An American Family History

Abraham Coffing

Abraham Coffing was born about 1712 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a son of Jacob Coffing, Sr.

His wife was named Margaret.

Abraham and Margaret's children may have icluded:

Jacob Coffing (1738, married Catherine),
Ann Coffing (married John Yerkes son of John Yerkes),
Margaret Coffing (1739),
Abraham Coffing (died young),
Grace Coffing (married Joshua Yerkes), and
Martha Coffing (married Elias Yerkes son of Silas Yerkes),
William Coffing (1745, died young).

They were members of the Abington Monthly Meeting.

Their 15 year old son died in 1760.

Abraham's will was dated October 22, 1766, and proved in Philadelphia on November, 28.

Margaret Coffing died on August 29, 1779. Her death was recorded at the Abington Monthly Meeting.

A 1780 indenture from John Nice et al to John Yerkes transferred Abraham's land and said:

the said Ann intermarried with the said John Yerkes
the said Margaret with the said John Nice
the said Grace with one Joshua Yerkes and
the said Martha with one Elias Yerkes

from Chronicle of the Yerkes Family: With Notes on the Leech and Rutter Families by Josiah Granville Leach

Abraham Coffing, in his will, dated 22 October, 1766, and proved at Philadelphia, 28 November, same year, names wife Margaret, and children Jacob, Ann, Margaret, Grace, and Martha.

He was a member of Abington Meeting of Friends, from the records of which society it appears that his daughters Ann, Grace, and Martha married into the Yerkes family. Ann's marriage is given in the text. The Meeting records, under date of 19 September, 1769, note that

Grace Yerkes, late Coffin, is gone out in her marriage and don't incline to make satisfaction,

and under date of 30 November, 1772, the same fact is noted as to "Martha Yerkes, late Coffin."

"Going out" in marriage was marrying "out of Meeting," but while the fact of the marriages of Grace and Martha Coffing is not in doubt, the Christian names of their Yerkes husbands are unknown. 

Abraham Coffing was a son of Jacob Coffing, Senr,....

From Montgomery County Deed book 9, page 126,

indenture dated 5 of 4 month 1792,
Jacob Coffing of Abington Twp., Yeoman, and Catherine, his wife,
sell to Jacob Fulmore, of the same place, weaver,
land that Jacob inherited from his father Abraham Coffing who died leaving a will dated 28 Nov 1766.