Born about in Essex, Virginia
Ancestors 
Daughter of Edward Coffey Sr.
and Anne Ester (Powell) Dulin
Sister of
Martha (Coffey) Stapp, John Bluford Coffey, Edward Coffey Jr., Anstes (Coffey) Chenault, Elizabeth (Coffey) Cleveland, William Dulin Sr. [half] and Thomas Dulin [half]
Wife of
Stephen Chenault II
— married
1745 in Colony of Virginia
Descendants 
Mother of
James Coffey and William Chenault
Died about
at about age 82
in Virginia, United States
Profile managers:
Linda Jane Lamb 
[send private message], Stephanie Ross [send private message], S. Jones [send private message], and Theresa thunderbird Coffey [send private message]
[send private message], Stephanie Ross [send private message], S. Jones [send private message], and Theresa thunderbird Coffey [send private message]Profile last modified
| Created 3 Oct 2012
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Contents |
Biography
Annister (Coffey) Chenault was a Virginia colonist.
Ann, Annister, or Ann Ester (like her mother) Coffey
Born ca 1708 Children: James Coffey b ca 1735 & William Chenault, b ca 1749 Marriage: Stephen Chenault II
Origin
Annister was born ca 1708 at Essex County, Virginia.[1] She was a daughter of Edward Coffey and Annister Powell.[1] Her father was an Irish/English immigrant who had arrived in Virginia during the early 1690's as an indentured servant.[1] In his 1699 will, father's employer had granted him liberty, and the family purchased land to grow tobacco.[1]
Family
Annister's father died in 1716 when she was only about eight years old. Annister continued to live at home with her mother until mother's death in 1744. There is no evidence that Annister married during this time, but she did have a son, called James Coffey, born ca 1735, at home in St. Ann’s Parish, Essex County, Virginia. As a young man, James became a Constable in Surry County, North Carolina[1]
By the wording of her mother Ann's will, it seems that Annister and her young son, James Coffey, both lived with Ann. It would also seem that Annister had not married, since her son was called " James Coffey."
- Child: James Coffey born ca 1735 at Essex County, Virginia, became a Constable in Surry County, North Carolina as an adult[1]
Grand Jury Indictment
Annister received a Grand Jury indictment on November 17, 1736 in regards to this birth, and mother Ann promised in court to take responsibility for the child.[1] Fred Coffey writes that a 1738/9 court record reads, "It is ordered that the Churchwardens of St. Anns Parish do bind James Coffy a bastard child to James Samuel as the Law Directs."[1]
Apparently this court record was published by the "Coffey Cousins Newsletter" years ago, but because Annister was later associated with Stephen Chenault, most researchers believed James was also a son of Chenault. Despite this record, which went virtually undiscovered, descendants of James Coffey have believed they were part of the Chenault family.
Marriage
Annister was married after the death of her mother in 1744 to Stephen Chenault II and had another son, William Chenault, born ca 1749.[2] The Chenault family were neighbors on Occupatia Creek in Essex County.[3]
Child of Annister and Stephen Chenault:
- William Chenault b ca 1749
We have evidence for this marriage in the form of a merchant's account book showing , on August 7, 1749, that "Annister Chenault" settled an account with the merchant, Ninian Boog, agent for Buchanan and Hamiltion of London. The basic transaction was payment of the family's account in exchange for tobacco from "Occupatia," but Annister was also able to take home a little brown sugar and £2 s3 cash money.[1]
DNA Evidence
This record and DNA testing may have finally solved the mystery of James Coffey's paternity. There is a match with a descendant of the Samuel family.[1] James Coffey was a son of James Samuel (born 14 Jun 1690, died 16 May 1759) and definitely not related to the Chenaults.[1] (WikiTree Samuel-248?)
Sources
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Coffey, Fred "Edward Coffey", Web accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ Chenault, Carolyn S., webmaster, "The Chenault Family National Association", Web accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ Coffey, Fred "Attachment II: Annister: The Mother of James Coffey of Surry County, NC", (Rev. John Chenault Version), Web accessed August 1, 2014
- Purkiss and Jones Families Records Author: J. D. Purkiss and Lester C. Jones Publication: Dec 2000
Acknowledgements
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Annister by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Annister:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Annister by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Annister:
-
~0.78%
Robert Norton
:
Family Tree DNA Family Finder, GEDmatch T306416 [compare], FTDNA kit #6750
-
~0.39%
Linda Jane Lamb :
23andMe, GEDmatch YL6748948 [compare]
+
AncestryDNA, GEDmatch QG4022563 [compare]
-
~0.39%
Hilda Dulin :
23andMe
+
AncestryDNA
-
~0.39%
~6.25%
Gail (Milliner) Cassidy :
AncestryDNA, GEDmatch A565916 [compare], Ancestry member gailcassidy1
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Rejected matches › Anstes (Coffey) Chenault (abt.1710-bef.1740)
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C > Coffey | C > Chenault > Annister Ester (Coffey) Chenault
Categories: Essex County, Virginia Colony | Virginia Colonists
I know what you mean about research.I see so much wrong information on Ancestry,it’s like people on there and here don’t research at all..
Yes I read messages. She is my direct ancestor,just because you request a merge or what is ‘believed’ does not mean you will get it. I have spent 16 years researching the Coffey family and I go by ‘Facts’ from records not on what I believe or anyone else’s research. So report all you want.
edited by Linda Jane Lamb
From the current webpage of the Chenault Family National Association: It is now believed that Stephen (II), son of the immigrant, born about 1702, married twice and had five sons, four from his first marriage, born between 1720-30, and one from his second marriage, born 1749. Although the identity of the mother of the first four sons is not clearly known, many researchers believe she was Anstes Coffey and that she died in the 1730-1740 timeframe. Subsequently, Stephen apparently married Anstes' sister Anniester, who lived with her mother until the death of her mother in 1744. She is noted in public records in conjunction with administration of her mother's will and then is found in the Merchant account books of King and Queen County, VA, in the mid-1700's as "Anniester Chinault." The four sons born to Stephen and his first wife were, Stephen (III), William, Benjamin, and John. The son born in 1749 to Stephen and Anniester, his second wife, was also named William (115). The position that current researchers are taking regarding Stephen and Anniester being the parents of William is based on papers known as the "Chenault Notes" penned by Col. Thomas Brown in 1888. Col. Brown, the grandson of William, is believed to have gotten the information contained in his notes from his mother, Nancy Chenault Brown, the youngest daughter of William. In the notes, he states that the mother of his grandfather was a "Miss Coffey." It had long been believed that William became an orphan fairly early in life, which was probably the result of his parents being older. No brothers or sisters were ever mentioned in reference to him. He married Elizabeth Mullins, and they had nine children.
Two different women with similar names, and a son who has a similar name to his half-brother. Not sure why this keeps coming up
edited by Linda Jane Lamb
From the current webpage of the Chenault Family National Association: It is now believed that Stephen (II), son of the immigrant, born about 1702, married twice and had five sons, four from his first marriage, born between 1720-30, and one from his second marriage, born 1749. Although the identity of the mother of the first four sons is not clearly known, many researchers believe she was Anstes Coffey and that she died in the 1730-1740 timeframe. Subsequently, Stephen apparently married Anstes' sister Anniester, who lived with her mother until the death of her mother in 1744. She is noted in public records in conjunction with administration of her mother's will and then is found in the Merchant account books of King and Queen County, VA, in the mid-1700's as "Anniester Chinault." The four sons born to Stephen and his first wife were, Stephen (III), William, Benjamin, and John. The son born in 1749 to Stephen and Anniester, his second wife, was also named William (115). The position that current researchers are taking regarding Stephen and Anniester being the parents of William is based on papers known as the "Chenault Notes" penned by Col. Thomas Brown in 1888. Col. Brown, the grandson of William, is believed to have gotten the information contained in his notes from his mother, Nancy Chenault Brown, the youngest daughter of William. In the notes, he states that the mother of his grandfather was a "Miss Coffey." It had long been believed that William became an orphan fairly early in life, which was probably the result of his parents being older. No brothers or sisters were ever mentioned in reference to him. He married Elizabeth Mullins, and they had nine children.
Two different women with similar names, and a son who has a similar name to his half-brother. Not sure why this keeps coming up
edited by Linda Jane Lamb
Thank you.
(1) Annister, Anniester, Ann, Ann Ester like the mother
(2) Anstes, Austis, Austin (see sources, esp. The Chenault Family National Association)