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Archiver > COFFIN > 1999-10 > 0940472427


From: Howard Swain< >
Subject: Re: [COFFIN] COFFIN, Parnell; Born April 11, 1708, Nantucket, MA
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 22:20:27 -0400 (EDT)


Hi Rick,

At 08:49 PM 10/12/99 +0700, wrote:
>Good evening, again, to the COFFIN list members,
snip
> My current problem is the subject PARNELL COFFIN. I show that she
>was born April 11, 1708, a daughter of SAMUEL and MIRIAM (GARDNER)
>COFFIN. Her birth date gives me pains since I show that she had a
>sister and brother DEBORAH and JOHN born June 4, 1708. Had the date
>been April 4, 1708, I would have suspected an error in "old date" versus
>"new date" conversion, but that appears not to be the problem. As
>before, if anyone has any information, it would be appreciated.
snip

Here's what the published Vital Records of Nantucket to the year 1850 say.
>From vol I (Births):

p. 257: "Deborah, ch. Samuel and Miriam, 11th 4 mo. 1708, C.R. 4.
[w. Tristram Starbuck, [twin] d. Samuel and Miriam (Gardner), P.R. 38.]"

p. 287: "John, ch. Samuel and Miriam, ------- [rec. after ch. b. 11th,
4 mo. 1708], C.R. 4.
[h. Keziah (d. Daniel Folger and Abigail), [twin] s. Samuel and Miriam
(Gardner), 11th, 4 mo. 1708, P.R. 38.]"

p. 316: "Pernal, ch. Samuel and Miriam, ------- [rec. before ch. b. 11th,
4 mo. 1708], C.R. 4.
[Parnal, w. Robert Coffin (s. Jethro and Mary), d. Samuel and Miriam
(Gardner), P.R. 38.]"

"rec" means recorded; brackets indicate "additional information which
does not appear in the original text of an item"

C.R. 4 is the church record of the Society of Friends
P.R. 38 is the private record from the William C. Folger genealogical
records

I do not fully understand these records. It appears that perhaps
only Deborah had a birth date originally recorded. I assume the
------- indicates a blank.
Maybe they were triplets. :)

I think that the Quakers on Nantucket considered March to be the
first month of the year; so 4 mo. would be June.

The only better source, I think, would be the Quaker records themselves.
I do not know where to access these; but if anyone knows I'd be
interested in finding out (not for this question, but for others).

Regards,
Howard

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