Martha Day Coit

(1840-1920)

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At a Glance

This student appears in the roster of authenticated Burwell School student compiled by Mary Claire Engstrom and published in The Book of Burwell Students. Martha was first cousin to two Burwell students, Elizabeth Coit  and Eliza North Mitchell .

Story

The legacy of education for women is extremely evident in the family of Martha Day Coit, whose children and descendants valued education and became scientists, economists, and educators at universities across the nation. She herself descended from an educated family. Her grandfather was a pioneer in ophthalmology. Her father was a proponent of education for women. Her uncle was the UNC scientist for whom Mt. Mitchell is named. Her legacy spans East Coast (Yale, Harvard, Cornell) and West Coast (Stanford, UCSB). As a girl studying with Anna Burwell, she would have felt among kindred spirits [1] [2] [3] [4].

Biographical Data

Important Dates

Martha Day Coit was born on December 3, 1840, in Cheraw, SC, USA. She died on November 3, 1920, and was buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.

Places of Residence

• Cheraw, SC, USA, between 1840 and 1860.
• Dresden, from 1860.
• Whitestown, from 1865.
• Burdette, from 1866.
• Carthage, from 1868.
• Wellsville, from 1871.
• Hector, from 1875.
• Burdette, from 1875.
• Ithaca, from 1879.
• Pacific Grove, from 1900.
• San Mateo, from 1902.
• Palo Alto, from 1910.
• Long Beach, from 1920.

Schools Attended

• Burwell School.

Occupations

• Minister's Wife.

Relatives

• Parents: John Calkins (or Caulkins) Coit (1799-1863) and Ellen Phoebe North (1812-1843).
• Spouse: Edmund Woodward Brown (1831-1902), married on February 2, 1860. In Wayne County
  Children:
  
  • two sons, Bolton Coit Brown (1865-1936) and Edmund Fowler Brown (1868-1969).
  • six daughters, Ellen Coit Brown (1860-1857), Anna Louise Brown (1866-1945), Gertrude North Brown (1871-1914), Zaidee Mabel Brown (1875-1950), Harriet Hamilton Brown (b. 1878) and Agnes Bessie Brown (b. 1879).
• Siblings:
  • five brothers, William Henry Coit (1835-1907), Henry William Coit (1836-1862), Julius Thornwell Coit (1837-1880), George Erasmus Coit (1838-1862) and Wilson Gilchrist Coit (b. 1850).
  • two sisters, Ellen Coit (1841-1842) and Julia Chappell Coit (1843-1921).
• Uncle: David Coit.
• Aunt: Maria Sybil North.
• Cousins: Elizabeth Coit (1837-1852)  and Eliza North Mitchell .
• Others: Henrietta Coit (half-sister, 1826-1843), John T Coit (half-brother, b. 1829), Sarah McIver Coit (half-sister, b. 1848), Albert B Coit (half-brother) and Malinda Borge (step-mother).

References

1. Ancestry.com.
2. A Brief Church History of First Presbyterian Church.
3. Cheraw Gazette.
4. Coit Family History.