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Note: Last Will and Testament of John Coffey of Albemarle County, Virginia, March 31, 1774 IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, this thirty first day of March and in-the year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and seventy-four, I John Coffey of Albemarle County & parish of St. Annes in the Colony of Virginia yeoman, being weak in body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God. Therefore calling into mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last will & testament. That is to say principally & first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it & my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a decent manner at the discretion of my Executors, nothing doubting but at the general Resurrection I shall receive the same by the Almighty Power of God, and as touching such worldy estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me with in this life I give & demise & dispose of the same in the following manner &form. Imprimis. I order that my just debts & funeral charges be first paid out of the whole. Item. I give and bequeath to my sons James Coffey & William Coffey to each of them five Shillings Sterling. Item. I lend to my Dearly beloved wife Jean Coffey (during her widowhood) the rest of my estate Real & Personal, and at the end of her widowhood to be equally divided among the rest of my children, viz: Thomas Coffey, John Coffey, Edmond Coffey, Rubin Coffey & Benjamin Coffey, Winifred Moran & Betty Field, and the above estate to be sold at the said term of time. Item. I order Thomas Coffey & Benjamin Coffey as my Executors & I do hereby disallow, revoke, and disannull all & every other former will & testament, legacies & bequeaths and Executors in anywise before named & bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will & testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written. John Coffey (SEAL) Signed, sealed, published, pronounced and delivered by the said John Coffey as his last will and testament in the presence of the Subscribers. Charles Patrick Alexander Craig AT ALBEMARLE MARCH COURT SEVENTEEN HUNDRED & SEVENTY-FIVE. This will was presented to Court & proved by the oaths of the Witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and upon the motion of Benjamin & Thomas Coffey Executors therein named who made oath according to Law, Certificate is granted them for obtaining a probate in due form on their giving security whereupon they gave bond with Charles Patrick & James Garland their security and acknowledged it accordingly. Teste: John Nicholas, Clerk A Copy-Teste: Clerk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The only information we have tracing the various moves of the John Coffey family, is the record of his land transactions found in various deed books of the Virginia Archives. Deeds Volume 23 Page 276 Indenture July 15, 174(5?) "John Coffey and wife, Jane Coffey, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia to Silvanus Allen, of Essex County, Virginia, in consideration of 25 pounds current money, a parcel of land lying and being in the County of Essex and the Parish of St. Anne containing 100 acres, being part of a tract of 200 acres formerly called by name of Moseley's Quarter, and bounded, viz: beginning at the corner oak and maple in a branch of Gilson's run, and running thence N-W 126 poles to a stake, a corner between the sd. land and the land of William Ballard, thence N-E 132 poles to a corner red oak sapling standing by the plantation of Stephen Chenault, thence along a new made line S-E 126 poles to a hickory in the line of John Garnett, then along his line and the line of William Taylor'S-W 132 poles to the beginning, together with all houses, woods, and under woods. witnesses: John Garnett John Coffey (seal) William Duling William Chenault Jane Coffey (seal) Deeds Volume 2.Page 12 Indenture July 15, 174? John Coffey and wife, Jane Coffee, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia to John Garnett of Essex County, Virginia, consideration of 30 pounds current money of Virginia; 100 acres more or less being in Essex County and adjoining the lands of William Taylor, William Ballard, Stephen Chenault, Thomas Waring and the sd. John Garnett. Witnesses: William Duling John Coffey (seal) Stephen Chenault, Jr. John Noell Jane Coffey (seal) Deeds Volume 2, page 12 Indenture March 9, 175? John Coffey to James Coffey, 124, acres, for consideration of 30 pounds, lands in Albemarle County, Virginia, on Hardware River, beginning at John Coffey's line. John Coffey (seal) Deeds Volume 4, page 238 Indenture October 20, 1765 John Coffey of St. Annes Parish, planter, to James Garland, land of same, for consideration of 55 pounds, 100 acres on middle Hardware North Garden adjoining land of said Garland, purchased of James Coffey, adjoining side of John Coffey's entry. Teste: Charles Lambert Claudius Buster Menan Mills Clerk: Henry Fry According to the deeds, it was in 1747, that John and Jane moved to Albemarle County, Virginia, where the majority of their children were born. Source of information: THE COFFEYS OF WAYNE COUNTY
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