Coffin, Thomas

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Huguette Filteau, “COFFIN, THOMAS (1762-1841),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003– https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/coffin_thomas_1762_1841_7E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Businessman, seigneur, office holder, politician, and militia officer; b. 5 July 1762 in Boston, son of John Coffin and Isabella Child; d. 18 July 1841 in Trois-Rivières, Lower Canada.
    • Thomas Coffin arrived at Quebec early in August 1775 with his parents and ten brothers and sisters. His father, a Boston businessman, had decided to leave the American colonies when revolution broke out. While several of Thomas’s brothers took up careers in the army or public service, he himself went into business. By November 1782 he was established in Montreal, where he sold, among other things, West India rum, French and English brandy, port, Spanish wines, molasses, tea, soap, butter, and fruit. When he met Marguerite Godefroy de Tonnancour, the course of his life was, however, changed.
    • The couple were married in Montreal on 22 Feb. 1786 and went to live on the seigneury of Pointe-du-Lac. Coffin then devoted himself to his new role as a seigneur, for in addition to the sum of 66,902 livres5 sols 3 deniers Marguerite’s dowry included a share in the seigneuries of Yamaska, Pointe-du-Lac, Roquetaillade, Gastineau, and Godefroy. Through various transactions in 1786 and 1787 Coffin became sole owner of Pointe-du-Lac. 
    • While continuing to manage his much reduced estate, Coffin took part in political life. In July 1792 he had been elected to the House of Assembly for Saint-Maurice, which he represented until June 1804. He sided for the most part with the English party.
    • On 18 Sept. 1798, in partnership with his brother-in-law John Craigie, he founded the Batiscan Iron Works Company to carry out ambitious plans for exploiting iron ore on the seigneury of Batiscan. In exchange for a 99-year lease to the company of four pieces of land, Coffin received a share equal to an advance of £1,000. He was also appointed manager until 1 Jan. 1800 at an annual salary of £200. From its earliest years the firm had serious problems.
  • Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory –https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=1631
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