Coffin/Robinson Family Papers


University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title: Coffin/Robinson Family Papers
Date range: 1870-1970, (bulk 1900-1940)
Creator: Coffin family
Extent: 11 linear feet
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence, letterpress copybooks, scrapbooks, financial records, school records, blueprints, photos, and other papers, of Coffin and Robinson family members, of Wakefield, R.I., and New York, N.Y.. It also includes information relating to Marginal Dock Company, a family business in New York, N.Y., a family farm and homestead in Wakefield, R.I. and additional real estate holdings in South Kingstown and Narragansett, R.I
Language of materials: English
Repository: University Archives and Special Collections
Collection number: Mss. Gr. 50

Scope & content

The collection spans the years 1870 to 1970 with the bulk of the papers between the years-of 1900 and 1940. It is divided into five series: Series one, Personal Papers; Series two, Business Records; Series three, Scrapbooks; Series four, Photographs; Series five, Maps and Blueprints.

In Series one can be found the Personal Papers of the Coffins and the Robinsons. The bulk of these are from the Coffin side of the family and consist of correspondence, prep school and college grade reports for Peter and Tristram P. Coffin, and the personal financial records and income statements of Elsie Potter Robinson Coffin. Though less fully represented than the Coffins in this series, the papers of the Robinson side of the family include the personal financial records of Isaac and Jeremiah Robinson, letterpress copybooks of Isaac, and correspondence and sketches of Isaac's daughter Ruth.

Series two, Business Records, is indistinguishable as to family source and contains materials relating to the Marginal Dock Company, a family-owned business in New York and Edgewood Farm, the family homestead in Wakefield and a working commercial farm in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Included are financial ledgers, crop ledgers, annual reports, day books, and journals.

Series three, Scrapbooks, consists of a number of scrapbooks of newspaper clippings, coats of arms, and monograms compiled by Elsie Potter Robinson [Coffin] when she was a child. Also included in this series are scrapbooks of newspaper clippings relating to the Marginal Dock Company and the New York Athletic Club.

The Photograph Series, Series IV, consists of a substantial number of both identified and unidentified photographs of members of the Coffin and Robinson families and the places they frequented. Included are photographs of Isaac and Jeremiah Robinson, Ruth Robinson, Elsie Potter Robinson Coffin and Tristram, Peter, and Trelsie Coffin. In addition, there is a group of unidentified photographs of people and places at the end of the series.

Series five, the Map and Blueprint Series, contains a group of blueprints and maps that reflect the Robinson family's extensive financial interests and landholdings in both Wakefield and New York City. Included are maps depicting family landholdings in South Kingstown, Narragansett and New York City, Marginal Dock Company blueprints, and floor plans for the family home at Edgewood Farm.

Arrangement

The collection spans the years 1870 to 1970 with the bulk of the papers between the years-of 1900 and 1940. It is divided into five series:

  • 1. Personal Papers;
  • 2. Business Records;
  • 3. Scrapbooks;
  • 4. Photographs;
  • 5. Maps and Blueprints.

The papers in this collection represent a small fraction of the business and personal records of the socially prominent Robinson and Coffin families of Wakefield, Rhode Island and New York City. The interests of the two families became intertwined with the marriage of Elsie Potter Robinson, daughter of Isaac Robinson and niece of Jeremiah Robinson, to Tristram R. Coffin. The Coffins had three children, sons Peter R. and Tristran. P. and daughter Trelsie. Tristram became a noted author and folklorist and Peter a college professor in Virginia. Unfortunately, there exists nothing in the papers to indicate the future course of Trelsie Coffin's later life.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: Open for research.
Use of the materials: Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation: Coffin/Robinson Family Papers, 1870-1970, Ms. 50, University of Rhode Island Library.
Contact information: University Archives and Special Collections
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
Tel: 401-874-4632

email: archives@etal.uri.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: The Coffin/Robinson Family Papers were donated to the University of Rhode Library by Carlo Roberti, who removed them from the Coffin/Robinson family home after he purchased it in the summer of 1985. The papers were in no particular order when received by the Library and their provenance is unknown.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Dr. Kevin J. Logan.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Hailie D. Posey 2009 June 02, updated by Mark Dionne on 2020 April 13
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory


Inventory

Series 1. Personal papers
The Personal Papers Series contains the personal, non-business records of the Coffin and Robinson families over an extended period. Among the papers included are correspondence, letterpress copybooks, income tax returns, bank statements, check stubs, school grade reports, and trust income statements.

Of particular interest in this series are the personal financial records of Isaac Robinson and Elsie Potter Robinson Coffin. The income tax returns, bank statements, check stubs, bills, and receipts reveal a good deal about the costs of goods and services in the early twentieth century, as well as indicating the income needed to sustain the lifestyle of an upper middle class family in the era of the Great Depression.

Also of interest in the series is the correspondence between Elsie and her sons Tristram and Peter while they were away at college at Haverford and Amherst respectively. The letters reveal a close familial relationship between mother and sons, one based on trust and mutual respect.

Finally, in this series are reprints and copies of journal articles written by Tristram P. Coffin. Coffin became a renowned author, teacher, and lecturer in the field of American folklore.

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by the name of the family member and chronologically by date within folders.

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 1 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Auto Insurance Policies
1934-1936
Box 1, Folder 1 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Auto Insurance Policies
1934-1936
Box 1, Folder 2 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Bank Statements (checking)
1930-1933
Box 1, Folder 3 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Bank Statements (checking)
1934-1936
Box 1, Folder 4 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Bank Statements (checking)
1937-1938, 1940-1942
Box 1, Folder 5 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Bills and Receipts, Misc.
1933-1937
Box 1, Folder 6 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1930-1931
Box 1, Folder 7 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1931 Jun-1932 Mar
Box 1, Folder 8 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1932 Feb-1933 Mar
Box 2, Folder 9 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1933 Mar 2-1934 Mar 7
Box 2, Folder 10 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1934 Mar 7-1935 Mar 5
Box 2, Folder 11 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1935 Mar 08-1936 Feb 8
Box 2, Folder 12 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1936 Feb 08-1937 Jan 26
Box 2, Folder 13 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1937 Jan 26-1938 Mar 7
Box 3, Folder 14 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Check Stubs
1938 Mar 7-1938 Aug 9
Box 3, Folder 15 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: European Cruise
1937
Box 3, Folder 16 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Fiduciary (Estate) Income Tax Return
1925, 1927-1928, 1930-1935, 1937
Box 3, Folder 17 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: French Language Workbook
1907
Box 3, Folder 18 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Grocery Bills from B. F. Robinson Groceries
1934-1936
Box 3, Folder 19 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Individual Income Tax Return
1917-1923
Box 3, Folder 20 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Individual Income Tax Return
1924-1937
Box 4, Folder 21 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Letters from Percy Gardner Trustee of Isaac Robinson Estate
1920, 1922-1924,1927, 1933-1938
Box 4, Folder 22 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Miscellaneous letters to. See Also: Coffin, Peter and Coffin Tristram P.
1923-1924, 1934-1938, 1940
Box 4, Folder 23 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Rosemary Hall School
1889, 1899
Box 4, Folder 24 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Rosemary Hall School
1905, undated
Box 4, Folder 25 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Sales and Service Contracts
1931-1932, 1934-1936
Box 4, Folder 26 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Trust Account Statements for Ellen Pate Robinson Trust
1919, 1932-1937
Box 4, Folder 27 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Trust Account Statements for Isaac R. Robinson Trust
1932-1933
Box 4, Folder 28 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Trust Account Statements for Isaac R. Robinson Trust
1934-1935
Box 4, Folder 29 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Trust Account Statements for Isaac R. Robinson Trust
1936-1938
Box 4, Folder 30 Coffin, Elsie P. R.: Miscellaneous
1935, undated
Box 5, Folder 31 Coffin, Peter R.: Amherst College
1938, 1940
Box 5, Folder 32 Coffin, Peter R.: Baseball Scorebook See Oversize
1931-1934
Box 5, Folder 33 Coffin, Peter R.: Letters to his Mother, Elsie P. R. Coffin
1940, undated
Box 5, Folder 34 Coffin, Peter R.: Moses Brown School's The Delphian
1938-1940
Box 5, Folder 35 Coffin, Peter R.: Moses Brown School Grade Reports
1923-1940
Box 5, Folder 36 Coffin, Peter R.: Miscellaneous
1934-1937
Box 5, Folder 37 Coffin, Peter R.: Miscellaneous
1940, 1947, 1969-1970, undated
Box 5, Folder 38 Coffin, Peter R.: Miscellaneous
undated
Box 5, Folder 39 Coffin, Percival B.: Estate of
1935
Box 5, Folder 40 Coffin, Trelsie
1919, 1925, 1931, 1933,1935-1936
Box 6, Folder 41 Coffin, Trelsie
undated
Box 6, Folder 42 Coffin, Tristram P.: Article in College English
1951
Box 6, Folder 43 Coffin, Tristram P.: Articles, Letters, Reviews in Journal of American Folklore
1949, 1951-1954, 1960
Box 6, Folder 44 Coffin, Tristram P.: Articles in Southern Folklore Quarterly
1949-1950
Box 6, Folder 45 Coffin, Tristram P.: Book Reviews in Midwest Folklore
1958, 1960, 1951-1952, 1956
Box 6, Folder 46 Coffin, Tristram P.: Letters to his mother, Elsie P. R. Coffin
1936, 1938-40
Box 6, Folder 47 Coffin, Tristram P.: Letters to his brother, Peter R. Coffin
1939-1940
Box 6, Folder 48 Coffin, Tristram P.: Letters to his sister, Trelsie Coffin
1939
Box 6, Folder 49 Coffin, Tristram P.: Moses Brown School Grade Reports
1934-1938
Box 6, Folder 50 Coffin, Tristram P.: Moses Brown School, Miscellaneous
1935-1938
Box 7, Folder 51 Coffin, Tristram P.: Miscellaneous
1935, 1937,1940, 1949,1954
Box 7, Folder 52 Coffin, Tristram R.: Columbia College Yearbook
1898
Box 7, Folder 53 Coffin, Tristram R.: Discharge Certificate from N.Y. State Militia
1899
Box 7, Folder 54 Coffin Family, Miscellaneous
1924, undated
Box 8, Folder 55 Deeds to South Kingstown Property
1870-1872, 1885, 1890
Box 8, Folder 56 Gardner, Percy: X-Ref: Coffin, Elsie P. R., Letters from
1924, undated, 1870-1872, 1885, 1890
Box 8, Folder 57 Robinson, Elizabeth: Testamentary Letter re. her will
1889
Box 8, Folder 58 Robinson, Isaac R.: Address Book
1877
Box 8, Folder 59 Robinson, Isaac R.: Bank Book
1896-1909
Box 8, Folder 60 Robinson, Isaac R.: Check Stubs
1906-1908
Box 8, Folder 61 Robinson, Isaac R.: Insurance Payments on Edgewood Farm, Record of
1884-1888
Box 8, Folder 62 Robinson, Isaac R.: Letterpress Copybook, Edgewood Farm
1894-1911
Box 8, Folder 63 Robinson, Isaac R.: Letterpress Copybook, New York
1887-1907
Box 9, Folder 64 Robinson, Isaac R.: Miscellaneous
1885, 1903, 1910-1911 1914
Box 9, Folder 65 Robinson, Jeremiah: Map of his Estate. X-Ref: Series V, Map 9
1901
Box 9, Folder 66 Robinson, Jeremiah: Receipts and Disbursements of Cash from his Estate
1882?-1897
Box 9, Folder 67 Robinson, Jeremiah: Testamentary Letters re. his Will
1886
Box 9, Folder 68 Robinson, Ruth: Correspondence re. her Gift of the Albert J. Nock Papers
1946, 1948, 1957, 1959, 1961-1963, 1969-1970
Box 9, Folder 69 Robinson, Ruth: Nock Letters (Typed, Annotated Copies)
1930
Box 9, Folder 70 Robinson, Ruth: Miscellaneous
1934, undated
Box 9, Folder 71 Sherman, John, Treasury Secretary: Letter to J. R. Tucker
1881
Box 9, Folder 72 Sherman, Mary: Letters of Administration re. her Estate
1890

Series 2. Business records
Included in this series are ledgers, annual reports, daybooks, journals, and incorporation papers for such family owned businesses as the Marginal Dock Company, Robinson's Congress Stores of New York, the Point Judith Railroad Company, and the family owned Edgewood Farm.

Items of special interest in the Business Records Series include those records relating to the Edgewood Farm, the family homestead and a working commercial farm in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among the Edgewood Farm records are general financial ledgers, crop ledgers, journals, and day books spanning the years 1880 to 1907. The day books in particular offer fascinating insights into the daily activities of a moderately large commercial farm in turn of the century southern Rhode Island. Also of importance are the crop ledgers which give an indication of milk and cash crop production, as well the general farm ledgers which give one an idea of the capital involved in operating a farm the size of Edgewood.

Other items of interest in the series include the annual reports and ledgers of the Marginal Dock Company and the incorporation papers of the Point Judith Railroad, of which both Isaac and Jeremiah Robinson were original incorporators.

The records are arranged alphabetically by the name of the business and chronologically by date within folders.

Container Description Date
Box 10, Folder 73 Edgewood Farm: Accounts Payable Ledger
1891-1892
Box 10, Folder 74 Edgewood Farm: Accounts Receivable Ledger
1884
Box 10, Folder 75 Edgewood Farm: Customer List
undated
Box 10, Folder 76 Edgewood Farm: Daybook
1900 Apr 23-1904 May 11
Box 11, Folder 77 Edgewood Farm: Daybook
1904 May 12-1907 Dec
Box 11, Folder 78 Edgewood Farm: Daybook and Enclosures
1889-1893
Box 11, Folder 79 Edgewood Farm: Daybook of George Pearse
1896-1899
Box 11, Folder 80 Edgewood Farm: General Farm Ledger See: Oversize
1885-1888
Box 11, Folder 81 Edgewood Farm: General Crop Ledger (hay, milk)
1885-1891
Box 11, Folder 82 Edgewood Farm: Milk Production Ledger See: Oversize
1879-1880
Box 11, Folder 83 Marginal Dock Company.: Cash Receipts/Disbursements Ledger
1918-1919
Box 11, Folder 84 Marginal Dock Company.: Dock Rental and Lease Ledger
1916-1918
Box 11, Folder 85 Marginal Dock Company.: Note and Bill Ledger
1895-1896
Box 11, Folder 86 Marginal Dock Company.: Treasurer's Annual Reports
1931, 1933-36
Box 12, Folder 87 Marginal Dock Company.: Wharfage Fee Acct. Ledger
1918-1919
Box 12, Folder 88 Point Judith Railroad Company: Act of Incorporation
1892
Box 12, Folder 89 Robinson, Jeremiah P.: Receipts and Payments Ledger for Estate of
1886-1894
Box 12, Folder 90 Robinson Properties: Income/Disbursement Ledger
1886-1887
Box 12, Folder 91 Robinson's Congress Stores: Ledger
1894-1895

Series 3. Scrapbooks
The Scrapbook Series consists of scrapbooks compiled by Elsie Potter Robinson Coffin during her childhood. Also in this series are two scrapbooks of unknown origin, one of newspaper clippings relating to the New York Athletic Club and another of clippings relating to the Marginal Dock Company.

Each of Elsie Potter Robinson's scrapbooks is unique and interesting. One is devoted solely to coats of arms and monograms of individuals, businesses and nations. A second is devoted to pictures of Greek and Roman ruins, apparently clipped from magazines. Finally, a third is a potpourri of newspaper clippings, cartoons, pictures, and parts of programs from Broadway plays. The subject matter ranges from fashion to the theatre, to the American Revolution to the Spanish-American War.

The scrapbooks are arranged alphabetically by the name of the compiler, or by the topic of the scrapbook if the compiler is unknown.

Container Description Date
Box 13, Folder 92 Marginal Dock Co.: Newspaper Clippings re.
1917
Box 13, Folder 93 New York Athletic Club
undated
Box 13, Folder 94 Robinson [Coffin], Elsie P.: Coats of Arms and Monograms
1897
Box 13, Folder 95 Robinson [Coffin], Elsie P.: Greek and Roman Ruins
undated
Box 13, Folder 96 Robinson [Coffin], Elsie P.: Miscellaneous
1898

Series 4. Photograph series
The Photograph Series consists of a group of loose photographs and one photo album of the Robinson and Coffin families and the places they frequented. Although many of the photographs have been identified, about one quarter of them remain unidentified.

Perhaps the most interesting item in the series is an album of photographs are taken by Ruth Robinson in 1900 and 1901. All the photos are identified in her own handwriting and provide a fascinating glimpse of life in America at the turn of the century. In addition to the only photographs of Edgewood Farm in the collection, the album contains photographs taken during a visit to Camden, South Carolina. Those photographs reveal a great deal about the South as it poised on the brink of the twentieth century. There are photographs of antebellum mansions and former slave quarters in which blacks still lived. There is even a photograph of an elderly black couple identified as former slaves. Finally, in this album are several photographs of the remains of the famous Narragansett Casino, taken the day after the magnificent hotel along Ocean Road in Narragansett was destroyed by fire.

Also of interest in this series are photographs of most of the principal members of the two families, Isaac, Jeremiah, and Ruth Robinson, and Elsie, Tristram, Peter, and Trelsie Coffin.

The series is arranged alphabetically by the name of the person or place photographed. Ruth Robinson's photo album is at the beginning of the series and photographs of unidentified people and places are grouped together at the end of the series.

Container Description Date
Box 14, Folder 97 Album of Ruth Robinson
1900-1901
Box 14, Folder 98 Cary, William
undated
Box 14, Folder 99 Church, William
undated
Box 14, Folder 100 Coffin, Elsie P. R.
undated
Box 14, Folder 101 Coffin, Elsie P. R.
undated
Box 14, Folder 102 Coffin, Elsie P. R.
undated
Box 14, Folder 103 Coffin, Peter and Tristram P.
1920?
Box 15, Folder 104 Coffin, Trelsie
undated
Box 15, Folder 105 Coffin, Tristram R.
1925?
Box 15, Folder 106 Coffin/Robinson Family Member
undated
Box 15, Folder 107 Pate, Grandmother and Grandfather
1890?
Box 15, Folder 108 Robinson, Ellen Pate
undated
Box 15, Folder 109 Robinson, Isaac R.
undated
Box 15, Folder 110 Robinson, Jeremiah P. See also: Oversize
undated
Box 15, Folder 111 Marshall, Alexander and Pearse, Joseph See: Oversize
undated
Box 15, Folder 112 Robinson, Ruth [?]
undated
Box 15, Folder 113 Robinson, Ruth [?]
undated
Box 15, Folder 114 Rod, the Family Dog
undated
Box 15, Folder 115 Thomas, A. E.
undated
Box 15, Folder 116 Unidentified People
undated
Box 16, Folder 117 Unidentified People See: Oversize
undated
Box 16, Folder 118 Unidentified People
undated
Box 16, Folder 119 Unidentified People
undated
Box 16, Folder 120 Marginal Dock Company
undated
Box 16, Folder 121 Unidentified Places
undated
Box 16, Folder 122 Unidentified Places
undated
Box 16, Folder 123 Unidentified Places
undated
Box 17, Folder 124 Unidentified Places
undated

Series 5. Maps and blueprints
The Map/Blueprint Series contains 24 maps and blueprints of land, buildings, and wharves in which the Robinson family had an interest. Of particular interest are the maps depicting the extensive landholdings of Jeremiah Robinson in the Point Judith Pond, Narragansett Pier, and Wakefield areas. There are also maps in the series depicting Robinson family holdings along the Brooklyn, New York waterfront.

Also included in the series are blueprints and/or floor plans for the house at Edgewood Farm, the Robinson Congress Store in New York City, and Marginal Dock Company Wharves in Brooklyn.

The maps and blueprints have been assigned an arbitrary number from 1 to 24 and arranged numerically by that number in map drawers.

Container Description Date
Box map drawer, Folder 1 Point Judith: U.S. Geodetic Survey Map
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 2 Point Judith: U.S. Coast and Survey Map
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 3 Point Judith Pond: Map Locating Proposed Breachway
1879
Box map drawer, Folder 4 Point Judith Pond
1888
Box map drawer, Folder 5 Point Judith Park Plat Map (Henry Calef Land)
1916
Box map drawer, Folder 6 Edgewood Farm, Map of
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 7 Edgewood Farm, Floor Plan of First Floor
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 8 Edgewood Farm, Floor Plan of Third Floor
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 9 Jeremiah P. Robinson Estate: Plat Map (on mylar)
1901
Box map drawer, Folder 10 Jeremiah P. Robinson Estate: Narragansett Pier Land
1901
Box map drawer, Folder 11 Jeremiah P. Robinson Estate: Point Judith Pond Land
1906
Box map drawer, Folder 12 Jeremiah P. Robinson Estate: Brooklyn, N. Y. Land
1885
Box map drawer, Folder 13 Marginal Dock Company Land
1903
Box map drawer, Folder 14 Marginal Dock Company Land on Court and Bryant Streets in Brooklyn
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 15 Marginal Dock Company Land on Pond Street in Brooklyn
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 16 Marginal Dock Company: Land Appropriated by N.Y. State
1912
Box map drawer, Folder 17 Marginal Dock Company: Crib Dock Plans
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 18 Marginal Dock Company: Bulkhead Plans
1911
Box map drawer, Folder 19 Marginal Dock Company: Dock Plans
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 20 Marginal Dock Company: Crib Bulkhead Rebuilding Plans
undated
Box map drawer, Folder 21 Court Street pier Repair Plans (on mylar)
1911
Box map drawer, Folder 22 Court Street Pier Repair Plans (on mylar)
1911
Box map drawer, Folder 23 Robinson's Congress Stores: First Floor Blueprints
1917
Box map drawer, Folder 24 Robinson's Congress Stores: Second Floor Blueprints
1917
Box map drawer, Folder 25 a-d Isaac R. Robinson: Survey of all Property
undated