Tristram Coffin, Governor of Nantucket

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 2 Oct 1681, Nantucket, New York

Notes:

His date of death has been misstated as 3 Mar 1681 by some otherwise reliable sources, including Mary Lovering Holman (citation details below). Alicia Crane Williams (citation details below) has shown that the Nantucket Court of Sessions proceeding of 29 Nov 1681 called him "deceased, the 3d day of October, 1681", and that his 8 Aug 1682 inventory said that he "departed this life the third day of October, on[e] thousand six hundred eighty one". A lengthy note in Williams's "Resources" section discusses the particular challenges facing anyone attempting to derive accurate dates from early Nantucket vital records.

He was a churchwarden in Brixton, Devon in 1639-40, and a constable in 1641.

"Tristram Coffin, age 32, his widowed mother Joan (Kember) Coffin, about age 58, two sisters, Eunice, age 24 and Mary, about 22, his wife Dionis, also about age 32, and their five children (Peter, 12, Elizabeth, about 11, Tristram, Jr., about 10, James, age 2, and John, probably less than 1), all came to New England from Brixton, co. Devon, England, before 20 or 30 October 1642, when the death of son John was recorded at Haverhill. Tradition states that the Coffins came on the same ship as Robert Clements, with whom Tristram was associated in New England. For about eighteen years the Coffins bounced around from Salisbury to Haverhill, to Newbury, back to Salisbury, to Newbury again and to Salisbury once more. In 1660 Tristram and some of his children settled permanently on Nantucket Island." [Alicia Crane Williams, citation details below]

In New England, he is first seen at Salisbury, then at Haverhill where he was a founder on 15 Nov 1642. In Newbury 1647, Salisbury 1648, Newbury 1649, Salisbury 1654. About 1658 he became interested in the island of Nantucket and formed a company for its purchase, moving there in 1659.

He was chief magistrate of Nantucket, called "governor," from 29 Jun 1671 to an unrecorded date, succeeded by Thomas Macy, and again chief magistrate from 1677 to 1680.

He settled a great deal of his fortune on his offspring well before his death, and a great deal of what remained to him was eaten up by an admiralty court fine imposed on him for having allowed the people of Nantucket to salvage a French castaway without making a proper accounting to the court. The fine, initially £477 14s., esd eventually reduced to £150, but it still left him with very little at the end.

Tristram married Dionis Stevens between 16 Dec 1627 and 18 Jul 1630 in Brixton, Devon, England. Dionis (daughter of Robert Stevens and Dionis) was born before 4 Mar 1610 in Brixton, Devon, England; was christened on 4 Mar 1610 in Brixton, Devon, England; died after 29 Nov 1681 in Nantucket, New York. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Elizabeth Coffin was born about 1631; died on 19 Nov 1678 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts.
2. Lt. Tristram Coffin was born in 1632 in Brixton, Devon, England; died on 4 Feb 1704 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts.
3. James Coffin was born before 11 Sep 1639; was christened on 11 Sep 1639 in Brixton, Devon, England; died on 28 Sep 1720 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
4. Mary Coffin was born on 20 Feb 1645 in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts; died on 13 Nov 1717 in Nantucket, Massachusetts; was buried in Friends Burying Ground, Nantucket, Massachusetts.
5. John Coffin was born on 30 Aug 1647 in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts; died on 5 Sep 1711 in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts; was buried in Old North Cemetery, Grove Lane, Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Notes:

He was a churchwarden in Brixton in 1614-15.

Peter married Joane Kember about 1608. Joane (daughter of Robert Kember) was born in 1584 in Brixton, Devon, England; died on 30 May 1661 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Came to New England as a widow in 1642, with her son Tristram.

"Rev. John Wilson preached her funeral sermon, and embalmed her memory." [The History of Haverhill, Massachusetts by George Wingate Chase, Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1861]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1550

Nicholas married Johan about 1579. Johan died before 5 Feb 1615 in Brixton, Devon, England; was buried on 5 Feb 1615 in Brixton, Devon, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

His wife at his death was named Anne, but she was possibly a second wife and not the mother of his children. His will includes mention of daughter Joane, "the wyfe of Peter Cawfing" and her children Tristram and Joane. The will of Mrs. Anna Kember mentions Peter Coffin's children.