- Founder of Quaker Colony on Nantucket
Mary Coffin Starbuck was born 20 April 1645 in Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts to Tristram Coffin (1605-1681) and Dionis Stevens (1610-1680) and died 13 November 1717 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts of unspecified causes. She married Nathaniel Starbuck (1636-1719) December 1662 in Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Biography
'Mary Coffin Starbuck, seventh child of Tristram Coffin, Sr., was born in Haverhill, February 20, 1645. She was married in 1662, at the age of seventeen, to Nathaniel, son of Edward and Katharine (Reynolds) Starbuck. The first book of births, marriages, and deaths for the town of Sherburne (page 11) says " Mary Starbuck departed this Liffe y 13 day of the 9th month 1717, 74 year of her age and was decently buried in Friends burying ground." Her husband, Nathaniel Starbuck, Sr., died in 1719.
She was a remarkable woman, anticipating by two centuries the advanced views of women of to-day. She took an active part in town debates, usually opening her remarks with " My husband and I, having considered the subject, think, etc."
Quaker Friends on Nantucket
Quaker John Richardson visits the island and inspires Mary Coffin Starbuck. Already a business and civic leader, Starbuck endorsed Quakerism and helped cement it as the Island’s dominant religious and cultural foundation.
According the the History of Nantucket page 59,
Quaker Thomas Story visited the island and said Mary was " a wise and discreet woman, well read in the scripture and not attached unto any sect, but in great reputation throughout the island for her knowledge in matters of religion and an oracle among them on that account, in so much that they would not do any thing without her advice and consent therein."
In 1701, at the age of fifty-six, she became interested in the religious faith of the Friends, and held meetings at her house. She was a minister in the Society, as were also several of her children, her grandsons Elihu and Nathaniel Coleman, and her granddaughter Priscilla Bunker. Elihu Coleman published one of the earliest protests against slavery in New England. Mary Starbuck was " as distinguished in her domestic economy as she was celebrated as a preacher." The following copy of a letter from Mary Starbuck to her granddaughter Eliza Gorliam, who had suffered loss by fire, gives evidence of her interest in domestic matters.
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mary Starbuck (1663-1696) | 30 March 1663 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | 30 March 1696 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | John Gardner (1650-) James Gardner (1660-1723) |
| Elizabeth Starbuck (1665-1706) | |||
| Nathaniel Starbuck (1668-1753) | |||
| Jethro Starbuck (1671-1770) | |||
| Barnabas Starbuck (1673-1732) | |||
| Eunice Starbuck (1674-1766) | |||
| Priscilla Starbuck (1676-1762) | 24 August 1676 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | 14 March 1762 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | John Coleman (1667-1762) |
| Hephzibah Starbuck (1680-1740) | |||
| Ann Starbuck (1682-1716) | |||
| Paul Starbuck (1684-1704) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Peter Coffin (1630-1715) | |||
| Tristram Coffin (1633-1704) | 1 February 1633 Brixton, Devonshire, England | 4 February 1704 Newbury, Essex County, Massachusetts | Judith Kimberly Greenleaf (1625-1705) |
| Elizabeth Coffin (1634-1678) | |||
| James Coffin (1640-1720) | 12 August 1640 Brixton, Devonshire, England | 28 July 1720 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | Mary Severance (1645-1720) |
| Deborah Coffin (1642-1642) | |||
| Mary Coffin (1645-1717) | 20 April 1645 Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts | 13 November 1717 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | Nathaniel Starbuck (1636-1719) |
| John Coffin (1647-1711) | 30 December 1647 Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts | 5 September 1711 Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts | Deborah Austin (1647-1718) |
| Stephen Coffin (1652-1734) | 11 July 1652 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | 14 November 1734 Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts | Mary Bunker (1652-1724) |
References
- Genealogy of the Early Generations of the Coffin Family of New England - 1870 work by Silvanus Jenkins Macy (Author), Nathaniel Wheeler Coffin (Author), William S. Appleton (Author) - This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
- Coffin Family of Boston - Boston Brahmin
- Mary Coffin - disambiguation
- Coffin in Nantucket County, Massachusetts
- Mary Starbuck - Women History Blog
- History of Quakers on Nantucket - N.H.A.