William Coffey is the probable son of Benjamin Coffey (1747-1834) and his wife Mary Hayes (1742-?). He was likely born 1775-1778. By the late 1770s his family had moved with other Virginia families from Albemarle Co., VA into the upper Yadkin River Valley of Burke Co. that would later become Caldwell Co., NC.
William married twice. His first wife was his first cousin Mary ("Polly") Coffey, daughter of his father's brother Thomas Coffey. Since the brothers lived directly across the Yadkin River from one another, William and Polly would have known each other from infancy. They were married on July 3, 1796. According to family genealogist Laurence H. Coffey, William and Polly settled "On Buffalo Creek about eight miles north east of the old [Thomas Coffey] home." ("Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" [Chattanooga, 1931], 80). There, according to L.H. Coffey, they raised three children: Austin (ca. 1799), Elijah (ca. 1808), and William Jr. (b. 1812). However, a fourth child (b. 1805-1810), presumably a daughter named Elizabeth, is listed in the household in 1810 and 1820.
Polly Coffey died ca. 1828, and on August 15, 1829 William married Margaret Robbins (b. ca. 1798), daughter of neighbors Reuben and Jane Turner Robbins. By Margaret, William had two more children: John Wilkerson (b. ca. 1831) and Nancy E. (b. 1832).
[NOTE: there has been much confusion occasioned by the multiplicity of certain names in the Coffey and related families. An example is William Coffey and his wife Margaret Robbins. There were in this line two William Coffeys, father and son, who married two Margaret Rob(b)ins, aunt and niece.]
By 1830, William's household included a young enslaved woman. She and a young man--presumably her son--are listed in the 1840 census.
William Coffey died intestate, probably in the spring of 1847. On 11 May 1847 William Jr. and Austin Coffey, sons by his first wife, were appointed administrators by the Caldwell Co. Court of Pleas and Quarters Sessions. The division of the personal property was contested by the widow Peggy (Robbins) Coffey who petitioned the court at its May 1847 Term to appoint a committee consisting of a justice of the peace and three other men "to view the estate of the said William Coffee [sic] and to allot such portion of the crop and provisions of the said estate, or in default thereof such articles of personal property (negroes excepted) of said intestate or debts die to said intestate as may be necessary and adequate for the support of the petitioner and her family." On 24 July 1847 the committee reported to the court that it had made the following allotment to the widow "one cow & calf." However, noting that "there being no crop of provisions on hand belonging to said Wm. Coffey decd.," the committee addressed the deficiency by requiring the administrators to pay Peggy Coffey $65. She was further allotted "one bed & its necessary furniture, and one [spinning] wheel & pair of cards."
Whatever rancor that may have resulted from the settling of William Coffey's estate seems to have soon abated. On 9 October 1849 William Coffey Jr. is appointed guardian for his half-siblings John Wilkerson and Nancy E. Coffey, the children of his father and Margaret (Robbins) Coffey. By 1850 Margaret and her children are close neighbors of William Coffey Jr.
Laurence H. Coffey in "Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" (1931) wrote that William was buried in the Hull Hill graveyard, resting place for many of the early Coffey settlers in the valley. Unfortunately, the present location of this cemetery is uncertain. Laurence H. Coffey stated that the graveyard "became neglected and almost lost from notice to the present generation." He described its location as 1/2 mile east of the Thomas Coffey homestead.
William married twice. His first wife was his first cousin Mary ("Polly") Coffey, daughter of his father's brother Thomas Coffey. Since the brothers lived directly across the Yadkin River from one another, William and Polly would have known each other from infancy. They were married on July 3, 1796. According to family genealogist Laurence H. Coffey, William and Polly settled "On Buffalo Creek about eight miles north east of the old [Thomas Coffey] home." ("Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" [Chattanooga, 1931], 80). There, according to L.H. Coffey, they raised three children: Austin (ca. 1799), Elijah (ca. 1808), and William Jr. (b. 1812). However, a fourth child (b. 1805-1810), presumably a daughter named Elizabeth, is listed in the household in 1810 and 1820.
Polly Coffey died ca. 1828, and on August 15, 1829 William married Margaret Robbins (b. ca. 1798), daughter of neighbors Reuben and Jane Turner Robbins. By Margaret, William had two more children: John Wilkerson (b. ca. 1831) and Nancy E. (b. 1832).
[NOTE: there has been much confusion occasioned by the multiplicity of certain names in the Coffey and related families. An example is William Coffey and his wife Margaret Robbins. There were in this line two William Coffeys, father and son, who married two Margaret Rob(b)ins, aunt and niece.]
By 1830, William's household included a young enslaved woman. She and a young man--presumably her son--are listed in the 1840 census.
William Coffey died intestate, probably in the spring of 1847. On 11 May 1847 William Jr. and Austin Coffey, sons by his first wife, were appointed administrators by the Caldwell Co. Court of Pleas and Quarters Sessions. The division of the personal property was contested by the widow Peggy (Robbins) Coffey who petitioned the court at its May 1847 Term to appoint a committee consisting of a justice of the peace and three other men "to view the estate of the said William Coffee [sic] and to allot such portion of the crop and provisions of the said estate, or in default thereof such articles of personal property (negroes excepted) of said intestate or debts die to said intestate as may be necessary and adequate for the support of the petitioner and her family." On 24 July 1847 the committee reported to the court that it had made the following allotment to the widow "one cow & calf." However, noting that "there being no crop of provisions on hand belonging to said Wm. Coffey decd.," the committee addressed the deficiency by requiring the administrators to pay Peggy Coffey $65. She was further allotted "one bed & its necessary furniture, and one [spinning] wheel & pair of cards."
Whatever rancor that may have resulted from the settling of William Coffey's estate seems to have soon abated. On 9 October 1849 William Coffey Jr. is appointed guardian for his half-siblings John Wilkerson and Nancy E. Coffey, the children of his father and Margaret (Robbins) Coffey. By 1850 Margaret and her children are close neighbors of William Coffey Jr.
Laurence H. Coffey in "Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" (1931) wrote that William was buried in the Hull Hill graveyard, resting place for many of the early Coffey settlers in the valley. Unfortunately, the present location of this cemetery is uncertain. Laurence H. Coffey stated that the graveyard "became neglected and almost lost from notice to the present generation." He described its location as 1/2 mile east of the Thomas Coffey homestead.
William Coffey is the probable son of Benjamin Coffey (1747-1834) and his wife Mary Hayes (1742-?). He was likely born 1775-1778. By the late 1770s his family had moved with other Virginia families from Albemarle Co., VA into the upper Yadkin River Valley of Burke Co. that would later become Caldwell Co., NC.
William married twice. His first wife was his first cousin Mary ("Polly") Coffey, daughter of his father's brother Thomas Coffey. Since the brothers lived directly across the Yadkin River from one another, William and Polly would have known each other from infancy. They were married on July 3, 1796. According to family genealogist Laurence H. Coffey, William and Polly settled "On Buffalo Creek about eight miles north east of the old [Thomas Coffey] home." ("Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" [Chattanooga, 1931], 80). There, according to L.H. Coffey, they raised three children: Austin (ca. 1799), Elijah (ca. 1808), and William Jr. (b. 1812). However, a fourth child (b. 1805-1810), presumably a daughter named Elizabeth, is listed in the household in 1810 and 1820.
Polly Coffey died ca. 1828, and on August 15, 1829 William married Margaret Robbins (b. ca. 1798), daughter of neighbors Reuben and Jane Turner Robbins. By Margaret, William had two more children: John Wilkerson (b. ca. 1831) and Nancy E. (b. 1832).
[NOTE: there has been much confusion occasioned by the multiplicity of certain names in the Coffey and related families. An example is William Coffey and his wife Margaret Robbins. There were in this line two William Coffeys, father and son, who married two Margaret Rob(b)ins, aunt and niece.]
By 1830, William's household included a young enslaved woman. She and a young man--presumably her son--are listed in the 1840 census.
William Coffey died intestate, probably in the spring of 1847. On 11 May 1847 William Jr. and Austin Coffey, sons by his first wife, were appointed administrators by the Caldwell Co. Court of Pleas and Quarters Sessions. The division of the personal property was contested by the widow Peggy (Robbins) Coffey who petitioned the court at its May 1847 Term to appoint a committee consisting of a justice of the peace and three other men "to view the estate of the said William Coffee [sic] and to allot such portion of the crop and provisions of the said estate, or in default thereof such articles of personal property (negroes excepted) of said intestate or debts die to said intestate as may be necessary and adequate for the support of the petitioner and her family." On 24 July 1847 the committee reported to the court that it had made the following allotment to the widow "one cow & calf." However, noting that "there being no crop of provisions on hand belonging to said Wm. Coffey decd.," the committee addressed the deficiency by requiring the administrators to pay Peggy Coffey $65. She was further allotted "one bed & its necessary furniture, and one [spinning] wheel & pair of cards."
Whatever rancor that may have resulted from the settling of William Coffey's estate seems to have soon abated. On 9 October 1849 William Coffey Jr. is appointed guardian for his half-siblings John Wilkerson and Nancy E. Coffey, the children of his father and Margaret (Robbins) Coffey. By 1850 Margaret and her children are close neighbors of William Coffey Jr.
Laurence H. Coffey in "Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" (1931) wrote that William was buried in the Hull Hill graveyard, resting place for many of the early Coffey settlers in the valley. Unfortunately, the present location of this cemetery is uncertain. Laurence H. Coffey stated that the graveyard "became neglected and almost lost from notice to the present generation." He described its location as 1/2 mile east of the Thomas Coffey homestead.
William married twice. His first wife was his first cousin Mary ("Polly") Coffey, daughter of his father's brother Thomas Coffey. Since the brothers lived directly across the Yadkin River from one another, William and Polly would have known each other from infancy. They were married on July 3, 1796. According to family genealogist Laurence H. Coffey, William and Polly settled "On Buffalo Creek about eight miles north east of the old [Thomas Coffey] home." ("Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" [Chattanooga, 1931], 80). There, according to L.H. Coffey, they raised three children: Austin (ca. 1799), Elijah (ca. 1808), and William Jr. (b. 1812). However, a fourth child (b. 1805-1810), presumably a daughter named Elizabeth, is listed in the household in 1810 and 1820.
Polly Coffey died ca. 1828, and on August 15, 1829 William married Margaret Robbins (b. ca. 1798), daughter of neighbors Reuben and Jane Turner Robbins. By Margaret, William had two more children: John Wilkerson (b. ca. 1831) and Nancy E. (b. 1832).
[NOTE: there has been much confusion occasioned by the multiplicity of certain names in the Coffey and related families. An example is William Coffey and his wife Margaret Robbins. There were in this line two William Coffeys, father and son, who married two Margaret Rob(b)ins, aunt and niece.]
By 1830, William's household included a young enslaved woman. She and a young man--presumably her son--are listed in the 1840 census.
William Coffey died intestate, probably in the spring of 1847. On 11 May 1847 William Jr. and Austin Coffey, sons by his first wife, were appointed administrators by the Caldwell Co. Court of Pleas and Quarters Sessions. The division of the personal property was contested by the widow Peggy (Robbins) Coffey who petitioned the court at its May 1847 Term to appoint a committee consisting of a justice of the peace and three other men "to view the estate of the said William Coffee [sic] and to allot such portion of the crop and provisions of the said estate, or in default thereof such articles of personal property (negroes excepted) of said intestate or debts die to said intestate as may be necessary and adequate for the support of the petitioner and her family." On 24 July 1847 the committee reported to the court that it had made the following allotment to the widow "one cow & calf." However, noting that "there being no crop of provisions on hand belonging to said Wm. Coffey decd.," the committee addressed the deficiency by requiring the administrators to pay Peggy Coffey $65. She was further allotted "one bed & its necessary furniture, and one [spinning] wheel & pair of cards."
Whatever rancor that may have resulted from the settling of William Coffey's estate seems to have soon abated. On 9 October 1849 William Coffey Jr. is appointed guardian for his half-siblings John Wilkerson and Nancy E. Coffey, the children of his father and Margaret (Robbins) Coffey. By 1850 Margaret and her children are close neighbors of William Coffey Jr.
Laurence H. Coffey in "Thomas Coffey and His Descendants" (1931) wrote that William was buried in the Hull Hill graveyard, resting place for many of the early Coffey settlers in the valley. Unfortunately, the present location of this cemetery is uncertain. Laurence H. Coffey stated that the graveyard "became neglected and almost lost from notice to the present generation." He described its location as 1/2 mile east of the Thomas Coffey homestead.
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