AMBROSE COFFEE, BOONESBOROUGH SETTLER, 1775 - Part II

AMBROSE COFFEE, BOONESBOROUGH SETTLER, 1775 - Part II

Where Did Ambrose Coffee Live?

By

Valerie J. Thompson

Boonesborough lots, page 17 from Searching for Boonesborough by Anthropologist, Nancy O'Malley, 1989





     In previous post about Ambrose Coffee, he lived for some time at the Fort Boonesborough, and received by lottery one of the town lots of the town of Boonesborough. He also had a settlement of 400 acres and a 1000 acre preemption "for residing in the country since the year 1775 and improving the land in the year 1777 lying on the road that leads from Boonsborough to the Salt Springs". This he assigned to Henry Fields.

Ambrose Coffee's mark, and location of land was noted in other land records. Christmas Eve, 1779, John Fleury asssigned his settlement and preemption Warrant #369 to James Estill. Description of the land was as follows: "lying on a branch of the South Fork of Licking East of the Salt Spring Trace leading from Boonsborough and about two miles East of Ambrose Coffes land". (Old Kentucky Land Grants 3629.0) This land was later part of the land dispute of the heirs of James Estill.

In 1780 "James Read assignee of George Blackburn enters 500 acres upon a Military Warrant on the waters of Drowning Creek westwardly from the Trace from Boones Station Camp Creek including a Spring & a tree marked by Ambrose Coffee." (Lincoln Land Entries #706, June 17, 1780)

November 27, 1783 John South "entered 1000 acres of land upon part of the said Warrant No 17610 lying on the East side of the South Fork of Kentucky about 8 miles from the mouth of the said fork...including a small improvement made by Ambrose Coffee for the quantity." (Lincoln Land entry #3252, Treasury Warrant No. 17610)

In 1788-1790 Ambrose Coffee is among the taxpayers for Fayette County, Kentucky.

In 1792 the county boundaries change and Ambrose Coffee is now located on the tax lists for Clark County, Kentucky.

The only deed record in Clark County, Kentucky for Ambrose Coffee is in Deed Book 1,page 485 when he purchases from Daniel and Violet Williams, 20 acres of land on the waters of Spencer Creek, dated 1795.

Kentucky is changing and the county lines are moving again. In 1797 Montgomery County is formed from Clark County, Kentucky. Ambrose Coffee is listed on the tax list of Montgomery County for the years 1800-1809. The first deed book of Montgomery County, Kentucky is missing.

During those years Ambrose Coffee was often called upon to give deposition during various land disputes. September 16, 1811 Ambrose himself fills in the gaps of his known whereabouts, when questioned by Green Clay in the Henry Banta land dispute in Madison County, Kentucky.

Thirty-three years ago I came to Kentucky, in the year 1776, and landed at the town called Lee’s Town, on the Kentucky; from thence Major Crittenden & Co. went near the head of Willis Lee’s run, waters of Elkhorn, and now known by Crittenden’s Camp. There we cleared a piece of ground and planted corn in the same year, 1776, and in the fall of 1776 Major Crittenden & Co. went up the Ohio and I went to Harrodsburh, and there I continued part of that fall and the greater part of the winter; and report came that Colonel Boone was taken from the Lower Blue Licks to Logan’s Station, and to Harrodsburgh the report came; and one Richard May raised a company to go to the Lower Blue Licks to see what was done. I was one of the company with Richard May. Some time in February 1777, we arrived at Boonesborough, and there I continued till 1785 or 1786, and moved then out of Boonesborough into Bush’s Settlement; stayed there a year or two; from that there were two of the Martin’s built a mill on Lower Howard’s Creek and there I attended the mill going upon two years, and then Colonel Holder bought her, an after he bought her I attended her near two years, and from that  I moved up to the head of Spencer Creek, near old Nicholas Anderson’s, and from that to Slate Creek, where I now live, near Myer’s Mill.

Draper Manuscripts, Shane Interview - Jacob Stevens

Draper Manuscripts, Kentucky Calendar 12CC 133-138, , page 136 Shane Interview with Jacob Stevens, who was born 1761 in Bedford, Virginia. Interview taken near Slate 1 ½ miles to the left of Jeffersonville. Shane’s notes in margin:

“Ambrose Coffee, that says he was in the (died over Slate, here) attack on Bnsbgh"