John Coffin (c. 1751 – May 12, 1838) was an army officer, merchant, judge and political figure in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

. He represented King's in the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...

from 1785 to 1816. He was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, the son of Nathaniel Coffin and Elizabeth Barnes. Coffin entered the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and fought at the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

. He became a major in the Orange Rangers in 1777, serving in New Jersey and New York, and later transferred to the New York Volunteers, which saw action in Georgia and South Carolina. In 1781, he married Ann Mathews. Coffin became a major in the

King's American Regiment The King's American Regiment, also known as the "Associated Refugees", were a Loyalist regiment during the American Revolutionary War. The King's American Regiment was raised on Staten Island in the Province of New York in December 1776 by Colon ...

in 1782. In 1783, he was placed on

half pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the Eng ...

and brought his family to what is now New Brunswick. Coffin acquired a large estate from Beamsley Perkins Glasier, where he built a

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

and a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

. He also sold fish, lumber and rum. Coffin was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and a judge in the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1812, he was named to the New Brunswick Council. Coffin raised the New Brunswick Fencibles during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. In 1819, he was given the rank of full general. In 1817, Coffin moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

but he retained his position on the New Brunswick Council until 1828. He later returned to New Brunswick and died in Westfield Parish. His brother

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

became a prominent land owner in Quebec. General John Coffin was buried along with his son Nathaniel in St. Peter's Cemetery at Woodman's Point where the Nerapis meets the Saint John River. Their markers, under a huge Oak tree simply read General Coffin age 87, Nath Coffin age 15.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coffin, John 1838 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Year of birth uncertain Colony of New Brunswick judges Members of the Legislative Council of New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick people