| Coffin | |
|---|---|
 Arms of Coffin of Portledge, Alwington, Devon: Azure, three bezants between eight crosses crosslet or | |
| Current region | South West England New England Eastern Canada New Zealand Australia |
| Earlier spellings | Coffyn |
| Place of origin | Portledge manor, Devon, England |
| Traditions | Christianity |
The House of Coffin is an ancient English family of Norman Origin, which originated in Devonshire. The family lineage goes back to Sir Richard Coffin, a knight who accompanied William the Conqueror from Normandy to England in 1066, who was assigned the manor of Alwington (Portledge manor) in Devonshire.The Coffins held a number of manors but this was the most notable of all. The manor was held within the family for over nine centuries. With the marriage of Edward Pyne, of Eastdown, with Dorothy Coffin of Portledge manor in 1672, the named ownership of the manor shifted officially to the Pine-Coffin family. Notable Coffins of the 15th-16th century include Richard Coffin (1456–1523) of Alwington who was a Sheriff of Devon. [1] [2]
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The progenitor of most of the American Coffins was Tristram Coffin, a Royalist, who came to Massachusetts with his wife Dionis Stevens, from the Coffin family farm at Brixton, Devonshire in 1642. He 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 American Coffins are or were Quakers. Many descendants initially settled at seaports on the eastern coast of the United States and in Canada. A large number of families were active in trade through the triangle trade, primarily for the exchange of goods like of whale oil and other raw materials. They built and owned wailing vessels, commanded the vessels as captains or masters, or worked on the crews. Some became experts in international trade, establishing business relationships around the world with their decendants eventually settling in far off countries such as Australia and New Zealand.
Many 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. Levi Coffin Jr, was an American Quaker, Republican, abolitionist, farmer, businessman and humanitarian. An active leader of the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio, some unofficially called Coffin the "President of the Underground Railroad", estimating that three thousand fugitive slaves passed through his care. [3]
