If you do much genealogy research, you will hit a brick wall. These are the current challenges in Coffman research. Some of them have been there now for 20+ years. If you have ANY data on the following individuals, please contact me and include whether or not you have source data as well.

Harmon Coffman

Positive documented information is on Harmon Coffman who was born in 1802 in Virginia and died 15-Feb-1880 in Grundy County, Missouri. He married twice in Kentucky and came to Missouri with his second wife, Elizabeth Pearman. Confused because your Harmon Coffman is not quite this one? See my Which Harmon is Which page. Harmon Coffman is my great-great-grandfather.

My data on this Harmon is quite good now. The big challenge is figuring out who his ancestors were. I’m sure his father was Abraham but WHICH one … keep reading.

Abraham Coffman ~ the one who died in Hardin County, KY

Abraham COFFMAN – I used to believe that “my” Abraham was the one married to Margaret Howey (or Hawn). It is definitely not the Abraham who was married to Ann Thursby. Research of 2004 revealed that “my” Abraham was married to Margaret TRIPLETT. But the Tripletts are proving as elusive as this particular Abraham Coffman.

“My” Abraham COFFMAN died on 8-Sep-1849 in Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky. The gravesite for he and Margaret is still unknown. Supposedly he was born about 1764 in Shenandoah County, Virginia. The problem is that area of Virginia wasn’t officially Shenandoah County until 1772 so over time I doubt the Shenandoah part. Census data states Virginia — but the county is still not definite. Abraham and Margaret had 13 children, one who was called Richard Harman, who was mentioned in his will.

I am convinced the Richard Harmon mentioned in the above will to be “my” great-great-grandfather Harmon Coffman. And thus far I have found nothing that disproves this belief. And he is not the only son in the family to drop his first name and use only his second. In fact, more of the male members went by their middle name than by their first name. That held true to my own father.

Any further information concerning Richard Harmon Coffman and his father Abraham Coffman would be gratefully appreciated. I had to do the same for Abraham as I did Harmon; see Would the real Abraham Coffman Please Stand Up!

Elinder Miller Coffman First Wife of Harmon Coffman

Elinder Miller ~ first wife of Harmon Coffman. For quite a while I could find nothing more about her other than a marriage record. Still, do not have a record for death. I do not believe there was a divorce. Her name also appears as Ellender.

Her parents were William MILLER and Hannah REED. She was one of eleven children.

In the May 2006 trip to Salt Lake City, I went through every Hardin County cemetery record, every Hardin County ‘official record’ in hard copy they had [didn’t have time to get to the microfilm] and other than the record of their marriage, I did not find any death [or divorce] record. However, Kentucky did not require an ‘official’ record of death until 1911.

While Elinder is not my ancestor, she was an important part of my great-great-grandfather’s life.

Death Date for Elizabeth Pearman Coffman ~ Second Wife of Harmon Coffman & my great-great-grandmother

Elizabeth B. Pearman – second wife of Harmon Coffman and my great-great-great-grandmother. Elizabeth is not the brick wall she was when this site was created. But I still don’t have a death date for her. I believed she died in Grundy, Livingston, or Linn County, Missouri. She died after 25-Jul-1900 because she was in the 1900 census living with her son, Lewis W. (my great-great-grandfather) in Wilson Township, Grundy County, Missouri. And she passed before the 1910 census.

Her grandfather, Nathan PEARMAN left a will. Elizabeth’s father, Jesse William PEARMAN (he went by William), was the administrator or executor.

Again, during the May 2006 research at the Family Research Center, I really expected to find a cemetery record. I went through all of the Linn County, Missouri cemetery records — they didn’t have all that many in hard copy. She was not listed. So her date of death remains a mystery still.

The Missouri Death Certificates do not start until 1910 so her death date could be anytime after 25-Jul-1900 through 1909.

John Nicholas Coffman ~ *NOT* Abraham Coffman’s Father

John Nicholas Coffman ~ I no longer believe he is ‘my’ Abraham’s father. However, I will continue to include the information on this page since very little exists with documentation about him. Year of birth is often listed as 1730 with a definite death date of 30-Nov-1770 seemingly based on one entry … hardly conclusive proof.

Page 372.–30th November, 1770. John Nicholas Coffman’s estate appraised by Jacob Nicholas, Daniel Price, & c. Augusta County, Virginia – Chalkey’s Chronicles; Vol 3, pp 110 – 119, ebook here.

An estate appraisal is conducted after death and can be weeks or months later. J.N.Coffman probably did die in 1770 but not on that date.

His wife is listed as Mary Wiscaver (Wisecarver et al). However, a leaflet published in 1892 of the William Coffman family (his fourth son) was born in 1773. If he is the fourth son, his birth would be of a miracle category.

Often referenced just as Nicholas Coffman (which is the way he is listed in the Wm Coffman leaflet) – perhaps he was NOT the same John Nicholas Coffman at all. The leaflet has Nicholas and Mary moving from Virginia to Tennessee in 1804 where they died.

Is John Nicholas Coffman the father of the above Abraham Coffman? The more I research this the more I am convinced he is not. According to the William Coffman leaflet, John Nicholas’ Abram [note he wasn’t even called Abraham] married a Peggy Hugby from Kentucky and he died in Indiana. Any information that would help nail this down one way or the other would be gratefully received.

See a compiled set of information on Nicholas Coffman from the William Coffman leaflet. Note that in the leaflet the first name, John, was not used.

Have an Interest on the Above Brick Walls

As always, if you have any information, no matter how small, please contact me.

Last updated: September 27, 2015 at 21:35 pm