Third Generation

17. Benjamin Coffey was born circa 1747 in Spotsylvania Co., VA. Benjamin served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution.^55,56,57,58

Benjamin Coffey's Pension Statement

(Application No. S1665)

25 May 1833, State of Tennessee, Hawkins County

"I entered the service of the United States in Burke County, North Carolina, in year 1776 under the command of Col. Thomas Whitson, on the first of April, commanding officer being Col. Joseph McDowell. We marched to the frontier of said county in North Carolina against the Cherokee Indians that were making inroads and doing mischief on the frontier to Crider's fort on Lower creek, being employed as a scout. I was discharged in September, moved from Burke to Wilkes County where I resided until first of April, 1780. I then entered the service again as a volunteer under the command of Capt. John Barton, regiment commanded by Col. Benjamin Cleveland. I was some times employed in marching to divers places where it was understood Tories were embodied, sometimes in Wilkes County, sometimes in Burke - until I received orders to march to King's Mountain against some Tories and British collected there under the command of Major Ferguson. We marched on through Lincoln County in North Carolina under the command of Col. Benjamin Hearne and Col. Benjamin Cleveland until we were joined by the forces of Col. William Campbell, Col. Shelby, Col. Sevier, and Col. Williams.

"There an action took place and Ferguson was killed and his men defeated. I was not in the battle in consequence of losing my horse the night before and having to join the footmen under Col. Benjamin Hearne and the foot did not come up until the battle was over: on the American side Col. Williams was killed.

"I was then sent to guard the prisoners at Moravian town in North Carolina during which march I was attacked with a pain my ankles and was furloughed home the first November. I never was out anymore." He appeared in the census in 1800 in Burke Co., NC.⁵⁹ He is found in deed of record on 23 November 1813 in Hawkins Co., TN .⁶⁰ Benjamin appeared in the census on 1 June 1830 in Hawkins Co., TN.⁶¹ Benjamin died in Hawkins Co., TN on 4 January 1834 and a memorial for him was placed at Goodman Cemetery in Whiteway Community, Gibson Co., TN .^62,63

Benj., son of John and Jane (Jean) Graves Coffee, b 1747, Essex Co.; d 4 Jan 1834, Hawkins Co., TN. Polly maybe dau of Jesse Hayes. Known children were: John; George; Bennett; William; Jesse; Jane; Ann; Sarah and another unknown daughter. Bennie Coffey: Benj. Coffey was born 1747 in Spotssylvania Co, Va. He was a resident of Wilkes Co, NC for nearly thirty years. Benj's parents were Jane Graves and John Coffey. John died in Albemarle Co., Va before March 1775. After his death Jane lived near her children in Wilkes Co. Benjamin's grandparents were Ann Powell and Edward Coffey of Essex Co, Va. Edward died in 1716 and Ann died in 1726. Source: Bible Records of Bennie Coffey Loftin, and The Heritage of Wilkes Co., North Carolina, 1982.

E-Mail to JK Coffee from Bennie Coffey Loftin, Oct. 30, 2004

I forgot to tell you that I am not sure Benjamin and Nancy have a son named William, but Marvel's family claims his name was William Marvel and the next generation or two have a William Marvel in that line. I do not have two names for any of Benjamin and Nancy children. My aunts says her grandfather, Ausbon Coffey 1846-1923, only had one name. He was the youngest of ten children, nine of them boys. Their only daughter is the Elizabeth Coffey, last wife of Caswell Coffey, no children born to them.

Old man Rance Coffey, born 1885, is the one who told me he thought one of the boys was named William. His wife did lots of visiting and writing down after she got home is why we think there are so many errors in her old files.

Sheri Kelly wrote that Benjamin is listed on the Tennessee Pension Roll of 1835: He was a private in the NC line during the Revolutionary War. He applied for and then received his pension on Sep. 30, 1833 while living in Hawkins Co., TN. He died Jan. 4, 1834 after receiving $113.33. He was a veteran of the Battle of Kings Mt.

Benjamin Coffey and Mary "Polly" Hayes were married circa 1773 in North Carolina. They appeared in the census in 1790 in Wilkes Co., NC.

Benjamin was born in Spotsylvania Co., VA in 1747. He is first found in records of Albemarle Co. in 1772 where he purchased 211 acres. He sold that land in 1774 to John Coffey (either his father or his brother). The same land was sold again by Benjamin to James Garland, Jr., in 1780. How it came back into the hands of Benjamin so that it could be resold in not known.

Benjamin moved to NC, initially settling on land that would become part of Burke Co., but was then in Rowan Co. He was there by 1776, and some of his descendants believe that he went there earlier and married Polly Hayes in NC. Rowan Co. records haven't proved that there were any Coffee families in that area for that time period.

Benjamin served 5 months in the 1776 in the Revolutionary War, mostly fighting Cherokee Indians on the "frontier of Burke county." In Dec. 1778 Benjamin had entered land four times on Blair's Fork of Lower Creek in Burke Co. It is thought that he had been living on this land for sometime. It was bounded by land of John Coffey (probably his brother), and Nebuzaradan Coffey, and not far from his brother James Coffey's land in Wilkes Co.

In March 1780 he bought land in Wilkes Co., and moved there. He lived there until the early 1800's.

In April 1780 he again volunteered for Revolutionary War service, and was assigned to the regiment commanded by Col. Benjamin Cleveland. Later in 1780 they marched on Kings Mountain, but Benjamin missed the battle due to losing his horse the night before. He was furloughed home the first of November of that year.

Benjamin and Polly's children have not been adequately determined but must have included at least 5 sons and 4 daughters (1790 and 1800 census for Wilkes Co., NC).

Pastor of North Catawba Church in Burke Co. Was on 1790 census but left area after 1793. Other names in article include Edward Coffey, Jr., Grace Cleveland; Thomas Coffey; Wilburn Carey Coffey; William Coffey who m. Anna Boone; Jennie Christina Woods Coffey; Polly Coffey.

Source: Coline Coffey, Rt. 10, Box 313, Lenoir, NC 28645; CCC, Sep., 1994.

Two other possible children of Benjamin are Marvel who married Rachel Boone, and James who married Susanna Pitman. There was also a Susannah Coffey who married Henry Cook on Jul. 26, 1816 in Burke Co., William Pittman bondsman. This Susannah could also be the widow of James who then married Mr. Cook.

Benjamin Coffey (submitted by Bennie Coffey Loftin)

Benjamin Coffey was born in 1747 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. He was a resident of Wilkes County, North Carolina for nearly thirty years. Benjamin's parents were Jane Graves and John Coffey. John died in Albemarle County, Virginia before March 1775, after his death Jane lived near her children in Wilkes County. Benjamin's grandparents were Ann Powell and Edward Coffey of Essex County, Virginia. Edward died in 1716 and Ann died in 1726.

Benjamin first served the Revolutionary cause for five months from Burke County in 1776. He volunteered and was sent to the frontier, scouting and helping to build Crider's Fort because of "mischief being done by the Cherokee Indians." He married Polly Hayes and moved over to Wilkes County where in 1780 he volunteered again. Benjamin was at the Battle of Kings Mountain as were several of his kinfolk. He did not actually do any fighting in this battle. As a result of losing his horse the evening before, he had to join the foot soldiers, the fighting was over by the time the foot soldiers got there. He was sent to guard the prisoners on the march to Moravian Town, whereby he developed "pains in his ankles." He was furloughed home for the duration of the war.

Benjamin Coffey with his family moved to Hawkins County, Tennessee and bought two hundred acres of land on the north side of Clinch Mountain on Big War Creek on March 24, 1809.

In September 1833, when Benjamin gave his declaration for a pension, he was eighty-six years old and so old and infirm for the last four or five years that he had not been able to attend the Baptist Church where he was a member. He died January 4, 1834 in Hawkins County, Tennessee.

While still living in Wilkes County, Benjamin and Polly's son, John Coffey (Oct. 15, 1776 - Mar. 15, 1845) married March 1, 1804 to Elizabeth Rucker (Jan. 6, 1787 - Mar. 22, 1855): she was the daughter of Sarah Roberts and Colby Rucker.

Elizabeth and John were living in Grainger County in 1810, he served in the War of 1812 from Tennessee. The list of their children is not complete: Ausburn (Jan. 14, 1805 - Dec. 31, 1876)(married Matilda Dalton); Benjamin (Feb. 8, 1808 - May 8, 1867) (married Nancy Hayes); Nancy unmarried; John Jackson (Jan. 12, 1812 - pct. 15, 1877) (married Alicia Nash); Margaret (married Issac Bullen); William born Oct. 31, 1828 (married Ellen Nash); Catherine born Aug. 10, 1834; Sarah Lucinda (married William Coffey, a first double cousin) and Jesse.

Elizabeth and John's oldest son, Ausbon (family spelling), was a blacksmith. After the Civil War, when his brothers, Benjamin and John, and some of their children moved to Rockcastle County, Kentucky, Ausbon and Matilda loaded their wagon, tied the old cow and hound dog to it and moved also. The trip took about a week, two weeks later the old hound dog was waiting at the door to the blacksmith shop in Thorn Hill. Ausbon and Matilda did not stay in Wildie, they returned to Tennessee. Ausbon is buried in the Rucker Family Cemetery northeast of Thorn Hill on the Road to Coffey's Chapel Cemetery.

Benjamin didn't live long after moving to Kentucky, he and Nancy (Hayes) are buried in The Maret Cemetery near Wildie. Through their son, Ransome, there are seven generations of Coffeys buried in the Maret Cemetery.

Nancy and Benjamin had nine sons: John; William; Richardson (married Serene Coffey); Ransome (married Delphia Cox and Mary Jane Coffey Wolfe); Calvin; Calton (married Martha Campbell); Perry; Marvel (married Abigail Jordan); Ausbon (married Nancy Ann Phillips Barnett on Feb. 20, 1869); and one daughter, Elizabeth (married Caserll Coffey). At least six of their sons served the Confederate States of America: Richardson, Calvin, Calton, Marvel, Perry, and Ausbon. Ausbon was only seventeen when he joined after becoming angry over Federal troops destroying their spring beet crop. Calvin, Perry and Richardson died before the end of the war. Their cousins, William W. and Simeon, also died as results of wounds received in battle. After his twin, Calvin, died Calton was wounded and deserted. Marvel was there when Calton was told to walk slowly and get his leg wound seen about. Marvel said that was the last the family heard of Calton until he was living in Oklahoma nearly forty years later, via Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. Ransome and his cousins that were living in Kentucky when the war began fought on the Union side.

Ausbon's wife, Nancy, (part Cherokee Indian, passed as Black Dutch) was born in Laurel County, Kentucky. She moved to Missouri with her first husband, who died there. She walked back to Wildie with her small son, Andrew J. Barnett. Nancy and Ausbon's oldest son, William Ransome Shardick Coffey (Rance) (Dec. 20, 1869 - Dec. 20, 1932) on May 3, 1889 married Lou Mina Jane Clark (May 24, 1869 - May 1, 1939). Their youngest son, Thomas Calvin (Tom) (Dec. 8, 1877 - Feb. 14, 1962) on April 18, 1901 married Mary McGuire. Mary was a cousin to the Mary McGuire that was Andrew Barnett's first wife; Joan Shouse was Andrew's second wife.

In September 1903, Lou Mina and Rance with their six surviving children moved to Red Fork, Indian Territory. Tom helped them to cross the mountain by horse back to board a train in Wildie. Mary and Tom also moved to Oklahoma in 1904 and lived for twenty years, where most of their ten children were born. Gracy, Arch, Luther, Athel, Lawrence, and Roise Mae lived to be adults. Their return trip to Kentucky began Oct. 1923 by wagon took six months. They worked and camped out along the way, arriving in Wildie in April 1924.

Lou Mina and Rance had twelve children: McClellan; Wallace Ausbon; Celia T. (married S.R. Cross); Nancy Ann; Mary Elizabeth (married A. J. Self); Martha Susan (married J. H. Smith); Flora Mae (married H. K. Sorrels); Teddy B. (married A. L. Rose Capehart); Julius Walter (married E. Harris Holland); Richard Leslie; Lena Jane; and William Benjamin (married Lou Ellen Simcox of Kiowa, Oklahoma).

Sources: Census, court house, military and family records, cemetery markers and Bible records

This work was prepared for Wilkes County Heritage by Bennie Lou Coffey Loftin. In a note to Coffey Cousins, Bennie adds: "In my story, Jessie T. Coffey should be replaced with Colby Coffey, born 1806. Jessie T. and Cleveland Coffey proved out by land records and probate records to be the son of an older Jesse Coffey in Ash County, NC, Cleveland is the paternal Coffey ancestor of Horace Marcus Coffey. Marcus also was a descendant of George Coffey and Margaret Rucker." Mary "Polly" Hayes was born circa 1760 in Essex Co., VA.

Sheri Kelly writes that Mary was born in North Carolina, and died in Tennessee.

Polly is probably the daughter of Jesse Hayes.

Benjamin Coffey and Mary "Polly" Hayes had the following children: