Garrett County, Maryland Genealogy

Guide to Garrett County, Maryland ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.



Description
Garrett County was named for John Work Garrett. The county is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Garrett County Courthouse 203 South Fourth Street, Room 109 PO Box 447 Oakland, MD 21550 Phone: 301-334-1942 Garrett County Website Clerk Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, land and court records from 1872, military records from 1942, and naturalization records 1908-1929. 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 1880-1930.

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
 * 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.
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1897-1952 - at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

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 Garrett County Deed Books (1872-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Local Histories

 * History of Western Maryland. 2 volumes. 1882. By J. Thomas Scharf. Philadelphia : L. H. Everts. Online at: Hathitrust, Vol. 1 - Internet Archive, Vol. 2 - Internet Archive;.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Maryland, Garrett County, p. 149. 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

 * Garrett County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 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

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.

Marriage

 * 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection

Death

 * 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944

Libraries

 * Ruth Enlow Library Oakland (Main) Library 6 North Second Street Oakland, MD 21550 Phone: 301-334-3996 Fax: 301-334-4152 Email: [mailto:genealogy@relib.net genealogy@relib.net] Website
 * Western Maryland Regional Library 101 Tandy Drive Hagerstown, MD 21740 Phone: 301-739-3250 ext 553 Email: [mailto:whilbr@wmrl.info whilbr@wmrl.info] Website

Museums

 * Garrett County Historical Museum 107 South Second Street Oakland, MD 21550 Phone: 301-334-3226 Email: [mailto:info@garrettcountymuseums.com info@garrettcountymuseums.com] Website

Societies

 * Friend Family Association of America  261 Maple St Friendsville, MD 21531-2131 Phone: 301-746-4690 Email:[mailto:president@friendfamilyassociation.com president@friendfamilyassociation.com] Website
 * Garrett County, Maryland Genealogy Group Facebook

Websites

 * FamilyHart's Garrett County, Maryland This site contains online map, cemetery, marriage, military, land, historical, and biographical records for Garrett County, Maryland.
 * "Garrett Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * The Garrett County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project, Garrett County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project, Garrett County. (Backup site)
 * FamilyHart Online Database This online database contains over 843,000 linked family names. It grows by 1,500 names per week, and is updated online quarterly. There are many many Garrett County family in this database.
 * Garrett County Genealogy Facebook Group
 * Garrett County MD Facebook page
 * - 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

 * Russell, Donna Valley. Allegany and Garrett Counties, Maryland, Genealogical Research Guide. New Market, Md.: Catoctin Press, 1996.