P1F1C: EDWARD CONNECTIONS:
There are several family
lines that are connected to Edward, having either the Coffey name without the
Edward y-DNA, or Edward y-DNA without the Coffey name. We have been calling
these the “Edward Connections”. You may want the overview “Genealogy” sheet in
hand as you follow this discussion:
The “Samuel” Family
Connection:
Edward had a daughter, Annister, who had a son out of wedlock in 1735, and whom
she named "James Coffey". And we have two tested men, who descend
from this James. And of course their y-DNA does not
match anyone in the "Edward Group", because y-DNA cannot be handed
down through a female such as Annister. This was no
secret. Poor Annister got hauled into a Virginia
court for her indiscretion, and all the nosey Coffey genealogists know about
it. (One, whose research showed his connection to this line, was Leonard Coffey
– the founder of the Coffey Cousins Clearinghouse!)
Her son James' family
history has long been known, but the mystery has been "Who was the father
of James?" And thanks to DNA, now we know, solving a 275
year old paternity case! The father was one James Samuel, born 14 Jun
1690, died 16 May 1759. We had a hint that the Samuel family might be involved.
Given that hint, we then solicited help from living descendants of that Samuel
family, and got excellent DNA matches! (Actually, DNA only proves that the
father was SOMEONE in this "Samuel" family, and it could be a brother
or a son of James Samuel. But James is the clear Prime Suspect. It's like the
famous "Thomas Jefferson / Sally Heming" case. Sally was a slave of
Thomas Jefferson, and DNA proves that someone from the Jefferson family
fathered one or more of Sally's children. And circumstantial evidence then
points to "Thomas".)
And if a new "Coffey"
subject shows up, who doesn't know his genealogy but matches these men, I can
say "Your Coffey ancestor is Annister, daughter
of Edward!"
The “Taliaferro” Family
Connection:
Here's a similar case, also
previously suspected: Jane Coffey (1760, VA) was a great-granddaughter of
Edward, Jane passed on her Coffey name to son Jordon, but of course not the
y-DNA. Speculation was that the father might be the man she later married,
named Fitzgerald. However we now know the father was a
"Taliaferro", based on DNA tests and on the presence of Taliaferro men in the same
county where Jordon was born.
The Taliaferro's know their
genealogy. They have Italian roots. Their ancestor arrived in America before the Coffeys, and the family members were often close associates of the
Coffey families. And guess what else
is interesting: The DNA of the Taliaferros, and of
the matching Coffeys, is Haplogroup "E1". I'll talk about haplogroups later, but
the DNA says they are of NORTH AFRICAN origin. How would an Italian get North
African y-DNA? Hey, remember your history lesson, where Hannibal came from
Africa and led his army across the Alps to invade Rome? His army stayed for 15
years.
The “Estes” Family
Connection:
Lucinda Coffey (born about
1830-35, NC) may offer a story similar to Jane. She is a GGG granddaughter of
Edward. The parentage of her son Jasper Pink Coffey has long been subject to
question. And the DNA test on Jasper's GGG grandson, Ben, indeed came back
"no match" to the Coffey DNA. However Ben
then decided to upgrade to "67-markers", to see what would turn up -
and the result came back with a large number of excellent matches (up to 67 out
of 67 markers) to the "Estes" family! Further, census data showed
there were MANY Estes families living in Johns River, Caldwell County, NC, as
neighbors to Lucinda and her father, Enoch. And Ben now even has a prime
suspect, one "Joseph Estes" who lived next door.
The “Berry” Family
Connection:
And next, William Coffee
Berry (1796, NC), and his sister named Mary Coffee Berry, are firmly believed
by genealogists to be the children of Rice Coffee (a great-grandson of Edward),
via a relationship with Elizabeth (Fields) Berry, who at the time was married
to Bradley Berry (or was his widow, accounts vary). This was apparently an open
secret. The genealogy is supported by William's middle name "Coffee",
by reported recognition in Rice's will, and by an autobiography written by
William himself. Anyway, the living descendants
surnames are "Berry", but as expected the y-DNA was
"Coffey". Case proven.
|
All about the Berry Family: CCC Newsletter, Pages 11
thru 15. |
The “Adams” Family
Connection:
And then there is an
"Adams" connection. This dates back to 1888 in Wilkes County, NC,
when Charles Robert Burke/Adams was born. (His mother originally gave him her
surname of "Burke", but in later years he changed it to his
stepfather's name of "Adams".) The family had been searching for the
identity of his birth father, and the DNA clearly offers "Coffey".
The “Wilson” Family
Connection:
It’s a complicated story,
read about it here:
The “Jackson” Family
Connection:
This is a new connection,
under very active discussion. Watch our Newsletters for an update!
The “Boone” Family
Connection:
And next, there is a Boone
Family connection, but the details are still elusive. This involves a line of
Boones that descend from the family of Israel Boone (the elder brother of the
famous Daniel Boone). The
Coffey and Israel Boone families were neighbors in North Carolina, and at some point one Boone line acquired Coffey y-DNA, yielding a match
on 64 out of 67 markers.
The “Holt” Family
Connection:
And we find a Holt Family
connection - - or actually two of them. First, we found a person named Holt who
tested an excellent match to the Edward group. Then, in the process of
exchanging notes with that person, we found ANOTHER researcher had documented a
Holt/Coffey family connection, but it proved to NOT be connected to the first
tested Holt family. Then we found someone from the second line to test. If you
want the LONG version of this story, along with speculation and clues, click
here on Holt Connections.
The “Hickman” Family Connection:
This involves a “Hickman”
family that starts with a J. Taylor Hickman family that is found in Wayne
County, KY in 1830. The family then moves to Morgan County, IN. Both of these locations have large numbers of Coffey
families living in the same vicinity – we can document more than 100 “Coffey
Cousins” who live in the combined areas, leaving many opportunities for Coffey
+ Hickman relationships. See this newsletter article:
The “West” Family
Connection:
This involves an adoption,
with only two generations known. See this newsletter article:
The “Mills” Family
Connection:
(This group is actually on
Page 4 of the genealogical summary; but it is connected to Edward.) It refers
to descendants of Lilburn Coffee. who is an ancestor of Jack Coffee, the owner
of the Edward Coffey Project. Jack explains his
connection in a Newsletter: