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the first adventurers, he transported at least seven-
ty-one servants between 1643 and 1651; he often
returned to England over the next two decades.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: entrepreneur; actively
engaged in the tobacco trade, Indian trade (li-
censed in 1637), and retail provisions trade; built
the colony's first mill; a large investor in land.
PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Assembly,
special writ 1637/38 (Laws), special writ 1638/39,
special writ 1641/42 (Aggrievances), special writ
1642 A (Laws, chairman), special writ 1642B
(Laws); Lower House, St. Inigoe's Hundred, St.
Mary's County, 1658. OTHER PROVINCIAL OF-
FICES: commissioner of the colony, 1633-1637;
Council, 1637-1642, 1657; deputy governor, 1638;
justice, Provincial Court, sat 1658. MILITARY SER-
VICE: chief military officer in Maryland in the
1630s and 1640s; captain of an expedition against
the Indians, 1643. STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE
ISSUES: champion of the Assembly having legisla-
tive initiative, 1637/38, and a frequent opponent
of proprietary spokesmen in other early assem-
blies; an advocate of limits on the duration of
laws, 1642; an outspoken opponent of proprietary
efforts to limit the rights of the Catholic church,
especially those of the Jesuits; he refused to take
the oath as councilor, 1642; aided Richard Ingle's
escape, 1643/44, "to declare his [Cornwaleys's]
affection to the Parliament"; within a year he was
called the "chiefe Agent for Settling Popish faction
in Maryland" by Ingle and his associates; he was
impeached for aiding Ingle, 1643/44; opposed the
cultivation of tobacco. WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: 20 servants in 1659.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 6,000 acres by 1640;
11,200 acres by 1658; sold two manors, "Cornwa-
leys Crosse" and "St. Elizabeth's" in 1661.
WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: will probated on March
4, 1675/76; size of estate unknown.
COSDEN (COSTIN, COSTINE, COSTON),
ALPHONSO (ca. 1696-1738). BORN: probably
ca. 1696 in Calvert County. NATIVE: third genera-
tion. RESIDED: in Calvert County; Cecil County,
by 1733. FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER Al-
phonso Cosden (ca. 1676-1696), of Calvert
County, son of Thomas Cosden (1635-1683), who
immigrated in 1668 to St. Mary's County. GUARD-
IAN: Christopher Bean. MARRIED Elizabeth, who
subsequently married in 1739 Bartlet Smith. CHIL-
DREN. Nine, including SONS: Alphonso (1720-
1748), whose guardian was Benjamin Pearce
(1711/12-1756); Easalin. DAUGHTER: Alifera, who
married in 1743 Benjamin Terry. PRIVATE CA-
REER. EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIA-
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TION: Anglican, North Sassafras Parish, Cecil
County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Mr.,
1719. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: probably a
planter. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE
Lower House, Cecil County, 1738 (elected, but did
not serve; died before the convention). WEALTH
DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION:
370 acres in Cecil County (inherited at least 1,500
acres, and possibly as much as 2,540 acres, from
his father and grandfather, all of which he sold by
1736). WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: ca. May 1738 in
Cecil County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV,
£407.18.10 current money (including 4 slaves, 1
servant, books, and sea charts); FB, £257.9.3.
LAND: 370 acres in Cecil County. ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS: income from his plantation was esti-
mated to be 900 pounds of tobacco annually.
COULTER, JOHN (1751-1823). BORN: in 1751
in Ireland. IMMIGRATED: in 1772 from Ireland.
RESIDED: in Baltimore Town. MARRIED on Febru-
ary 2, 1788, Mary (Polly) McCaskey. CHILDREN.
SON: probably Henry S. PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCA-
TION literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Presbyte-
rian, member of the Second Presbyterian Church,
Baltimore Town. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES:
Esq., 1787. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: physician,
began practice in Baltimore Town, 1772. PUBLIC
CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House,
Baltimore Town, 1788. OTHER STATE OFFICE:
Constitution Ratification Convention, Baltimore
Town, 1788. LOCAL OFFICES: justice, Baltimore
County, 1783-1787 (resigned); justice, Orphans'
Court, Baltimore County, appointed 1785 (de-
clined); special commissioner, Baltimore Town, in
office 1793; trustee for Potter's Field (Baltimore
Town cemetery for the poor), in office 1794. MILI-
TARY SERVICE: surgeon, Maryland ship Defence,
in office 1776; surgeon, Military Hospitals,
Baltimore Town, in office 1776. STANDS ON PUB-
LIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: Federalist candidate for the
convention to ratify the federal Constitution, 1788;
said to favor ratification of the Constitution prior
to acceptance of amendments. WEALTH DURING
LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: 4 slaves, 1790.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 3 lots in Baltimore
Town, including 1 containing 100 acres and 1 lot
leased out. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BE-
TWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: active spec-
ulator in Baltimore City lots. WEALTH AT DEATH.
DIED: on May 24, 1823, in Baltimore City. PER-
SONAL PROPERTY: TEV, $9,654.69 current money
(including 2 slaves); FB, $766.13. LAND: at least 4
lots in Baltimore City.
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