Stephen Coffin, An Oregon Pioneer

By Connie Lenzen, CGSM1


Article written for the June 2000 issue of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon's Bulletin.

Connie Lenzen was hired to find the names of Stephen Coffin's first wife and of his children. This article is the result.

The search is an example of how to research early Oregon settlers.The author is not a Coffin descendant and has no additional information on the family.

Stephen Coffin (1807-1882) was one of the original owners of the townsite that became Portland, Oregon. Biographies extolling his virtues can be found, yet all are silent regarding his family.

Coffin married twice and had children by both wives. Only the name of Lucina, his second wife, is found in printed sources. Lucina (Pickering) Hill Coffin was a co-owner of their Oregon Donation Land Claim, and therefore, her first name is given in the claim files.2 Coffin was a large property owner, but there is no probate to list his heirs in either Multnomah County, where he had his extensive holdings, or Yamhill County where he died.3

The names of Coffin's first wife and his children's names were uncovered by reading censuses, piecing together bits of data in manuscript collections, newspaper clippings lovingly pasted into scrapbooks at the Oregon Historical Society, newspaper indexes, Oregon territorial papers, and in an Oregon Supreme Court case.

As one of the founders of Portland, it seems as if his obituary would give some information about his family. Unfortunately, the one in the Portland Oregonian did not. Coffin died in Dayton, Oregon, and there is no extant Dayton newspaper. The microfilmed roll with issues of the Yamhill County Reporter, the newspaper for the Yamhill County seat, is missing issues around the date of his death.4

One would suppose that published biographies would tell us about Coffin and his family. A memorial, typical of information printed about him, is found in the 4 December 1900 issue of the Portland Oregonian5

"General Stephen Coffin, prominently identified with the early history of Portland, was born in Maine in 1807 and came across the plains in 1847. He located at Oregon City, and by frugality and enterprise amassed a considerable amount of money, and in 1849 purchased a half interest in the Portland land claim, associating himself with D. H. Lownsdale. The partnership was later joined by Colonel W. W. Chapman. General Coffin was a leader in promoting the initial enterprises of Portland. With his partners he resolved to operate an opposition steamship line between this city and San Francisco. The Pacific Mail had established its river terminus at St. Helens. With his partners and others he purchased for $18,000 the steamship Gold Hunter, which proved a very unfortunate investment. The ship was run off to Central America through the treachery of agents and sold for debt, and a large balance was charged up to the stockholders. General Coffin was the prime mover in the project of building the wagon road to Tualatin Plains, which cut so important a figure in the development of Portland's business. He took a leading part in the organization, 1860, of the People's Transportation Company, and was vice-president and manager of the corporation, which for many years controlled the transpiration on the Willamette River. For some time it carried on sharp competition with the Oregon Steam Navigation Company on the Columbia River. About 1866 he took a large interest in the Oregon Iron Works, which was destroyed by fire and netted him a loss of about $40,000. He took an active part in promoting the Oregon central road, west side. He built by contract about 20 bridges. He was a member of and a large contributor to the Patrons of Husbandry in Oregon, and with others organized the order into a business known as the Northwestern Storage & Shipping Company. He was associated with various business enterprises, and took a very active and prominent part in matters for the general welfare of the public. He donated to the City of Portland its public levee and gave largely to churches and schools. The first church and school bell in the city was purchased by General Coffin. When the Yakima Indian War broke out he was the first man to move for the defense of the settlers. He provided a steamboat at his own expense, with provisions and blankets, to transport troops for the defense of the settlers. In 1863 Governor Gibbs made Mr. Coffin Brigadier-General of the Oregon militia. He is altogether one of the best-remembered and highest-esteemed of the original town proprietors. He died at Dayton, Yamhill County, March 16, 1882."

Coffin either valued his privacy, or his family was not considered newsworthy. We find nothing about his wife or his children. In fact, there is nothing to even suggest he had a wife and children. We will see later that litigation over the above-named public levee assisted in naming his children.

Note: a Portland, Oregon woman read this article when it was published in the Genealogical Forum of Oregon's Bulletin. She went on a research trip to Maine, and while there, found this birth record:

Mosher, E. M. 1989. Vital records of Albion, Maine, prior to 1892. Picton Press [Camden, Me]. 394p.

Albion is in Kennebec Co., ME, 27 miles northeast of Augusta; originally named Freetown 1802, became Fairfax 1804, Ligonia 1821, and Albion 1823.

Probably all these are children of Hezekiah and Susanna Coffin, but the note "the foregoing are the children of Hezekiah and Susan Coffin" is printed between the entries for Lusunda and Stephen.

Richard Coffin b. 9 Oct 1801
Miranda Coffin b. 3 Sep 1803
Lusunda Coffin b. 10 Aug 1805
Stephen Coffin b. 4 May 1807
Sarahan Coffin b. 5 March 1809

Censuses

We are taught to locate people on each and every census. Censues provide a snapshot of the family on a particular date in time.

 

1850 Multnomah County, Oregon census:

Beginning in 1850, the Federal censuses list everyone living in a household. On 7 December 1850, the census taker arrived at the Coffin home in Portland. No woman of an age to be Mrs. Coffin was listed in the household. Relationships are not given on the 1850 census, so we do not know for sure if the Coffin children are his children. However, subsequent research will prove that they are. 6

 
Coffin, Stephen, 40, merchant, Maine
Coffin, Hezekiah, 17, Ind.
Coffin, George, 13, Ind.
Coffin, Abigail, 11, Ohio
Coffin, Stephen C. Jr., 7, Ohio

Listed at the next dwelling is the Elijah Hill family. In 1852, Mrs. Hill will become Stephen Coffin's second wife.

Hill, Elijah, 35, merchant, Mass.
Hill, Lucy A, 31, Mass.
Hill, Chas. H., 13, Vt.
Hill, Charlotte H, 11, Vt.
Hill, Franklin, 8, N.Y.
Hill, Clarissa B, 2, O. T.

 

1850 Oregon Mortality Schedule

In 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880, there were additional questions that the census taker asked each household. The answers were published as separate "schedules." One of these is the 1850 Mortality Schedule, a listing of "persons who died during the year ending 1st June 1850". The mortality schedules have been indexed, and the index for 1850 Oregon shows a Charles Coffin, Washington County, age 8 months, died April 1850.7 [Note: Portland was in Washington County in 1850.]

In genealogy, we are told to not rely upon indexes and to look at the original record. Going one step closer to the original, the microfilm of the Mortality Schedule was examined.8 This film, located at the Genealogical Forum Library, revealed more information. "Chas." Coffin was 8/12 months. He died in "Apl" of unknown causes after being ill for seven days.

The parents of Charles Coffin are not named in the Mortality Schedule. Since there is no other Coffin family in the 1850 Oregon census,9 chances are high that Charles Coffin was the son of Stephen Coffin. This suggests that the first Mrs. Coffin was alive in August 1849 in order to give birth to Charles Coffin.

 

Territorial Census:

Oregon Territorial censuses were taken prior to the Federal 1850 census. They have been preserved and microfilmed by the Oregon State Archives in Salem and are indexed in the "Territorial and Provisional Government Papers Index." The card index, located both at the Oregon Historical Society Library in Portland and the Oregon State Archives in Salem, shows Stephen Coffin is listed on the 1849 Clackamas County and 1850 Washington County censuses.

On the 1849 Clackamas County Territorial census, with a census date of March 1, 1849, we find the Stephen Coffin family. As with many of these interim censuses, only the name of the head of household is given. There are three males under 21 years, one male over 21 years, and three females in the Coffin household.10 From the 1850 Territorial census where names were given, we know there was an Abigail (born 1839) in the household. Adding Mrs. Coffin, we have two females, leaving one "unknown."

In the 1850 Washington County Territorial census, accepted on 8 May 1850, Stephen Coffin is listed with one male over 21 years of age, three males under 21, and the column for females over 18 has a number crossed out. It could be a 4, but it is very difficult to make out on the microfilm copy what is the number.11

 

1860 Multnomah County, Oregon census:

In 1860, we find Steven [sic] Coffin in Portland, Oregon. He is listed twice by the same census taker, D. B. Hannah. There are a number of discrepancies between the two listings.

The first listing, taken 14 June 1860.12 This one contains a bit more information than the second listing.

Coffin, Steven, 51, lessee of penitentiary, $100,000 real estate, $300 personal estate, born Maine
Coffin, Sussana, 35, Massachusetts
Coffin, Steven, Jr., 14, Ohio
Coffin, Willie, 6, Oregon
Coffin, Emma, 3, Oregon
Hill, Henry, 32, printer, $3000 personal estate, New York
Hill, Virginia, 18, Tennessee
Hill, Franklin, 18, printer, $2000 personal estate, Illinois
Hill, Clarrisa, 12, Oregon
Coffin, George, 22, prison keeper, $1000 real estate, 4200 personal estate, Indiana
Coffin, Elizabeth, 18, Miss
Coffin, Chas 1/12, Oregon

 

The second, taken 18 June 1860:13

Coffin, Steven, 48, town proprietor, $30,000 real estate
Coffin, Lucina, 41
Coffin, Steven, 15
Coffin, Willie, 5, Oregon
Coffin, Emma, 2, Oregon
Hill, Frank, 16, Tennessee
Hill, Clara, 11, Oregon
Hill, Chas H, 23, Tennessee

 

1870 Oregon Census:

Stephen Coffin is not listed in the 1870 Oregon census index.

 

1880 Yamhill County, Oregon census:

In 1880, we find the Stephen Coffin family living in Dayton, Yamhill County.14 A grandson, W. Vandenberg, is living with them.

Coffin, Stephen, 73, 10 months unemployed, has Rheumatism, born Maine, parents born Maine
Coffin, Ruta, [sic] 60, wife, keeping house, born R. I., father Mass., mother R. I.
Coffin, Wm. W., 25, son, herder, 3 months unemployed, Oregon, Maine, R. I.
Coffin, Ernest G, 16, son, at school, 4 months unemployed, Oregon, Maine, R. I.
Vandenberg, W. 6, grandson, born Wash. Terr, father ?, mother born Ohio
 

1880 Wasco County, Oregon census:

Stephen Coffin, the son, was living in Butte Creek Precinct, Wasco County, Oregon.15 The birth place of his mother is given as Maine.

Coffin, Stephen, 33, stock farmer, born Ohio, father born Maine, mother born Maine
Coffin, Sarah, 23, keeping house, Oregon, Ohio, Iowa
Coffin, Walter, 3, at home, Oregon, Ohio, Oregon
Coffin, Eddie, 1, at home, Oregon, Ohio, Oregon

Also living in Butte Creek Precinct is the George Coffin family.16 The birthplace of his mother is also given as Maine.

Coffin, George, 43, stock farmer, born Indiana, father born Maine, mother born Maine
Coffin, Alice, 36, wife, keeping house, Maryland, Maryland, Maryland
Coffin, Julia, 18, daughter, at home, Oregon, Indiana, Maryland

 

Cemetery Records

The first Portland city cemetery was known as the "Stark Cemetery" since it was on the Ben Stark donation claim. It was bounded by Ash, Second, Pine, and Third Streets. From a yellowing newspaper clipping found in the Oregon Historical Society vertical files, under "Cemeteries - Portland," we find this information.

"In 1850, Mrs. Wm. Berry, a daughter of the late Stephen Coffin, whose name is so indissolubly interwoven with the early history of Portland, was buried there. Soon after an infant son of Mr. Coffin was also interred in the cemetery."

No mention is made of Mrs. Coffin, so we still have no information on her.

Several years ago, this author read through all the slips of paper in a Lone Fir Cemetery manuscript collection at the Oregon Historical Society17 and then compiled a database.18 Two entries are found for the Stephen Coffin family:

There is no other person with the name of Mr. S. Coffin in Portland of an age to be the father of this boy. This clearly tells us that Chas. Coffin, the child listed on the 1850 Mortality Schedule, is the son of Stephen Coffin. We further learn that Coffin's wife's first name begins with the letter "S."

There is a discrepancy in the month of Charles Coffin's death. From the 1850 mortality schedule, it is April. From the cemetery record, it is January. Both records are secondary sources. The mortality schedule information was gathered on 7 December 1850; the cemetery record was constructed from sexton notes, and there is no way of telling when they were generated.

If we calculate Charles Coffin's birth date, based on the cemetery record, we have April 17, 1849. From the Mortality Schedule, we have August 1849.

 

Oregon Territorial Government Records

The index to the Oregon Provisional and Territorial Government Records Access Project,19 shows these citations:

Coffin, Susan; signer of Ladies petition against liquor. Document 1500. No date.
Coffin, Harriet; signer of Ladies petition against liquor. Document 1500. No date.
Coffin, Mary; signer of Ladies petition against liquor. Document 1501. No date.

Mary Coffin may be Stephen Coffin's daughter who wed William H. Berry and who died in 1850 and was buried at the Stark Cemetery in Portland.

The Provisional and Territorial Government microfilm containing Document 1500 was reviewed at the Oregon Historical Society. Document number 1500 is not a Ladies Petition. It is something quite different. There is no Document number 1501, and a note says that it is missing. The documents forward and backward from 1500 were checked as was document number 1600. No Ladies Petition. Somehow, the indexer wrote the wrong document number.

Even though we could not find the document with Susan Coffin's signature in this record group, the index provides verification that there was a Susan Coffin. There was also a Harriet Coffin. This brings us back to the 1850 Territorial Census where the number crossed out could have been a "4". Given that daughter Abigail was in the household, there could have also been Susan Coffin, a Mary Coffin, and Harriet Coffin - a total of four, suggesting that the number of women in the Coffin household was somehow reduced before May 1850.

We find a marriage indexed for Stephen Coffin and Susannah Allison in Franklin County, Indiana on 22 May 1827.20 From the 1850 Federal census, we know that several of Stephen Coffin's children were born in Indiana. We can not conclude that Susannah Allison is "our" Mrs. Coffin, but a family researcher may want to pursue this line of research.

 

Newspapers

Harriett Coffin's name is found in the index to the Oregon Spectator, the first Oregon newspaper. The citation leads to an 1848 newspaper article.21

Temperance Meeting

The Washingtonian Temperance Society met according to adjournment, in the Methodist Church, on Saturday evening, Dec. 18th. The meeting was opened by the Vice President taking the chair. [They prepared a memorial]

Resolved, that it is the sense of this meeting that the Organic Law of this Territory should be so amended as to prohibit the introduction, sale, and manufacture of all kinds of intoxicating drinks.. . .

On motion that the chair appoint a committee of three ladies, to draw up a memorial similar to the above, for presentation to the Hon. Legislature, now in session in this city, Miss Harriet Coffin, Mrs. Vandu[illegible] and Mary Leslie, were appointed that committee.

 

Lawsuits

After Stephen Coffin died, his children from his first marriage sued to regain some of his property. They first claimed that half of their father's land claim should have been given to their mother, and as her heirs, they were entitled to it. A newspaper article from the Portland Oregonian gives those details.

Great Law Suit Proposed22

Stephen Coffin's Heirs to Sue for Half the Property Owned by Him in Portland.

The Salem Statesman of Tuesday has the following statement: "S. C. Coffin, of this city, together with his sister, Mrs. L. Marvin, and his brother, G. A. Coffin, are preparing to bring suit for one-half of the Stephen Coffin donation land claim in Multnomah county, in which the principal portion of the city of Portland now stands. They claim that the patent should have been granted to their father and mother, as husband and wife, in pursuance of an act of congress of February 27, 1850, commonly called the donation law, and not to the father alone, as the commissioner of the general land office supposed. They have heretofore been advised by eminent lawyers of Portland that the suit could not be maintained by them until the death of their father, as his right as tenant by the courtesy would prevent their receiving the same until after his death. It will be remembered that General Coffin died a few weeks ago, and now they claim their right to the land has accrued to them. This is an important move, and will have a tendency to unsettle numerous titles to property in the city of Portland. The land now claimed is worth millions of dollars."

The Statesman is in error in saying that this claim covers "the principal portion" of the city of Portland. The Coffin claim may be described as follows: The northern boundary line begins at the foot of Madison street and runs west along Madison to Second street, thence along Second to Mill, thence along Mill west to the line of Carter's addition, which is between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets. The west boundary runs between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets south to about the intersection of Fourteenth and Elm streets. The southern boundary is formed by a diagonal line running parallel with Lincoln street and striking the intersection of Hall and Water streets, thence on to the river. This line is just at the point on all the streets parallel with the river where the bend is made for the South Portland system of streets. This would cloud all the titles on the south side of Mill and all of Montgomery, Harrison, Hall, College, Jackson, South and Myrtle streets; also the foot of Market, Clay, Columbia and Jefferson streets from Second street down to the river, and the south side of Madison street for the same distance, and takes in the city's public levee, about which there was so much said two years ago. The claim is a surprising one and if there is anything in it, will give probable employment to some of our great real estate lawyers who may be able to unravel this tangled title question.

A search of Marion County and Multnomah County Circuit Court indexes does not reveal this case ever went to trial.23 It may be that the children listened to the following advice, also from the Portland, Oregonian.

The Coffin Scare24

To the Editor of The Oregonian:

The owners of real estate in the Coffin claim need not be alarmed about their titles through the heirs of Stephen Coffin's first wife. The supreme court of Oregon (1 Oregon, 166), in the case of Ford vs Kennedy, from Polk county, in 1855, put the question at rest. The plaintiff in that case claimed as heir of Marcus and Amanda Ford, who died in 1849, prior to the donation act of September 27, 1850. That act donates land to every white settler "now [time of the act] residing in said territory, or who shall become a resident thereof, on or before December 1, 1850," * * "and if a married man * one section, " * * etc., "and in all cases where such married persons have complied with the provisions of this act so as to entitle them to the grant as above provided, whether under the late provisional government of Oregon or since, and either shall have died before patent issues, the heirs shall be entitled," etc. Chief Justice Williams, for the court, decided that such married persons meant only those living at the date of the donation act. He says: "Notice must be taken of that part of the above quoted clause which describes the married persons whose heirs may take: for it does not say "all" married persons, but "such" married persons, evidently referring to a class of married persons antecedently described. looking at the preceding part of section four we find that the right to take donations under that section is restricted to persons "now residing in said territory or who shall become residents thereof on or before Dec. 1, 1850." "Such," then, in that clause of the act first cited relates to the foregoing as well as to other qualifications of grantees under that section, and makes such clause mean as if it read: "In all cases, married persons new residing in, or who shall become residents," etc. When the donation act passed, in no sense could it be said of plaintiff's parents that they were then residing or ever afterwards became residents of Oregon; and manifestly, therefore, they did not fall within that class of persons entitled to the benefit of the 4th section.

This has been regarded as a settled rule of law governing titles in this state, and, besides its manifest soundness of construction, would hardly be overruled now after our citizens had acted on it for nearly thirty years.

Stephen Coffin's first wife died prior to 1850. There is no difference in principle between the two cases. The only difference in fact is that her husband survived her, but he was not a married man at the date of the donation act.

I am not surprised to hear that "eminent lawyers" advised that her heirs could not begin suit until after S. Coffin's death. The same lawyers will doubtless advise that no suit can ever be profitably commenced.

S. D.

 

The heirs sued again - this time, they claimed the land that Stephen Coffin gave to the City of Portland for a public dock was not properly given and accepted. Therefore, it should revert to them.25 The case was heard and dismissed. The heirs appealed, and the case went to the Oregon Supreme Court. The names of Coffin's children are given in the two cases. They are:

Stephen Coffin heirs:
Geo. A. Coffin
Stephen Coffin, Jr.
W. W. Coffin
James W. Coffin
Ernest Coffin
Heirs of his daughter, Lucinda Marvin, deceased 16 March 1887:
Geo S. Reed
Fred W. Reed
Albert F. Reed
Stephen G. Reed
Anna A. Barlow
May E. Reed

From the 1850 census, we know that George, Stephen, and Lucinda are from Stephen Coffin's first marriage. This gives us W. W. Coffin, James W. Coffin, and Ernest Coffin - presumably from his second marriage.

 

Stepchildren

Often, other relatives provide information about our families. In this case, Stephen Coffin had step-children. Charlotte (Hill) Powell, daughter of Elijah and Lucina Hill, was interviewed by Fred Lockley of the Oregon Journal newspaper. The undated article has been preserved in the Oregon Historical Society's Scrapbook #132 (page 252-253).

Recently I spent several hours with Mr. and Mrs. William S. Powell at 265 Eleventh street in this city. Mrs. Powell is a pioneer of 1847, and a step-daughter of Stephen Coffin. Mr. Powell came to Portland in 1852.

"My father's name was Elijah Hill. He was born in Massachusetts," said Mrs. Powell. "Mother's maiden name was Lucina Pickering. She was born in Rhode Island. They were married about 1835 in Massachusetts. I was the second child and was born on September 18, 1839, in Vermont. Their first child, Charles Henry Hill, was born in 1836. He lives in Orting, Wash. He was the first carrier boy employed to carry the Oregonian. In those days one carrier delivered all the papers. Later he learned to set type. He has followed typesetting all his life.

"When we started for the Willamette valley in 1847, there were four of us children - Henry, myself, Frank and Clark. Clark was the baby. He was not quite a year old. He died in the Black Hills country. Mother said one of the hardest things she ever had to do was to drive away from the new made grave and leave the baby who had never been away from her for a single night, alone in that barren and desolate land.

"Captain Cline was captain of our train. He brought out some blooded horses. I remember while we were passing through the Pawnee country, Captain Cline had driven ahead of the train. Presently he came back at a rapid gait and called out to corral the wagons. I don't think there were more than 40 fighting men in our train. They drove in a circle and got their guns ready. In a moment or two, several hundred Indians on horseback began coming in twos and threes and half dozens over the edge of the hill and riding down toward us. They were on the warpath, and were all painted up in reds and yellows. They were armed with bows and arrows and seemed to be anxious to attack us. Their chief made them stop and called for the captain of our train to come out. The chief and Captain Cline had a talk. Captain Cline told us the chief said his young men were angry because so many white people came through their country eating the grass and killing the game or scaring it away. He said if we would give them a feast, their hearts would be right toward us. Father was near the line of wagons with his gun. Mother stood in front of the wagon with an ax in her hands. We children were lying down in the wagon. One of the Indians pointed to mother and laughed and said: 'White woman big brave, big warrior.' Captain Cline said for each wagon to give whatever they had cooked up to the Indians. The Indians spread out two blankets. Mother had boiled our last ham the evening before, so she put it, very unwillingly, on the blanket. After the blankets had been heaped with bread and meat, the Indians wanted some salt, so each family gave one or more handfuls of salt. The Indians then rode away and we went on.

"We had a big yellow-brown dog named 'Watch.' It wasn't any particular breed; just an old fashioned dog. It was large and woolly like a collie dog, only larger. It hated Indians. They used to sneak around camp at night to steal. Watch would charge out at them savagely. One night an Indian shot him with an arrow between the eyes. It ripped his skin open for about four inches. That made him hate the Indians worse than ever. Captain Cline was afraid his blooded horses would be stolen, so he used to tie them to our wagon, knowing that Watch would set up an alarm if the Indians came near them.

"When we got to Dr. Whitman's mission, Dr. Whitman had just returned from The Dalles, where he had escorted a party of immigrants. We stayed there a few days. Dr. Whitman learned that my father was a skillful worker in leather and a good shoemaker, so he came to our camp and had a long talk with father. He wanted him to spend the winter at Wailatpu. Dr. Whitman told father he could give him employment all winter. Father thought well of it, but Captain Cline said: 'You don't want to stay here, Hill. You started for the Willamette Valley. You had better go there. And anyway, I can't get along without Watch to take care of my horses for me.' Mother didn't want to stay, so father decided to go on to the valley. Several of our party, however, concluded to stay, and they were murdered a few weeks later in the Whitman massacre."

 

In another Fred Lockley interview [Oregon Historical Society Scrapbook 43, pages 157-158], we learn this:

"My father, Elijah Hill died in Santiam City, not far from the present site of Jefferson, said Mrs. Helen Hall Powell of this city.

"L. B. Hastings, his business partner was appointed administrator of his estate. Mr. Hastings had come across the plains the same year we did. He closed up the business by . . . [rip in paper] . . . the store in Portland and [rip in paper] one at Santiam City. He went into partnership with F. R. Pettygrove. They built a schooner in 18 . . . [rip in paper] . . . went to Puget Sound where he started the city of Port Townsend. Mrs. Captain Crane of this city, is a daughter of L. B. Hastings.

"Daniel Lownsdale bought a half interest in Portland from F. W. Pettygrove for some leather he had on hand in his tanyard. As soon as he bought the interest in the Portland townsite he began trying to improve the town and get new settlers here. He interested Stephen B. Coffin of Oregon City, who became an equal partner with him in the townsite. They divided their interest into thirds instead of halves and gave a third . . . [smudge] . . . to W. W. Chapman for his work in taking care of their legal interest. They organized a townsite company. Mr. Coffin was made president and Mr. Chapman secretary of the company.

"Milwaukie was getting ahead of Portland. They had built the steamer Lot Whitcomb and it looked as though Portland would have to play second fiddle and in time become a suburb to Milwaukie. The Lot Whitcomb was running from Milwaukie to Astoria and wouldn't stop at Portland. The old Hunter, a sidewheel steamer, the first oceangoing steamer ever to dock at a Portland wharf, came up from San Francisco. They offered to sell the controlling interest in her for $60,000. Mr. Coffin, Mr. Lownsdale and Colonel Chapman bought her. They paid $21,000 cash and gave their note for the balance. They at once arranged to put the Gold Hunter on the run between Portland and San Francisco. The Pacific Mail Steamship company, desiring to build up St. Helens, where they had acquired considerable property, worked with Milwaukie to hurt Portland, which they feared as a possible rival of St. Helens. The Lot Whitcomb plied from Milwaukie to Oregon City, Vancouver and St. Helens. When the Gold Hunter went on the Portland-San Francisco run it broke the monopoly of the Pacific Mail Steamship company in building up Portland, hurt St. Helens, the town the Pacific Mail company had picked out for the metropolis of Oregon. Some shares in the Gold Hunter were sold to Portland residents aside from the owners of the Portland townsite. The Pacific Mail Steamship company quietly bought a few shares of Gold Hunter stock from these Portland owners ant then purchased the 49 per cent of the stock owned in San Francisco. This gave them control. They at once took the Gold Hunter off of the Portland run and sent it to San Francisco where it was allowed to stay at the dock and accumulate charges until it was sold for a trifle. My stepfather, Stephen Coffin, continued to pay on the Gold Hunter note and on other obligations incurred when he purchased it, almost to the day of his death. It kept him poor all his life.

"My mother married Stephen B. Coffin on March 3, 1852. They were married in my mother's house by Father Wilbur on March 3, 1852. The wedding was private, no one being present except Mr. Coffin's children and mother's children. I was only 12 years old and I cried as if my heart would break. I hated to see some stranger take my father's place. After their marriage we moved to his home at Second and Jefferson streets. I had no occasion for crying for Mr. Coffin was not only an excellent citizen but he was good to mother and kindness itself to we children. He was born at Bangor, Maine, in 1807 so he was 45 years old when he married my mother who was 33 years old. He settled at Oregon City in 1847. He had four children at home when he married mother. Stephen was about eight or nine years old. Abigail was about my age and George and Hezekiah were both older than I. There were four of Mr. Coffin's children and four of mother's children. You know the old saying, 'Your children and my children are fighting with our children.' Well, there wasn't much of that in our household. Mother saw to it that we got along peaceably.

"Mr. Coffin, my stepfather, was a very public-spirited man. He is Portland's original good roads enthusiast. He organized a company to build a wagon road to Washington county so the people there would trade in Portland. He organized a boat line on the Willamette river to bring the freight rates down. It was called the People's transportation company. He gave Portland its first school bell and church bell. It is still ringing out its summons and welcome from the belfry of the Taylor street Methodist church. He donated the public market block between Second and Third and Clay and Market streets to the city and he donated grounds for the public schools in place of asking three prices as they sometimes do today. With Mr. Gaston, he helped start the Oregon Central railroad. He died in March, 1882."

 

Names of children

Censuses, lawsuits, other relatives, and cemetery records have led us to the names of Stephen B. Coffin's children.

From his first marriage, they were:

Mary Coffin (wife of William H. Berry) who died in 1850;
Hezekiah Coffin, born about 1834 in Indiana;
Lucinda Coffin, born 1836 in Indiana (wife of Albert M. Marvin);
George A. Coffin, born about 1837 in Indiana;
Abigail M. Coffin, born about 1839 in Ohio (wife of Thomas Turner Eyre);
Stephen C. Coffin, born April 1845 in Ohio; and
Charles W. Coffin, born 1849, died 1850.

From his second marriage, the children were:

Maria Coffin, born 1853, died 1854;
William W. Coffin, born about 1855;
Emma Coffin, born about 1857, died 1860; and
Ernest G. Coffin, born 1864.

 

Conclusion:

This story illustrates the difficulty in tracing wives and children of prominent men. They are often eclipsed by the significance of the accomplishments of the husband and father. Bits and pieces of indirect evidence must be ferreted out and assembled so we can visualize the family.

 

1 Connie Lenzen, CG can be contacted at: clenzen@dialoregon.net.

2Claim 67, Stephen Coffin, Genealogical Material in Oregon Donation Land Claims Volume I (Portland, OR: Genealogical Forum of Portland, 1957), 3. From the published abstract of Stephen Coffin's Oregon Donation Land Claim:2

No. 67 COFFIN Stephen, Washington Co.; b 1807, Me; SC 15 Apr 1849; m Lucinda 4 Mar 1852, Washington Co., Ore. T. 1 Sept. 1853 purchased c #48 for $278.90. Aff: James M. Moore, Jane G. Moore, Charles W. Savage.

3Multnomah County, Oregon Probate Index and Yamhill County, Oregon Probate Index, on-line at Oregon State Archives, <http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/>

4 "Oregon Newspapers on Microfilm: The Current Holdings," The Oregon Newspaper Microfilming Project, on-line at: <http://libweb.uoregon.edu/govdocs/newsproj.htm>.

5 Oregonian, 4 December 1900, page 24, col. 2 & 3.

6 1850 US Census, pop. sch., Washington County, Oregon Territory, Portland, page 128, dwelling 82, family 82, NATF M432, Roll 742.

7 Ronald Vern Jackson, Oregon 1850 Mortality Schedule (Bountiful, UT; Accelerated Indexing Systems)

8 United States Census Schedules for Oregon, 1850. Schedule 3: Mortality. Filmed by Oregon State Archives, Public Records Loan Microfilm 71.

9 Ruby Lacy, Oregon Territory 1850 Census (Ashland, OR: the Author, 1984).

10 1849 Clackamas County Census. Oregon Territorial Document #3452. Located at Oregon Historical Society, Portland

11 1850 Washington County Census. Oregon Territorial Document #3450. Located at Oregon Historical Society, Portland.

12 1860 US Census, pop. sch., Multnomah County, Oregon, Portland, page 489 (stamped), dwelling 256, family 230.

13 1860 US Census, pop sch., Multnomah County, Oregon, Portland, page 499 (stamped), dwelling 448, family 401.

14 1880 US Census, pop. sch., Yamhill County, Oregon, Dayton, ED 135, page 5, sheet 430, dwelling 31, family 33.

15 1880 US Census, pop. sch., Wasco County, Oregon, Butte Creek Precinct, Ed 119, page 14, sheet 187, family 120.

16 1880 US Census, pop. sch., Wasco County, Oregon, Butte Creek Precinct, Ed 119, page 14, sheet 187, family 51.

17 MSS 2010. Lone Fir Cemetery (Portland, Oregon).

18 Lone Fir Cemetery, 1846-1880, Portland, Oregon (Portland, OR: the Author, 1992). Serialized in the Genealogical Forum of Oregon's Bulletin.

19 Copies located at Oregon Historical Society in Portland and the Oregon State Archives in Salem.

20 Marriages - Indiana to 1850, on-line at <www.ancestry.com>

21 Oregon Spectator, 6 January 1848, page 4, col. 4.

22 The Daily Oregonian, 20 April 1882, page 3, col. 3.

23 Marion County Circuit Court Docket Index, located at Oregon State Archives and Multnomah County, Oregon Circuit Court Indexes, 1882-1890, located at Multnomah County, Oregon Courthouse.

24 The Daily Oregonian, 20 April 1882, page 3, col. 3.

25 Multnomah County, Oregon Circuit Court Case, #13335, Geo. A. Coffin et al vs City of Portland. Judgment given September 1887 - "Dismissed."

© 2001-2006

Connie Lenzen

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