Frederick County, Maryland Genealogy

United States Maryland  Frederick County

Guide to Frederick County, Maryland ancestry, family history, and genealogy, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Frederick County Maryland Courthouse
Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage records from 1778, probate records from 1744, and land records from 1748.

Frederick County Maryland History



 * Named for Frederick Calvert, 6th Lord Baltimore, last of the Lords Baltimore.

Parent County

 * Created 10 June 1748 from Prince George's County.

Boundary Changes

 * 6 September 1776, Montgomery and Washington counties were set off.
 * For animated maps illustrating Maryland county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Maryland County Boundary Maps" (1637-1997) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
Timeline: The following important events in the history of Frederick County affected political jurisdictions, family movements, and record keeping. For a list of record loss in Maryland counties see: Maryland Counties with Burned Courthouses

Village

 * Rosemont

Neighboring Counties
Maryland counties:


 * Carroll
 * Howard
 * Montgomery
 * Washington

Pennsylvania counties:


 * Adams
 * Franklin

Virginia county:


 * Loudoun

Getting Started
For colonial families, start with Genealogical Index to Frederick County, Md.: The First Hundred Years (4 vols., 2076 pages). With 200,000 entries, this is the largest index of its kind for Frederick County. It is available at the New England Historic Genealogical Society Library in Boston, Mass.; the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania; the National Genealogical Society Library; the Maryland Genealogical Society; the Frederick County, Maryland Public Library; the Carroll County, Maryland Public Library; and the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society.

Cemeteries
Holdcraft's tombstone inscriptions have been published in:

Holdcraft, Jacob Mehrling. Names in Stone: 75,000 Cemetery Inscriptions from Frederick County, Maryland. Two Volumes. Reprinted as More Names in Stone. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985. (Family History Library book )

Census
Provincial Census of 1776, Frederick County; Including Lower Potomac Hundred, August 22, 1776; George Town Hundred, August 22, 1776; [Unnamed] Hundred, including present Montgomery County, 1776; Elizabeth Hundred, July 22, 1776 (24 pages of facsimile reproductions); Sugar Land Hundred, September 2, 1776; North West Hundred, September 2, 1776 is available online, see pages 177-257 of:


 * Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Md.: Williams &amp; Wilkins Company, 1915. Digital version at Google Books.

Federal Census reports available 1790-1930 including slave and veterans schedules.

Church
Maryland State Archives' Guide to Maryland Religious Institutions identifies all churches known to have existed in Frederick County, Maryland. It covers all denominations and includes record descriptions. The following records from their collection have been digitized and made available to view for free online:


 * Roman Catholic, St. Joseph's Church, Emmitsburg, Md. (various records, including deaths 1843-1879, confirmations, first communions, liber status animarium [church census] 1843, 1860, etc.)

Baptist
Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):


 * 1) Antitun (1750)
 * 2) Connecocheague (1743) Tunker and Mennonist chapels at Connecocheague.
 * 3) Middle Creek (about 1747)
 * 4) Monacacy (1749)
 * 5) Piper Creek (1751)

Church of England
See also All Saints Parish

Family Histories
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

General

Compiled genealogies that treat multiple Frederick County families include:


 * Russell, George Ely. "Frenchmen Early in Frederick County, Maryland," The Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Fall 2001):225-255. [Includes the following families: Appollo, Bellameaude de la Vincendiere, Boisneuf, Chevalier de Petray, de Heaulme, de la Marche, Denoue, Eckman, Huguest de Court, Josse, Julian, LaBeron, Louie, Marcilly, Puzenot, St.-Martin de Bellevue, Seguin, Zins.]

Bibliography


 * [Baker] Hurley, William Neal. Baker Families of Maryland. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, Inc., 2001..
 * [Beckwith] See de Hinojosa.
 * [Bowell] Bowell, Lillian and William Bowell. A Bowell Family History. St. Paul, Minn.
 * [Butcher] Brown, Nancy Clark. "Are You Related To...Loretta Webb Lynn," The Appalachian Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 4 (Dec. 2007):4-22..
 * [Chapline] Dare, Maria J. Liggett. Chaplines from Maryland and Virginia. Washington, D.C.: M.J.L. Dare, 1902. ; digital version at Internet Archive.
 * [Chilton] Dorman, John Frederick. "The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1967):71-78; Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1967):121-125; Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1967):167-174; Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):15-18; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1968):83-86; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1968):109-113; Vol. 12, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1968):169-175; Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1969):32-36; Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):65-71; Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1969):177-180; Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1970):15-22; Vol. 14, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1970):75-82; Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1970):123-128; Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):165-168; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1971):32-41; Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):122-124; Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):259-264; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):301-306; ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * [DeButts] Russell, George Ely. "DeButts Family of Maryland and Virginia," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):131-188.
 * [de Hinojosa] Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273.
 * [Devilbiss] Harris, Mrs. Norris. "The Devilbiss Family of Frederick County, Md.," The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist, Vol. 30, No. 4 (Fall 1989):144-145; Vol. 31, No. 1 (Winter 1990):28-29..
 * [Dick] Hoffman, Muriel M. History of Peter and Christina Shutt Dick Family: Frederick County, Maryland, Wilkes County, North Carolina, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, Simpson County, Kentucky, Sangamon County, Illinois, Cass, County, Illinois. Anchor, Ill.: Hoffman, 1970.
 * [Firestone] Russell, George Ely. "Founders of the American Firestone Family," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 52, No. 4 (Dec. 1964):241-244. 973 B2ng v. 52
 * [Fluck] Andersen, Patricia Abelard. "Jacob Fluck of Middletown, Frederick County, Maryland, and His Flook and Fluke Descendants," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 72 (1984):163-190; Vol. 73 (1985):319-320. Digital version at National Genealogical Society website ($);.
 * [Getzendanner] Getzendanner, David. Thomas Getzendanner of Maryland and South Carolina; His Descendants: The Getson and Danner Families of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Texas. Salem, Ore.: D. Getzendanner, 1993.
 * [Hoover] Hayden, Richard A. "Using Relationships to Establish Origins: Casper and Catherine Hoover of Pennsylvania and Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 91, No. 4 (December 2003):298-313. 973 B2ng v. 91
 * [Lamar] Lamar, William Harmong, "Thomas Lamar of the Province of Maryland, and a Part of His Descendants," Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1897):203-210. Digitized by Internet Archive.
 * [Levy] Bush, Kathryn L. and Lewis Michael Bush. The Levy Story: Some Descendants of David Levy, Revolutionary Soldier of Frederick, Maryland: A Genealogy of Levy, Hinkley, Kinsey, Etchison, Bush, Blaho, Istvan and Related Families. Panama City, Fla.: Curry Printing, c2002. . Digital version at Family History Archives - free. Perhaps the David Levi transported from London in 1756, see Old Bailey Online.
 * [Maynard] Dorman, John Frederick. "Maynard Family of Frederick County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 48 (1960):187-195.
 * [Nead] Wurstner, Betty Miller. Genealogy of the Matthias Nead Family in America, 1752-1973. Typescript, Dunbar Library, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Copy:.
 * [Prather] Lewis, Olan R. The Thomas Prather Family. Lakeport, Calif.: O.R. Lewis, 1988..
 * [Price] Harris, Mrs. Norris. "The Price Family of Frederick County, Md.," The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Winter 1990):26-27; Vol. 31, No. 2 (Spring 1990):70..
 * [Rawlins] Lancaster, Jeannie. "Rawlins Family," Tree Builders, Christian County Genealogical Society, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Fall 2006):57-67. Digital version at.
 * [Schaun] Jones, Anthony. Peter Schaun. Dallas, Texas: privately published, 1981..
 * [Shultz] Bushman, Katherine G. Shultz of Augusta County, Virginia: Being A Supplement to the Material Recorded in The Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families, Edited by Samuel K. Brecht, 1923. Staunton, Va.: K.G. Bushman, 1974..
 * [Slusher] King, Hatcher and Alta King. Turman and Slusher Genealogy, 1757-1974: Christopher Slusher Sr., Wife, Eva, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, Fredrick, Washington counties, Maryland, Montgomery, Floyd counties, Virginia. MSS. Microfilmed 1974-1975:.
 * [Whitaker] Whitaker-Buck, Ruby M. Mark Whitaker, Baltimore County, Maryland (c1670-1729) and Allied Families. Sacramento, Calif.: privately published, 1992. Digital version at - free.
 * [Whitmore] Nycum, H.C. and Norman Niccum. "Whitmore Family of Frederick County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 52 (1964):85.
 * [Williams] Birch, Nicki Peak. "Tracking Basil Williams of Maryland and Pennsylvania Through Changing Residences and Multiple Marriages," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 96, No. 1 (March 2008):23-37. 973 B2ng v. 96

Facebook

 * Come join our Frederick County, Maryland Genealogy Group at Facebook

Immigration

 * Dern, John P. "Foreign-Born in Frederick County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 2 (June 1968):124-135. 973 B2ng v. 56
 * [http://www.pricegen.com/immigrantservants/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Frederick&placeOfIndentureColony=Maryland&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Frederick County, Maryland (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. [Includes Richard J. Cox's abstracts of Maryland Gazette runaways.]

Land
Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of Frederick County Deed Books (1748-present) have been uploaded to their website: MDLandRec.Net: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Local Histories
The History of Frederick County by T.J.C. Williams, in two volumes.

The Diary Of Jacob Engelbrecht, in two volumes.

Revolutionary War
Frederick County men served in the 6th Maryland Regiment and the 7th Maryland Regiment.


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Maryland, Frederick County on page 127.]

The 1778 Oath of Fidelity lists for Frederick County have been published in:


 * Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Revolutionary Records of Maryland. Washington, D.C.: R.H. Darby Print., 1924. Digital version at - free.

War of 1812

 * List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Maryland, Frederick County, pp. 146-149. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Frederick County.


 * September 14, 1862 = South Mountain, also known as Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps


 * July 9, 1864 = Monocacy, also known as the Battle that Saved Washington


 * Map showing Civil War battles in Maryland.

Civil War
Civil War service men from Baltimore County served in various regiments. Men often joined a regiment or a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are the military units that were formed in or had many men from Bailtimore County.


 * - 1st Regiment, Maryland Cavalry, Potomac Home Brigade, Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L and M.
 * - 1st Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade, Companies A, B, D, G, I and K.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade Companies G and K.
 * - 3rd Regiment, Maryland Cavalry, Company I.
 * - 4th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade, Company C.
 * - 5th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Company E.
 * - 6th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Company D.
 * - 7th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Companies B, E and G.
 * - 8th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Company E.

Minorities

 * Russell, George Ely. "Frenchmen Early in Frederick County, Maryland," The Genealogist, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Fall 2001):225-255.

Newspapers

 * Frederick County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.

Probate

 * Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777 online at Maryland State Archives website - free

Research Guides

 * Andersen, Patricia Abelard. “Research in Frederick County.” Maryland Genealogical Society Journal 52, no. 1 (2011): 75-88.
 * Russell, Donna Valley. Frederick County, Maryland, Genealogical Research Guide. Middletown, Md.: Catoctin Press, 1987.

Taxation

 * 1733 - Russell, Donna Valley. "1733 Taxables," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1987):99-103.
 * 1760-1761 - "Frederick County Rent Rolls, 1760-61," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 2, No. 3 (July 1986):111-114.
 * 1761 - "Taxables in Sugarland Hundred, Frederick Co., 1761," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 6, No. 3 (July 1990):103-105.
 * 1761 - "Taxables in the Old Town, Frederick Co., 1761," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 6, No. 3 (July 1990):106.
 * 1768-1769, 1771-1772 - Wright, F. Edward. Early Lists of Frederick County, 1765-1775. Silver Spring, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1986. Rent.
 * 1771, 1777 - Russell, George Ely. "Carrollton Manor Rent Rolls, 1771 and 1777," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1989):98-102.
 * 1798 - "1798 Frederick County Assessments," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan. 1991):21-25; Vol. 7, No. 2 (Apr. 1991):60-67; Vol. 9, No. 4 (Oct. 1993):158-165; Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan. 1994):20-30; Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr. 1994):80-81; Vol. 10, No. 3 (Jul. 1994):129-133; Vol. 10, No. 4 (Oct. 1994):182-186; Vol. 11, No. 1 (Jan. 1995):15-22; Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr. 1995):66-74; Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jul. 1995):128-135; Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct. 1995):162-169.

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Maryland Marriage References by Robert Barnes - free.
 * Marriage Licenses Index, Females, 1778-1851. msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/coagserm/cm400/cm492/000000/000001/pdf/msa_cm492_000001.pdf . The first 26 pages are Surname / first-name guides.  Large PDF file, free at MD State Archives.


 * Marriage Records - Maryland State Archives

Death


 * Maryland Death Certificate Index 1898-1944, available online, courtesy: Vital Records Indexing Project, Maryland State Archives.

Voting Records
"Poll List of Presidential Election, November 9-12, 1796, Frederick County, Md.," (1,917 voters are identified) is available online, see pages 271-295 in:


 * Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Md.: Williams &amp; Wilkins Company, 1915. Digital version at Google Books.

Frederick County Maryland Genealogy Societies and Libraries
www.hsfcinfo.org/ The Historical Society of Frederick County Maryland.

www.fcpl.org/information/mdroom/general_info.htm Frederick County library Maryland Room

www.frecogs.com/ Frederick County Genealogical Society

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Frederick Maryland Family History Center

Frederick County Maryland Genealogy Websites

 * The Frederick County MDGenWeb Project This site contains online records and links to Census, Cemetery, Church, Civil, and Biographical records of Frederick County, Maryland.


 * Frederick County, MD History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)


 * FamilySearch Catalog


 * FamilyHart Online Database This online database contains over 843,000 linked family names that contain many many Frederick County families. This database grows by 1,500 names per week and is updated online quarterly.


 * "Frederick Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.


 * Frederick County Genealogy Facebook Group