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I've been going over my COFFIN line, and revisited Jim White's 1999 posting on GenForum. I'm posting the following in response as a new topic, so it gets some prominence.
I agree with Jim's opinion that Nicholas Coffin, presumed ancestor of the Nantucket COFFINs, was not likely the son of Peter and Mary. Mary's memorial plaque says she was 71 yrs. old in Sep. 1622, making her birthdate BET Sep. 1550/ Sep. 1551. Nicholas is reported to have been b. Nov. 1561, making his mother 9 or 10 years old when he was born.
I have seen Mary's gravemarker on the web, but nothing showing Nicholas' birth- or christening-date. Familysearch offers the following:
Nickolas (Nicholas) COFFIN (COFFYN) Compact Disc #4 Pin #874979 (AFN: 8XNR-2R) Sex: M
Birth: Nov 1561 Butler's Parish, Brixton, Devonshire, England
Christening: 1568 Butler's Parish, Brixton, Devonshire, England
Death: 8 Oct 1613 Butler's Parish, Brixton, Devonshire, England
Burial: 3 Nov 1613 Brixton, Devonshire, England
Spouse: Joan AVENT Disc #4 Pin #874980
Marriage: 1583 , Brixton, Devon, England
Submission Search: 516748-082999211538
Nicholas Coffin Compact Disc #34 Pin #480758 Sex: M
Birth: 15 Nov 1561 Butlers Parish, Brixton, Devonshire, England
Death: 8 Oct 1613 Butlers Parish, Brixton, Devonshire, England
Father: Peter Coffin Disc #34 Pin #480759
Mother: Mary Boscawen Disc #34 Pin #480761
Spouse: Joan Disc #34 Pin #480762
Submitter lawrence MOODY 819 avenida loma vista, san dimas, ca, 91773, United States of America
Submission Search: 1408750-0806101221129
There are many, many more listings showing a birthdate of "Nov. 1561". Only one IGI site gives the "birth" (not christening) date as "1568 Butlass, Brixton, Devon, England". "Butlass" is interpreted by another as "Butler's Parish", but the submitter claims no certainty about the year -- "ABOUT 1568". None of the IGI listings give a "christening" date of 1568 -- that honor belongs to Family Search AFN: 8XNR-2R above, a "pedigree research file". No source is given.
None of the IGI listings give 1561 as a christening year; only a birth year. Some list "NOV" as the month, and some venture no further than to give "About 1561". None of the IGI listings gives "15 NOV" as the birthdate. Since Nicholas died 8 Oct. 1613, I assume that some marker, somewhere, shows his age at death as "Aged 52 years", or something to that effect.
The only source shown was:
"Film or fiche number 1260967 Film/fiche search results
Patron ordinance submission sheets, 1969-1991 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Society"
For what it's worth, the "1561" entries outnumber the "1568"s by 16:4. Some researchers, insisting on keeping Mary Boscowan as Nicholas' mother, have attempted to "fix" things by pushing her birthdate back to 1545; but I have seen the photo of the plaque on the web: She was b. 1550/51. This puts a MAJOR kabbotch on the "Peter & Mary" theory that is so widely bandied about as fact. James White's observations at
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?Boscawen::coffin::439.html
(noting that Nicholas was merely a "husbandman", whereas Mary's husband Peter was a "gentleman"), made some nine years ago, are still valid.
I've been keeping my eyes open for years now, hoping to see some resolution of this problem, but see nobody coming forward. "THE COFFIN LINE" at
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~parisho/c/coffin.html
notes that there are problems concerning verifying COFFIN origins, but the author makes no mention of the "Boscowan" issue. The following item is instructive, though:
"TRISTRAM COFFIN
Birth: ABT 1525 in Butlers, Parish of Brixton, Co. Devonshire, England
Death: abt 1602 in co. Devonshire, England
Will: 16 Nov 1601 Parish of Brixton, Co. Devonshire, England
"TRISTRAM COFFIN, of Butlers, parish of Brixton, county of Devon, England, made his will 16 November 1601, which was proved at Totness, in the same county, in 1602. He left legacies to Joan, Anne and John, children of Nicholas Coffin; Richard and Joan, children of Lionel Coffin; Philip Coffin and his son Tristram; and appointed Nicholas, son of Nicholas Coffin, his executor.
"Nicholas Coffin, of Butlers, in the same parish, in his will dated 12 September 1613, and proved 3 November 1613, mentions his wife, Joan; sons, Peter, Tristram, Nicholas and John; daughter, Ann; and Joan, a daughter of one of his sons. He was grandfather of the emigrant to New-England. Peter Coffin, of Brixton, by his will dated 21 December 1627, and proved 13 March 1628, provides that his wife, Joan, shall have possession of the land, &c., during her life, and that then said property shill go to his son and heir, Tristram, "who is to be provided for according to his degree and calling;" and that his son John is to have certain property when he shall be twenty years of age. He speaks of his daughters, Joan, Deborah, Eunice and Mary, as being under twenty years of age. He refers to his tenement, called Silferhay, in Butlers, and to his brother Nicholas. He was father of the emigrant."
The author goes on to give Nicholas (s/o Tristram of the 1601 will) as b. 1555 in Devonshire, and his son Nicholas ("Nicholas s/o Nicholas Coffin, his executor" in Tristram's will) b. 1587 "in England". Nicholas' older brother Peter (~1580-1627/28) is then shown as the father of Tristram (b. 4 Mar. 1608/09 Bhirxham, Plymouth, Devonshire), the immigrant. Nicholas (~1580-) m. Joanna Kember/ Thember, and Nicholas (~1555-) m. Johan Avant. Tristram (~1525-) is shown as descended anciently of Sir Richard Coffin; but no attempt is made to establish a connection (Thank God!).
Those birthdates make sense, and leave no room for Mary Boscowan (b. 1550/51) to have been the mother of Nicholas (b. ~1555). That Nicholas' father is shown as Tristram Coffin (b. ~1525).
I hope this has been helpful. If anyone finds a good primary source (grave inscription, probate, will, etc.) to settle the matter one way or t'other, please let us all know.
Michael Shoemaker
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