The Proeger Family · Generation 7 — Kristin's earliest known

John Caffey Sr.

Probable father of Charles Caffey · 1751–1826

John Caffey Sr.

Probable

Probable father of Charles Caffey · 1751–1826

Born
1751
Died
19 August 1826
Sources
6

Research status

Research status: PROBABLE — accepted by Earl 28 September 2026 pending more evidence. His will, dated 2 August 1821 and read from the original Montgomery County will book, divides his personal estate among “my Seven Children (Viz) Thomas Caffey Elizabeth Caffey Henry Caffey Michael Caffey John Caffey Charles Caffey and Hooper Caffey” S848, and in 1850 Charles, 61, born North Carolina, lived in Montgomery County beside Thomas, 66, and Michael, 68, two more of the named sons S484. What is weak: no record pins the will's Charles as this Charles; the will gives no ages or residences Probable confirm or correct →

Evidence: John Caffey's 1821 will, read from the original Montgomery County will book, names seven children including Charles; in 1850 Charles, 61, lived beside Thomas and Michael, two more of the named sons. Weak or missing: No record pins the will's Charles as this Charles: the will gives no ages or residences, and the 1850 census states no relationships. Not yet confirmed. Know more? Confirm or correct this →

Life in the order the records give it

Record1821
His will, dated 2 August 1821 and probated 22 August 1826, leaves “my Loving wife Sarah Caffey” the quarter section he lived on, the north-west quarter of section 28, township 16, range 18, and for her life the enslaved man Jordan, the enslaved woman Rachael and her son Ems; after her death the land goes to his son Hooper Caffey S848S61
Birth1751
Born 1751, Dorchester County, Maryland, and died 19 August 1826, Montgomery County, Alabama, by a 1923 Sons of the American Revolution application, a compiled lineage paper, which gives his wife as Mary Buchanan, married about 1780 S849; his headstone reads 1751–1826 and the Alabama Journal reported his death S61. An online tree's middle name “Thomas” is on no record read, and its “Cambridge” and “Ramer” come only from compiled indexes and Find a Grave
Burial1752
🆕 Two compiled papers agree with his will and headstone. A typescript family chart in the Alabama Surname Files gives John Caffey, born near Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1752, married about 1780 Mary Buchanan, died Montgomery County 19 August 1826, with children Henry, Michael, Thomas (born 24 May 1784), John (born 29 September 1786), Charles (born 1788), Hooper (born 1 November 1793) and Nancy S1072. A DAR Lineage Book (page 185, member 116597) says John Caffey (1752–1826), born in Maryland, enlisted in 1776 in the 6th company, Maryland Line, and died at Montgomery, and runs a line through his son William Hooper Caffey (1793–1835) S1073. Evidence: the names, places and death date match the will S848 and headstone S61. Weak: both are late compilations that cite nothing on the page; the children’s birth dates and the war service are unproven, the chart names a Nancy and not the will’s Elizabeth, and the headstone’s 1751 stands against their 1752. Know more? Use “Add to this record”. added 29 September 2026

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

Probable
Probable father of Charles Caffey

In the record Generation 7 — Kristin's earliest known

John Caffey Sr. · Sources

Citations

Sources cited on this card

6 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. S61John Caffey Sr (1751–1826), three items: a typed abstract of the will-book page (p. 110) recording his will dated 2 Aug 1821 and probated 22 Aug 1826, naming wife Sarah and children Thomas, Elizabeth, Henry, Michael, John, Charles and Hooper; his headstone at Montgomery, Alabama, photographed 2010; and his obituary in the Montgomery Alabama Journal, August 1826, recording Revolutionary War service. ⚠ The will is an abstract, not the original — one step off the record; the same abstract page carries two unrelated wills. These three documents establish the man. They do not establish his descent to Kristin, which rests on S57 alone — see the note on that link.
  2. S4841850 U.S. Federal Census — Charles Caffey household, 2nd District, Montgomery County, Alabama, p. 152. Ancestry record 15675750. Image examined, read 25 September 2026. Confirmed Dwelling 19: Charles Caffey, 61, born North Carolina, farmer; Nancy, 59, born North Carolina; Elizabeth J., 22; Hooper V., 17, born Alabama, farmer. Thomas (66), Michael (68) and Lindsey R. Caffey (34), all born North Carolina, live within four dwellings. The 1850 census names no relationships, so this is co-residence, not proof that Charles was Hooper's father. It is the first record for that link.
  3. S848Will of John Caffey, Montgomery County, Alabama, dated 2 August 1821 — original will-book entry, item 99, page stamped 35. Ancestry collection 8799, record 2448490 (image 007651670_00810). Image examined, read 28 September 2026. Probable “I John Caffey of the County of Montgomery and State of Alabama … unto my Loving wife Sarah Caffey the quarter Section of Land whereon I now Live being the North west quarter of number twenty Eight in Township Sixteen and Range Eighteen”; the enslaved man Jordan, the enslaved woman Rachael and her son Ems to his wife for life; the land afterwards to “my Son Hooper Caffey”; the personal estate “Equally divided amongst my Seven Children (Viz) Thomas Caffey Elizabeth Caffey Henry Caffey Michael Caffey John Caffey Charles Caffey and Hooper Caffey”. The original book entry behind the abstract in S61; it agrees with the abstract. It gives no ages or residences for the children, so it does not by itself show that its Charles is Charles Caffey (c. 1789–1860).
  4. S849Sons of the American Revolution supplemental application, National no. 24618 (Illinois no. 2368), William Gorin Smith, approved 31 January 1923. Ancestry collection 2204, record 417410 (image 32596_242191-00051). Image examined, read 28 September 2026. Probable John Caffey, born 1751, Dorchester County, Maryland; died 19 August 1826, Montgomery, Alabama; wife Mary Buchanan, married about 1780; descent through Thomas Caffey (1784–1878) and Mary B. Patrick. A compiled lineage paper, not an original record. Charles is not named. Two more SAR applications (31209 and 30985, 1918), seen only in an index, also name Mary Buchanan but give death years of 1737 and 1837.
  5. S1072Alabama, U.S., Surname Files Expanded, 1702–1981 — typescript family compilation, page “-6-”, section “Great-great-great-great grandparents of Gordon”, entry 80G. Ancestry record 145642. Image examined in the Stage 2 reading, 29 September 2026. Confirmed A compiled chart, not an original record: 80G John Caffey, born near Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland, 1752; married about 1780 81G Mary Buchanan; died Montgomery County, Alabama, 19 August 1826. Children: Henry; Michael, born about 1784; Thomas, born 24 May 1784; John, born 29 September 1786; Charles, born 1788; Hooper, born 1 November 1793; Nancy. The same man as the will (S848) and headstone (S61). A late derivative that cites nothing on the page: the children’s birth dates are the compiler’s, it names a Nancy and no Elizabeth, and its 1752 stands against the headstone’s 1751.
  6. S1073North America, Family Histories, 1500–2000 — DAR Lineage Book, page 185, Mrs. Algie Hardwick Hill, member 116597 (volume number not on the image). Ancestry record 3534392. Image examined in the Stage 2 reading, 29 September 2026. Confirmed Mrs. Algie Hardwick Hill, born New York, wife of Walton H. Hill, descends from John Caffey through Samuel Henry Hardwick (b. 1854), William Hardwick (1808–54) and Sarah Eugenia Caffey (1824–96), and William Hooper Caffey (1793–1835), who married — Shellcott, son of John Caffey and Mary Buchanan. “John Caffey (1752–1826) enlisted, 1776, in 6th company, Maryland Line. He was born in Maryland; died in Montgomery, Ala. Also No. 108176.” The same man as the will (S848). A DAR lineage entry of this period prints no sources; the war service is the society’s accepted claim, not a muster roll.

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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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