Robert Coe (colonist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Coe was an early English settler and the progenitor in New England
of most of the Coes in America. Robert Coe was born at Thorpe-Morieux, in the county of Suffolk, England, and baptized in the ancient church there on October 26, 1596, as recorded in parish registers. His father Henry Coe had been a yeoman, probably a clothmaker, and for several years was church warden.
In 1625 Robert Coe is shown as living in Boxford, Suffolk (England), then a thriving rural and manufacturing parish eight miles south of Thorpe-Morieux, where he lived until leaving for America in 1634. Robert Coe and his family took passage from the port of Ipswich in Suffolk county aboard the Francis, commanded by Capt. John Cutting.
, where several other Puritan
families from Boxford had located.
In June 1635 Robert Coe joined a few others in starting a new plantation at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in the fertile Connecticut River
Valley. There he lived about five years where his house was situated at what is now the northwest corner of East Main and Broad Streets. A division within the church caused Robert Coe and his adherents to purchase lands for a new plantation at Stamford, Connecticut
.
While in Stamford he rose to become a magistrate on April 5, 1643, and to serve as a deputy to the General Court at New Haven the same year and also in 1644. Once again a dispute within the church caused Robert Coe and the Rev. Richard Denton to cross the Sound in 1644 to Long Island
, then under Dutch rule. There Coe helped to establish a new settlement called Hempstead. A church was immediately organized with Robert Coe chosen as the elder. There he remained for eight years, acquired extensive land, and was magistrate of the town under the Dutch government.
Eventually Coe helped to form another new settlement, a few miles west on Long Island at a place known as Mespat, which had been previously settled in 1642 but destroyed in an Indian attack the following year. A new church was formed with Rev. John Moore as the pastor and Robert Coe the elder. The settlement took on the name of Middleburg and Hastings before being permanently named Newtown. Mr. Coe remained at Middleburg (Newtown) for four years, being the most prominent man and local magistrate his whole time there. In 1653 he went to Boston as a deputy of the town to ask for protection from the Massachusetts Bay Colony
against Indians
who were threatening attack. In November of the same year he was sent as deputy to New Amsterdam
to confer with the Dutch on the same issue.
From Middleburg, Robert Coe, his youngest son Benjamin Coe, and several others purchased a large tract of land south of Newtown and settled Jamaica there. The Dutch appointed Robert Coe magistrate for Jamaica in 1658, an office which he held until 1664. When the English population on Long Island revolted from the Dutch at New Amsterdam
and transferred their allegiance to Connecticut, Coe went along as well serving as dupty for Jamaica to the General Court at Hartford by which he was appointed commissioner (or magistrate) for Jamaica. He last served as high-sheriff of Yorkshire after governance of this portion of Long Island fell under the jurisdiction of New York.
Near the end of his life, Robert Coe settled his estate among his three sons. He married a third wife Jane when over 80 years of age. He bought a farm of fifty acres at Foster's Meadow in Hempstead on November 29, 1678, and lived out his remaining years there.
, early doctor in the Dakotas, influential person in Portland, Oregon
business and politics, friend of Theodore Roosevelt
George W. Bush is a descendant of Robert Coe. "Barbara Bush is the great-granddaughter of Daniel and Mary Coe’s daughter Sarah. In 1855 Sarah Coe married John W. Robinson, a Marysville area farmer. Barbara’s grandfather Judge James E. Robinson of Union County served on the Ohio Supreme Court from January 1919 until December 1924. Judge Robinson married Lula Flickinger in Marion County, May 31, 1893." http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?president,bush::coe::751.html
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
of most of the Coes in America. Robert Coe was born at Thorpe-Morieux, in the county of Suffolk, England, and baptized in the ancient church there on October 26, 1596, as recorded in parish registers. His father Henry Coe had been a yeoman, probably a clothmaker, and for several years was church warden.
In 1625 Robert Coe is shown as living in Boxford, Suffolk (England), then a thriving rural and manufacturing parish eight miles south of Thorpe-Morieux, where he lived until leaving for America in 1634. Robert Coe and his family took passage from the port of Ipswich in Suffolk county aboard the Francis, commanded by Capt. John Cutting.
Experience in the Colonies
Once in New England, Coe and his family located for a brief time in Watertown, MassachusettsWatertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
, where several other Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
families from Boxford had located.
In June 1635 Robert Coe joined a few others in starting a new plantation at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in the fertile Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
Valley. There he lived about five years where his house was situated at what is now the northwest corner of East Main and Broad Streets. A division within the church caused Robert Coe and his adherents to purchase lands for a new plantation at Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
.
While in Stamford he rose to become a magistrate on April 5, 1643, and to serve as a deputy to the General Court at New Haven the same year and also in 1644. Once again a dispute within the church caused Robert Coe and the Rev. Richard Denton to cross the Sound in 1644 to Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, then under Dutch rule. There Coe helped to establish a new settlement called Hempstead. A church was immediately organized with Robert Coe chosen as the elder. There he remained for eight years, acquired extensive land, and was magistrate of the town under the Dutch government.
Eventually Coe helped to form another new settlement, a few miles west on Long Island at a place known as Mespat, which had been previously settled in 1642 but destroyed in an Indian attack the following year. A new church was formed with Rev. John Moore as the pastor and Robert Coe the elder. The settlement took on the name of Middleburg and Hastings before being permanently named Newtown. Mr. Coe remained at Middleburg (Newtown) for four years, being the most prominent man and local magistrate his whole time there. In 1653 he went to Boston as a deputy of the town to ask for protection from the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
against Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
who were threatening attack. In November of the same year he was sent as deputy to New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
to confer with the Dutch on the same issue.
From Middleburg, Robert Coe, his youngest son Benjamin Coe, and several others purchased a large tract of land south of Newtown and settled Jamaica there. The Dutch appointed Robert Coe magistrate for Jamaica in 1658, an office which he held until 1664. When the English population on Long Island revolted from the Dutch at New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
and transferred their allegiance to Connecticut, Coe went along as well serving as dupty for Jamaica to the General Court at Hartford by which he was appointed commissioner (or magistrate) for Jamaica. He last served as high-sheriff of Yorkshire after governance of this portion of Long Island fell under the jurisdiction of New York.
Near the end of his life, Robert Coe settled his estate among his three sons. He married a third wife Jane when over 80 years of age. He bought a farm of fifty acres at Foster's Meadow in Hempstead on November 29, 1678, and lived out his remaining years there.
Famous Descendants
Henry Waldo CoeHenry Waldo Coe
Henry Waldo Coe was a United States frontier physician and politician.Coe was born in Waupun, Wisconsin, to Dr. Samuel Buel Coe and his wife Mary Jane...
, early doctor in the Dakotas, influential person in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
business and politics, friend of Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
George W. Bush is a descendant of Robert Coe. "Barbara Bush is the great-granddaughter of Daniel and Mary Coe’s daughter Sarah. In 1855 Sarah Coe married John W. Robinson, a Marysville area farmer. Barbara’s grandfather Judge James E. Robinson of Union County served on the Ohio Supreme Court from January 1919 until December 1924. Judge Robinson married Lula Flickinger in Marion County, May 31, 1893." http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?president,bush::coe::751.html