Coffin (surname) explained

Coffin
Crest:CoffinOfMonkleighArms.PNG
Caption:Arms of Pine-Coffin of Portledge, Alwington, Devon: Azure, three bezants between eight crosses crosslet or
Region:South West England
New England
Eastern Canada
Early Forms:Coffyn
Origin:Devon, England

Coffin is an English and French surname. The progenitors of most of the American Coffins were Tristram Coffin Sr. and his wife Dionis Stevens, who came to Massachusetts from the Coffin family farm at Brixton in Butlas Parish, Devonshire, England in 1642. Tristram Coffin Sr. was one of the original proprietors of Nantucket.

Tristram and Dionis Coffin's descendants include some of the Boston Brahmin, a class of wealthy, educated, elite members of Boston society in the 19th century. Many descendants initially settled at seaports on the eastern coast of the United States and in Canada. A large number of families became active in the slave trade through the triangle trading of whale oil and other raw materials. They invested in the trade, built or owned vessels for the trade, commanded the vessels as captains or masters, or worked on the crews. Some became experts in international trade, establishing business relationships around the world as the slavery economy flourished in the colonies and in the states.

Other American Coffins became Quakers who adopted anti-slavery principles and in 1778, prohibited members of the Friends Society from being enslavers. Some of the Coffins who are known for their work as abolitionists include Joshua Coffin, Lucretia Coffin Mott, Martha Coffin Wright, Levi and Catherine (White) Coffin Jr., Vestal Coffin, and Addison Coffin.

By 1860, some descendants of Tristram and Dionis Coffin Sr. had migrated to the south. Coffin families can be found in each southern state. Most were enslavers with occupations such as planters, reverends or ministers, doctors, judges, lawyers, slave traders or merchants. By the time the US Civil War broke out in April 1861, Coffin cousins were fighting on both sides of the war.

List of persons with the surname Coffin

In fiction

See also