Owners of Enslaved Persons on the Eastern Shore Who Served in the Maryland Legislature and the U.S. Congress, Part 1

George Shivers • March 1, 2022

Excerpt from probate inventory of Governor Charles Carnan Ridgely’s property at Northhampton Furnace, 1829. Image: Maryland State Archives


Slavery in Maryland preceded the colony’s founding in 1634. During most of the 1600s, however, plantation labor was largely performed by indentured servants from England.

 

Fewer than 1,000 enslaved Africans were brought to Maryland before 1697. Between that date and the outbreak of the American Revolution, nearly 100,000 enslaved men, women, and children, mostly from the Caribbean, had disembarked at the colony’s ports of entry. By 1755, about one-third of the colony’s population was from Africa. On the Eastern Shore, colonial ports of entry were Chestertown, Easton, Cambridge, Salisbury, and Princess Anne.

 

Those who could afford to be enslavers were primarily owners of substantial plantations, with tobacco as the major money crop during the 1600s and early 1700s. Of course, many middle-class town dwellers purchased enslaved persons as house servants. Around 1750, Eastern Shore agriculture had shifted primarily to the production of wheat, which required less labor. In terms of its impact on enslaved people, one result of this shift was that the Shore counties became a place for breeding enslaved persons for sale to the Deep South.

 

After American independence and formation of the federal government, among those who held people in slavery during the late 1700s and early 1800s were men who served in the Maryland legislature and/or the U.S. Congress.

 

This article is the first of three. Here I discuss those from the lower Eastern Shore counties (Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset). Subsequent articles will focus on those from the Mid-Shore counties (Dorchester and Talbot) and the Upper Shore (Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Cecil). Because it produced no representatives to the state or federal legislature during the period of slavery, Caroline is omitted from this report. The names of these politicians are taken from a Washington Post project to identify enslavers.

 

Lower Shore Politicians Who Held People in Bondage

 

Twelve men from the lower Eastern Shore held high political office during the period of slavery. They were:

 

  1. Joseph Stewart Cottman (1803-1863), Somerset
  2. John Woodland Crisfield (1806-1897), Somerset
  3. George Robertson Dennis (1822-1882), Somerset
  4. Littleton Purnell Dennis (1786-1834), Worcester
  5. William Humphries Jackson (1839-1915), Wicomico
  6. Edward Carroll Long (1808-1865), Somerset
  7. John Selby Spence (1788-1840), Worcester
  8. Thomas Ara Spence (1810-1877), Worcester
  9. James Augustus Stewart (1808-1879), Worcester
  10. Ephraim King Wilson (1821-1891), Worcester
  11. George Washington Covington (1808-1911), Worcester
  12. Isaac Dashiell Jones (1806-1893), Somerset


Here is a more detailed look at the careers of four of these men, with details of their ownership of the enslaved.

 

Grave of Joseph Stewart Cottman at St. Andrew’s Episcopal

Church in Princess Anne, Md. Photo: findagrave.com


Joseph Stewart Cottman

 

Joseph Stewart Cottman lived on a plantation named “Motherton” along the south bank of Wicomico Creek in what was then Somerset County (now in Wicomico). Just outside the village of Allen (at that time known as Upper Trappe), the road that approaches it is still known as Cottman Road. Cottman was well-educated, having attended Princeton College in 1821 and Yale College in 1822 and 1823. He was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1826 and began his practice as an attorney in Princess Anne, county seat of Somerset County. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates in 1831-1832 and again in 1839. In 1837, he served in the State Senate. He was elected to the 32nd Congress of the U.S. in 1851 and served until 1853. His campaign for the 33rd Congress was unsuccessful.

 

In 1840, Cottman held 43 persons in bondage. Ten years later, according to the federal census of 1850, there were 36 enslaved males on his plantation, ranging in age from 1 year to 80. There were 23 females, ranging in age from 1 year to 70. He was by far the largest owner of enslaved persons in his district in that year.

 

John Woodland Crisfield.

Photo: prabook.com


John Woodland Crisfield

 

John Woodland Crisfield was born in 1808 near Galena in Kent County and graduated from Washington College. He was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1830. In 1836, he entered the Maryland House of Delegates. Elected as a candidate of the Whig Party, Crisfield served from 1847 until 1849 in the 30th Congress from Maryland’s 6th Congressional district. In 1861, he was elected as a Unionist to the 37th Congress from Maryland’s 1st Congressional district and served one term, which ended in 1863.

 

Although an owner of enslaved persons, he opposed Maryland’s secession and supported the Union during the Civil War. In March of 1862, President Lincoln spoke with Crisfield about emancipation. Crisfield argued that freedom would be worse for those who were enslaved than slavery itself. In July 1862, Lincoln offered to buy out Maryland slaveholders, offering $300 for each person emancipated. Crisfield refused the offer.

 

He was defeated in 1863 by John Creswell of Cecil County, who supported the emancipation of the enslaved. Crisfield was a delegate to the National Union Convention in Philadelphia in 1866. He was also instrumental in the construction of the Eastern Shore Railroad and served as president. He died in 1897. The town of Crisfield in Somerset County is named in his honor.

 

John Selby Spence’s grave in the Episcopal Church

Yard in Worcester Co. Photo: findagrave.com


John Selby Spence

 

John Selby Spence was born near Snow Hill in Worcester County on February 29, 1788. He received a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1809 and returned to Worcester County to practice medicine. He was an anti-Jacksonian Whig and served five terms in the House of Representatives from Maryland’s District 1 between 1823 and 1836. He was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy resulting from the death of Robert H. Goldsborough. He was re-elected in 1837 and served until his death on October 24, 1840, near Berlin. 

 

According to the Federal Census of 1830 he owned 45 enslaved people. In 1840, the year of his death, that number was reduced to 6.

 

Ephraim King Wilson, Jr.

Drawing: history.house.gov


Ephraim King Wilson, Jr.

 

Ephraim King Wilson, Jr., was born in Snow Hill in Worcester County in 1821. He attended Union Academy in Snow Hill and Washington Academy in Princess Anne (in neighboring Somerset County) and graduated from Jefferson College in Cannonsburg, Pa. in 1840. He taught school for six years and was admitted to the bar in 1848, when he established a practice in Snow Hill.

 

In 1847, King served in the Maryland House of Delegates as a Democrat. He retired from his law practice to his farm in 1867 due to poor health. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1873 to 1875. From 1878 to 1884, he was a judge in the first judicial circuit of Maryland, and was elected in 1884 to the U.S. Senate, in which he served until his death in 1891.

 

Census records indicate that his father, who lived from 1771 until 1834, owned 12 enslaved persons in 1820 and 11 in 1830. It is likely that Ephraim Wilson, Jr. inherited these or other enslaved people from his father in 1834 and probably added to that group; however, I have not been able to find a record of the number of persons that he held in bondage.

 

 

Sources:

More than 1700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation. Julie Zauzmer Weil, Adrian Blanco, and Leo Dominguez. Washington Post, Jan. 10, 2022.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/interactive/2022/congress-slaveowners-names-list/?itid=ap_juliezauzmerweil

 

A Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland, Revised Edition: Annapolis, Md: the Maryland State Archives, 2020.

http://slavery.msa.maryland.gov/pdf/md-slavery-guide-2020.pdf

 

Wikipedia, Joseph Stewart Cottman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stewart_Cottman

 

Shivers, George R., Changing Times: Chronicle of Allen, MD, an Eastern Shore Village. Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1998

 

Find a Grave, Joseph Stewart Cottman

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7856021/joseph-stewart-cottman

 

Prabook, John Woodland Crisfield.

https://prabook.com/web/john.woodland_crisfield/2239928

 

Find a Grave, John Selby Spence

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26182448/john-selby-spence

 

History, Art, and Archives. U.S. House of Representatives, Ephraim King Wilson.

https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/W/WILSON,-Ephraim-King-(W000577)/

 

Wikipedia, Ephraim King Wilson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephraim_King_Wilson

 

 

A native of Wicomico County, George Shivers holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland and taught in the Foreign Language Dept. of Washington College for 38 years before retiring in 2007. He is also very interested in the history and culture of the Eastern Shore, African American history in particular.



Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Department of Justice

By John Christie • December 16, 2025
When I practiced law, much of my litigation involved issues arising under federal antitrust laws. The Department of Justice (DOJ) was my frequent adversary in court. In some cases, DOJ challenged a client’s conduct as anticompetitive. In others, they claimed an intended client merger would create a monopoly. Some of these DOJ court battles were won, others were not. Overall, I had great respect for DOJ lawyers. They were professional, well prepared, and dedicated to their mission of seeing justice done. They were courteous, honest, and forthright with the courts before which we argued our cases. In those days, without resorting to social media or press conferences, the DOJ spoke entirely through its court filings. Although as an advocate I took issue with various DOJ investigatory decisions as well as decisions to initiate litigation, I never thought politics was involved. Post-Watergate internal rules strictly limited communication with any figures at the White House. Not so, it seems, anymore. Beginning last January 20, all of this changed rapidly and spectacularly . On March 14, Trump triumphantly arrived at the main DOJ building in D.C. to be welcomed by a group of carefully selected VIPs. He was greeted by Pam Bondi, his chosen new attorney general, who exclaimed, “We are so proud to work at the directive (sic) of Donald Trump.” Bondi’s boast that the DOJ now worked at the president’s behest was something never said before and, in effect, surrendered the department’s long and proud independence. And Bondi’s comment was not an empty gesture. As chronicled by reporters Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis in their new book, Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department , within hours of being sworn in, Trump and his lieutenants began punishing those at the Justice Department who had investigated him or those he considered his political enemies. Career attorneys with years of experience under many administrations were fired or reassigned to lesser work, or they resigned. As Leonnig and Davis report, what followed was “the wholesale overthrow of the Justice Department as Trump insert[ed] his dutiful former defense attorneys and 2020 election deniers atop the department.” [Source: Injustice , p. xix.] In the place of years of experience, the new team appears credentialed simply by loyalty to the president’s causes. The DOJ’s conduct in court has since caused damage to judicial and public faith in the integrity and competence of the department. Just Security is an independent, non-partisan, daily digital law and policy journal housed in the Reiss Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law. Since January 20, it has documented federal judicial concerns about DOJ conduct. In 26 cases, judges raised questions about DOJ non-compliance with judicial orders and in more than 60 cases, judges expressed distrust of government-provided information and representations. This count was taken the day after a federal court dismissed the DOJ cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. [Source: Just Security , “The ‘Presumption of Regularity’ in Trump Administration Litigation,” Nov. 20, 2025.] As summarized by the Georgetown Law Center’s Steve Vladeck, “It’s one thing for the Department of Justice to so transparently pursue a politically motivated prosecution. But this one has been beset from the get-go with errors that remotely competent law students wouldn’t make. Indeed, it seems a virtual certainty that the Keystone Kops-like behavior of the relevant government lawyers can be traced directly to the political pressure to bring this case; there’s a reason why no prosecutors with more experience, competence, or integrity were willing to take it on.” [Source: One First , Nov. 24, 2025.] Rather than accept criticism and instead of trying to do better, Bondi’s DOJ and the Trump administration lash out in a fashion apparently aimed at demeaning the federal judiciary. At a recent Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, one of Trump’s former defense attorneys, attributed the Trump administration’s myriad losses in the lower federal courts to “rogue activist judges.” He added, “There’s a group of judges that are repeat players, and that’s obviously not by happenstance, that’s intentional, and it’s a war, man.” Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller decries each adverse ruling against the Trump administration as just part of a broader “judicial insurrection.” Not to be left behind, Trump himself regularly complains of “radical left lunatic” judges. In addition to the harm these comments inflict on the federal courts, their premise is simply not true. According to a survey by Vladeck, as of Nov. 14, there were 204 cases in which federal district courts have ruled on requests for preliminary relief against the Trump administration. In 154 of them, district judges granted either a temporary restraining order, a preliminary injunction, or both. Those 154 rulings came from 121 district judges appointed by seven presidents (including President Trump) in 29 district courts. In the 154 cases with rulings adverse to the Trump administration, 41 were presided over by 30 Republican-appointed judges, fully half of whom were appointed by President Trump. No, it is no longer your grandfather’s Department of Justice. John Christie was for many years a senior partner in a large Washington, D.C. law firm. He specialized in anti-trust litigation and developed a keen interest in the U.S. Supreme Court about which he lectures and writes.

Salisbury City Council Appoints Melissa Holland to Fill District 2 Seat

By CSES Staff • December 16, 2025
The Salisbury City Council has appointed longtime public servant Melissa D. Holland to fill the vacancy in District 2. Holland was selected on Dec. 1 after the council reviewed several applicants. A 27-year resident of Salisbury, Holland brings more than 20 years of experience in government, education, and administration. As executive assistant to the president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, she currently oversees operations, budgeting, communications, and planning. Before joining UMCES, Holland worked for nearly 11 years with the Wicomico County Council, gaining extensive experience in legislative procedure, constituent services, research, and budget preparation. Her background includes positions with the Wicomico County Board of Education, the State of Maryland’s Holly Center, and multiple early-learning programs. Approved by a 3-1 council vote, Holland was selected based on her administrative expertise and long-standing community involvement. (Salisbury’s City Council is now comprised of only women.) She has a bachelor’s degree in legal studies from Post University and an associate degree from Wor-Wic Community College. She has also served as PTA president at East Salisbury Elementary and Wicomico Middle School. In her application, Holland emphasized her commitment to maintaining transparency in city government and ensuring that District 2 residents remain informed and represented. “I plan to be well-informed on the issues that matter to the citizens of Salisbury and to listen to their concerns carefully,” she wrote. “I want to make a positive and lasting impact on our city.” Holland’s appointment restores the City Council to full membership as it faces debates over budgeting, infrastructure planning, and local governance initiatives. She is expected to begin constituent outreach immediately and participate fully in the selection of the next council president.

Democrats Ambushed in Hurlock Election

By CSES Staff • November 4, 2025
Voters in Hurlock have delivered sweeping changes in this year’s municipal election, as Republican and GOP-aligned candidates won key races there. The results mark a setback for Democrats and a significant political shift in a community that has historically leaned Democratic in state and federal contests. The outcome underscores how local organizing and turnout strategies can have an outsized impact in small-town elections. Analysts also suggest that long-term party engagement in municipal contests could shape voter alignment in future county and state races. Political analysts warn that ignoring municipal elections and ceding them to the GOP could hurt the Maryland Democratic Party in statewide politics. Turnout increased by approximately 17% compared with the 2021 municipal election, reflecting heightened local interest in the mayoral and council races. Incumbent Mayor Charles Cephas, a Democrat, was soundly defeated by At-Large Councilmember Earl Murphy, who won with roughly 230 votes to Cephas’s 144. In the At-Large Council race, Jeff Smith, an independent candidate backed by local Republicans, secured a 15-point win over Cheyenne Chase. In District 2, Councilmember Bonnie Franz, a Republican, was re-elected by 40 percentage points over challenger Zia Ashraf, who previously served on the Dorchester Democratic Central Committee. The only Democrat to retain a seat on the council was David Higgins, who was unopposed. The Maryland Republican Party invested resources and campaign attention in the Hurlock race, highlighting it on statewide social media and dispatching party officials, including Maryland GOP Chair Nicole Beus Harris, to campaign. Local Democrats emphasized support for Mayor Cephas through the Dorchester County Democratic Central Committee, but the Maryland Democratic Party did not appear to participate directly.

Giordano Sides with Ehrlich Over Hogan, Underscoring GOP Rift as Moore Widens Lead

By CSES Staff • November 4, 2025
In what political observers are calling a clear break from Maryland’s moderate Republican establishment, Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano chose former Gov. Bob Ehrlich — not former Gov. Larry Hogan — as the guest of honor at her re-election fundraiser in late October. Billed as Giordano’s annual Harvest Party, her event drew conservative activists from across the lower Eastern Shore and featured Ehrlich as keynote speaker. This was immediately read by insiders as a signal that Giordano will embrace the party’s right-wing base ahead of 2026, distancing herself from Hogan’s more centrist, bipartisan image. “Bringing in Bob Ehrlich instead of Larry Hogan wasn’t accidental,” one longtime Republican strategist said. “It shows Giordano wants to plant her flag with the MAGA-aligned wing of the party, the same voters who now dominate Maryland’s Republican primary base.” Hogan, who has hinted at another run for governor, was notably absent from this year’s Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Somerset County, a high-profile gathering long considered essential for statewide contenders. Coupled with Giordano’s public alignment with Ehrlich, Hogan’s absence has fueled speculation that his influence within Maryland’s GOP is slipping. Those doubts were amplified by new polling data. A statewide survey commissioned by the Baltimore Banner found Gov. Wes Moore (D) leading Hogan 45% to 37% in a hypothetical 2026 matchup, with 14% undecided. The poll, conducted by phone and web from Oct. 7–10 among more than 900 registered voters, carries a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. The results suggest that while Hogan remains popular among moderates and independents, Moore continues to hold a firm advantage statewide, particularly among Democrats and younger voters. Giordano’s decision to align herself with Ehrlich rather than Hogan further illustrates the ideological divide defining Maryland Republicans heading into 2026. As the party drifts further to the right, analysts say Hogan’s brand of pragmatic centrism may no longer have a natural home in today’s GOP. For now, Ehrlich’s appearance in Salisbury is being seen as a symbolic moment, one that cements Giordano’s status as a leading figure in the state’s Trump-aligned movement and underscores how quickly the political winds have shifted. For Hogan, once seen as the Republican best positioned to reclaim the governor’s office, that shift may mark the end of an era.

New Congressional Map for Maryland and District 1?

By Jan Plotczyk • November 4, 2025
Can Maryland create a new congressional map that will flip the state’s sole Republican district to the Democrats? Gov. Wes Moore has created a Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission to consider mid-cycle redistricting and Maryland has jumped into the redistricting fray. The commission will conduct public hearings, solicit public feedback, and present recommendations to the governor and Maryland General Assembly. “My commitment has been clear from day one — we will explore every avenue possible to make sure Maryland has fair and representative maps,” said Moore. “And we also need to make sure that, if the president of the United States is putting his finger on the scale to try to manipulate elections because he knows that his policies cannot win in a ballot box, then it behooves each and every one of us to be able to keep all options on the table to ensure that the voters’ voices can actually be heard .” Moore’s commission is one of those options — a response to Trump’s call to Republican-led states to create more GOP House districts before the 2026 midterm elections. Three GOP states — Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina — have completed a Trump gerrymander for a gain of seven seats and three more states — Indiana, Utah, and Ohio — could create new maps with a total of four additional Republican seats. That would make 11, should they withstand challenges. Democratic-led states made a lot of noise at first about countering these GOP efforts, but only California and Virginia have campaigns for new maps underway. California wants to flip five seats and Virginia hopes for up to four. Optimistically, that could add up to as many as nine. Maryland’s goal would be to add one Democratic seat. Other states on both sides could soon follow, in some cases taking advantage of existing redistricting deadlines or ongoing litigation. Maryland State Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Balto City) is not in favor of mid-cycle redistricting, calling it too dicey. “Simply put, it is too risky and jeopardizes Maryland’s ability to fight against the radical Trump administration. At a time where every seat in Congress matters, the potential for ceding yet another one to Republicans here in Maryland is simply too great,” Ferguson wrote in a letter to Senate Democrats. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-MD01), whose district would be targeted by redistricting, called the effort "the most partisan thing you could do." He whined, “It just wouldn’t be fair.” Harris warned that any redistricting could backfire on the Democrats. “We will take this to court, it will go as high as necessary, and in the end, a judge could draw a map that actually has two or three Republican congressmen,” Harris said. “I’d caution the Democrats, be careful what you wish for.” Harris and his wife, Maryland GOP Chair Nicole Beus Harris, have perhaps already worked out a strategy. The Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Commission, last constituted by Gov. Martin O’Malley in 2011, will begin its work this month. The five-member commission includes: Chair: Senator Angela Alsobrooks Senate President Bill Ferguson or designee Speaker Adrienne A. Jones or designee Former Attorney General Brian Frosh Cumberland Mayor Ray Morriss “We have a president that treats our democracy with utter contempt. We have a Republican party that is trying to rig the rules in response to their terrible polling,” said Sen. Alsobrooks. “Let me be clear: Maryland deserves a fair map that represents the will of the people. That’s why I’m proud to chair this commission. Our democracy depends on all of us standing up in this moment.” Will Maryland’s First District finally be competitive? Can we at long last replace “AWOL Andy” Harris? Stay tuned…. Jan Plotczyk spent 25 years as a survey and education statistician with the federal government, at the Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. She retired to Rock Hall.

Residents Turn Out for Offshore Wind Information Session

By CSES Staff • November 4, 2025
In strong numbers, local residents turned out last month for a community information session on offshore wind hosted by the Alliance for Offshore Wind at the Ocean Pines library. The forum heard from industry experts, environmental advocates, and labor leaders to discuss how offshore wind projects can support jobs, clean energy, and coastal resilience along Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Featured were Sam Saluto of Oceantic, Jim Strong of the United Steelworkers, Ron Larsen of Sea Ink Solutions, and Jim Brown of the Audubon Society, all of whom emphasized the long-term environmental and economic benefits of wind development off Maryland’s coast. Speakers outlined how the project, once completed, is expected to create hundreds of high-paying jobs, generate clean power for tens of thousands of homes, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels that cause pollution and coastal erosion. “The potential here is extraordinary,” said Saluto, highlighting Oceantic’s ongoing work to ensure safety and sustainability standards remain at the highest level. “We’re not just talking about wind turbines. We’re talking about revitalizing local economies and protecting the Shore’s way of life.” Union representative Jim Strong echoed that sentiment, noting that Maryland’s labor community sees offshore wind as a chance to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity while giving workers access to strong wages and long-term stability. Environmental voices, including Jim Brown of the Audubon Society, focused on how properly sited wind projects can reduce carbon emissions while coexisting with marine wildlife and migratory bird patterns. While most of the evening centered on data and community questions, the event briefly turned tense when Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, who is leading a lawsuit challenging Maryland’s offshore wind plans, attempted to question the panel. The mayor appeared to lose his train of thought mid-sentence and later cast doubt on the reality of climate change, drawing visible concern from several attendees. Meehan, a New Yorker who moved to Ocean City in 1971 and has held public office since 1985, has become one of the region’s most vocal opponents of offshore wind. His critics argue the lawsuit represents an effort to stall progress rather than engage with the facts presented by energy, labor, and environmental experts. Despite the brief exchange, the overall tone of the evening was forward-looking. Residents lingered after the formal discussion to review informational materials, speak with industry representatives, and learn about opportunities for community involvement. For many, the message was clear: Maryland’s transition to clean energy is not only feasible, it’s already underway, and the Eastern Shore stands to benefit.
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