Maryland Genealogy Facts
The Maryland colony was founded in 1634 and was named for the wife of English King Charles I, Queen Henrietta Maria. Colonial Maryland attracted many settlers and, as its economy prospered, so did its social, political, and cultural life. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Maryland and its residents were involved in many of the events relating to the attainment of independence by the United States and to the early struggles of the young republic. During the Civil War (1861-1865), Maryland, a border state, became part of the great battleground between North and South, but the state itself stayed within the Union. During the first half of the 20th century the economic development of Maryland was marked by a shift in emphasis from farming to manufacturing. The state is now primarily an industrial state. Despite this shift, agriculture is still carried on throughout most of the state.
- Maryland entered the union as the 7th state on April 28, 1788.
- Maryland has 23 Counties.
- Maryland’s capital is Annapolis.
- Maryland is bordered by Delaware (east), Pennsylvania (north), Virginia (southwest), West Virginia (west) and Washington, District of Columbia
- Maryland has a land area of 12,407 square miles making it the 42nd largest state.
- Maryland’s 2010 population was 5,773,552
- Maryland largest cities (2010) are Baltimore, 620,961; Frederick, 65,239; Rockville, 61,209; Gaithersburg, 59,933; Bowie, 54,727; Hagerstown, 39,662; Annapolis, 38,394; College Park, 30,413; Salisbury, 30,343; Greenbelt, 23,068.
- Maryland was named to honor the Queen consort Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), the wife of Britain’s King Charles I
- Maryland has no official nickname. However, the most commonly accepted name, and also one of the oldest, is the Old Line State. This nickname honors the memory of Maryland’s regiments of the line, which fought with distinction in the American Revolution (1775-1783).
- Maryland State Motto is “Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine” Manly Deeds, Womanly Words.
Maryland County Genealogy
Maryland has twenty-three counties and the city of Baltimore, which is not under county jurisdiction. At the courthouses are recorded transfers of land, estates, and other records. In the county pages linked below is the name of the county with the mailing address of the county circuit court clerk, where deeds, mortgages, vital records, divorces, naturalizations, and other matters are recorded. While some records are available in the counties, most original and/or microfilm copies of land, estate, vital, and court records have been transferred to the Maryland State Archives. As new county records are created they will continue to be filmed and sent to the state archives.
Select a County Below
COUNTY PAGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Maryland has counties that no longer exist. They were established by the state, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in the vast majority of states. These counties need to be looked at when doing genealogy research. Pay close attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was abolished or combined with another county.
- Charles County: Formed in 1650 from part of Saint Mary’s County. Abolished in 1654. Referred to as Old Charles County
- Durham County: formed in 1669 from part of Somerset County and nonorganized territory. Abolished in 1672 and incorporated in Worcester County
- Worcester County: formed in 1672 from part of Durham County and nonorganized territory. Lost in 1685 when Delaware Colony was established.
Maryland Genealogy Links
See Maryland County Genealogy for County Links. These genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Commercial Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some are have free access some require a payment. This is just a list that has been collected or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another. Feel free to submit your own favorite genealogy or family history related sites.
- Maryland General Website Links
- Family History Library (familysearch.org) – The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
- Maryland Historical Records (ancestry.com) – Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists.
- Search 60 Years Of Everton Data (familylink.com) – For the first time ever you can get access to more than 150,000 pedigree files and family group sheets from Evertons.
- Maryland Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- The Maryland Family Group Sheet Project (fgs-project.com)
- USGenweb – Maryland Genealogy (mdgenweb.org)
- Free GenForum Message Boards – Maryland (genforum.genealogy.com)
- Free Rootsweb Message Boards – Maryland (boards.ancestry.com)
- Cyndis List Maryland Links (cyndislist.com)
- Maryland Mailing List (rootsweb.ancestry.com)
- Maryland American History and Genealogy Project (usgennet.org)
- Maryland Migrations Project (marylandroots.net)
- Maryland (wikipedia.org)
- Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (RAOGK) – Maryland (raogk.org)
- Maryland Genealogy Look Ups (geneasearch.com)
- USGenWeb Archives Project for Maryland (usgwarchives.org)
- Background Sources for Maryland (ancestry.com) from Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
- Maryland History Links Website Links
- History of Maryland Genealogy (ancestry.com) from Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources.
- Maryland US Genweb County Site Links
