The Coffman-Livingston & Peach-Hansman Families
IdoGenealogy's Family Research
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enealogy is not just a hobby; it is an adventure. What can I find? What did they do? What history did they see and experience? It is more than birth/death/marriage facts. It's putting flesh on their bones and bringing them to life. Genealogy research is always a work in progress. I began in October 1998 and found my first brick wall within three weeks. I've been hooked ever since.
braham Coffman is the progenitor of the Coffman branch. Born in the Colony of Virginia between 1760-1770, he migrated with his family to Hardin County, Kentucky in approximately 1804. Very little has been found about his life prior to Kentucky other than the names and birthdates of his children. He was my first brick wall. Bless him, he still is.
The picture is of Alfred Thomas Coffman, one of Abraham Coffman's grandsons and is the oldest image known of Abraham's direct descendent male. A comparison page is planned with pictures of my paternal direct descendants from my father to my great-grandfather.
There were at least 13 Abraham Coffman's of various surname spellings in his time period. That's right! 13! Years of research available via the Researching Abraham button.
o pictures of my grandfather, great-grandfather, or great-great-grandfather Livingston exist. Reuben Livingston, born in 1812 in Jessamine County, Kentucky, is the oldest "verified" in my maternal line. He married Rachel McCollum on 13 Sep 1832 in Posey County, Indiana. Their third child was born in Missouri in 1835 as was their son, Hugh, my great-grandfather. By 1848 they had moved to Illinois, probably to Fulton County. Reuben died in 1880 in Illinois.
William Carl Livingston
Carl, William Carl, was the third child of my maternal grandparents. He died young of consumption (tuberculosis) at the St Francis Tubercular Sanitarium in Colorado Springs. He was never a "Jr"; his father had two middle names, William Carl McCule Livingston. Carl was only 31.
Heads Up - Site Warning
USE CARE WHEN USING DATA FROM THIS SITE!
This is a RESEARCH site ... not all have been verified. Not sure how yet, but am adding a ✓ to a name to show that the person is Verified according to my personal standards. This can only be done one at a time so bear with me.
Symbols on Names Explained
Two symbols may appear in the given name field: (1) ★ is a symbol for MY direct ancestor, and (2) ✓ is a symbol that I have verified this person as part of my ancestral lines. Once a document of any kind has all data entered into TNG, this symbol ✅ will appear.
Hours of Research Found Here
The site began in November of 1998 -- hours & hours of research have gone into it. You think YOUR Abraham Coffman is the same as mine? Check the "Would the Real Abraham Coffman Please Stand Up?" research page. A strong possibility exists IdoGenealogy.info website will fold into the TNG site. Click the "More" button.
The Clevenger's were Quakers
The Clevengers were Quakers when they migrated to Randolph County, Indiana. An Abram Clevinger [stet] was among the first to arrive in 1828. Research is focused on William Thomas Clevenger and his parents. A research page is in development on Which Clevenger Is Which. A button will appear below when available.
Jamestown
The TRAVIS surname is well-known to Jamestown researchers as one of the founders. John TRAVIS was born 15 Mar 1768 in the Colony of Virginia, Colonial America, and died in 1853 in Virginia. Many believe his father was Colonel Champion Travis, but thus far, I have found no documentation proving that parentage as much as I wanted there to be.
Stowaways from Germany
The family story goes the Pietsch brothers stowed away and then traveled by wagon train from the East Coast to Texas. It just might be true. I have found NO ONE by their names or derivatives on any ship. Since they ended up in Texas, it seems more likely they came via Galveston or New Orleans.
Migration Via the Cumberland Gap
In 1803 or 1804, Abraham Coffman moved his family from Virginia to Hardin County, Kentucky. His wife's (Margaret HOWEY) father was already there. Research says the family had to come via the Cumberland Gap. In those years, the trail wasn't wide enough for a wagon. My g-g-g-grandfather was at least a year old. Somehow, during all of this, his exact birthday it unknown. Just that he was born in 1802 somewhere in Virginia.
Boston Business
On July 1, 1837, Henry Smith and Watson Gore dissolved their business of SMITH & GORE. And a new company, HENRY SMITH & SON (John H. Smith), was formed at No. 150 Washington Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Watson GORE took a new store at No. 100 Washington Street. [Newspaper clipping coming...]
Ancestors in the Military
One of the Hansmann ancestors served in Napoleon's army. As for wars in the United States, I've found ancestors & relatives of ancestors who fought in every war from Rev.War to, and including, Desert Storm.
The Coffmans have a Revolutionary soldier in their lineage. The Livingstons also have at least one. The challenge is finding missing documents that the DAR will accept. Still working on it. ~ No link provided ,,,yet.
The Bataan Death March, Philippines, WWII
My husband was stationed at Clark AFB in the Philippines when we married. I learned many things that first year. I had uncles who fought in WWII, but they never spoke of it. It was somewhat surprising when the Filipinos who worked for us talked of The Bataan Death March as if it happened recently. These were young people, the children or niece or nephew of that era. Yet to them it was real. Many people of that nation died on that dreadful march. Photo courtesy of USAF National Museum.
eter Miller's birth country has been listed as France and Bavaria in censuses. Bavaria has been French and German so it seemed logical that he was born in Bavaria. Oct 30th 2025, I found his obituary for the first time. Newspapers added to Newspapers.com. The opening sentence: "Peter Miller was born near Paris, France, on the 12th day of April 1827 ... He came to the United States at the age of 8 years ... six children ..." Wow! Lots of fact changes and new information.
Peter Miller's obituary was written by Basil E. Sinclair, my maternal grandmother's brother. I knew Uncle Basil and remembered him. He was a postmaster, teacher, and minister in his lifetime. I tend to put more faith in his written word than in a census. Just goes to show you never know what you might find. See Peter Miller's data.
The last major hurdle of errors to correct concerns the Media. I've also identified Media having additional people needing connection or added as a new person; i.e., a census where only Ma & Pa were linked, not their children. At least 150-200 are not errors. For example, I found knowing the location of census when seen on the Media list was helpful. So I am adding them.
Once Media is completed, I'm sure that by then I will have discovered something else that needs fixin'. Sigh!
My dad used to say "Be careful! You might find a horse thief!" I wish!
I've found a couple of ancestors that are more than just disappointing. Both were abusive to their wife and children. Who wants THAT for a direct ancestor?
You never know what you will uncover. Remember, just because the person is direct ancestor does not reflect on you.
"Ella" just might have been difficult mother-in-law ...
She was my paternal great-grandmother. "Ella" would put an "ie" on every name.
My father's name was Charles Stanley & he was called Stanley. And I bet that was because Stanley had the "ie" sound. Was she satisfied? Nope! So Ella called him Charlie! [her pic to be added]
Not THAT Elizabeth Taylor! This is the mother of one of the first settlers in North Missouri, William SEVIER. She was brought up on murder charges. Husband died after she hit him on the head with a cast-iron skillet. He fell & hit his head on the hearth. She was acquitted. The man was so abusive that his first three sons left home when ages 12-13.
"Early immigrants who intended to live in areas now known as the United States typically landed at one of these popular 17th- and 18th-century ports:
» Baltimore, Maryland
» Boston, Massachusetts
» Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
» Charleston, South Carolina
» New Amsterdam (or New York City), New York
» Newport, Rhode Island
» Jamestown, Virginia
» St. Augustine, Florida"
~ from Ancestry® Family History Learning Hub, Immigration in the 1600s and 1700s
I used to fall into one every time I did research. I'm better than I used to be. What are Rabbit Holes? Sigh! It happens when you start researching one fact and find something else on the page or box that looks interesting. And then another "hole" appears. You chase after that!!! AND before you know it, minutes but more likely hours have gone by. Just chasing rabbit holes.
A genealogist's saying goes, "If you didn't document it, then it's not genealogy. It's mythology." Another way to say it: If the fact isn't documented, then it's not proof." Circumstantial evidence doesn't count with organizations like the DAR. I've known I had a direct ancestor Rev.War soldier for close to 20 years. But there was one gap I could not document. Ergo ...
Larger fonts indicates more people with that surname.
Every effort is made to document my research. If you have something you would like to add, please contact me.
