As a young man, David H Coffman served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. In 1774, (either in Fauqueir, Shenandoah, Rockingham or Westmoreland county, VA) David married Mary Ann Lovell, (born 1754-VA) daughter of Robert Lovell-III and wife Sarah Marshall, of Virginia. In the early 1780s, David resided in Rockingham, Virginia. Soon after his service, in 1783, David decided to settle and build his home in what is today, Hamblen County, Tennessee, within a mile of Russellville. David and Mary had 12 children: Lovell, Jacob, Elizabeth, William, Andrew, Sarah, Nancy, Mary Ann, Robert, David Jr., Rebecca (my great-great-great grandmother), and Markham. David built his very large 2 story home here, on a 200 acre tract given to him by the State of Tennessee for his service in the Revolutionary War. Some portion of his land was originally part of North Carolina, which later became Tennessee. The property adjoined several hundred more acres of surrounding countryside he purchased in this area. He also built a carriage house, laundry house, workers gathering hall and a very large stable/barn (which would later become a longtime-rural Baptist Church - in which his son Andrew would preach). In the local Citizens Tribune news article, entitled Old & Historic Homes of Hamblen County, it stated, "Coffman liked the quiet serenity of this section, despite the fact the land was infested with indians, and decided to erect his home, choosing for the site, a plot of ground near Russellville, surrounded by primeval forest, and in the distance, could be seen great mountains, looming against the sky. Here, after months of weary toil, he built a rambling, two-story home, and reared a family of noble sons and daughters."

When General Andrew Jackson called for an army to settle the English, in the War of 1812, David's son Andrew walked to Nashville, and joined Gen. Jackson's forces, serving directly under the general at the Battle of New Orleans. During his service, he learned to love and respect the old Warrior. After the war's end, Andrew Jackson fondly remembered Coffman's service to him, and came and stayed over night, visiting the Coffman's in their home, in Hamblen County, TN. A few decades later, the home was thrust into more history, when Confederate Lt. Gen. Longstreet was forced to stay over night there, when the Yankees and Rebs had a skirmish on the edge of the Coffman property. In doing so, he even left behind his trunk, which has remained, along with many other Coffman family heirlooms, still located in the home. A Coffman has owned and lived in the home, as recent as near the year 1990; however it is still kept in immaculate condition, but is no longer open to the public.

In 1823, soon after Alabama became a state; David left his home to one of his sons who chose to remain there, moving the rest of his family with him, to Limestone Co., AL. He had long desired to increase his personal holdings, by engaging heavily in the cotton industry. He began purchasing various tracts of land in the county, in Feb. of 1818; where he and his family would grow vast amounts of cotton. A great deal of Coffman family history may be found in two books: A Genealogy & History of the Kauffman-Coffman Families of North America, written by Charles Fahs Kauffman in 1938, and the other book: From Across the River, written by Mrs. Marjorie Kent and Mrs. Cornell Alired. Our family name as far back as the 16th century, in Bern, Switzerland was Khauffman; evolving through the centuries eventually to Kauffman, and eventually & ultimately into its modern-day spelling of: Coffman, as we know at least since the 18th Century.

David Coffman's daughter Rebecca, married my great-great-great grandfather William Cannon Walker, of Jefferson Co., TN. Once they married, they joined David Coffman, in moving to AL, where the Walker family also became very engaged in the cotton industry, owning & operating their own land & crops there, as well. The Walkers have always carried on the family tradition of farming, and running cattle, from their first arrival in the Williamsburg Colony, VA; from Scotland, all the way to modern time. Today, most of the Walker family lives in TX, AK, CA, and maybe a few still remain in Alabama. William & Rebecca Coffman Walker are buried in Giles Co., TN, bordering Limestone County, AL. I am descended from William C. Walker's grandson, Andrew N. Walker-son of Lovel Coffman Walker.