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Arthur H. Coffin The Denison Herald
Sunday Morning, June 25, 1972 COFFIN WAS DURABLE CITIZEN, STAYED AFTER LAYING OUT TOWN Arthur H. Coffin was one of the most durable of Denison's first citizens. Born at Jamestown, N.C., Coffin received something of a classical and scientific education, according to an early biography. Coffin was a member of the Katy's Railroad advance construction party, working primarily as a surveyor, and that brought him here before the town was established. He was a member of the survey crew that surveyed Denison, and could share some credit for the wide streets and gridiron design of the older section of the city. After leaving the railroad, Coffin first was bookkeeper for the First National Bank for three years. Early record show that he was elected tax assessor-collector in 1887 and was re-elected in June of the next year. He also was engaged in insurance and real estate activity for a number of years. He held that post with some intermissions, for many years, continuing into the early 1930s as he remained active well into his 80s. Among other things, Coffin is remembered by the older Denisonians for his encyclopedic memory of early Denison events - something that would have been invaluable to promoters of Denison's current centennial celebration. Asked about almost any event or individual linked with Denison's earliest days, Coffin would wrinkle his brow in deep concentration, perhaps tug pensively at a small and always well-trimmed white mustache. Shortly he would come up with all the information sought, and often more. Coffin street in South Denison bears his name.  Biography Index Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |