Here's an interesting one: This is an excerpt from pg. 1047 of "Commemorative Biographical Record - Washington County, Pennsylvania", published in 1893 by the J. H. Beers Co. of Chicago, Illinois. Apparently these historical bios were all the rage in the last part of the nineteenth century here in the US.<br>- - - - - - - - - - -<br>JOSHUA COFFIELD, another energetic descendant of pioneers who left the Emerald Isle to make a home in America, is a prosperous farmer of East Finley township, and a grandson of John Coffield, who was born in County Leitrim, Ireland, about 1757. He was one of five brothers who were famous for their physical powers, and had no equals in their native county for muscular strength. He was a man of massive frame, a splendid specimen of well-developed manhood. Mr. Coffield was married in Ireland, and had nine children. In 1798 he took passage on the ship "Happy Return," which was very filthy and carried all kinds of freight, but as he was a poor man the cheapest had to suffice. After the vessel was a few weeks out, drinking water became scarce, and before the voyage (which lasted three months) was ended, nearly one-third of the crew and some of the passengers died, three of Mr. Coffield's children being among the number. At last the terrible journey was ended, and the family landed at New Castle, Del., near which place they lived for a time, doing farm work, but the father soon after died, and the five children (Arthur, Lawrence, James, Ann and Elizabeth) were obliged to earn a living for themselves and their widowed mother, by working their way, the family finally reached Washington county, Penn., and first located near Washington borough, where they remained a short time, then came to East Finley township, and locating on the present farm of J. Wiley Patterson, the boys began to clear the land and make a home. The mother died in 1811, and the children (all except Arthur) grew to an adult age and married.<br>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br>I have strong reason to believe John Coffield mentioned here is my five times great grandfather. Having left in 1798, a significant year, he was gone before many of the surviving censuses and records were made. Short of jumping on a plane from Seattle, Washington to Dublin and then travelling to the Leitrim Heritage Centre, does anyone have any ideas about where to look to find more info on Caulfields in Leitrim at that time? For a guy whose family was "famous for their physical powers" (makes me want to don trainers and head for the gym everytime I read that), he has been mighty hard to track down. I know he wasn't "Coffield" on your side of the Atlantic, but there were and still are Caulfields in Co. Leitrim, so I'm assuming he was John Caulfield in Ireland.<br>Thanks, in advance, for any assistance.<p>Ken<p><br>
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<ul><li><a href="http://www.chartiers.com/beers-project/ ... html">Full text of biography of Joshua Coffield, p. 1047</a></ul>
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cofield.k@ghc.org