Joseph Coolidge (1747-1820)

He was born in Boston where his father was a merchant who specialized in importing British goods. Joseph carried on his father's business and quickly became one of Boston’s most important merchants and bankers, being among the first to trade with the Far East. He was a Director of the Middlesex Canal Company; the United States Branch Bank; and, the Massachusetts Bank. He was a Trustee of the Humane Society and a Member of the Massachusetts Historical Society. He was married twice: (1) In 1771, to Elizabeth Boyer and (2) In 1788, to his widow's younger sister, Katharine Boyer. He had eight children, of whom only three by his first wife lived to adulthood (listed above) and only one survived him. He died in Newton, just a few days after his second son, Charles. His funeral was held at King’s Chapel, Boston.