Coffin (surname)
Encyclopedia
Coffin is an Anglo-Norman
surname
.
The House of Coffin is an ancient English family which originated in Normandy
, France. Nearly all trace their ancestry to Sir Richard Coffin, a nobleman from Falaise
who was a general in William the Conqueror's army in 1066. The Coffins have held a number of manors, the most notable of which is Portledge
in Devon, England. The progenitor of the American Coffins was Tristram Coffin, a Royalist
, who came to Newbury, Massachusetts
from Devonshire in 1642. He was the original proprietor of Nantucket. The American branch is one of the Boston Brahmin
, a group of elite families based in and around Boston
.
Some notable Coffins include:
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
.
The House of Coffin is an ancient English family which originated in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France. Nearly all trace their ancestry to Sir Richard Coffin, a nobleman from Falaise
Falaise
Falaise is the name of several communes in France:* Falaise, Ardennes* Falaise, Calvados** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War* La Falaise, in the Yvelines département* The Falaise escarpment in Quebec City...
who was a general in William the Conqueror's army in 1066. The Coffins have held a number of manors, the most notable of which is Portledge
Portledge Manor
Portledge Manor is an English manor house in Devon, England, southwest of Bideford. It and the land surrounding it belonged to the Coffin family, a noble family of Norman origin, for almost 1000 years.-History:...
in Devon, England. The progenitor of the American Coffins was Tristram Coffin, a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
, who came to Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury, Massachusetts
Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2010 census. Newbury includes the villages of Old Town , Plum Island and Byfield, home of The Governor's Academy , a private preparatory school.- History :Newbury Plantation was settled and incorporated...
from Devonshire in 1642. He was the original proprietor of Nantucket. The American branch is one of the Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmin
Boston Brahmins are wealthy Yankee families characterized by a highly discreet and inconspicuous life style. Based in and around Boston, they form an integral part of the historic core of the East Coast establishment...
, a group of elite families based in and around Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Some notable Coffins include:
- Bill CoffinBill CoffinBill Coffin is a writer of novels and role-playing games in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Perhaps best known for his work at Palladium Books from July 1998 through May 2002, he made significant contributions to several of Palladium's game series, most notably Palladium Fantasy, but also...
, writer of novels and role-playing games - Charles A. CoffinCharles A. CoffinCharles Albert Coffin was the cofounder and first President of General Electric corporation. He was born in Somerset, Massachusetts to Albert Coffin and his wife Anstrus Varney. He married Caroline Russell of Holbrook, Massachusetts and had three children.He moved to join his uncle Charles E...
, cofounder and first President of General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
corporation - Charles Edward CoffinCharles Edward CoffinCharles Edward Coffin was an American industrialist and politician who lived his adult life in Maryland. From there he served in the state House of Delegates and Senate, and was elected to the United States Congress...
, politician from U.S. state of Maryland - Charles L. CoffinC. L. CoffinCharles L. Coffin of Detroit was awarded for an arc welding process using a metal electrode. This was the first time that metal melted from the electrode carried across the arc to deposit filler metal in the joint to make a weld. About the same time, N.G. Slavianoff, a Russian, presented the same...
, American engineer and inverter of the arc welding process using a metal electrode - Clifford CoffinClifford CoffinMajor General Clifford Coffin VC, CB, DSO & Bar was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.He was 47 years old, and a temporary brigadier general in the Corps...
, English recipient of the Victoria Cross - David CoffinDavid CoffinDavid Coffin is a folk musician specializing in early music and sea music, based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He is the song leader for the Cambridge Revels music programs and is the director of an organization that conducts musical tours of Boston Harbor...
, folk musician - Edmund CoffinEdmund CoffinEdmund "Tad" Sloane Coffin is a saddlemaker and equestrian. Coffin won two gold medals in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal riding Bally Cor. He grew up on Long Island, then moved with his family to Strafford, Vermont, and now lives in Virginia. He is also the nephew of William Sloane...
, saddlemaker and equestrian - Edward CoffinEdward CoffinEdward Coffin was an English Jesuit.-Life:After studies at Reims and Ingolstadt he was ordained at the English College, Rome, and sent to England....
, English Jesuit - Frank M. CoffinFrank M. CoffinFrank Morey Coffin was an American politician from Maine and a United States federal judge. He was a Democrat.-Early life, education, and career:...
, politician and jurist from the U.S. state of Maine - Howard A. CoffinHoward A. CoffinHoward Aldridge Coffin was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Coffin was born in Middleborough, Massachusetts and attended the Vermont Academy at Saxtons River...
, politician from the U.S. state of Michigan - Howard E. CoffinHoward E. CoffinHoward Earle Coffin was an American engineer and industrialist. He was one of the founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company with Roy D. Chapin...
, automobile engineer and founder of Hudson Motors - C. Hayden CoffinC. Hayden CoffinCharles Hayden Coffin was an English actor and singer known for his performances in many famous Edwardian musical comedies, particularly those produced by George Edwardes....
, English actor - Henry Sloane CoffinHenry Sloane CoffinHenry Sloane Coffin was president of the Union Theological Seminary, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA, and one of the most famous ministers in the U.S...
, American theologian - Isaac CoffinIsaac CoffinSir Isaac Campbell Coffin KCSI was an officer of the East India Company's military service who served during the company's rule in India, the First Anglo-Burmese War and the Indian Mutiny. He rose to the rank of major-general after a long career in India.-Family and early life:Coffin was born c...
, East India Company Army officer - Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st BaronetSir Isaac Coffin, 1st BaronetAdmiral Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet GCH was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, Royal Navy officer - Jeff CoffinJeff CoffinJeff Coffin is an American jazz and alternative rock musician best known as the saxophonist for Dave Matthews Band and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. In addition to the saxophone, he plays clarinet, flute and oboe.-Biography:...
, American saxophonist - Joshua CoffinJoshua CoffinJoshua Coffin was an American antiquary and abolitionist.Coffin was born in Newbury, Massachusetts. He graduated at Dartmouth in 1817, and taught school for many years, numbering among his pupils the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who addressed to him a poem entitled "To My Old...
, American abolitionist - Levi CoffinLevi CoffinLevi Coffin was an American Quaker, abolitionist, and businessman. Coffin was deeply involved in the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio and his home is often called "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad"...
, American educator and abolitionist - Sir William CoffinWilliam Coffin (courtier)Sir William Coffin was a courtier at the court of Henry VIII of England.Born at Portledge about 1495 into an ancient Devon family, he was the younger brother of Sir Richard Coffin, who was Lord of the Manor of Alwington and High Sheriff of Devon in the late 15th century.Sir William lived during the...
, English courtier, favourite of Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France... - Peleg Coffin, Jr.Peleg Coffin, Jr.Peleg Coffin, Jr. was an American financier, insurer, and politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served in both houses of the state legislature...
, financier and politician from the U.S. state of Massachusetts - Richard Geoffrey Pine-CoffinRichard Geoffrey Pine-CoffinColonel Richard Geoffrey Pine-Coffin DSO & Bar, MC was a parachute officer of the British Army during World War II. He commanded the 3rd Parachute Battalion in North Africa and the 7th Parachute Battalion in Normandy, Belgium, and Germany...
, World War II parachute officer in the British Army - Robert Aston CoffinRobert Aston CoffinRobert Aston Coffin C.SS.R., D.D. was an English Redemptorist and Bishop of Southwark...
, English priest - Robert P. T. CoffinRobert P. T. CoffinRobert Peter Tristram Coffin was a writer, poet and professor at Wells College and Bowdoin College . He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1936.-Life:...
, writer and poet - Shannen W. CoffinShannen W. CoffinShannen W. Coffin is an attorney for the Washington, D.C. law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP who until early November 2007 served as general counsel to American Vice President Dick Cheney. Coffin was previously at the Department of Justice, where he served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the...
, U.S. lawyer - Thomas C. CoffinThomas C. CoffinThomas Chalkley Coffin was a United States Representative from Idaho. Coffin served as a Democrat in the House from 1933 to 1934....
, politician from U.S. state of Idaho - Thomas Coffin (Canadian politician)Thomas Coffin (Canadian politician)Thomas Coffin, was a Canadian businessman and politician.He was born in Barrington, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia in 1817. He owned a general store and with his brother and other partners operated a sawmill and shipbuilding yard on the Clyde River from 1854 until late in the 1870s...
- Tris CoffinTris CoffinTristram Coffin , also known as Tris Coffin, was a film and television actor from the latter 1930s through the 1970s, usually in westerns or other action-adventure productions.-Biography:...
, actor - Walter CoffinWalter CoffinWalter Coffin was a Welsh coalowner and Member of Parliament. Coffin is recognised as the first person to exploit the rich coal fields of the Rhondda Valley on an industrial scale, pioneering the growth of one of the most wealthy coal mining areas in the world.-Early life:Born in 1784 he was the...
, Welsh Member of Parliament and coalowner - William Sloane CoffinWilliam Sloane CoffinWilliam Sloane Coffin, Jr. was an American liberal Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. He was ordained in the Presbyterian church and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ....
, American clergyman and peace activist - Any of the Nantucket, MassachusettsNantucket, MassachusettsNantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
WhalingWhalingWhaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
familyCoffin (whaling family)The Coffin family were a group of whalers operating out of Nantucket, Massachusetts from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Some members of the family gained wider exposure due to their discovery of various islands in the Pacific Ocean....
with that surname. - Coffin v. United StatesCoffin v. United StatesCoffin v. United States, 156 U.S. 432 , was an appellate case before the United States Supreme Court in 1895 which established the presumption of innocence of persons accused of crimes....