Thomas Coffield
Tavern and Ferry Keeper
1805-1810
Associated Workers
Biographical Information
Born:
Born circa 1779
Parents:
unknown
Spouse:
Children:
Eliza Coffield (birth date and location unknown, died February 16th, 1802 in Havre de Grace, MD)
John Coffield (birth date and location unknown, died 1810 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Lived:
Havre de Grace, Harford County, MD
Susquehanna Lower Ferry, Cecil County, MD
Died:
1811-1812
Additional Information
Information Sources
Primary Sources
Circa 1779
Thomas Coffield born.
Birth year inferred from 1801 Chancery Records at State Archives. see 1801 for specific citation information.
1800
The 1800 United States Federal Census lists a total of three whites males, five white females, and four enslaved people (ages and sexes not identified) living in the Coffield household in Havre de Grace, MD.
Second Census of the United States, 1800. NARA microfilm publication M32 (52 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. Accessed via Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
1801
Thomas Coffield, 22 years of age, witness in a Chancery Court case.
MARYLAND INDEXES (Chancery Record, Index). 1668-1851. Book 57 - 218. MSA Citation: S1431-15. Pg. 1188. Accessed via MD State Archives website, Guide to Government Records at https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/item.aspx?ID=S1431-15
January 18, 1802
Death of Eliza Coffield, eldest dau. of Capt. Thomas Coffield of Havre de Grace.
Marriages and Deaths from Baltimore Newspapers, 1796-1816. Accessed via Ancestry.com at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48541/images/BMDBaltimoreNews-000302-65?usePUB=true&pId=391729
February 1, 1803
Thomas Coffield buys from Christian Hoofman and Jacob Lammott Lot No. 460 a waterfront lot on Fayette Street near intersection of Young Street and Concord Street in Havre de Grace.
Harford County Court Land Records. Liber HD Q, pg. 343
Document transcription: Thomas Coffield from Christian Hoofman et al_Deed_1803.docx
July 20, 1803
Thomas Coffield buys from James Dall Lots 572 and 272 in Havre de Grace, MD.
Harford County Court Land Records. Liber HD R, pg.91
Document transcription: Thomas Coffield from James Dall Deed- 1803.docx
1804
Thomas Coffield, his tavern mentioned, Havre de grace, in a Chancery Court case.
MARYLAND INDEXES (Chancery Record, Index). 1668-1851. Book 56 - 677. MSA Citation: S1431-15. Pg. 1188. Accessed via MD State Archives website, Guide to Government Records at https://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/item.aspx?ID=S1431-15
January 28, 1804
Thomas Coffield from buys from Benjamin McCaskey Lot 179 in Havre de Grace. Benjamin McCaskey is the brother and executor of the estate of Alexander McCaskey. Alexander was a veteran of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and tavern and ferry keeper in 1791.
Harford County Court Land Records. Liber HD R, pg. 220
Document transcription: Thomas Coffield from Benjamin McCaskey_Deed_1804.docx
July 23, 1804
Thomas Coffield from James White Hall lease of property in Havre de Grace
Harford County Court Land Records. Liber HD R, pg. 428
March 2, 1805
Cecil County Court grants licenses to Thomas Coffield to keep Ordinary and Ferry at Susquehanna Lower Ferry.
Cecil County Court Minutes, 1805-1809. Pg. 16. MSA C635-8.
May 29, 1805
Thomas Coffield to Roger Boyce and John Hambleton. Mortgage of the following property in Havre de Grace owned by Coffield to Boyce and Hambleton for debts Coffield owed to them:
Lots 243, 229, 230, 460, 222, 520, 250, and 90
Orchard Point Fishery
Harford County Court Land Records. Liber HD S, p. 0048. MSA CE113_18. Document transcription: Thomas Coffield to Roger Boyce_Mortgage_1805.docx
November 15, 1805
Thomas Coffield referred to as Captain Coffield in a 1805 newspaper advertisement placed by Richard S. Thomas.
Aurora General Advertiser, 1794–1814 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2024. Last updated: August 26, 2019. Accessed at https://www.newspapers.com/image/586574982/
December 18, 1805
A newspaper article reporting on the proceedings of the Maryland House of Delegates note that:
"Petitions from...Thomas Coffield of Caecil county, praying acts of insolvency, were read and refered."
Maryland Gazette Newspaper, Dec. 19, 1805. Pg.1. Accessed via Newspapers.com at
https://www.newspapers.com/image/592764383
January 28, 1806
The Maryland General Assembly passes "An Act for the Relief of Sundry Insolvent Debtors." Thomas Coffield is listed with other individuals from across Maryland seeking to have their debts voided by the State in exchange for surrendering all of their property (real estate, personal, or mixed "the necessary wearing apparel and bedding of himself and his family excepted") to a court appointed trustee to be sold. The proceeds of the sale to pay debts. See Act for additional requirements.
Maryland General Assembly, Session Laws, 1805. Volume 607, pg. 89. Accessed via Archives of Maryland Online, Maryland State Archives at https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc2900/sc2908/000001/000607/html/am607--89.html
March 19, 1806
Thomas Coffield 's property in Havre de Grace seized by the Harford County Sherifef and sold to Gabriel Christie at public auction to pay debts.
Harford County Court Land Records Liber HD S, pg. 238. Document transcription: Thomas Coffleld to Gabriel Christie Deed1806.docx
July 26, 1806
Newspaper notice in the American Commercial Daily Advertiser for Thomas Coffield to appear before the Cecil County Court on the 1st Monday of September to answer to his creditors.
Digitized newspaper accessed via Maryland State Archives at
https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccolm/m0000/m800/m893/pdf/m893-0577.pdf
September 10, 1806
Cecil County Court grants licenses to Thomas Coffield to keep Ordinary and Ferry at Susquehanna Lower Ferry.
Cecil County Court Minutes, 1805-1809. Pg. 114. MSA C635-8
April 11, 1807
Cecil County Court grants licenses to Thomas Coffield to keep Ordinary and Ferry at Susquehanna Lower Ferry.
Cecil County Court Minutes, 1805-1809. Pg. 134. MSA C635-8
April 9, 1808
Cecil County Court grants license to Thomas Coffield to keep ordinary at Susquehanna Lower Ferry.
Cecil County Court Minutes, 1805-1809. Pg. 196. MSA C635-8
April 7, 1809
Cecil County Court grants licenses to Thomas Coffield to keep Ordinary and Ferry at Susquehanna Lower Ferry.
Cecil County Court Minutes, 1805-1809. Pg. 273. MSA C635-8
April 7, 1810
Cecil County Court grants licenses to Thomas Coffield to keep Ordinary and Ferry at Susquehanna Lower Ferry.
Cecil County Court Minutes, 1810-1814. Pg. 13-14. MSA C635-9.
August 6, 1810
The 1810 United States Federal Census lists a total of three whites males, four white females, and six enslaved people (ages and sexes not identified) living in the Coffield household in Cecil County, MD.
Year: 1810; Census Place: Cecil, Maryland; Roll: 15; Page: 265; Image: Mdm252_15-0081; FHL Roll: 0193668. Accessed through Ancestry.com at https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/82356:7613?tid=&pid=&queryId=895a8870-3ce5-43a0-8456-cb84c7fbcee6&_phsrc=Gxh213&_phstart=successSource
November 23, 1810
Death of John Coffield, son of Thomas Coffield of Cecil County, MD, in Port-au-Prince.
Marriages and Deaths from Baltimore Newspapers, 1796-1816. Accessed via Ancestry.com at
1811-1812
Death of Thomas Coffield
January 10, 1812
William Coffield posts $1,000.00 Administration Bond for Thomas Coffield's estate
Cecil County Register of Wills (Administration Bonds, Index) 1674-1953. CM1465
January 22, 1813
William Coffield submits list of accounts due to estate of Thomas Coffield
Cecil County Register of Wills (Inventories) 1675-1976. CM335. Vol. 16, pg. 185-186 [pdf pg. 103-104 of 189
Secondary Sources
Marriages and Deaths from Baltimore Newspapers, 1796-1816. Surnames C-D. Accessed via Ancestry.com at https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48541/images/BMDBaltimoreNews-000302-65?usePUB=true&pId=391729
