++William Coley Sr. 1760-1848++

William Coley Sr., a patriot of the American Revolution, was born in Virginia, circa 1760. His name is first found in the muster rolls at Valley Forge, as a member of the 7th Virginia Regiment in February 1778. In 1783, at the end of the war, he relocated to North Carolina and was head of a household of three, according to the first U.S. Federal Census in 1790.

William Coley Sr. married Winnifred Coley, and they had five children: William Jr., Milly, Isam, James, and Lucy Coley. He owned a large plantation with a mill and 13 slaves, on Long Creek in what became Stanly County, NC. Also, built on his property was a church, The Freedom Baptist Church, and a one-room schoolhouse, the Coley school. William Coley Sr. died in February 1848.

++William Coley’s life taken from Historical Record.++

++Revisionary War Service++

William Coley Sr. was born c. 1760 in Amelia or Charles City County, Virginia. His family relocated from Charles City County to the Mecklenburg / Halifax County, Virginia area between 1761 and 1777. While residing in the Halifax Virginia area, William joined the 7th Virginia Regiment as a Private in the 3rd Division in the 3rd Brigade under Captain Charles Fleming. William was a member of the 7th VA during the winter encampment at Valley Forge, beginning in February 1778. He then reenlisted at Valley Forge in May for one year and participated in Battle of Monmouth, NJ on June 28, 1778.

William Coley had several family members who also participated in the American Revolution. His brother, Isam (also spelled Isham), Coley, received a pension for his service during the American Revolution and fought at the battle of Guilford Court House and other actions. William’s four cousins: Charles Coley, Francis Coley, Jeffrey Coley, and James Coley, also received pensions for their service.

++George Coley++

George Coley, believed to be the father or a very close relative of William Coley Sr., relocated to Montgomery County, NC from Virginia during the American Revolution. George Coley is found in the 1782 Montgomery County, NC tax records and is listed as an invalid. William Coley soon joined George Coley in North Carolina and first appears in records in 1783 as a signer, along with Thomas Coley, for a petition to build a new courthouse in Anson County, NC. Montgomery County had its origins in and became autonomous from Anson County in 1779. The next record for William Coley is found in the 1785 Land Warrants and Surveys for Montgomery County, where he and Charles Coley were chain carriers together for Edmund Lilly Sr. Both William Coley and George Coley are listed in the 1790 U.S. Federal Census as residents of Montgomery County, NC.

George Coley is again found in the Montgomery County, NC land entries from 1779-1795. In 1795, James Luntfords made an entrée for 100 acres of land that includes George Coley’s improvements. In January 1797, George Coley and William Coley both made land entries, numbers 4012 for William and 4013 for George, for 100 acres each. No will has been found for George Coley, probably because the Montgomery County Court House suffered three fires and many early records are presumed lost. George Coley is not listed in the 1800 US Federal Census record, so it is assumed that he died before 1800.

++Coley’s move to North Carolina from Virginia++

I believe that the move to North Carolina by the Coley family was to avoid taxation in Virginia because they were considered mulatto. In 1705 the Virginia Legislature passed into law that "the offspring of an Indian and a White is a Mulatto." George Coley, George Coley Jr., Charles Coley, and Thomas Coley were involved in a court case in Charles City County Virginia on September 6, 1758. They pleaded not guilty but were found guilty of not paying taxes on their wives because George, George Jr., Charles, and Thomas Coley were mulatto. The Coleys, in this case, were each fined 500 lbs. of tobacco. For George Coley to pay this fine, he had to indenture himself to Gabriel Coley, which he acknowledged in court on November 4, 1761. Gabriel Coley was also a patriot of the American Revolution and can be found in the Dobbs County, NC Militia Rolls. In the 1700s, any free person in Virginia of mixed race, whether African or Native American, was considered mulatto and had to pay taxes on their wives. My DNA and my father’s DNA show that we are 1% Native American and not African, so I assume that George Coley’s mother was probably Native American.

++William Coley’s Family++

From William Coley’s probate record and U.S. Federal census records, we know that William Coley’s wife was named Winnifred or (Winnie). William and Winnie Coley had five children who lived into adulthood. They are listed in his bible, dated 1818, and in his will and probate record. These children were William Coley Jr. born in 1799, Milly Coley born in 1802, Isam (Isham) Coley born in 1805, James Coley born in 1808, and Lucy Coley – (Tolbert) born 1810. According to US Federal Census records, an additional four children were living in the home, which included a male under the age of 16 in 1790, but it is assumed that these children died before 1818 or were not descendants of William Coley.

++William Coley in Montgomery and Stanly County, NC++

Based on probate records and land warrants for William Coley Sr. it is known that he owned several hundred acres of land along Long Creek, on the West Side of the Pee Dee River in Montgomery (later Stanly County) North Carolina. On his property was a mill with mill pond, the Freedom Baptist Church, and a one-room schoolhouse known as the Coley School. These structures are now gone, but the dam for the mill pond and the cemetery from Freedom Baptist church remain; many Coley descendants are buried in this cemetery. According to the 1830 U.S. Federal Census, William Coley owned 13 slaves, and in 1838 William Coley signed a petition of Inhabitants of Montgomery County, NC seeking to divide Montgomery County. This petition was to create and distinguish Stanly County, NC. William Coley signed this petition as a resident of District Number 7.

++Will of William Coley++

William Coley Sr’s. last will and testament was probated on February 1848 in Stanly County, North Carolina. He names his sons, Isham and James Coley, leaving them each 75 acres of land. He also bequeaths to his two beloved daughters, Milly and Lucy, all the remainder of his land to be shared jointly.

Found in Stanly County deed book 2 p 123; William Coley Sr. made an indenture, dated 29 Feb 1848. In this indenture, he names William Coley Jr., Milly Coley, Isham Coley, James Coley and Lucy Coley and his wife, Winnifred Coley. There is also a description of William Coley Sr.’s land on Long Creek and his mill and mill pond.

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