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^BITUARIES, AMERICAN. (CniLDS COFFIN.) 



American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis- 

 sions ; $3,000 to the American Home Missionary So- 

 ciety ; $2,000 to the American Missionary Associ- 

 ation ; $1,000 to the Home for Friendless Boys in 

 New York city ; the stereotype plates of the revised 

 edition of " A Reel in a Bottle," entitled " The Log- 

 Book of a Voyage to the Celestial Country," to the 

 American Seamen's Friend Society ; and $2,000 to 

 the same society to enable it to keep the volume in 

 print for continued circulation among seamen. 



Childs, Casper 0,, journalist, born in Stratford, Conn., 

 Dec. 3, 1803 ; died in New York city, April 4, 1890. 

 He received a common-school education in his native 

 town, and took a collegiate course in Pittsfield, Mass. 

 Removing to New York city, he apprenticed himself 

 to the printer's trade, and on completing his time, 

 opened a printing office of his own. In 1833 he es- 

 tablished the " Jeffersonian," a strong Democratic or- 

 gan, and subsequently became the publisher of the 

 "National Democrat" and one of the founders of the 

 u Daily News." As his business increased, he began 

 to take an active interest in local and national politics. 

 He entered the Tammany Society, was elected a 

 sachem and its secretary, and received the appoint- 

 ments of public printer, deputy commissioner of jurors, 

 and deputy tax receiver. 



Chisholm, Walter Scott, lawyer, born in Liberty 

 County, Ga., in 1836 ; died in Savannah, Ga., Dec. 5, 

 1890. He was graduated at the University of Georgia 

 in 1857, and immediately afterward was admitted to 

 the bar in Savannah. He acquired a large and lucra- 

 tive practice, served a short time in the Confederate 

 army, and after the war was elected judge of the city 

 court of Savannah. In 1880 he removed temporarily 

 to New York city, on becoming connected with the 

 Southern systems of railroads, and at the time of his 

 death was Vice-President of the Plaut System and a 

 director of the Richmond Terminal and the Central 

 Georgia Railroad Companies. 



Christiancy, Isaac Peckham, lawyer, born in Johns- 

 town, N. Y., March 12, 1812; diecl in Lansing, Mich., 

 Sept. 8, 1890. He was educated in the academies of 

 Ovid and Kingsborough, N. Y. ; studied law ; re- 

 moved to Monroe, Mich., in 1836; was soon after- 

 ward admitted to the bar, and was prosecuting attor- 

 ney for Monroe County from 1841 till 1846. About 

 this time he became active in politics, leaving the 

 Democratic party to promote the Free-Soil movement. 

 In 1848 he was a delegate to the Buffalo convention, in 

 1850-' 52 was a State Senator, in the latter year was 

 the unsuccessful Free-Soil candidate for Governor, 

 and in 1856 was a delegate to the first National Re- 

 publican Convention in Philadelphia. In the follow- 

 ing year he became editor and proprietor of the 

 *' Monroe Commercial," and was an unsuccessful can- 

 didate for United States Senator. In 1857 he was 

 elected a judge of the Supreme Court of Michigan, and 

 he was re-elected in 1865 and 1873, and was chosen chief 

 justice in 1872. He was United States Senator from 

 1875 till 1879, when he resigned on the ground of fail- 

 ing health. He then served two years as United 

 States minister to Peru, and on his return in 1881 was 

 the plaintiff in a sensational suit for divorce against 

 his wife, who had been a clerk in the Treasury Depart- 

 ment, and who died a maniac in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 

 1883. Judge Christiancy was a man of profound 

 learning, and_ a judge of the highest probity, and he 

 held the confidence and esteem of all who knew him 

 throughout his unfortunate marital troubles. 



Chubb, Thomas, mariner, born in Charlestown, Mass., 

 June 12, 1809 ; died in Post Mills Village, Vt., Aug. 

 26, 1890. When nine years olJ he ran away from 

 home, shipped on board the United States 'frigate 

 " Java," and spent nearly five years in the navy. 

 Subsequently he entered the mercantile marine serv- 

 ice, became commander of a large merchantman, 

 engaged in the West India trade ? and was for many 

 years established on long wharf in Boston. At the 

 beginning of the struggle for Texan independence he 

 bought, armed, and equipped a schooner, took her to 

 Galveston, and offered her with his services to Gen. 



Houstonf In return for his services he was appointed 

 admiral of the navy of the Texas Republic. After 

 the admission of Texas into the Union, he engaged 

 * in piloting in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, mak- 

 ing his home in Galveston. He early volunteered for 

 service in the Confederate navy, commanded the 

 " Royal Yacht," and was captured in a hand-to-hand 

 fight by the present Rear- Admiral Jouett, of the 

 United States navy. He was taken North, imprisoned, 

 and condemned to be executed ; but President Davis 

 saved him by threatening lo retalitate tenfold if the 

 sentence were carried out. In 1882 he was appointed 

 harbor master of Galveston, and he held the office 

 till his death. In his early days he built and con- 

 ducted the Federal Theatre in Boston, and bought and 

 managed a large traveling circus. 



Clafliu, Aaron, merchant, born in Milford, Mass., 

 Feb. 20, 1807 ; died in Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 7, 

 1890. He was a son of John Claflin, and was the 

 only brother of Horace B. Claflin, with whom he re- 

 ceived an academic education in his native town. 

 After leaving school the brothers became clerks, then 

 formed a partnership and conducted a general store 

 for several years, Horace applying himself particularly 

 to the dry-goods department, and Aaron to the boot 

 and shoe and straw-goods trades. Their partnership 

 began in Milford, and was continued in Worcester 

 till about 1840, when Aaron withdrew to engage 

 wholly in the straw-goods trade. Duringhis business 

 trips to New York and Southern cities ne took with 

 him samples of Milford boots and shoes, and as his 

 trade in this line soon became larger than that in 

 straw goods, he established a house in New York in 

 1841, and afterward made a specialty of Milford toot- 

 wear. He built a factory in his native town, and was 

 a manufacturer, dealer, and auction operator. 



Coburn, Joseph, pugilist, born in County Armagh, 

 Ireland, July 4, 1835 ; died in New York city, Dec. 

 6, 1890. He came to New York city when eight years 

 old, joined the volunteer fire department when 

 twenty-two, learned the brick-laying trade, and made 

 his first appearance in the pugilistic ring in 1858, 

 when he defeated Harry Gribbin at Harper's Ferry, 

 Va. In 1863 he won the championship of America 

 by defeating Mike McCool ; in 1867 defeated Patsy 

 Flynn, of England, on a challenge ; in 1868 he agreed 

 to fight Jem Mace for $5,000 a side and the champion- 

 ship of the world, in Ireland, but Mace backed out 

 and forfeited his deposit ; and in 1872, after several 

 attempts to meet Mace in the ring, Coburn fought 

 him for nearly four hours at Bay City, Miss., when 

 the referee called the fight a draw. 'Since then he 

 had appeared frequently in sparring matches and 

 u scientific bouts," had served a term in State prison 

 for shooting a policeman, and had been engaged in 

 the saloon business. 



Coffin, John Huntington Crane, mathematician, born 

 in Wiscasset, Me., Sept. 14, 1815; died in Washing- 

 ton, D. C., dan. 8, 1890. He was graduated at Bow- 

 doin College in 1834. and in January, 1836, entered 

 the United States navy as Professor of Mathematics. 

 From 1836 till 1843 he served on board the " Van- 

 dalia " and u Constellation " of the West India 

 squadron, at the Norfolk Navy Yard, and on the 

 Florida surveys. He was placed in charge of the 

 mural circle in the United States Naval Observatory, 

 Washington, in 1843, and continued in that capacity 

 until 1853, when he was assigned to the charge of the 

 Department of Mathematics at the United States Naval 

 Academy in Annapolis, and later had Charge of the 

 department of astronomy and navigation. In 1865 

 he was appointed to the charge of the "American 

 Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac," then issued in 

 Cambridge, Mass., but in 1867 its place of publication 

 was transferred to Washington, D. C., whither Prof. 

 Coffin then removed and 'remained its chief officer 

 until 1877, when he was placed on the retired list, 

 having been senior Professor of Mathematics since 

 1848. The degree of LL. D. was conferred upon him 

 by Bowdoin in 1884, and he was a member of the 

 American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Amer- 



