Onsville C Coffin

ONSVILLE CARTER COFFIN, the son of James and Rachel (Garvin) Coffin, was born in Shapleigh, Maine around 1843. He died in Bayside, Queens, New York on Christmas Day, 1921 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia (section 17, site 20379).

Prior to 1870, he was married to MARY FOSTER. A native of Canada, she had immigrated here in 1837 [1920 census]. She died on 26 Apr 1921 and is buried with her husband in Arlington Cemetery.

Following his service in the 27th Maine (10 Sept 1862 - 17 July 1863), he moved out to Colorado. Not long after he settled here did the territory begin raising troops for 100-day Federal service. Onsville enlisted as a corporal in Company D of the 3rd Colorado Cavalry on 1 Sep 1864 and served until his mustering out on 31 Dec 1864. His obituary mentions "he served in the Indian Campaigns with the 1st Colorado Cavalry", but they may have meant the 3rd (or he rejoined another reg't following his prior service). The Third Cavalry was engaged in the Sand Creek Massacre on 29 Nov 1864.

Onsville was a laborer following his arrival in Colorado [1870 census], his obituary crediting him with building "the first toll road in Colorado, running between Boulder and Blackhawk". He was later engaged in farming per the 1880 census, and sometime before 1920, he and his family moved to Queens, New York.

Two children are seen with Onsville and Mary Cofifn in census records:

I. BESSIE RACHEL, born about 1877 in Colorado. She (and her brother) was listed as divorced in 1920 Queens, NY census, and single in 1930. She also attended Stanford University, receiving her BA in German in 1898 [Alumni Directory].

II. JAMES GILMAN, born 23 Feb 1878 in Colorado. He studied Latin, and was a 1900 BA and 1902 MA graduate of Stanford University. He was the president and director of the real estate agency S Osgood Pell & Co. in New York City beginning in 1913 [Who's Who in Finance and Industry (c) 1936, pg 193].