Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland Genealogy

Genealogy resources for Ellicott City the Howard County Seat in the State of Maryland.

County Courthouse
Ellicott City is the County Seat of Howard County Maryland. See Howard County, Maryland for information on the Courthouse and county records.

Parent County, Anne Arundel County
In 1839 Howard County was designated the Howard District. It was named in honor of John Eager Howard, Maryland's fifth governor. In 1851 Howard County became the 21st of Maryland’s 23 counties.

Ellicott City Colored School, Restored
This one-room schoolhouse building was constructed in 1880 as the first public school for black children in Howard County. In use as a school until the early 1950’s, the building was re-purchased by the county in 1995 and restored with the assistance of public and private funding. The building, located at 8683 Frederick Road, Ellicott City, now houses a genealogical resource center and a museum chronicling the history of African Americans in Howard County.

Patapsco Female Institute Historical Park
Founded in 1837 as a finishing school for girls, the Patapsco Female Institute designed by architect Robert Cary Long, Jr. and built by Charles Timanus on land donated by the Ellicott brothers, remained in operation until 1891. In addition to lessons on manners and other social skills, young ladies were educated in science and mathematics. During the Civil War, the 12th New Jersey Infantry Regiment camped near the Institute's grounds in 1862 while guarding the Baltimore &amp; Ohio Railroad against the Confederacy's advance.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum - Ellicott City Station
Ground was broken for the railroad with great celebration on July 4, 1828. The first stone was laid by 90-year-old Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. A route was laid out to follow the Patapsco and Monocacy rivers to the Potomac, and work began. The line was opened for scheduled service to Ellicott's Mills (renamed Ellicott City) on May 24, 1830. The Ellicott City Stationis the oldest surviving railroad station in America and was the original terminus of the first 13 miles of commercial railroad in the country. The site features the Main Depot building, constructed in 1830-31; the freight house, designed by E. Francis Baldwin and built in 1885; a replica of the first horse-drawn passenger rail car, the Pioneer; and a 1927 "I-5" Caboose. Housed in the freight house is a 40-foot HO-gauge model train layout showing the original thirteen miles of commercial rail track stretching from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills.

Census
Federal Census reports available 1860-1930. For tips on accessing Howard County, Maryland census records online, see: Maryland Census.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
Early History: After a 10-hour debate with a Campbellite minister in Leitersburgh, Washington County, Latter-day Saint missionary Erastus Snow baptized 11 people. He began preaching in Maryland with three other missionaries in 1837. Snow baptized one convert, an 89-year-old man, after cutting through 18 inches of ice.

In 1842, the Mormon Expositor, a Church paper, began printing for a time in Baltimore. Maryland's Church activity slowed from 1844-99 when many Church members gathered west. In 1899, missionary work was reorganized in the state.

The Church's temple in Kensington is one of Maryland's most prominent landmarks and was completed in 1974. From 1974 to 1988, Church membership around the nation's capital increased by some 200 percent. (Source: Church Newsroom)

Saint John's Episcopal Church
Almost forty years before The War Between the States, an historic meeting took place at Whitehall, home of Charles W. Dorsey. It was decided on that historic day to found a church that would provide the area’s Episcopalians a more convenient place to worship. In 1822 the Maryland General Assembly incorporated St. John’s Church, “a chapel of ease” in Queen Caroline Parish, and a structure was built on land generously donated by Caleb and Elizabeth Dorsey. A Maryland Historical Marker notes the historic nature of this church and the adjoining cemetery.

The information is excerpted from The History of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ellicott City, MD, a reprint of a booklet done by the late Elva Hewett, a longtime parishioner of St. John’s. Source: http://www.stjohnsec.org/stjohns-history

Saint Paul's Roman Catholic Church
Sitting on a hill overlooking historic Ellicott City, St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church is a landmark and home to many eastern Howard County families. St. Paul's Church was dedicated on September 13, 1838. At that time, it was the only Catholic church between Baltimore and Frederick. The church was built on land acquired from George Ellicott, an early settler to the region.

During the Civil War, the basement of the church served as a hospital for all soldiers - both Northern and Southern. Source: http://www.ellicottcity.net/community/spirituality/st_pauls_roman_catholic_church/

History
In 1772 John, Andrew, and Joseph Ellicott of Quakers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, chose the beautiful wilderness area upstream from Elk Ridge Landing on the Patapsco River to establish a flour mill. The brothers helped revolutionize farming in this area by persuading farmers to plant wheat instead of tobacco, and by introducing fertilizer to revitalize the depleted soil. Charles Carroll was one of the first and the most influential landowners to switch from tobacco to wheat. It was to his estate that the Ellicott brothers built the first part of a road that was later to become the National Road, America’s first interstate highway.

The Ellicotts made significant contributions to the area and the era. They helped create Ellicott’s Mills (now Ellicott City), one of the greatest milling and manufacturing towns in the east at that time. They built roads, bridges, and a wharf in Baltimore, introduced the wagon brake, erected iron works, a furnace, rolling mills, schools, a meeting house, shops, and beautiful granite houses. (Information courtesy Howard County Tourism)

Ellicott Mills obtained a city charter in 1867 and the name was changed to Ellicott City. The charter was lost in 1935 and in 1973 Howard County designated Ellicott City as a historic district.