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25-431: The house began in 1678 as a simple structure of two or possibly three rooms on land owned by Tristram Coffin, Jr, son of Tristram Coffin , who had left the area for Nantucket by this time. About 1713 the house was more than doubled in size, with new partitions added. In 1785, two Coffin brothers legally divided the structure into two separate dwellings, each with its own kitchen and living spaces. The property remained within

50-477: A candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act; several pairs of short-eared owl ( Asio flammeus ); piping plover ( Charadrius melodus ), a U.S. threatened species; least tern ( Sterna antillarum ); northern harrier ( Circus cyaneus ) and common tern ( Sterna hirundo ). The southeast end of the island has a grass airstrip, Tuckernuck Airport , which is seldom used. Tuckernuck

75-415: A large part of the island to Coffin and his associates for eighty pounds. He built a corn mill in which he employed many of the local Native Americans , and he employed others on his farm. In 1671 Coffin and Thomas Macy were selected as spokesmen for the colonists, going to New York in 1671 to meet with Governor Francis Lovelace and secure their claim to Nantucket. As the most wealthy and respected of

100-600: A prominent citizen of the settlement. A great number of his descendants became prominent in North American society, and many were involved in the later history of Nantucket during and after its heyday as a whaling center. Almost all notable Americans with roots in Nantucket are descended from Tristram Coffin, although Benjamin Franklin was an exception. Tristram Coffin was born to Peter and Joanna (Kember) Coffin and baptized in

125-443: A thousand or more roseate terns ( Sterna dougallii ), a U.S. endangered species, feed near here in preparation for their southward migration. Extensive sandspits on Tuckernuck are favored haul-out points for large numbers of harbor and gray seals ( Phoca vitulina and Halichoerus grypus , respectively). The island also supports many other state and federally rare species, including Nantucket shadbush ( Amelanchier nantucketensis ),

150-435: Is about 50 feet (15 m). The island is privately owned by its summer residents. Approximately 35 houses have been built on Tuckernuck; the oldest home on the island was built in the mid-18th century. The island has no paved roads or public utilities. Electricity is generated by gasoline-powered generators and solar panels . Water comes from several wells on the island and water heaters are generally gasoline-powered, as are

175-475: Is said to have used a plow that he had made himself to cultivate the land. It was here that his last four children were born. In 1648 he left the farm and moved to Newbury, Massachusetts . Here he operated a ferry across the Merrimack River and he and his wife ran a tavern. In 1653 his wife was "presented" for selling beer above the legal price of two pennies per quart. However, she was acquitted when it

200-669: The American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars and became an admiral in the British Royal Navy . He founded a school on the island in 1827 to educate descendants of Tristram Coffin – which included almost all the children on the island – with emphasis on nautical skills. Lucretia Coffin Mott (1793–1880) was a Quaker born on Nantucket, who became a prominent abolitionist and women's rights activist. She helped write

225-632: The House of Lords and limit the king's powers. Things came to a head when Charles raised his royal standard at Nottingham in August 1642, and England soon descended into Civil War (1642–1651). Tristram Coffin's brother John received a mortal wound at Plymouth fort, although it is not known exactly when or even which side he was fighting on. Perhaps for reasons associated with these political upheavals, Tristram Coffin decided to leave his estates in England and emigrate to

250-526: The Coffin family until acquired by Historic New England in 1929. Although the house was traditionally dated to 1654 (by Joshua Coffin, author of the 1845 history of Newbury), recent scientific studies have provided more accurate estimates. In 2002, the Oxford Tree-ring Laboratory analyzed wooden beams from the structure and ascertained that donor trees were felled in winter 1676–1677 and 1677–1678 for

275-598: The Declaration of Sentiments during the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, and will be included on the back of the U.S. $ 10 bill to be newly designed by 2020. Some branches of the Coffin family were prominent in New England, grouped among the so-called Boston Brahmins . For example, Benjamin Franklin's grandfather, Peter Folger's son's granddaughter, Anna Folger (1702-1748 (married William Starbuck (1699-1780) and it

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300-928: The Northeast United States, from Long Island, NY, to Cape Cod, MA. Dominant species include little bluestem ( Schizachyrium scoparium ), bearberry ( Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ), and low ericaceous shrubs (Family: Ericaceae ). There are extensive areas of scrub oak ( Quercus ilicifolia ) vegetation of up to 15 feet (4.6 m) in height, along with pitch pine ( Pinus rigida ), black huckleberry ( Gaylussacia baccata ) and sweet pepperbush ( Clethra alnifolia ). Red maple ( Acer rubrum ) and black gum ( Nyssa sylvatica ) trees occur in kettlehole swamps. Other plants include American beachgrass ( Ammophila breviligulata ), seaside goldenrod ( Solidago sempervirens ), poison ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans ), bayberry ( Myrica pensylvanica ), beach plum ( Prunus maritima ), saltspray rose ( Rosa rugosa ) and other shrubs on

325-557: The Pulitzer Prize in 1936 for his book of collected poems called Strange Holiness . Tuckernuck Island 41°18′8″N 70°15′26″W  /  41.30222°N 70.25722°W  / 41.30222; -70.25722 Tuckernuck is an island in the town and former whaling port of Nantucket , Massachusetts , west of Nantucket Island and east of Muskeget Island . Its name allegedly means "a loaf of bread". The island has an area of about 900 acres (360 hectares). The highest point

350-569: The colonists, Coffin was appointed chief magistrate of Nantucket on 29 June 1671. After a period where Macy served as Chief magistrate, in 1677 Coffin was again appointed chief magistrate for a term of four years. Tristram Coffin died on 2 October 1681 at the age of 72. During the years before his death, he had bestowed much of his property on his children and grandchildren. He was buried on his property on Nantucket Island. At his death he left seven children, 60 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. One of his grandchildren calculated that by

375-426: The family links to Nantucket after the whaling industry had collapsed and many people had left the island. In the eighth generation, Elizabeth Coffin (1850–1930), an artist, educator and Quaker philanthropist, was known for her paintings of Nantucket and for helping revive Sir Isaac Coffin's school with a new emphasis on crafts. Among the ninth generation, Robert P. T. Coffin (1892–1955) was an American poet who won

400-516: The home was Lucy Coffin. Coffin House is owned by Historic New England . 42°48′00″N 70°51′48″W  /  42.8000°N 70.8633°W  / 42.8000; -70.8633 Tristram Coffin (settler) Tristram Coffin (or Coffyn ) (c. 1609 – 2 October 1681) was an immigrant to Massachusetts from England . In 1659 he led a group of investors that bought Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew for thirty pounds and two beaver hats. He became

425-455: The new world. Tristram Coffin sailed to Boston in 1642 with his wife and children, his two sisters and his mother. For a short time he ran an inn in Salisbury, Massachusetts . He then moved to the new settlement of Pentucket, now Haverhill, Massachusetts . His name appears on a deed dated 15 November 1642 recording the sale of the land for the settlement by the local American Indian people. He

450-469: The original structure, and winter 1712–1713 for the addition. This revised dating means that the Coffin House may no longer be the earliest example of the principal rafter /common purlin roof, although even so it is certainly one of the oldest extant examples. In 1785, two of the brothers of the Coffin family legally divided the house into two separate dwelling areas. The last Coffin-surnamed resident of

475-435: The parish of Brixton near Plymouth , England, on 11 March 1609–10. He belonged to the landed gentry. He married Dionis Stevens in 1630 and they were to have nine children, the first five born in England. Coffin was a Brixton church warden from 1639 to 1640, and was a constable in 1641. Charles I inherited the throne of England in 1625 and initiated a long struggle with his parliament, which wanted to abolish bishops from

500-416: The stabilized dunes. There are a few small freshwater marshes and a salt marsh dominated by cordgrass ( Spartina alterniflora ). The largest concentration of Long-tailed Duck ( Clangula hyemalis ) in the western Atlantic occurs nearby (counts of over 150,000 have been recorded), along with thousands of common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ) and three species of scoter ( Melanitta spp.). In late summer

525-480: The stoves. The island has some cars, but most of the motorized transportation is provided by golf carts . Tuckernuck was originally formed by the terminal moraine of the last glacial episode ( Wisconsin glaciation ). It still retains remnants of the moraine as low hills, but the southern half of the island consists of outwash plains ( sandur ) characterized by coastal heathland , a globally restricted and endangered plant community. Coastal heathland occurs only in

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550-577: The year 1728, the number of his descendants was 1582, of whom 1328 were still alive. Several of his descendants achieved prominence. His daughter Mary Coffin Starbuck became a leader in introducing Quaker practices into Nantucket. A grandson, James Coffin, was the first of the Coffins to enter into the whaling business. A poem by Thomas Worth written in 1763 says six Captains named Coffin were sailing out of Nantucket. Sir Isaac Coffin (1759–1839) served during

575-427: Was found that her beer was much stronger than the ordinary. Coffin sold the inn and ferry in 1654 or 1655 and moved to Salisbury, Massachusetts, where he signed himself "Tristram Coffyn, Commissioner of Salisbury". Tristram Coffin and other Salisbury investors bought Nantucket island from Thomas Mayhew on 2 July 1659. The purchase price was 30 pounds plus two beaver hats made by his son, also called Tristram. Coffin

600-536: Was his ancestors that opened a trading post that served coffee, thus being the original first Starbuck's business. Elizabeth Coffin, daughter of a wealthy merchant from Nantucket, was mother of the prominent Massachusetts industrialists Henry Coffin Nevins and David Nevins Jr. Charles A. Coffin (1844–1926) born in Somerset, Massachusetts, became co-founder and first President of General Electric corporation. Some retained

625-459: Was the prime mover of the enterprise and was given first choice of land. In 1659 he settled near the western end of the island near Capaum pond. His sons Peter Coffin, Tristram Coffin Junior and James Coffin also received land on the island. Soon after settling, Tristram Coffin purchased the thousand-acre Tuckernuck Island at the western end of Nantucket. On 10 May 1660 the sachems conveyed title to

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