In the history of Nantucket, the family
name of Coffin stands out again and again. The progenitor of the American branch of the
family was Tristram Coffin, who sailed to America from Devon, England in 1642.
He became one of the original purchasers
of Nantucket Island in 1659. At one time, with his sons, he
owned one quarter of the island. He became Chief Magistrate and was viewed by the other
settlers as the patriarch of the island. The historian Benjamin Franklin Folger said of
his service as Chief Magistrate that he always exhibited a fair Christian character
"in all the varied circumstances and conditions of that infant colony," both to
Indians and white settlers.
His descendants spread throughout New
England and married into other distinguished American families. The family traditions of
honor, courage and service to others were displayed frequently amongst his descendants,
such as the following:
Lucretia Coffin Mott, born on Nantucket in
1793, is outstanding in American history at a time when most women stayed at home. She was
active in moral reform, striving for the advancement of the working classes and for
abolition from slavery.
Captain Seth Coffin, born on Nantucket in
1753, served as captain of a whaleship. In 1800, while capturing a large whale off the
Brazil Banks, his leg was crushed. No one on board had ever seen, much less performed, an
amputation except himself. He had witnessed one amputation. He called for an instrument
used in cutting whale's blubber and said to his first mate: "My leg has
got to come off, or I shall die. I know how it should be done, and will show you how to do
it. If you flinch one whit I'll send this instrument through you. I am ready. Begin!"
The mate performed the operation under Seth's direction. When the last bandage was in
place, both men fainted.
Professor James Henry Coffin, born in
Massachusetts in 1806, made contributions in the fields of astronomy, meteorology, and
geometry. The Smithsonian Institution published some of his work.
The Coffin family is now spread throughout
the United States, but some Coffins are still part of the fabric of Nantucket life. It is
significant that the name Coffin is derived from Hebrew origin, meaning "a small
basket." Today, Glenaan Elliott Robbins, whose father is a
direct descendent of Tristram Coffin, is making original miniature lightship baskets of gold and precious stones, as well as
handwoven kidney shaped baskets.
