Julius Augustus Coffin & Descendants

On Saturday, the 16th of November, 1816, Margaret Patten Coffin, the wife of Edward Coffin's son, Isaac, gave birth to a set of twins, which were named Julia and Julius Augustus Coffin. Julius was a very energetic and industrious man, and through farming in Saint Lawrence County, New York, he began to amass some wealth. When oil was discovered in Pennsylvania, he envisioned a great business opportunity, so he moved his family to the city of Petroleum Center, Pennsylvania, and engaged in the lumber and milk industry.

When Julius died at the young age of 51, his only son, Lewis Augustus Coffin, was still a week shy of his 12 birthday. However, this didn't prevent the industrial and successful spirit of Julius from being passed on to his son and to future generations of his family. Lewis grew up to become a very successful physician, and was for years a surgeon and director of the Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital, and a member of several medical associations in New York. Dr. Lewis A. Coffin developed some important surgical techniques and tools, such as that shown below.

Lewis had two sons that also became very successful. Lewis Jr. became a well-known and respected architect, designing several buildings throughout New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. He had a passion for French country structures, which is reflected in many of the buildings he designed. Lewis Jr. was a partner in the architectural firm Polhemus and Coffin, and wrote a book entitled "Small French Buildings: The Architecture of Town and Country". My cousin, Tristram Lewis Coffin, is the grandson of Lewis Coffin Jr., and has been researching the work and history of his renowned grandfather. He has a very nice page of pictures of Lewis Jr.'s work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/polhemusandcoffin .

Lewis Sr.'s other son, George Jarvis Coffin, followed his father's footsteps into the medical field, and established his own reputation, having served on the staff of St. Luke's Hospital for 64 years, and being their Director of Medicine from 1954 to 1957.

Lewis Coffin Jr. had one son, named Lewis A. Coffin III, who like his uncle and grandfather established himself in the medical field. he became the resident pediatrician on the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations in the 1960's, but particularly distinguished himself in the area of children's nutrition, publishing two books; "The Grandmother Conspiracy Exposed" and "Children's Nutrition - A Consumer's Guide".

Even the present day offspring of these great men have been very successful in their respective fields. One of the most notable is G. Jarvis Coffin III, whose is a founder and President and CEO of Burst Media, a large online media, technology, and advertising company.