The Proeger Family · Generation 9 — Earl's earliest known

David Coffman

Father of Martin Coffman · on the Hawksbill 1741 · d. before 1779

David Coffman

Probable

Father of Martin Coffman · on the Hawksbill 1741 · d. before 1779

Sources
7
Images
3

Research status

Evidence: Two Fairfax grants of 22 and 23 March 1779 call Martin Cofman 'Heir at Law of David Cofman decd.', a 1783 deed calls him David's 'Eldest son & Heir at Law', and David's widow swore to it on 22 March 1779, all read from the images; David bought 200 acres on the Hawksbill in May 1741 and was 'of Augusta County' in 1751. Weak or missing: No single record joins the heir of David to the Martin whose 1809 will names Samuel; no will, estate or death date for David is found; his parents are unsupported and the 'Pioneer Michael' parentage is contradicted by Michael's 1737 patent. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life in the order the records give it

Census1741
In May 1741 he bought 200 acres on the Hawksbill from Henry Crum, in what was then Orange County, Virginia, paying in Pennsylvania money S1348
Census1751
In 1751 “David Coffman of Augusta County” asked for a warrant for about 400 more acres joining his own land on Dry Run and the Hawksbill S1347; George Hume surveyed it for him on 18 April 1751. The survey was forfeited for want of payment and granted to Martin, as David's heir, in 1779 S1345
Death1779
He died before 22 March 1779. No will, administration or inventory for him has been found. His widow had married again by 1779 and had eight children by her second husband, so he probably died years earlier, perhaps about 1751–1765. That is an inference, not a record
Death1779
His widow was Nancy, by 1779 the wife of Henry Hershberger S1349

Family parents, marriages, children, siblings

Parents1940
His parents and origin: UNSUPPORTED. Online trees and the 1940 family book make him a son of Michael Coffman of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Anna Kneissle. The 1737 Pennsylvania patent for that Michael's land names his children as John and Elizabeth only S1351, so the claim is contradicted, not just unproven. No record found names his father, birthplace or ship, and the line has not been traced to Europe

Open questions what is probable, weak or missing — confirm or correct it

Probable
Probable confirm or correct → Research status: PROBABLE (strong) as Martin Coffman's father. Two Fairfax grants of March 1779 make Martin “Heir at Law of David Cofman decd.” S1345S1346, a deed of 1783 makes him “Eldest son & Heir at Law” S1344, and David's widow swore to it S1349. What is weak or missing: no record yet joins that Martin to the Martin who made the 1809 will, and none names David's birth or death. Added 5 October 2026. Know more? Use “Add to this record”

Photos & documents 0 photos · 3 documents

Documents (3)

Documents · 3 page images all documents

Retrieved from the UNT Libraries' Portal to Texas History, or — for the University of Texas Cactus yearbooks — from Texas ScholarWorks. Each thumbnail opens the full page scan, which can also be downloaded. The quoted text is the OCR that ships with the scan, copied verbatim; the page image is the authority.

# Pennsylvania patent, 12 Aug 1737 (recorded 19 Oct 1737), to John Coffman, moiety of the 500 acres surveyed 1718 for the children of Michael Coffman decd - Source: FS 3:1:3QHV-J3D4-R95G-H (PA Patent Book A-8 p.278–279) - Status: [OCR; image saved]. Captured 5 Oct 2026 by claude-opus-5-5 (Phase 2). - Image: `ph2-pa-patent-1737-a8-p278-john-coffman-children-of-michael.jpg` ## Transcription (key passage) > … in the year 1718 … a Survey was made … on a Branch of Little Conestogoe Creek in the County now called Lancaster for the use of John and Elizabeth the Children of Michael Coffman then deceased. And the said John and Elizabeth being … arrived to full age, and the said Elizabeth intermarried with Christian Stoneman … made partition 12 Dec 1734 … ## What it shows The 1737 patent names Michael's children as John and Elizabeth only.

# ph1-orange-db-1741-henry-crum-to-david-coffman-hawksbill-a - Record: Orange Co., Va., Deed Book: release, May 1741, Henry Crum to David Coffman, 200 acres; witnesses John Newport, Christopher Zimmerman, Leonard Ziegler. - Source: FamilySearch Full-Text, Virginia Wills and Deeds / county records. Image ARK https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9BK-59RG-G - Read status: FS OCR; image saved - Bears on: David Coffman on Hawksbill 1741. - Captured: 5 Oct 2026, Coffman→Europe phase 1 (`research/proeger-genealogy/COFFMAN-EUROPE-PHASE1-20261005.md`).

# Northern Neck warrant to George Hume for David Coffman, 1751 - Source: FS 3:1:3Q9M-CSKJ-SSMX-4 (labelled Dunmore Co. Surveyors Book 1751) - Status: [OCR; image saved, not read line by line]. Captured 5 Oct 2026 by claude-opus-5-5 (Phase 2). - Image: `ph2-nn-warrant-1751-david-coffman-of-augusta-dry-run-hawksbill.jpg` ## Transcription (key passage) > To Mr George Hume. Whereas David Coffman of Augusta County hath Informed that there are about four hundred Acres of Waste & ungranted land in ye sd County joining his own land, Conway and Edmond Humpton on the branches of Dry Run and the Hawksbill … desiring a Warrant to Survey … ## What it shows David's residence in 1751 was Augusta County. His own land joined the Dry Run/Hawksbill tract, and Thomas Conway was a neighbour. That is the same Conway as in the 1779 grant's bounds.

In the record Generation 9 — Earl's earliest known

David Coffman · Sources

Citations

Sources cited on this card

7 of the record's sources are cited here. The numbering is the record's own; the full list, with where else each is cited, is at Sources.

  1. S1344Shenandoah County Deed Book, pp. 191–192 — 20 May 1783. FamilySearch image 3:1:3Q9M-CSKK-61KQ. Read from the image, 5 October 2026. “Martin Coffman Eldest son & Heir at Law of David Coffman dec’d & Mary his wife” to David Coffman, 360 acres on Hawksbill Creek, part of the 200 acres conveyed to David Coffman deceased by Henry Crum in May 1741, and of later grants. Confirmed Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph1-shen-db-1783-martin-heir-of-david-to-david-coffman.jpg.
  2. S1345Northern Neck (Fairfax) grant, 22 March 1779, to Martin Cofman, 282 acres — grant book p. 157. FamilySearch image 3:1:3Q9M-CS21-J36K-L. Read from the image, 5 October 2026. “unto Martin Cofman of Shanandoah County, Heir at Law of David Cofman decd., a certain Tract … by a Survey thereof dated April the 18th 1751 made for the said David Cofman by George Hume”, forfeited for want of payment and re-granted on application. Confirmed Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph2-nn-grant-1779-martin-coffman-heir-of-david-282ac-survey-1751.jpg.
  3. S1346Northern Neck (Fairfax) grant, 23 March 1779, to Martin Cofman, 337 acres — grant book p. 158. FamilySearch image 3:1:3Q9M-CS21-J3XH-M. Read from the image, 5 October 2026. Again “Martin Cofman of Shanandoah County Heir at Law of David Cofman decd.”, on David’s survey of 18 April 1751, bounded by Adam Comer’s line, James Mersey’s corner, Conway’s line and Cofman’s corner. Confirmed Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph3-nn-grant-1779-03-23-martin-coffman-heir-of-david-337ac.jpg.
  4. S1347Northern Neck warrant to George Hume for David Coffman, 1751 (Dunmore/Shenandoah surveyors’ book). FamilySearch image 3:1:3Q9M-CSKJ-SSMX-4. Read from the FamilySearch full-text transcription; image saved. “Whereas David Coffman of Augusta County hath Informed that there are about four hundred Acres of Waste & ungranted land … joining his own land, Conway and Edmond Humpton on the branches of Dry Run and the Hawksbill”. ⚠ Transcription only; the image has not been read line by line. The 1779 grants, which were read, confirm the 1751 survey for David. Probable Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph2-nn-warrant-1751-david-coffman-of-augusta-dry-run-hawksbill.jpg.
  5. S1348Orange County, Virginia, Deed Book — Henry Crum to David Coffman, May 1741, 200 acres. FamilySearch image 3:1:3Q9M-C9BK-59RG-G. Read from the FamilySearch full-text transcription; image saved. A release of 200 acres on the Hawksbill, bought for Pennsylvania money; witnesses John Newport, Christopher Zimmerman, Leonard Ziegler. ⚠ Transcription only; the 1783 deed, read from the image, recites the same purchase. Probable Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph1-orange-db-1741-henry-crum-to-david-coffman-hawksbill-a.jpg.
  6. S1349Affidavit of Nancy Harshbarger, 22 March 1779 — Proprietor’s office papers (Dunmore/Shenandoah surveyors’ book). FamilySearch image 3:1:3Q9M-CSKJ-SSM6-R. Read from the image, 5 October 2026. “This Day Came Nancy Harshbarger before me … and affirmed that Martin Cofman is the true heir of David Cofman Deceased … NB the said Nancy Harshbarger allso give up her thirds of all the Land.” Martin Hall, J.P. Witnesses Martin Cofman, Philip Sammer, Adam Comer, Mikel Comer. Docket: “Cofmans plan 282 acs. Martin Cofman proved to be Heir at law, the Widows Dower relinquished.” Confirmed Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph3-dunmore-surveyors-1779-nancy-harshbarger-affirms-martin-heir-of-david-dower.jpg.
  7. S1351Pennsylvania patent to John Coffman, 12 August 1737 — Patent Book A-8, pp. 278–279. FamilySearch image 3:1:3QHV-J3D4-R95G-H. Read 5 October 2026. In 1718 a survey on a branch of Little Conestoga Creek, Lancaster County, was made “for the use of John and Elizabeth the Children of Michael Coffman then deceased”; Elizabeth married Christian Stoneman. No David is named. Online trees and the 1940 book make David Coffman of the Hawksbill a son of this Michael; this patent does not support it. Confirmed Image held at familytree-docs/coffman/ph2-pa-patent-1737-a8-p278-john-coffman-children-of-michael.jpg.

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Compiled for the Proeger family

Living adults appear by name and relationship, with the year only: no full date of birth and no home town on any page that search engines index, and a living person’s own page is kept out of search engines. Minors appear by name only — no date of birth, no birth year, no age, no school, no place, no address, no other identifying detail. A minor may be named and may appear in a family photograph; nothing further about them is published. Where it is not established whether someone is an adult or a minor, the minor rule applies.

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