William Coffey (1731 - bef. 1828)

Born 1731 in Albemarle, Virginia Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Anne (Osborne) Coffey — married 1758 in Albemarle Co., Virginia

Descendants

Died before 28 Mar 1828 before age 97 in Nelson County, VA, USA

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Carol Flint [send private message] and Theresa thunderbird Coffey [send private message]

Biography

Sergeant William Coffey served with Colonel Daniel Morgan's Rifle Regiment, Continental Army during the American Revolution.

William Coffee first enlisted in the Continental Army - Lt. Col. James Hendricks' 6th Virginia Regiment of Foot at Amherst County Virginia. William Coffee enlisted on Feb. 6, 1777 and was assigned to Capt. Samuel Jordan Cabell's 7th Rifle Company and was given the rank of sergeant. Capt. Samuel Jordan Cabell's 7th Rifle Company was combined with Capt. William Patterson's 3rd Rifle Company in Buckingham County Virginia in April. The 7th and 3rd Rifle Company and the 6th Virginia Regiment of Foot marched to Saratoga, New York, and in September 1777 was combined with Col. Daniel Morgan's Battalion of Foot at Bemis Heights, known as the second Battle of Saratoga on October 10.

In the first battle of Saratoga, generally referred to as the Battle of Freeman's Farm, the British lost two men for every one American casualty. At the second battle of Saratoga, otherwise known as Bemis Heights, British losses were four to one, thanks to the Virginia riflemen in Dan Morgan's battalion. At the second battle of Saratoga, the rebel's victory was overwhelming. After protracted negotiations, British General Burgoyne officially surrendered on October 17, 1777 and returned to England in disgrace and was never given another command. Britain's loss at Saratoga proved disastrous, in that it signaled to the European powers that the rebels were capable of defeating the English on their own. More than any other single event, the Battle of Saratoga would prove decisive in determining the eventual outcome of the war.

William Coffee was a Virginia skirmisher or sharpshooter in Capt. Samuel Jordan Cabell's 7th Company, 6th Virginia Regiment of Foot, Col. Daniel Morgan, commanding. Probably, William took his limit at the second engagement of Saratoga at Bemis Heights. Skirmishers were the forward line of troops that withdrew as the enemy advanced, shooting from cover and using trees to steady their personal, rifled Pennsylvania muskets. The rifled muskets were extremely accurate up to at least 300 yards, compared to the smooth bore Brown Bess muskets the British used, the skirmishers had a far superior rifle.

The Virginia sharpshooters used a light weight silk patch (wadding) to gain an additional 40 yards and accuracy with their rifled muskets. There were no lugs for attachment of bayonets on the Pennsylvania rifled muskets and that also enhanced their accuracy.

Name

Name: William Coffey^[1][2][3]

Birth

Date: 1740 (alternate 1731)

Place: Albemarle, Virginia, USA^[3]

According to the Coffey Cousins' Clearinghouse newsletter, the birth date of William Coffey, grandson of Edward, was 1731.^[4]

Death

Date: 28 MAR 1828

Place: Nelson, Virginia, USA^[3]

Alt Place: Albermarle, Virginia

Will

Will:

Date: MAR 1774

Place: Albemarle County, VA, USA

Reference

Reference: 41126

• Fact: Military Service (May 1777) Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (1810) Buckingham, Nelson, Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (1820) Nelson, Virginia, United States

• Fact: Military Service (May 1777) Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (1810) Buckingham, Nelson, Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (1820) Nelson, Virginia, United States

• Fact: Military Service (May 1777) Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (1810) Buckingham, Nelson, Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (1820) Nelson, Virginia, United States
• Fact: Burial Nelson, Virginia, United States

Sources

1. ↑ Purkiss and Jones Families Records Author: J. D. Purkiss and Lester C. Jones Publication: Dec 2000 ]
2. ↑ IGI North America, v3.06 - 5.0 Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Publication: FamilySearch(tm), (c) 1999-2005 Batch 7426831, Sheet 30
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} [ http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=genepool&h=3918398&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt Ancestry family Tree]
4. ↑ Coffey, Fred, "DNA Project: Jordan Coffey/Taliaferro." Coffey Cousins' Clearinghouse. (Issue 115, Dec 2009, page 9) accessed October 14, 2015

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 05 January 2024, 19:30), entry for William Coffey Sr (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LDP6-YK9 ); contributed by various users.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 10 January 2022, 20:04), entry for William Coffey (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LDP6-YK9 ); contributed by various users.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 10 January 2022, 20:04), entry for William Coffey (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LDP6-YK9 ); contributed by various users.
• Family Data Collection - Individual Records. Edmund West, comp., Family Data Collection - Individual Records (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000.), Source Medium: (

• IGI North America, v3.06 - 5.0 Author: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Publication: FamilySearch(tm), (c) 1999-2005 by Intellectual Reserve Inc.

• Purkiss and Jones Families Records Author: J. D. Purkiss and Lester C. Jones Publication: Dec 2000

• United States Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783

• http://www.edavidarthur.net/WilliamCoffee.htm

• •Name: Elizabeth Betsy COFFEY

•Sex: F •Birth: 1778 in Amherst, Virginia, USA •Residence: 1850 District 2 and A Half, Augusta, Virginia •Death: 1850 in Staunton, Augusta, Virginia, USA •Residence: 1840 Augusta, Virginia, USA •Name: Betsey COFFEY •Name: Elizabeth BRIDGE •Name: Elizabeth COFFEY •Birth: 1775 •Birth: 1778 in Amherst, Amherst, Virginia, USA •Name: Eilzabeth Betsy COFFEY •Name: Betsy COFFEY •Birth: 1778 in Amherst, Virginia, USA •Residence: 1850 Eastern, Amherst, Virginia •Residence: 1840 Augusta, Virginia, USA

1 possible matches found on Ancestry.com Ancestry.com

Father: William COFFEY b: 1731 in Essex, Virginia, USA Mother: Elizabeth D OSBORNE b: 1738 in Albemarle, Virginia, USA

Marriage 1 James John BRIDGE b: 1773 in Amherst, Amherst, Virginia, USA•Married: 15 SEP 1795 in Amherst, Amherst, Virginia, USA Children1.Has No Children Edmond C BRIDGE b: 03 MAR 1802 in Amherst, Amherst, Virginia, USA 2.Has No Children William C BRIDGE b: 1801 in Virginia, USA 3.Has No Children Elizabeth BRIDGE b: ABT 1805 in Augusta, Virginia, USA 4.Has Children James S BRIDGE b: 1808 in Nelson, Virginia, USA 5.Has No Children Mary Ann BRIDGE b: 1799 6.Has No Children Jesse Odom C BRIDGE b: 1811 in Augusta, Virginia, USA

•ID: I680 •Name: William COFFEY •Sex: M •Birth: Sergeant in the 6th Virginia Regiment 1731 in Essex, Virginia, USA •Residence: 1783 Amherst, Virginia, USA •Death: 28 MAR 1828 in Nelson, Virginia, USA •Death: 28 MAR 1828 in Nelson, Virginia, USA •Death: 28 MAR 1828 in Nelson, Virginia, USA •Name: William Sr COFFEY •Residence: USA

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Larry Chesebro' for creating WikiTree profile Coffey-871 through the import of LarryChesebro'Coffey.ged on Sep 4, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Larry and others.

• This person was created through the import of KRH Family Tree_2010-12-30.ged on 19 March 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.

• Thank you to Stephanie Sanchez for creating Coffey-928 on 3 Nov 13. Click the Changes tab for the details on contributions by Stephanie and others.