Maryland Census

Online Resources

 * Maryland State Archives Census Indexes (1776, 1778, 1870, 1880), index
 * — index and images
 * Maryland Records Colonial, Revolutionary, County, and Church from Original Sources Vol. I, ($), index.
 * Maryland, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1772-1890, ($), index
 * Maryland, Colonial Census, 1776 ($)
 * United States Online Census, 1790-1940

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Maryland, click here

Indexes: fiche, film, or book
For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Maryland, click here.

State and colonial censuses
Maryland took several censuses in the years before the first federal census was taken. The dates are listed below. These censuses records may have columns that were different or more unusual than those found on federal censuses. The years of coverage may give additional information on the family. Maryland did not take any censuses after statehood.

Statistics from the 1755 Census of Maryland were published in a London newspaper. No names are mentioned, but researchers can view interesting context of which counties had the largest populations of slaves, convicts, and indentured servants.

For an online index to both 1778 and 1776 see "Online Federal and State Population Schedules for Maryland" above.


 * 1778 Citizen fidelity oaths
 * 1776 State census:


 * Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh, Maryland Records, Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources, 2 vols. (1915-1928; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publ., 1975) []
 * Bettie Stirling Carothers, 1776 Census of Maryland(Lutherville, Md.: B.S. Carothers, 1972) []

Existing and lost censuses
For a list of available and missing Maryland censuses, click here.

Why use a census?
A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses
Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:


 * index searching tips
 * analyzing and using what you find
 * census accuracy
 * historical background
 * contents of various census years and types