St. Mary's County, Maryland Genealogy

Guide to St. Mary's County, Maryland ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description


St. Mary's County was named for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
St. Mary's County Courthouse 41605 Courthouse Dr. Leonardtown, MD 20650 Phone: 301-475-7844 St. Mary's County Website Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage 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 1790-1930, including slave and veterans schedules. 1830 census is missing.

Church Records

 * 1665-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; churches from selected counties, not complete
 * 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.

Protestant Episcopal List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1833-1859 Poole, Martha Sprigg. "St. Andrew's Parish Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths 1833-1859," Chronicles of St. Mary's, vol. 5, no. 2: Feb. 1957 (Abell to Craigg); vol. 5, no. 6: Jun. 1957 (Craig to Greenwell); vol. 5, no. 9: Sep. 1957 (Greenwell to Hutchins); vol. 6, no. 1: Jan. 1958 (Hutchins to Mareman); vol. 6, no. 5: May 1958 (Mareman to Payne); vol. 6, no. 10: Jun. 1958 (Payne to Stone); vol. 7, no. 1: Jan. 1959 (Tabbs to Watts); vol. 7, no. 3 Mar. 1959 (Watts to Wise); vol. 7, no. 4: Mar. 1959 (Wise to Wooton).
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration
The New Early Settlers of Maryland database is a great place to start searching for immigrants who had arrived in the colony by the 1680s. The database "comprises entries from Gust Skordas' Early Settlers of Maryland and Carson Gibb's Supplement to the Early Settlers of Maryland." Available online, courtesy: Maryland State Archives.

Other St. Mary's County immigration resources include:
 * 1897-1952 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Immigrant Servants Database at PriceGen - 20,000+ colonial immigrants, primary focus: Chesapeake Bay colonies (Virginia and Maryland)

Genealogies
For ancestors who lived in St. Mary's County in the 1600s, a Harvard graduate has probably studied your family. See Dr. Lois Green Carr's Biographical Files of 17th and 18th Century Marylanders (courtesy: Maryland State Archives).


 * Abell - Abell, William Russell. The Abell Family of St. Mary's County, Maryland and the American Revolution. Des Moines, Iowa: privately published, 1984. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Abington - Berkley, Henry J. "The Abingtons of St. Mary's and Calvert Counties," Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. 25 (1930):251-255..
 * Addison - Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. . Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry ($).
 * Butler - See de Hinojosa.
 * Carvile - See de Hinojosa.
 * Chilton - Dorman, John Frederick. "The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1967):71-78; Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1967):121-125; Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1967):167-174; Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):15-18; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1968):83-86; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1968):109-113; Vol. 12, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1968):169-175; Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1969):32-36; Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):65-71; Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1969):177-180; Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1970):15-22; Vol. 14, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1970):75-82; Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1970):123-128; Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):165-168; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1971):32-41; Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):122-124; Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):259-264; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):301-30. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number..
 * DeButts - Russell, George Ely. "DeButts Family of Maryland and Virginia," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):131-188.
 * Decosta - Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60.
 * D'Hiniossa - Hoffman, William J. "Alexander D'Hiniossa, The Last Dutch Director on the Delaware," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 73, No. 4 (Oct. 1942):246-250..
 * de Hinojosa - Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273.
 * Ellyson - Wagner, Douglas W. Ellyson. "The Early Generations of the Ellyson Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 72, No. 1. Reprint:.
 * Forrest - Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. . Online at: Vol. 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; Vol. 2 - Internet Archive; Vols. 1 & 2 - Ancestry ($).
 * Gerard - Weis, Frederick Lewis and Walter Lee Sheppard. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992..
 * Gray - Russell, George Ely. "Francis Gray of Maryland and Virginia," The Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Fall 2011):131-143..
 * Guyther - See de Hinojosa.
 * Leigh - Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273.
 * McFarlane - Finley, Carmen J. "The McFarlings: From Virginia to the California Gold Rush," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2000):3-12; Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2000):131-145; Vol. 44, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 2000):186-195; Vol. 44, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 2000):275-292. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number..
 * Norris - Diller, Corinne Hanna. "Johns and Thomases: Using Named Farmland to Sort Identities among Norrises of St. Mary's County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 86, No. 4 (December 1998):271-282..
 * Plater - Lomax, E.L. Genealogy of the Virginia Family of Lomax. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Vanswearingen - Daniels, Frances C.T. Some Descendants of Garrett Vanswearingen of St. Mary's, Maryland. Georgetown, Del.: A.B. and R.P. Thompson, 1983. Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Walker - Holtzclaw, B.C. "Asbury of Westmoreland County, Virginia," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1967):55-65; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):77-87; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1968):10-26. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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 St. Mary's County Deed Books (1781-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Revolutionary War

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Maryland, St. Mary's County on page 127.

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. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Maryland, St. Mary's County, pp. 154-155. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection

World War II

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

Newspapers

 * St. Mary's 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 ($)

Periodicals
Chronicles of St. Mary's is published by the St. Mary's County Historical Society. A subject and author index is available on their website.

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
 * 1634-1777 Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777, Maryland State Archives
 * 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
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1678, 1681 1678 and 1681 St. Mary's County tax lists, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.
 * 1744 1744 Lower Resurrection Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
 * 1748 1748 Lower Newtown Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
 * 1754 1754 St. Michael's Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
 * 1765 1765 Upper Resurrections Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
 * 1771 1771 Poplar Hill Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription

Marriage

 * 1640-1820 St. Mary's County, Maryland, Marriages: 1638-1820 at St. Mary's Families. "The marriage database contains 10,096 marriages, most of which occurred in St. Mary's County, Maryland between 1637 and 1820. Source records include County Court Records (marriage licenses), wills, deeds, extant church records (St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, and St. Inigoes Catholic Church, including marriage and baptisms) and Prerogative Court Records (compiled by V.L. Skinner, Jr.)."
 * 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1794-1864 Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. Vol. 1. By Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. 1915. Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins Company. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library. "Marriage Licenses of St. Mary's County, 1794-1864 (7533 Persons)" on pages 313-405 (also see index).
 * Maryland Marriage References by Robert Barnes.
 * Marriage Records, Maryland State Archives

Death

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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Lexington Park Maryland FamilySearch Center
 * White Plains Maryland FamilySearch Center

Libraries
St. Mary’s County Library Website (Multiple locations)

Societies
St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society, Inc. P.O. Box 1109 Leonardtown, MD 20650 Email: [mailto:smcgs@mindspring.com smcgs@mindspring.com] Website St. Mary’s County Historical Society  Tudor Hall 41680 Tudor Place Leonardtown, MD Phone: 301-475-2467 Email: [mailto:membership@stmaryshistory.org membership@stmaryshistory.org] Website The Society of the Ark and the Dove  Website Founded in 1910. It was formed to fellowship those that trace their descent from Lord Baltimore and those that arrived on the Ark and the Dove in 1634 to settle Maryland. This society is multifaceted, encouraging research of early Maryland history and promoting and supporting museums, historical foundations and societies.

Websites

 * "St. Mary's Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * The St. Mary's County MD GenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for St. Mary's County.
 * - 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

 * Reno, Linda. “Research in St. Mary’s County.” Maryland Genealogical Society Journal 50, no. 1 (2009): 119-125.