Baltimore Maryland Inner Harbor FamilySearch Center

The Inner Harbor FamilySearch Center serves Baltimore's Inner Harbor, West Baltimore, and Northwest Baltimore. We are a computer-only center where you can access a computer to use online resources like FamilySearch; we don't have microfilm/microfiche readers. We have consultants available to help you remotely or in-person! Our services and resources are free of charge.

Center Contacts and Hours

 * Language:  English


 * Address:  900 W Madison Ave., Baltimore MD 21201


 * Location Map: Google Map


 * Phone or Text: 443-527-7618


 * E-mail:  [Mailto:MD MD_BaltimoreWest@familyhistorymail.org]


 * Open Hours:
 * The Center is open by appointment.
 * Please contact us 2-3 days or more before you wish to come in so that we have time to arrange staff to meet you. Weekday, weekend, and evening times are all possible.
 * Face coverings are optional.
 * We sanitize all surfaces before and after each appointment.
 * Please let us know if there are other health precautions you need to feel safe while you visit.
 * We can also help you remotely over the phone or via video conferencing platforms. Note, however, that we cannot provide remote access to records that are restricted to viewing in a FamilySearch Center.
 * SPECIAL CLOSURE NOTICE: The Center will be closed:
 * No upcoming special closures.


 * Parking:
 * Pay-to-park on Madison; street parking is free after 6 PM Monday - Saturday, and all day Sunday.
 * Free parking in the church lot, east side of the church between the church and MLK Boulevard.
 * No parking in the lot on the west side of the church between the church and the office building. That lot belongs to the office building and unauthorized vehicles are towed aggressively.

Upcoming Events
October is Family History Month! A bill establishing this passed in the US Senate just 2 and a half weeks after the terrible events of September 11, 2001. Uniting families, uniting entire communities, and becoming more resilient in the face of challenges by learning about our ancestors were among the reasons for a Family History Month designation. Need ideas for how two observe and celebrate? Click here Visiting the FamilySearch Center is another great way to activate the benefits of doing family history. We'd love to see you at the Center.

RootsTech 2024 Registration Is Open!RootsTech is the largest genealogy event in the world, sponsored and hosted by FamilySearch. RootsTech brings people from all over the globe together for one common mission: gathering and celebrating family.

Classes at RootsTech are offered for all skill levels, beginner to expert, so you can learn more about discovering your ancestors and linking them to your family tree.

Check out RootsTech.org to register now, and all year long for past content, as well as new content to learn and be inspired anytime you want!

Databases and Software

 * FamilySearch Center Portal  The FamilySearch Center Portal gives free access in the center to premium family history websites that ordinarily charge for subscriptions, and to limited access FamilySearch collections (images restricted to viewing in a FamilySearch Center or library). Some of the available sites are:
 * The 19th Century British Library Newspapers digital archive—. This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900.
 * NewspaperArchive.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old—including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more.
 * Alexander Street Press, American Civil War—. Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs, and approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs.
 * Ancestry.com—
 * MyHeritage—Library Edition—. Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.
 * Puzzilla—.  Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.

Hardware and Equipment

 * Four computers, printer, scanner. We are a computer-only center and have no microfilm/microfiche readers.
 * You are welcome to bring your own laptop or device in and access Portal resources on the Center's wifi.

Center Services

 * Receive help from a consultant in-person or remotely (over the phone or via an internet screen sharing platform)
 * Learn to use FamilySearch, a free online family history platform.
 * Scan your family photos and documents
 * Learn to index historical records
 * Schedule a family history discovery event for your family
 * Record and preserve audio memories
 * Learn to use FamilySearch mobile apps

Resources in the Local Area

 * Maryland Center for History and Culture (formerly Maryland Historical Society) online resources.
 * Maryland State Archives
 * What research can you do at the State archives? Start here to find general Maryland research guides, topic specific guides such as for marriage records, a list of searchable collections and key indices at the Archives, and contact information for other information sources such as courts and libraries.
 * Baltimore City Archives
 * What research can you do at the City archives? Resources include many searchable records sets pertaining to people, property, events and groups.

Volunteer at the Center:
Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering to help others research their family history.