Howard County, Maryland Genealogy

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



Description
Howard County was named for John Eager Howard. The county is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Howard County Courthouse 8360 Court Avenue Ellicott City, MD 21043 Phone: 410-313-2111 Howard County Website Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court and land records. Register of Wills has probate records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Census Records
Federal Census reports available 1860-1930.

Church Records

 * 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection

Maryland State Archives' Guide to Maryland Religious Institutions is not intended to be a complete listing of all Religious institutions in Maryland. It was originally based upon the churches recorded by the Federal Works Progress Administration during a records survey conducted from 1935 to 1941. It has been expanded by later acquisitions from religious organizations to the Maryland State Archives. The following records, taken from its collection, have been digitized and made available to view for free online:


 * Protestant Episcopal (Church of England), Christ Church, Queen Caroline Parish 1712-1939 (includes parish register 1712-1937 and vestry minutes 1728-1776, 1809-1939)
 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania ($), free to members of the society; also available at Ancestry ($). This database is incomplete for all counties.


 * Contains the church records of:
 * Elkridge: Elkridge Methodist Church

Church of England

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Queen Caroline Parish
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1897-1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Land and Property Records
Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of Howard County Deed Books (1840-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

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, Howard County, p. 151. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War

 * Howard County Maryland in the Civil War - comprehensive site covering all aspects of the Civil War in Howard County.
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 - at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection


 * - 2nd Regiment, Maryland Cavalry (6 months, 1863-1864), Company C
 * - 3rd Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade Company I
 * - 7th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Ashby's) (Confederate). Company B (1st) (Howard Dragoons).

World War II

 * 1940-1945 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * Howard County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * Maryland, Wills and Probate Records at findmypast - index
 * 1634-1777 Maryland, Index To Colonial Probate Records, 1634-1777 at findmypast - index
 * 1635-1743 Maryland Calendar of Wills 1635-1743 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1635-1777 Maryland Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
 * 1796-1940 at FamilySearch images - How to Use this Collection

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Marriage

 * 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1858 Partial Listing of Howard County Marriages 1858
 * 1860-1939 Howard County Marriage Licenses 1860-1939, the Howard County Historical Society
 * 1886-1900 Howard County Circuit Court Marriage Records 1886-1900
 * Marriage Records, Maryland State Archives

Death

 * 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944

Family History Centers

 * Columbia Maryland Family History Center

Libraries

 * Charles E. Miller Branch & Historical Center Howard County Library System 9421 Frederick Rd Ellicott City, MD 21042 Phone: 410-313-1950 Website

Societies
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Central Maryland Chapter P. O. Box 648 Columbia, MD 21045 Website

Howard County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 274 Columbia, MD 21045 Email: [mailto:info@hcgsmd.org info@hcgsmd.org] Website

Howard County Historical Society 9421 Frederick Road Ellicott City, MD 21042 Phone: 410-480-3250 Email: [mailto:info@hchsmd.org info@hchsmd.org] Website

Sons of Confederate Veterans Isaac Trimble Camp #1836 Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #69 2832 Nine Mile Circle Catonsville, MD 21228 Email: [mailto:terrymkl@aol.com terrymkl@aol.com] Website

Websites

 * The Howard County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * "Howard Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project, Howard County
 * Slave owners households
 * - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records

Research Guides

 * Zimmerman, Kenneth E. Guide to Research in Howard County, Maryland. Woodstock, Md.: K. E. Zimmerman, 1997.