Baltimore (Independent City), Maryland Genealogy

United States &gt; Maryland &gt; Baltimore City

City Hall
100 N. Holliday Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202

History

 * Founded 30 July 1729, named for Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore, Proprietor of Maryland.
 * Baltimore is anglicanized name for the Irish Gaelic name, Baile an Tí Mhóir, meaning the Town of the Big House referring to the O'Driscoll castle that still domains the town.
 * In the War of 1812, the British troops attacked Baltimore after the burning of Washington, D.C., on the night of 13 September 1814 in the Battle of Baltimore. It was the scene of the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner."
 * The Union troops occupied Baltimore to prevent the secession of Maryland from the Union during the Civil War, after the Confederate sympatizers attacked the Union troops in the Baltimore riot of 1861. Maryland came under direct Federal administration.
 * 7 February 1904, the Great Fire of Baltimore destroyed more than 1,500 buildings in 30 hours.

Parent County

 * 1851--The City broke off from surrounding Baltimore County, 13 May 1851 as an Independent City.

Neighborhoods

 * Abell, Belair, Coppin Heights, Inner Harbor, Waverly, Wyndhurst, more...

Neighboring Counties
Anne Arundel | Baltimore

Cemeteries
Interment.net Cemetery Listings for Baltimore City, MD. Includes contact information for many cemetaries in the county and volunteer contributed index lists for many of them.

Census
Federal Census reports available 1800-1930 including slave and veterans schedules.

Church and History Records

 * Roman Catholic

Archdiocese of Baltimore Chancery Office 320 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone (301) 547-5446

Area included in the archdiocese: Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard counties and the city of Baltimore.

The Diocese of Baltimore was the first Catholic diocese in the United States. Established in 1789, it included the entire country at the time. Records were transferred to the new dioceses as they were created. Original sacramental records are kept by the parishes. Microfilm of sacramental records for about seventy-five parishes, mostly Baltimore city churches established before 1900, are available for public use at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis. The central archives has no records of use to genealogical researchers. Certificates are issued by the parish of origin.

Diocesan history: The Premier See: A History of the Archdiocese of Baltimore 1789-1989, pub. 1989, Thomas W. Spalding.

Catholic newspaper: The Catholic Review PO Box 777 Cathedral St. Baltimore, MD 21203 the newspaper is not generally helpful to genealogists - carried few obituaries. The earlier newspaper for the diocese was The Catholic Mirror, 1850-1908. The newspapers are on microfilm at the main branch of the Encoh Pratt Library in Baltimore.

Societies and Libraries
Baltimore City Genealogical Society - Part of GenWeb project. Links to Marriages, Baltimore Death Certificates, Obituaries, Births, Baltimore Death Index, Divorce, Ship passenger lists, Military, Immigration, Wills, Family group sheets, Census, Church records of Marriage, Birth, Death and Baptisms.

Web Sites

 * The Baltimore City MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Baltimore City.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Baltimore City. (Mirror site)
 * FamilySearch.org Family History Library Catalog for Baltimore City.