E. B. COFFIN, 1861-1948

Edward Baker Coffin was born at Yankee Jim's in Placer County, California. His parents, William Lindsey Coffin (1830-1895) and Ann Amelia Gardner Coffin (1830-1921), were originally from Nantucket, Massachusetts; William first came to California in 1850 and worked as a house and sign painter. He returned to Nantucket in 1853 to marry Ann Gardner, then moved back to California with Ann and their infant son Wallace (1854-1937).

The Coffins had an additional seven sons while at Yankee Jim's: Brewster M. (Bruce), 1857-1923; Herbert, 1859-1932; Edward Baker, 1861-1948; George Levi, 1864-1945; Nelson, 1867-1947; Frank, 1871-1937; and Charles A., 1873-1946. In 1875 the Coffin family moved to Reno, where William continued to develop his painting business.

The Coffin's fourth son, Edward, married Ida Pullman of Elko. Ida had been a student at the Whitaker School for Girls in Reno and the University of Nevada; prior to her marriage she taught grammar school. Edward was a grocer and book keeper and also a Reno City Councilman. These Coffins were the parents of four children: Chester LeRoy, Mila Lucille, Thelma, and Harold Pullman.

The Coffin family was a large one and based on their papers, a close knit family. They retained close ties with their Massachusetts kin, as a number of the girls in the third generation spent time with their eastern relatives. From these papers, the family may be traced into the fourth generation.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The papers of E. B. Coffin consist of genealogical materials about the Coffins and materials created by the family. The collection dates from 1850 to 1981 and consists of about one-half cubic feet; it was donated to the Special Collections Department in 1983 by Donald Anthony. There are no restrictions on use of the collection.

Approximately half of the papers consists of genealogical materials about individual members of the Coffin family. Arranged by the name of either William Coffin or each of his sons, the material consists largely of photocopies of official documents such as birth, marriage, or death certificates; and genealogical notes compiled by an unknown author (probably Donald Anthony). Each individual's file often contains further information about the son's wife and children.

The balance of the Coffin papers has been divided into series by type of original document. The correspondence series includes many letters from relatives in Nantucket, often providing details about the death of family members. Through these letters the reader will be able to piece together a complete picture of the Coffin family tree on both William and Ann Amelia Gardner Coffin's sides.

The financial series consists of only two ledgers; however, William's cash book dates from his early California experiences (1850 to 1853) and provides interesting glimpses of his activities there. Of special interest is his entry for June 10th, when he recorded $251.00 cash to William B. Gardner in payment of note. This note was the loan which enabled Coffin to travel to California; with that payment he was free to marry the neighbor's daughter, Ann Amelia.

The collection contains a number of newspaper clippings which are both loose and pasted into a scrapbook. Many of the articles pertain to family members (often obituaries) and further explain family connections.

The Coffin papers contained several hundred photographs of the family. Notes on the back of many of them indicate that the family was in the habit of presenting family portraits as gifts at Christmas time; the result is that many individuals can be seen at different ages. The majority of the images are identified. These photographs have been transferred to the photo archives of the Special Collections Department.

Although not part of the collection itself, the donor file contains more genealogical information in the form of letters written by the donor to Mary Ellen Glass of the Oral History Department. These letters may be viewed upon request.

Processed by: Susan Searcy
Date: December 28, 1987

The Coffin collection has been divided into the following series:

I. Genealogical, 1867-1981.

II. Correspondence, 1858-1934.

III. Financial, 1850-1853; 1904-1947.

IV. Legal, 1886-1927.

V. Printed Materials, ca 1869-1955.

VI. Albums, 1884-1927.

VII. Photographs.

Series I. NC1062/I Genealogical, 1867-1981.

This series contains material gathered by the donor as he traced the family lineage. Included are genealogical notes; obituaries; news articles; copies of government documents such as census pages, and birth, marriage, and death certificates; some correspondence; and teacher's contracts and certificates. Most of the government documents are photographic copies of originals. Arranged by name of either William Lindsey Coffin or the names of his sons. Not all types of documents are found in each file; some files also contain information about spouses and children.
Note: the dates given are the inclusive dates of the contents of the file.

Box 1

I/1 - William Lindsey Coffin, and wife Ann Amelia Gardner Coffin. 1867-1935.
I/2 - William Wallace Coffin. 1937-1957.
I/3 - Brewster M. (Bruce) Coffin. 1881-1925.
I/4 - Herbert Coffin. 1882-1964.
I/5 - Edward Baker Coffin. 1928-1981.
I/6 - George Levi Coffin. 1880-1948.
I/7 - Nelson Phillip Coffin. 1892-1947.
I/8 - Frank Coffin. 1922-1937.
I/9 - Charles A. Coffin. 1946.

Series II. NC1062/II Correspondence, 1858-1934.

The Coffin family correspondence consists mainly of letters from others to the Nevada Coffins. Most of the early letters are either condolence notes or notification of the death of family members. Despite their sad news, such letters still manage to pass along the latest on all family members; later letters also mention the visits of "the girls" (the third generation of Nevada Coffin children). All but the first folder are in chronological order; the first folder contains five original letters, plus photocopies of the originals and typescripts. These pieces of E. B. Coffin Papers NC1062, correspondence were indexed (by the donor of the collection?) by name and location and were left in their original order by the processor. The remaining letters are in chronological order by date of writing. Notes attached to each letter were written by the collection donor. This series also includes two manuscript sheets of poetry; one written to Ann Amelia Gardner and one in her handwriting.

Box 1

II/1 - Correspondence, 1882-1917. Ann Amelia Gardner Coffin (hereafter referred to as Ann) to various recipients. 1889; 1917 (2). George L. Coffin to Carrie Seavey. 1882. Olin W. Ward to niece Emily Gilman. 1897.
II/2 - Correspondence, 1858-1867. To Ann from her sister Hespa. June 17, 1858; and July 1, 1858. To William L. Coffin (hereafter referred to as William) and Ann from Charlotte Coffin. July 8, 1858. To Ann from Lizzie (Elizabeth) Gardner. July 18, 1858. To Ann from friend Sarah. July, 1858. To William and Ann from Charlotte Coffin Gardner. Mar. 30, 1864; and June 26, 1864. To Mr. and Mrs. William Coffin from the Nantucket High School Re-Union Executive Committee. April 12, 1865. To William from Charlotte Coffin Gardner. Mar. 6, 1867.
II/3 - Correspondence, 1871-1934; mss poems, n.d. To Ann from William. April 9, 1871. To William from Mary Ellen Coffin Henderson. April 18, 1871. To "My Dear Girls" from Ida Pullman Coffin. Oct. 9, 1902. To Ida from Sallie. April 24, 1906. Reno High School graduation announcement for Chester LeRoy Coffin. June 12, 1908. To Mrs. Coffin and family from Elizabeth McMillan. Mar. 1, 1924. To Edward B. Coffin (hereafter referred to as Ed) from Anna Folger Huff. Sept. 3 and [Oct. 2], 1926. To Ed from J. B. Folger. May 29, 1927; July 5, 1927; [1927]. To Mr. E. B. Coffin from E. F. J. Tafe. June 20, 1934. Mss. poems, one to Ann and one in her handwriting. n.d.

Series III. NC1062/III Financial, 1850-1853; 1904-1947.

This small series consists of a cash ledger maintained by William Coffin during his San Francisco stay (1850-1853), and a ledger of unknown origin, 1904-1947.

Box 1
III/1 - Cash ledger of Coffin. 1850-1853.

Box 2
III/2 - Ledger. 1904-1947.

Series IV. NC1062/IV Legal papers, 1886-1927.

This series consists mainly of deeds and a legal agreement for various Coffin family members.

Series V. NC1062/V Miscellaneous Printed Materials, ca 1869-1955.

This series, which is unarranged, consists of loose clippings and articles from newspapers, a small children's magazine called Apples of Gold (1879), a book by one of the Coffin relations entitled A List of Wrecks of Nantucket (1877), and printed fliers and newspapers. Most of the articles either pertain to the Coffin family or to Nantucket subjects.

Box 2

Series VI. NC1062/VI Albums, 1884-1912.

Two albums were included in this collection; one is a scrapbook compiled by Ida Pullman Coffin (1885-1927), the other is an autograph album which belonged to Ida (1884-1912).

Series VII. NC1062/VII Photographs.

Several hundred photographs were donated with this collection; most are of individuals in the Coffin family and are identified. The earliest image in this series is a daguerreotype of Ann Amelia Gardner dating from the 1840s; many others date from the 1870s to around 1900. A family tradition appears to have been that of posing yearly for a portrait which was subsequently given as a Christmas gift. These portraits are usually of individuals but several fine group portraits of the Coffin brothers and the Coffin wives are also present. All photographs have been transferred to the photo archives of the Special Collections Department.