey Green and I went through the records, box by box, in Rutledge until we found the original document. It was written "Caswell Coffey". Another possibility, other than they both married Martha Campbells on the same date, is the minister or clerk knew both Caswell and Calton and got them mixed up. Calton and his Martha may have been married in Claiborne County, where they lived near her family in 1860. [Bennie Coffey Loftin, from her book, Lizzie's Legacy and Our Coffey Cousins.]

[Note: It is not unlikely that Caswell is a son of Bennett, but it is unlikely that he was full brother to the remainder of the siblings listed here.]

Caswell Coffey and Nancy Ann "Annie" Jordan were married circa 1830. Nancy died on 25 December 1849.

See the Coffey Cousins' Newsletter, Issue No. 98, March, 2005, pages 10-11 found at

http://www.coffey.ws/familytree/CCCNewslettersOnline/CCCIssue098.pdf

for more discussion. Nancy Ann is a mystery woman.

Caswell Coffey and Nancy Ann "Annie" Jordan had the following children:

Caswell Coffey and Martha Campbell were married on 21 December 1857 in Grainger Co., TN.²⁵³³ Martha Campbell was born (date unknown).

Caswell may or may not have married Martha. We do know that Calton married a Martha Campbell, and there does not seem to be another woman with that name available to Caswell at the time.

Caswell Coffey and Martha Campbell had the following children:

Caswell Coffey and Elizabeth "Aunt Betts" Coffey were married after 1870.²⁵³⁴ They²⁵³⁴ appeared in the census on 14 June 1880 in Grainger Co., TN.²⁵³⁵ Elizabeth "Aunt Betts" Coffey, daughter of Benjamin Coffey and Nancy Hayes, was born on 4 November 1835 in Grainger Co., TN. She lived with her brother, Ransom Coffey in Rockcastle Co., KY on 21 April 1910. She lived with the John Barnett family in Rockcastle Co., KY on 25 January 1920.²⁵³⁶ Aunt Betts died on 9 August 1922 at the age of 86 in Rockcastle Co., KY and was buried at Marvel Coffey Cemetery in Hummel, Rockcastle Co., KY.^{2537,2538,2539}

Death Notice, The Lexington Herald, Lexington, KY, Sat., Aug. 12, 1922, Issue 224, Page 1

Aged Faster Dies

Kentucky Woman Succumbs After 60 Days Without Food

Louisville, Ky., Aug. 11.--It was learned here today that Mrs. Bettye [sic] Coffey, 88, died at 12:20 o'clock Wednesday afternoon, near Mt. Vernon, on the sixtieth day of her voluntary fast, for which she refused to assign a reason, and which is reputed to be the fourth longest fast on record.

She was buried at 2 o'clock the same afternoon at the Humble Baptist church, four and one-half miles from Mt. Vernon. She made her home on a lot in the rear of the church with the family of a nephew, Charles Coffey.

The remarkable performance takes rank with that of William Rice, religious fanatic, who died at Slade, Powell county, Ky., on July 21, after a 69-day fast, with that of Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney, of Cork, Ireland, who died October 25, 1920, after 71 days of self-starvation and that of Michael Fitzgerald, other of the Cork hunger strikers who died October 17, 1920, after being without food for 68 days.