Coffin, John

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Robert S. Elliot, “COFFIN, JOHN (d. 1838),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/coffin_john_1838_7E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Army officer, businessman, politician, jp, judge, and office holder; b. c. 1751 in Boston, son of Nathaniel Coffin, the last receiver general and cashier of British customs for Boston, and Elizabeth Barnes; brother of Isaac Coffin and nephew of John Coffin; m. 21 Oct. 1781 Ann Mathews (Matthews) of Johns Island, S.C., and they had ten children; d. 12 May 1838 in Westfield Parish, N.B.
    • Born into a prosperous mercantile family that had connections with the governing élite of colonial Massachusetts, John Coffin spent his childhood in Boston, where he received a respectable education and was introduced to the doctrines of the Church of England. Coffin and his family probably had many reasons for remaining loyal to the British crown during the American revolution; certainly the family’s prosperity depended on a continued attachment to the existing order.
    • John Coffin launched his military career on 17 June 1775 at the battle of Bunker Hill. His activities thereafter are unclear until 19 Jan. 1777, when he was commissioned a captain in a newly formed provincial corps, the King’s Orange Rangers.
    • Following the withdrawal of British troops from the southern colonies, Coffin spent much of 1783 in New York attempting to secure his future once the war had officially ended. He was to relocate in territory destined to become New Brunswick. Edward Winslow obtained property for him on the west side of what would be named Saint John Harbour.
    • Despite his active participation in the campaign for the partition of Nova Scotia and his association with many of the loyalist élite, Coffin had not achieved immediate political success when New Brunswick became a reality in 1784. He was not offered a high-ranking government appointment, though he would later become a justice of the peace and a judge of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. On the fringe of political preferment, he was obliged to seek election to the House of Assembly to have a voice in provincial affairs. Returned as a representative of Kings County in November 1785, he served for 25 years.
    • In Kings County, an oligarchy was established with Coffin and George Leonard as dominant members. Beginning in 1786, when he was appointed to the bench, Coffin accumulated many county positions, including that of chief magistrate.
  • Proven Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory –https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=1638
  • Find a GRAVE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/234437865/john-coffin