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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 

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48541/images/BMDBaltimoreNews-000302-65?usePUB=true&pId=391729  


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









Thomas Coffield
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