BIO: John D. COFFIN, Beaver County, PA
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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.
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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.