BIO: John D. COFFIN, Beaver County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja & Joe Patterson Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/beaver.html http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/beaver/bios/bbios.htm Index for this bio book. _________________________________________________________________ BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES. This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Buffalo, N.Y., Chicago, Ill.: Biographical Publishing Company, 1899, pp. 319-322. _________________________________________________________________ DR. JOHN D. COFFIN, deceased, was for many years a most distinguished physician of Beaver Valley. Having an established reputation before locating there in 1865, he soon acquired an extensive practice. His profound knowledge of therapeutics and his most thorough manner of diagnosing, first gained for him the confidence of the people in a professional way, and as closer relationships sprang up he became the honored friend of his patients. In the latter years of his life he lived in partial retirement in Beaver Falls, just retaining sufficient practice to employ his time. The Coffins are an old English family with genealogical records dating back to the twelfth century. The family is one of the most prominent in New England, and includes many bankers and men of mark in all professions. At the family reunion held at Nantucket in 1884, there were about eight hundred names registered as descendants of a common ancestry, who were then living. The first of the line in America was Tristam Coffin, who came from Devonshire, England, early in the seventeenth century and settled at Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. In the course of time one branch of the Coffin family went over to Newburyport, Mass., and settled there. It is from this latter branch that Dr. Coffin is descended. He was born in Newburyport, Mass., in 1809, and was a son of Nathan E. and Eunice (Emory) Coffin. Nathan E. Coffin was a well-known ship builder of Newburyport, Mass., but about the year 1820, he relinquished that occupation and moved to New Lisbon, Ohio, where he became a contractor. Upon moving to Allegheny, subsequently, he retired to enjoy the benefits of his industrious past. His wife died there, of cholera, and he survived her some years, dying in 1854. Their children were: Charles, at one time a celebrated judge of the Cincinnati courts; Emory, deceased, who was a practitioner of medicine; Gardiner, who became a wealthy manufacturer; Harrison, at one time president of the Des Moines Loan & Trust Company, who was succeeded by his son; Carey, a merchant; Emeline McMillan, whose husband is a printer of Pittsburg; Harriet (Nesbit); and John D., the gentleman whose name heads these lines. John D. Coffin received his intellectual training in the common schools of Newburyport, Mass., and after his parents removed to New Lisbon, Ohio, he began the study of medicine under Dr. McCook. After thoroughly mastering the science, he began to practice at New Lisbon in 1830, remaining there for five years, and moving to Petersburg, Ohio, in 1835. 320 BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES After practicing there for a period of fifteen years' duration, he located in Westmoreland county, Pa., where he continued with much success until 1865. He then secured a good practice in Rochester, Beaver county, Pa., where he remained for ten years. Possessing some property at Homewood, he then betook himself there to follow his profession. These years of hard and continuous labor resulted in placing him in good financial circumstances, and in September, 1882, he decided to retire, as he was getting old, and moved to Beaver Falls. But inactivity was not suited to one of his energetic nature, and we soon find him again caring for a limited practice, a few old patients, just enough to keep him moderately busy. The Doctor was called to his final rest in August, 1893, aged eighty-four years. Doctor Coffin was united in marriage, in 1851, with Margaret Harrah, who came of one of the pioneer families of Western Pennsylvania, and was a daughter of William and Eliza (Stewart) Harrah. Her grandfather was also William Harrah, who was born in Massachusetts, in 1767, and followed the occupation of a farmer. He later moved to Petersburg, Ohio, in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and became one of the very early pioneers. He bought a farm of four hundred acres of wild land, on which, after making a clearing, he built a log house. He then built a fine frame house, in which he lived the remainder of his days. He was a devout Presbyterian and served as elder a great many years. He left the following children: William; Hugh; Samuel; John; Nancy (Nesbit); Margaret (Adams); and Mary (Watson). William Harrah, the father of Mrs. Coffin, was born in Massachusetts and removed to Petersburg, Ohio, with his parents, making the trip by wagon. They did their own cooking and lived in the wagon, and at the end of six weeks they arrived at the end of their journey. He received his educational training in the schools of Beaver county, and took up the occupation of a miller, building what was probably the first mill in the county, on Beaver Creek, near Enon Valley. He followed that until he reached his declining years, and then opened a small grocery store, from which he realized a sufficient amount to spend his last days in easy circumstances. He married Elizabeth Stewart in 1826, and they had seven children, namely: Harvey; Jane; Margaret; Mary (Magee); James Ritner of Beaver, Pa.; Stewart; and Laura (Fowler), of Vanport, Pennsylvania. Harvey died young. Jane (Saltsman) is deceased; her husband was a very successful merchant of Saltsman Station, Jefferson county, Pa., and also a wealthy land owner. Stewart is a physician residing in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. Margaret was born near Enon Valley, in Lawrence county, Pa., and was a pupil in the public schools. At the early age of 18 years, she was married to Dr. Coffin, and they had the following children: Lizzie; Jennie E.; Ella (Strock), whose husband is a real estate and insurance agent; Matilda; Anna M.; John W.; and Laura M. Lizzie Coffin was born in 1853, in Peters- BEAVER COUNTY 321 burg, Pa., is a graduate of Beaver College and Edinboro State Normal School. Prior to her marriage she taught school in New Brighton and is now teaching in the public schools of Chicago. She married W. Fitch, who, after graduating from Oberlin College, was principal of a Chicago high school. He died in Honduras while representing the Honduras Land & Fruit Company. They had one child, Alice. Jennie E. (Sunderlin), whose husband read law and then took up teaching, lives at Tekamah, Nebraska, where Mr. Sunderlin is principal of the Tekamah public schools. He is a native of Michigan. She was graduated from the Edinboro State Normal School and taught at New Brighton for some years. Matilda (Ford), who enjoys a national reputation as an educator and a lecturer on institute work, was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., in 1861, and attended Beaver College and the Edinboro State Normal School. She taught two years at New Brighton and one year in the Beaver Falls High School, after which she took a course of study in the Cook County Normal School under Col. F. W. Parker. She held a position as instructor in that institution for three years, when she accepted a similar position in Millersville (Pa.) State Normal School; still later she was employed as principal of the Model School, for three years. Becoming interested in institute work, she lectured in every state in the Union, and established a high reputation throughout the country, which brought her many handsome offers at a high salary. She became assistant principal of the public schools of Detroit, and continued thus for five years, having three hundred teachers under her direction. In 1897, she was united in marriage with Franklin Ford, a member of a well-known commercial agency firm in the city of New York. She was offered the position of assistant principal of the schools of that city at a salary of $4,000, but this she declined. She is a successful lecturer on geography and reading, and, with one exception, she has been offered the highest salary ever offered to a woman. She contemplates a public career and her future certainly has a brilliant outlook. Anna M., who was educated in the Edinboro (Pa.) State Normal and the Cook County (Ill.) State Normal schools, is now attaining considerable success as a teacher in the public schools of Chicago. John W. Coffin was born in Greensburg, Pa., and obtained his primary education in the schools of Beaver Falls and in the high school of that place. He then studied medicine at Cleveland, and was graduated from the Western Reserve University in 1839, receiving the degree of M. D. He built up an excellent practice in Beaver Falls, being located at No. 1402 Seventh avenue. He was appointed surgeon with the rank of lieutenant, in the National Guards, by Gov. Pattison, and, on May 1, 1898, he enlisted in the same grade in the 10th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and accompanied the regiment to Manila, helping to establish its brilliant record, there made. Dr. Coffin is also interested in con- 322 BOOK OF BlOGRAPHIES siderable realty. He is a member of the Masonic order and of the Elks. Laura M. Coffin, who was born in Rochester, Pa., October 23, 1870, attended the public schools of Beaver Falls, and graduated from the high school there. She took a course of study under Col. Parker in the Cook County (Ill.) State Normal School, after which she taught for one year in the Beaver Falls public schools. She is a young woman of many admirable traits of character, and her friends and acquaintances in the vicinity of Beaver Falls are numberless. Dr. John D. Coffin, deceased, was an independent Democrat in politics, but respectfully declined all offices. Religiously, he was a conscientious member of the First Christian church. Socially, he was a prominent member of the Masonic order.