Benjamin Franklin Coffey (1747 - 1834)

Biography

Pvt. Benjamin Coffey served with North Carolina Militia during the American Revolution.

Benjamin Coffey was a Virginia colonist.

Benjamin Coffey (b.1747 Spotsylvania, VA)^[1]Benjamin was born in 1747. He was the son of John Coffey and Jane Jean Graves. Benjamin Coffey was a Private in the NC line during the Revolutionary War. He applied for and then received his pension on September 30, 1833 while living in Hawkins County, TN. He died January 4, 1834 after receiving $113.33.

Note: Mary Summers originally shared this on 06 May 2010 on Ancestry.com. According to the 1790 and 1800 censuses,^{[2] [3]}Benjamin and Polly Hayes Coffee had 5 male and 4 female children. The first child listed below is proven, the next three are probable, and the last five are possible:

1. John Coffey,
2. William Coffey,
3. Bennett Coffey,
4. George Coffey,
5. Jesse Coffey,
6. Jane Coffey,
7. Ann Coffey,
8. Sarah Coffey, and
9. Elizabeth Coffey.

Benjamin Coffey and family lived in the part of Wilkes County that is now Caldwell County, North Carolina^[4] for nearly thirty years. He sold a one hundred acre tract of land on December 15, 1808 for $1,200.00 in Wilkes County. That tract of land was conveyed to him October 6, 1785. Benjamin also received a grant from the state of North Carolina dated December 24, 1789 for land on the South Fork of Yadkin River called Miller's Creek. There were several land transactions for Benjamin in Wilkes County. One of the oldest Tennessee counties, Hawkins County was first established as a separate North Carolina county on January 6, 1787, when the state legislature divided Sullivan County, North Carolina. ^[5]

His wife, Mary "Polly" Coffey died in 1829 in Hawkins County. Tennessee. Benjamin Coffey died 5 years later, also in Hawkins. The place of his burial is unknown, but believed to be in the green hills of Hawkins with his wife. Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Find A Grave: Memorial #40391091

Military

Revolutionary War^[1]

• 01 Apr 1776 Birk Co., NC: Cpt. Thomas Whitson and Col. Joseph McDowel^[1]
• after 01 Apr 1780: Volunteered under Cpt. John Barton and Col. Benjamin Cleaveland^[1]
• Pension application: 25 May 1833 Hawkins Co., TN

Revolutionary War Patriot

COFFEY, BENJAMIN Patriot # A023804

1776 - 1783

Kings Mountain, Guilford

COFFEY, BENJAMIN DAR Ancestor #: A023804 Service: NORTH CAROLINA Rank: PRIVATE Birth: 1747 SPOTSYLVANIA CO VIRGINIA Death: 1-4-1834 HAWKINS CO TENNESSEE Pension Number: *S1655 Service Source: *S1655 Service Description: 1) CAPTS WHITSON, BARTON; COLS MCDOWELL, CLEVELAND

SPOUSE: POLLY HAYES

Colonel Joseph McDowell Burke County Regiment of Militia - 1782-1783

Benjamin served twice in the fight for independence from England. First while living in the area that is now Burke Co., North Carolina, he volunteered on April 1, 1776 and served five months. He was sent to the frontier to scout and to help build Crider's Fort because of "mischief being done by the Cherokee Indians". The site of Crider's Fort is now Lenoir High School (1984) in Caldwell Co., North Carolina. The second time he served was after he moved to Wilkes County in 1780. He was at the famous "Battle of Kings Mountain" on October 7, 1780 as were several of his kinfolk; among them were his brothers-in-law, Robert Whiteside and Mastin Durham, his nephews Reuben, Ambrose and Ely Coffey. His colonel, Benjamin Cleveland was his cousin. Cleveland's parents were John Cleveland and Elizabeth Coffey. Elizabeth was the youngest daughter of Edward Coffey and Ann (Annister) Powell.

Because Benjamin had lost his horse the evening before the battle and had to join the foot soldiers, he did not do any fighting in the battle that took place on King's Mountain. The fighting was already over by the time the infantry reached the battle scene. Benjamin was sent to guard the prisoners taken in the Battle of King's Mountain during their march to Moravian Town "whereby he developed pains in his ankles". He was furloughed home for the duration of the war.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} McGee, n.d., p.48 - 49
2. ↑ 1790 Census of the United States Burke, North Carolina; Series: M637; Roll: 7; Page: 95; Image: 65; Family History Library Film: 0568147
3. ↑ 1800 United States Federal Census Census Place: Burke, North Carolina; Series: M32; Roll: 29; Page: 733; Image: 158; Family History Library Film: 337905
4. ↑ In 1841 parts of Wilkes County and Burke County were combined to form Caldwell County
5. ↑ Source as “The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture © Tennessee Historical Society

• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed Nov. 27, 2013), "Record of Benjamin Coffey", Ancestor # A023804.
• McGhee, L. (n.d.). East Tennessee pensioners, Revolutionary War: Hawkins - Rogersville, Tennessee, (Vol. 1, pp.48). Washington DC. FamilySearch.org eBook.
• Crane, "Branch of Coffey Tree"
• "James B Coffey, Ancestors"
• Letter, Albemarle Co Hist Soc, Mar 14, 2000
• Family Hist Ctr, LDS Church, PAF Filles
• IGI North America, v3.06 - 5.0 Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Publication: FamilySearch(tm), (c) 1999-2005 by Intellectual Reserve Inc.
• Purkiss and Jones Families Records Author: J. D. Purkiss and Lester C. Jones Publication: Dec 2000 Media: Letter

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Stephanie Sanchez for creating Coffey-934 on 3 Nov 13.

• Travis Wagner, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Travis and others.

• Thank you to Larry Chesebro' for creating WikiTree profile Coffee-105 through the import of LarryChesebro'Coffey.ged on Sep 4, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Larry and others.