Project Background

Tristram Coffin (Coffyn) Sr. was an immigrant from England to Massachusetts during colonial times. He was born in 1609 on the Coffin family farm in Butler's (now But Las) parish at Brixton, Devon, England. Tristram brought his family to the US in 1642. The family first settled in Salisbury, Newbury, and Haverhill, Massachusetts. In 1659, Tristram Coffin Sr. and his son James Sr. were among a group of investors who purchased the island of Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew for 30 pounds and two beaver hats. The family then moved from Haverhill to Nantucket Island. Nantucket's rich, diverse colonial history includes the history and culture of the Wampanoag people and African Americans.

It is estimated that 74% of Coffins in the US descend from Tristram Coffin Sr.  Many of Tristram's descendants also live in Canada. 

Males who inherited Tristram's male Y-DNA chromosome may have a variety of ethnicities, including European, Native American, Black or African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino. Some of Tristram's male descendants traveled around the world in the maritime trade to places such as the Dutch East Indies, West Indies, Africa, Caribbean, China, Honduras (Belize), Mulgrave Islands, Philippines, South America, and more.

Five Y-DNA family lines were established by Tristram Coffin's sons:  

1. LINE A:  Peter Coffin Sr. (1630-1715)

2. LINE B:  Tristram Coffin Jr. (1632-1704)

3. LINE C:  James Coffin Sr. (1640-1720)

4. LINE D:  John Coffin, Lieut. (1647-1711)

5. LINE E:  Stephen Coffin (1652-1734)

As is the case with many American colonists, some descendants of Tristram Coffin enslaved people during colonial times on up through 1865, when the US Civil War finally ended legalized slavery. While some Coffin family descendants were enslavers or traders, other Coffin family descendants were anti-slavery activists or abolitionists. Coffin abolitionists helped establish the underground railroad in North Carolina and develop UGRR networks in other states. Some of the family's most notable abolitionists include Levi Coffin Jr., Joshua Coffin, and Lucretia Coffin Mott. During the American Civil War, some of Tristram Coffin's descendants fought for the Union and some fought for the Confederate States Army.

Tristram Coffin's family lines include fascinating people and stories about family heroes, celebrities, or notorious villains and the times they lived in. Join the Coffin project to not only establish your Y-DNA lineage, but also learn more about your Coffin ancestors and family history.

Who Can Join This Project?

Project contributors must be males who have taken or are taking FamilyTree DNA's Y-DNA test. The "Y" male chromosome is inherited by you from your father's father's father's, etc. The "Y" chromosome is passed down from father to son, virtually unchanged from generation to generation. If you believe you may be a male descendant in an unbroken line of Coffin males, but don't have the Coffin surname, that's OK.  This project isn't about surnames, but the male Y chromosome that has been passed down to you from you father's father's father, etc.

You do not have to know your entire paternal lineage back to Tristram Coffin Sr. to be able join. One of the purposes of the project is to help you discover and establish your Coffin lineage when you've met with a brick wall.

You may also join the project if you are not a male Coffin descendant, but are managing the kit for someone who is.

African Americans with a Patriarchal Coffin Lineage

European descendants of Tristram Coffin Sr. who were enslavers sometime between 1700-1865 can be found in the southern states. If your male African American ancestor was born to a woman who was enslaved by someone with the Coffin surname, there are many possibilities.

• The Coffin name may have been given to him because it was the enslaver's surname. 

• The Coffin surname may have been given to him because it was the name of the plantation where he was born. For example, your ancestor may have been born on the Coffin Point plantation at St. Helena Island, South Carolina. 

• Your ancestor may be a genetic Y-DNA descendant of Tristram Coffin Sr. through a Coffin enslaver, but have a different surname. Enslaved people may have been sold multiple times, each time to a different enslaver with a different surname. As a result, surnames may have changed.

• Some enslaved people took on the Coffin name from abolitionist Levi Coffin Jr. and his wife Catharine Coffin ("Aunt Katy").

Tristram Coffin Sr.'s male (Y) chromosome has been passed on to his male descendants from father to son, unchanged from generation to generation. As you search for your ancestors, joining the Coffin project can enable you to rule in or rule out your descendency to Tristram Coffin Sr.

Which Y-DNA Test Should I Take?

The Big Y-DNA 700 test is recommended for the purposes of this project. It's the most precise, detailed, in depth genealogy test available. Watch for sales on the Big Y-DNA 700 test for holidays such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If you have already taken a test through FamilyTree DNA, you can upgrade your test to the Big Y-DNA 700. To do so, log in to your profile and click the Add-Ons and Upgrades button on the top menu bar.

The Big Y-DNA 700 tests 700 of your genetic markers. This test enables you to make greater distinctions between lines you know are related. For example, the Big Y DNA test can help you distinguish your ancestor from among his three brothers. Lower marker Y-DNA tests, even at the 111-level, may not be able to answer this type of question or give you the precision you need. 

Lower level and less expensive Y-DNA tests are available to test 111 markers, 67 markers, 37 markers, or 12 markers. The 12-marker test does not provide enough data to be accepted as a member of the project. The 37-marker level is better, but may still give you results that match to other surnames and people who do not descend from Tristram Coffin.  Only the Big Y-700 test can give you the number for your terminal SNP, which will prove whether you carry Tristram Coffin's Y-chromosome or not.  In some cases, your terminal SNP number may also identify which of Tristram's sons you descend from.

How Do I Get Started?

1. Purchase a Y-DNA kit from FamilyTree DNA. Compare tests and order your kit here. Do you already have a kit? Sign in to your account to order upgrades or add-ons. 

For the purposes of the Coffin Y-DNA project, the Big Y-DNA test is recommended. If you are trying to determine your lineage back to Tristram Coffin and have a brick wall to overcome, the Big Y-DNA test is also recommended. 

2. Follow the instructions in your kit to take your DNA sample. Mail your kit back in the prepaid envelope provided by FamilyTree DNA.

3. After your test is completed and you have received your results online, click the "JOIN" button on the Coffin Project web site.

How Do I Donate to This Project?

If you are already a project member, simply click the General Fund link on the Coffin Project home page to make your donation. You may also donate by using the project's GoFundMe page.

If you are a non-project member who wishes to support the project, you can donate through the Project's GoFundMe page.

All donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. Your support of this project is enduring and will not taken for granted.