From The Chattanooga Times: Chattanooga, Tennessee, Sunday April 15,19 34
by Penelope Johnson Allen, State Chairman of Genealogical Records,Tenn essee Society, Daughters of American Revolution
"John Coffey, of Elizabeth City County, the early Virginia immigrant,w as the ancestor of Edward Coffey, who died in Essex County in 1716,lea ving issue: John Coffey, who lived for a while in Essex County andthen r emoved to Spotsylvania County, where he lived until 1747, whenhe settl ed in Albemarle County. John Coffey married Jane Graves, andhis will, w hich was made March 31, 1774, and proven at the March termof the court o f Albemarle County, Virginia, mentions his wife, Jean,and children, Ja mes, Thomas, William, John, Edmond, Rubin, Benjamin,Winefred Moran and B etty Fields. The witnesses were Charles Patrickand Alexander Craig. B enjamin and Thomas Coffey qualified asexecutors."
Jack Coffee posted on the internet:
"The book, Irish Families by Edward MacLysaght (Dublin: Hodges Figgisa nd Co., 1957) makes frequent mention of "The Wild Geese". A recentarti cle in the magazine Town and Country (March, 1988) tells how theWild G eese were the thousands of Ireland's nobility who fled overseasas a re sult of the treaty of Limerick in 1691. Their lands wereconfiscated by t he Crown when William was king. The "Wild Geese" areof interest to Cof fey genealogists because it has been speculatedthat Edward Coffey came t o Virginia about 1690 as a result of the"Willamite Confiscation" in Ir eland (see James B. Coffey, Vol. II byMarvin Coffey, pg. 17). This wou ld be tatamount to calling him a WildGoose."
"Lawrence H. Coffey in his book Thomas Coffey and his Descendants(pub. 1 931) states that he put the best material together to suggestthat Edwa rd came to Virginia about 1690 from Liverpool, Englandhaving originate d in Ireland. This statement seems to be the originalbasis for those w ho claim that Edward immigrated to Virginia fromacross the ocean rathe r than having been born in America. However,Lawrence did not even know E dward's name, merely identifying him asthe father of John and the othe r Coffey children of Essex County.Lawrence probably obtained the round d ate 1690 by extrapolating backto a suspected year of birth for John's f ather and them assuming thathe immigrated as a young man. Some claim t hat Edward came in 1690 asan indentured servant. I question that Edwar d came as a result of theWillamite Confiscation, that he came as inden tured servant, and thathe came in 1690."
"The 1690 supposed arrival date in America for Edward Coffey gainedacc eptance by Coffey scholars because Edward's indenture to Mosely(unknow n to Lawrence Coffey) seemed to buttress Lawrence's earlierindependent s upposition. The 1690 date was likely a guess onLawrence's part, howeve r, as shown below. The part that came from oldfamily tradition to Lawr ence most likely was that the Coffeyprogenitor came to Virginia from L iverpool, England, but was Irish."
And from the Coffey Family web site:
"The first record of Edward Coffey in VA appears in the will of EdwardM osely, dated January 6, 1699 in which he gives to his "servant Ed.Coff e one heifer of 2 years old." On September 10, 1700, EdwardCoffey rece ived a judgment from the Mosely estate for his freedom,corn, and cloth es. Edward Coffey was probably transported to Americaduring the Willia mite Confiscation by Edward Mosely. Edward Coffey isa witness to Thoma s Powell's will of Sittingbourne Parish, EssexCounty, VA. in which Tho mas bequeathed 1 shilling to his daughter AnnCoffey."
Residences & events:
Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Vol. 9, Essex Co VA Wills & Deeds1714-171 7
Ex 9 3
Page 311, Lease and release, dated 10 and 11 Nov. 1714. Edward Coffeyo f St. Ann's Parish, Planter, sells John Barbee of the same parishfor 5 000 lbs. of "lawful sweet scented tobacco" 118 acres, which landCoffee b ought of Augustine Smith and is on branches of OccupationCreek, adj. t o land of Thomas Warren, on E. side of ChickahomonyPath, the land of C ol. Francis Gouldman "to corner red oak and whiteoak corner to Mr. Sev erley his Great Tract", etc. Signed EdwardCoffey, Witnessed by Tho. Ra msey, Saml. Stallord, Robert Parker. AnnCoffey, wife of Edward, relinq . her dower rights. Rec. 11 Nov. 1714.
Which is correct?
His will was dated 2/14/1715 and proved 11/20/1716. It said:
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I Edward Coffey being in bed of sickness buti n perfect sense and memory thanks be to God; I Edward Coffey dobequeat h this to be my Last Will and Testament.
I leave all my Land to my two sons John Coffey and Edward Coffey equalt o
be divided at sixteen years of age if the mother of them to be deadoth erwise at eighteen years of ages.
I also give one cow and her increase to my daughter Martha Coffey atye ars of age of sixteen or at her mothers death also one cow andyerlen t o my son John Coffey and her increase.
All the tenebel Stock and Bock I give to my wife Ann Coffey til herdea th but if she marrys then everyone of my children to have theirparts a s they come of age, and after the decease of my wife alltenagle to be e qually divided between my six children John Coffey,Edward Coffey, Mart ha Coffey, Ann Coffey, Austes Coffey, ElisabethCoffey.
As witness my hand and seal this 14th day of February 1715/1716:
Samel Edmondson
Themety (mark) Selemon
Edward Coffey (his mark)
Bond 20 Nov 1716. L 100 Sterl. Ann Cofey as extrx of est of EdwardCof fey decd. Signed Anne x Coffee, Thomas x Graves, John x Hart.Wit: rob ert Jones. Rec 20 Nov. 1716.
Inventory of the estate, was witnessed by James Edmonton, Will Taylor,a nd Nicholas Faulconer.
