Joseph Coleman and Eunice Coffin are two of my 5X great grandparents, originally from Nantucket, Massachusetts. They haven’t been the easiest family to research as Joseph died in 1775 of yellow fever off the coats of Guinea, but had moved his family to Orange County, New York a few years before.
I’ve written about the family multiple times over the years, but feel there might still be more out there to learn about them.
Of course, FamilySearch’s full-text search, my February 12 for ’26 focus, was top of the list of search avenues and I wasn’t disappointed.
Joseph Coleman’s estate administration wasn’t filed until 1791, possibly because his children weren’t all of age until then, his family was able to economically survive and the American Revolution happened in the years between his death and court records.
I also had no idea when Eunice (Coffin) Coleman died other than she was living in the early 1800s when she received a bequest from Benjamin Coleman, a cousin.
I knew that Joseph’s court records were actually filed next door to Orange County in Ulster County, but hadn’t found a full accounting of his estate.
Ulster County, N.Y. Probate Records, 1906, by Gustave Anjou (yes, the well-known fraud), is an actual, accurate collection of the records.
I then went one step beyond and searched for “Eunice Coleman” and learned about a brand new-to-me New York newspaper resource – the Gavit Index of Obituaries Taken from New York Newspapers. Years: 1780-1823, New York State Library:
This is an index card collection and in it appeared:
Died (Newburgh) Pol. Ind: Aug. 2, 1825
Coleman: In this village, on Friday last (29th)
Mrs. Eunice Coleman, in her 85th year
I haven’t found out what “Pol. Ind.” stands for, but I am quite sure it is the name of the local newspaper. Regardless, I now have the exact date of death for Eunice, who had no estate administration of her own and, if she had a gravestone, it has been lost to time.
Two more excellent finds to add to my document collection!
