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Robert Coe (colonist)

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For other people with the same name, see Robert Coe.
Robert Coe
Judge of oyer and terminer of Yorkshire, New York
In office
April 2, 1669 – July 2, 1669
Appointed byRichard Nicolls
High sheriff of Yorkshire, New York
In office
October 1669 – September 1671
Personal details
Born1596
Thorpe Morieux, Suffolk, England
Diedbef. 1690
Hempstead, New York, U.S.
Children4
Occupationpublic official
Known forEarly settler of American colonies
Signature

Robert Coe (26 October 1596 – bef. 1690) was an early English settler, public official, and a founder of five towns in Connecticut and New York: Wethersfield, Stamford, Hempstead, Elmhurst, and Jamaica. Coe took passage from England to the Americas in 1634 during the Puritan migration to New England. He is considered the founder of the Coe family in America and was the primary progenitor in New England of Coes. He has many notable descendants, including the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the namesake of the largest state park in Northern California, Henry W. Coe State Park.

In England, Coe began his career as a public official with an election to the overseer of cloth. In the New Netherland settlements, he held appointed positions as a magistrate and a deputy. Under the governance of the New England Colonies, he was appointed as commissioner of Jamaica, and the judge and high sheriff of Yorkshire, New York.

Early life and family history

Coat of Arms of Robert Coe
Footpath to Nether Hall, Gestingthorpe, owned by Lord of the manor John Coo in the 17th century

The Coe family, originally recorded as "le Queu" and then "Coo",[1] were Normans considered gentry and acquired wealth through the cloth trade.[2][3][4] The name was derived from Old Norse "ka" meaning Jackdaw, which is also the meaning of Coe in Old English. The English heraldry of the Coe family uses the Martlet, a small black bird like the Jackdaw. The birds on his supplementary seals had legs, unlike the mythical Martlet, more closely resembling the Jackdaw. The first Coe was probably known as "the Jackdaw."[4] In the 14th century, John Coo, the earliest known historical direct ancestor of Coe, served with John Hawkwood in the White Company.[5][4] He was awarded the title of Knight by Edward III of England for the Battle of San Gallo in 1364. He established the Hawkwood Chantries in Hedingham Castle in honor of Hawkwood. He is referred to as "Cocco" by Italian historians.[6][4][7][8] Many of Coo's descendants resided at Hedingham, were educated at the Inner Temple, practiced law, held offices in England, and were extensive landowners. One Coo was listed as a Justice of the peace in Essex, others became Lords. Lord of the manor John Coo owned many lands, including at Hedingham. Many were yeomen, gentlemen, and esquires.[4][9]

Coe was born at Thorpe Morieux, Suffolk, England, and baptized there on October 26, 1596.[4] He was described as a "fine example" of a Puritan and a "great force of character" by American genealogist Joseph G. Bartlett.[10] His father, Henry, had been a yeoman, probably a clothmaker, and for several years was churchwarden.[4] In Boxford, Suffolk in April 1625, Coe was elected as the overseer of cloth and in 1629 as the questman of the church. His first wife and mother of his four children died in Boxford in 1628. His only daughter, a twin to his middle son, died before he, his second wife, and three sons left for America in 1634 in search of religious liberty.[4][11]

Founding of the Colonies and judicial career

See also: Colonial history of the United States and History of Stamford, Connecticut
Coe's House in Jamaica

Coe and his family took passage from Ipswich aboard the Francis, commanded by John Cutting.[11][4] They settled for a brief time in Watertown, Massachusetts, with several other Puritan families from Boxford. Historical records refer to him as "The Founder of the Coe Family in America."[4][12][13][14]

Coe was a founder of two towns in the Connecticut Colony.[5] In June 1635, Coe joined Andrew Warde and a few others in starting a new plantation at Wethersfield, Connecticut (originally Pyquag),[15][1] in the fertile Connecticut River Valley, where he lived for five years.[4][1] A division within the church caused Coe, Warde, and eighteen others to form the Rippowam Company, with the intent of acquiring Rippowam lands from the New Haven Colony.[4][16][17][18] The land had been previously purchased from the Siwanoy peoples.[19] In 1640, Coe and Warde were deputed in the General Court, representatives in colonial government matters, and they secured the land and founded a new plantation called Toquams, which was then renamed to Stamford.[4][16][17] Stamford was included in the creation of the United Colonies of New England.[17] On April 5, 1643, Coe was appointed as Stamford's magistrate,[4] the equivalent of a mayor.[11] The following year, another dispute caused Coe and the town reverend, Richard Denton, to leave the Thirteen Colonies in favor of the New Netherland settlements. They crossed the Long Island Sound to what is now Long Island and founded Hempstead, where he was appointed the magistrate and the church elder. During his eight years leading Hempstead, he became an extensive landowner.[4][1][18]

Due to his "enterprising spirit," Coe departed Hempstead to found a new settlement. In 1652, he and Edward Jessup became the majority landowners a settlement west of long island in what is now Elmhurst. The town of was originally called Middleburgh, then Hastings, and finally Newton, where Coe was the most prominent person in the town. He was again made the town's magistrate and served for four years as a deputy of the general court,[4][11] the same "representative" government style as the British colonies.[20] As the deputy, Coe traveled in 1653 to Massachusetts Bay Colony and New Amsterdam to ask for protections for the English and Dutch settlements along the island from native attack.[4][11]

After the settlement was well-established, Coe re-settled again in 1655 as the leader of Rustdorp, a town on a large tract of land south of Newtown purchased with his youngest son Benjamin and several others. Rustdorp was later renamed to Jamaica. New Netherland appointed Coe magistrate for Jamaica in 1658, an office which he held until 1664.[4][1] When the English population on Long Island revolted from the Dutch at New Amsterdam and transferred their allegiance to Connecticut, Coe was deputed to the General Court and appointed commissioner for Jamaica. After New Amsterdam surrendered to the English fleet, New York governor Richard Nicolls appointed Coe as the Judge of oyer and terminer of Yorkshire. His final position was as high sheriff of Yorkshire until 1671, after which he retired from public office at the age of 75.[4][18][21]

Near the end of his life, Coe settled his estate among his three sons. He married a third wife when he was over 80 years of age. He bought a farm of fifty acres at Foster's Meadow in Hempstead on November 29, 1678, where he lived until his death before 1690, when his will was executed.[4] His home on Long Island stood until 1930 when it was demolished to accommodate the construction of the Long Island Expressway.[22] A poem was written about him after his passing by the reverend Abraham Pierson, the elder in the New Haven Colony.[23]

Poem about written in honor of Robert Coe after his death

Rest, blessed Coe, upon thy bed of ease;
The quiet grave with thee is no decease;
All, all our anguish hath its period fixed,
Ere hence we go not any joy but mixed;
Rare grace, which makes the life of man the best,
This young man lived to God, and now is blest;
Come, parallel this saint, nay, far exceed;
Omit no means that true goodness breed.
Ere trials came he stowed for days of need;
The Lord his widow bless and take his seed.

Abraham Pierson, the elder, Commemorative Biographical Record of Middle-sex County, Connecticut, 1903

Legacy

Henry W. Coe State Wilderness Park, in the Diablo Range, named for Henry Willard Coe, Jr.

Freeport, New York was originally named "Coe's Neck," after Coe, and remains the name of a local park.[24][25] Cos Cob, Connecticut is named after Coe, derived from "Coe's Cob" meaning "Coe's wall."[26]

Coe has many notable descendants and important landmarks bearing the names of other descendants. The namesake of Henry W. Coe State Park, the largest state park in Northern California and the second largest state park in the state,[27] Henry Willard Coe, Jr., is a descendant.[4]

Coe College,[28] is named for Daniel Coe, another descendant,[4] and Coe Elementary School in Seattle is named after descendant Frantz Hunt Coe, the the original building burned down in 2001.[29][30] Coe Circle, a park in Portland, Oregon, is named after descendant Henry Waldo Coe,[31][4] where he commissioned the installation of a gilt bronze statue of Joan of Arc.[32] Dudley Coe Hall at Bowdoin College, formerly the infirmary, is named for the son of Thomas Upham Coe, an alum and prominent doctor and lumber baron of Bangor, Maine.[33][34][35] Portraits of Thomas Upham Coe are in the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives[36] and the Harvard Art Museums.[37]

Reverend Jonas Coe by Ammi Phillips c. 1820

Coe's second great grandson, Jonas Coe,[4] fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolutionary War. He served in the Commander-in-Chief's Guard in the Battle of Long Island and gave the military sermon upon Washington's death after having become a reverend.[38][39][40][41]

Notable descendants


Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, named for Daniel Coe

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Cutter, William Richard (2018). New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial. Vol. 4. Forgotten Books. ISBN 0282987975.
  2. ^ Thompson, Roger (1993). "The Uprooted or 'Worlds in Motion': East Anglian founders of New England 1629-1640". Parergon. 11 (2): 1–15. doi:10.1353/pgn.1993.0063. ISSN 1832-8334.
  3. ^ Kalu, Ogbu U. (1978). "Continuity in Change: Bishops of London and Religious Dissent in Early Stuart England". Journal of British Studies. 18 (1): 28–45. doi:10.1086/385727. ISSN 0021-9371.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj Bartlett, J. Gardner (1911). Robert Coe, Puritan. Published for private circulation. ISBN 9780598765826.
  5. ^ a b Bicknell, Thomas Williams (2022). The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Vol. 3. Legare Street Press. ISBN 9781019040492.
  6. ^ "The Coe family of Union County". Marysville Journal-Tribune. April 2, 2010.
  7. ^ "Americana". American Historical Magazine. Vol. 14. The American Historical Society. 1920.
  8. ^ Wright, Thomas (2019). The History and Topography of Essex. Vol. 1. HardPress.
  9. ^ Cutter, William Richard, ed. (1919). American Biography. Vol. 6. American Historical Company.
  10. ^ a b Page, Susan (2019). The matriarch: Barbara Bush and the making of an American dynasty (First ed.). New York: Twelve. ISBN 978-1-5387-1364-8. OCLC 1032584246.
  11. ^ a b c d e Simon Middleton (2010). "Order and Authority in New Netherland: The 1653 Remonstrance and Early Settlement Politics". The William and Mary Quarterly. 67 (1): 31. doi:10.5309/willmaryquar.67.1.31.
  12. ^ Burrell, David James; Cobb, Henry Evertson (2016). A Discourse Commemorative Of The Reverend Edward Benton Coe (illustrated ed.). New York: Creative Media Partners, LLC. ISBN 9781354722275.
  13. ^ Brower, William Leverich; Miller, Henry P., eds. (1928). Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of New York, 1628-1928. The Consistory.
  14. ^ Dow, George Francis (1988). Every day life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-25565-1.
  15. ^ Lineage Book of the National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America. Vol. 6–7. National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America. 1916.
  16. ^ a b Ward, George Kemp (1910). Andrew Warde and his descendants, 1597-1910. New York: A.T. De la Mare Printing and Publishing Company. p. 622. OCLC 9865206.
  17. ^ a b c "Stamford's Colonial Period 1641–1783". The Stamford Historical Society, Inc.
  18. ^ a b c Flint, Martha Bockée (1896). Early Long Island. Long Island, New York: G.P. Putnam's sons.
  19. ^ Carella, Angela (2020-07-22). "Hatchets, hoes and mirrors: Deed shows how colonists bought Stamford". Stamford Advocate. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  20. ^ "What Was New Netherland?". New York State Library. March 15, 2024. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  21. ^ Chester, Alden; Williams, Edwin Melvin (2005). Courts and Lawyers of New York. Vol. 1. Lawbook Exchange.
  22. ^ Phase I-A Archaeological Impact Report for the Sportsplex Project (PDF). Landmarks Preservation Commission. 1992.
  23. ^ Beers, J.H. (1903). Commemorative Biographical Record of Middle-sex County, Connecticut. Connecticut: Beers & Co.
  24. ^ Feeney, Regina. "LibGuides: Freeport History Encyclopedia: C". libguides.freeportlibrary.info. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  25. ^ "Coes Neck Park". Town of Hempstead, Long Island, New York.
  26. ^ "Cos Cob CT: Everything You Need To Know | Stanton House Inn". stantonhouseinn.com. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  27. ^ "Coe's 10,000 Year History". www.coeparkfund.org. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  28. ^ "Daniel Coe". Coe College. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  29. ^ Wilma, David (January 23, 2001). "Seattle's historic Coe Elementary School burns on January 21, 2001". www.historylink.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  30. ^ Schools, Seattle Public. "About". Frantz Coe Elementary School. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  31. ^ Button, Hannah (September 21, 2015). "Where We Live: Portland's Joan of Arc statue". KOIN 6.
  32. ^ Snyder, Eugene E. (1991). Portland Potpourri. Portland, Oregon: Binford & Mort. pp. 73–79. ISBN 0-8323-0493-X.
  33. ^ Reilly, Wayne E. (March 12, 2017). "A look back at the millionaire 'lumber kings' of Bangor". Bangor Daily News.
  34. ^ Burke, Molly (2011-02-25). "Dudley Coe stands as a testament to College history". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  35. ^ Hatch, Louis Clinton, ed. (1919). Maine: A History. Vol. 4. American Historical Society.
  36. ^ "Portrait of Thomas Upham Coe (1837-1920), (painting)". siris-artinventories.si.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  37. ^ Harvard. "Thomas Upham Coe | Harvard Art Museums". harvardartmuseums.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  38. ^ Kahler, Gerald (2003). "Washington In Glory, America In Tears: The Nation Mourns The Death Of George Washington, 1799--1800". Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. doi:10.21220/S2-X4BE-4858 – via William & Mary.
  39. ^ Twenty-eight report of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Smithsonian Institution. December 16, 1925. LCCN 2022692796.
  40. ^ Coe, Jonas (1800). A sermon, delivered before the military officers, Apollo Lodge, and a large and respectable number of the citizens of Troy, January 12th, 1800. In consequence of the death of Lieutenant-General George Washington. / By Jonas Coe, A.M. Minister of the Presbyterian Church, in Troy. ; (Published at the request of the hearers.).
  41. ^ Proceedings of the Centennial Anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church, Troy, N.Y. Troy, New York: Troy Times Printing House. 1892.
  42. ^ a b Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2021). Grace & steel: Dorothy, Barbara, Laura, and the women of the Bush dynasty (First ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-24871-8.
  43. ^ Cruse, P.H. (1832). The letters of the British spy. New York: J. & J. Harper. LCCN 03011798. OCLC 1380132.
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