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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:
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
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.
This week's featured connections are Redheads: Benjamin is 13 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 18 degrees from Clara Bow, 26 degrees from Julia Gillard, 11 degrees from Nancy Hart, 11 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 14 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 18 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 18 degrees from Rose Leslie, 17 degrees from Damian Lewis, 15 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 23 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 31 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
C > Coffey > Benjamin Franklin Coffey
Categories: Hawkins County, Tennessee | Spotsylvania County, Virginia Colony | Caldwell County, North Carolina | This Day In History October 07 | North Carolina Militia, American Revolution | Virginia Colonists