Maryland

Maryland Census Research

Federal census records for the state of Maryland begin in 1790 and continue every ten years, except for the missing 1890 census. Some data is missing from available census records, including:1790 for Allegany, Calvert, Somerset, and part of Dorchester counties (destroyed); 1800 for Baltimore County (never taken); and 1830 for Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s, Saint Mary's, and Somerset counties.

A 1776 census which was taken to determine revolutionary population is indexed at the Maryland State Archives, but it is not available for all counties. A 1778 “census” is a list of males over eighteen who in some counties signed the Oath of Fidelity, and, in others, those who did not.

Of the few remaining lists, those for nine counties were published by Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh in Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church From Original Sources, 2 vols. (1915–28; reprint; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985). See also Bettie Stirling Carothers’s compilations, 1776 Census of Maryland and 1778 Census of Maryland (Lutherville, Md., 1972). Both versions of the published 1778 census contain transcription errors. A police census taken in Baltimore in 1868 is also located in the Baltimore City Archives.

Maryland Vital records

• Maryland Vital Statistics Administration: Holds records of births, marriages, and deaths.
• Maryland State Archives: The Maryland Vital Records Indexing Project provides a searchable index of selected vital records, including county Death Record Indexes, 1898-1944 and Baltimore City Death records, 1875-1972. Information about ordering record copies from the Archives is available from the “Reference and Research” page.

Maryland Research Resources

The organizations listed below provide information about Maryland history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.

Statewide Research Resources

• Maryland State Archives: The “Guide to Family History Research in Maryland” provides research guidance. The Archives’ extensive on-site resources are supplemented by searchable vital records indexes and the Archives of Maryland Online, which includes court, military, probate, military, and other state documents and indexes.
• Enoch Pratt Free Library (Baltimore): See the genealogy resources page for a description of holdings.
• Maryland Historical Society
• Maryland Genealogical Society: Publishes a journal and newsletter and sponsors an annual seminar. Selected Baltimore City church register transcriptions are available on the web site.
• Maryland GenWeb
• Maryland State Law Library: The Library’s collection includes newspapers, family genealogies, cemetery records, and court cases. See the Historical Researchers and Genealogists page for available resources.
• The National Archives at Philadelphia: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Maryland, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records.

Specialty and Regional Research

• Baltimore County Genealogical Society
• Baltimore County GenWeb
• Historical Society of Frederick County: Home of the Frederick County Archives and Research Center.
• Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture