COFFMAN Lineage to Mary Hanks

Mary Elizabeth HANKS (1741-1815) d of Luke HANKS II & Elizabeth DALE m Jonathan WELDON (1735-1782) and begat (all below verified & documented) Frances WELDON (1775-1841) m Nathan PEARMAN (1767-1841) and begat Jesse William PEARMAN (1790-1858) m Martha TRAVIS (1799-1870) and begat Elizabeth B PEARMAN (1816-1910) m Harmon COFFMAN (1802-1880) and begat Lewis Walker COFFMAN (1856-1930) m Emily Ellen DUDLEY (1861-1948) and begat Alva Artie COFFMAN (1883-1956) m Melvina “Vina” SANFORD (1881-1973) and begat my father.

So the question is Mary E HANKS related to Nancy HANKS, Lincoln’s mother?

For years it was speculated that Nancy HANKS was illegitimate. Even Lincoln suuposedly said she was. Who was her mother? Was it Lucy Hanks who had two children out of wedlock before marrying Henry SPARROW? Or her sister who also had children w/o benefit of marriage (far more than two)? The “Shipley Theory” proposed that Nancy was the legitimate daughter of James & Lucy (Shipley) HANKS. The “Barton/Verduin Illegitimacy Theory” said that the was Lucy’s daughter & an unknown father.((The Lincoln-Hanks Debate, piecing together the clues to the controversial ancestry of Lincoln’s mother Nancy Hanks.))

AND that’s why I stopped researching. Even the “experts” couldn’t agree & I was far from an expert. If Nancy’s parentage was not definite, there was nothing to research a la Lincoln.

DNA Changes EVERYTHING!

The mtDNA Research

The Genetic Lincoln site page focusing on the Nancy Hanks Lincoln mtDNA Study now proves that Lucy HANKS was indeed the mother of Nancy HANKS. This study provides all the ‘possibilities’ of Lucy’s parentage and the various families who were DNA tested (and why).

The end result: Lucy HANKS was the daughter of Ann (Lee) HANKS.

Ann LEE (or Nancy Ann LEE) (1725 – ) married Joseph HANKS (1725 – ) in the Colony of Virginia, Colonial America in 1756.((See record($) from U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 on Ancestry.))

The Y-DNA Research

The Y-DNA research on the Genetic Lincoln site, titled “Hanks Surname DNA Project” that [Group-1]John HANKS (b 1687-1694 d c1740), who was the third son of William HANKS I & his wife, Sarah (Woodbridge?), married Catherine ?Sarah was definitely her given name. Woodbridge may have been a surname from a first marriage OR her maiden name.((See first paragraph on Hanks Surname DNA Project page.))

John HANKS & Catherine ? are the ancestors of Nancy HANKS, Lincoln’s mother. This is based on DNA. Period.

On this same page, the DNA Kit numbers are listed as well as the ancestry from the participant to William Hanks are listed.

NOW, are John HANKS & LUKE HANKS related to each other?

The answer is looking to be a BIG YES! WHICH means my Mary Elizabeth was related which means I am. Look for updates to this page within the next couple of days.