Somerset County, Maryland Genealogy

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

Description
Somerset County was named for Mary, Lady Somerset. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Somerset County Courthouse 30512 Prince William Street Princess Anne, MD 21853 Phone: 410-221-7651 Somerset County Website Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court and land records from 1666. 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

 * 1800 Somerset County Census Images
 * 1850 Somerset County Census Transcriptions

Federal Census reports available 1800-1930 including slave and veterans schedules. Exception-1830 Federal Census is missing.

Church Records

 * 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
 * Maryland State Archives' Maryland State Archives' 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. The following records, taken from its collection, have been digitized and made available to view for free online:
 * Methodist, 1856-1968 (includes membership, minutes, and other registers for various congregations)
 * Methodist, Smith Island Charge 1884-1967 (includes membership and church records for various congregations)
 * Methodist Episcopal, 1875-1967 (includes registers, minutes, and records for various congregations)
 * Methodist Protestant, 1820s-1960s (covers various congregations)
 * Presbyterian, Manokin Church, Princess Anne, Md. 1737-1964 (includes church history, register, session records, committee proceedings, treasurer's accounts, and Woman's Society Minutes)
 * Protestant Episcopal (Church of England), St. Mark's Church, Coventry Parish, Kingston, Md. (includes parish registers 1745-1911 (some gaps) and vestry minutes 1772-1915)

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration
The New Early Settlers of Maryland database is a great place to start searching for immigrants who had arrived in the colony by the 1680s. Contains "entries from Gust Skordas' Early Settlers of Maryland and Carson Gibb's Supplement to the Early Settlers of Maryland." Available online, courtesy: Maryland State Archives.

Other Somerset County immigration resources include:
 * 1897-1952 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * Immigrant Servants Database at PriceGen - 20,000+ colonial immigrants, primary focus: Chesapeake Bay colonies (Virginia and Maryland)

Genealogies

 * Barnes, Robert W., F. Edward Wright, Vernon L. Skinner and Henry C. Peden. Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 23 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line, 1996-2003; Lewes, Del.: Delmarva Roots and Colonial Roots, 2007. ff. [Somerset County families appear in Vols. 7-10, 12, 15, 17-18, 20, and 22.]


 * Bell - Bell, John B. "Four Early Thomas Bells on the Eastern Shore of Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1985):278-288; Vol. 30, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1986):3-16. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number..
 * Chancellor - Wroe, William Clarke. The Wroe and Chancellor Families, with Special Attention to the Descendants of Chancellor Wroe (1782-1818) and His Wife, Elizabeth Monroe Chancellor (1793-1872). Edgewater, Md.: W.C. Wroe, 1992. Digital version at Family History Archives;.
 * Covington - Covington, Elbert E. Covington and Kin. DeSoto, Illinois: E.E. Covington, 1973?. Available at ; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Delaymos - Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60.
 * Elzey - Boddie, Mrs. John Boddie. Historical Southern Families. Volume XIV. Baltimore, 1970..
 * Gadd - Russell, George Ely. "John Lumbroso Jr. (1666-1744) of Pasquotank County, North Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1983):32.
 * Gibbons - Dryden, Ruth T. The Gibbons Family of Somerset County, Maryland. San Diego, California: R.T. Dryden, 1991. Available at.
 * Gordy - See Melson.
 * Hayman - Gordon, Evelyn Hayman and Gilbert Gordon. The James Alderman Hayman Family and Their Ancestral Florida Pioneers. Tampa, Fla.: privately published, 1986..
 * Hayman - Brayton, John Anderson. "The Hayman Family of Somerset Co., Md., and Pasquotank Co., N.C.," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Aug. 2005):248-254.
 * Layfield - Hatcher, Patricia Law. "'Mother Nottle': A Correction to the Ancestry of George and Samuel Layfield of Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Jan. 2002):18-24.
 * London - Richardson, Douglas. "Ambrose London of New York, Virginia and Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 58, No. 3 (Jul. 1982):160-163.
 * London - Richardson, Douglas. "Major Ambrose London of New York, Virginia, and Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 64, No. 2 (April 1989):75-78.
 * Manlove - Russell, George Ely. "The Migrations of Mark Manlove (ca.1617-1666) in New England, Virginia, and Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 61, No. 2 (Jul./Oct. 1985):71-76.
 * Melson - Melson, Lewis B. The Melson Family in America: With Special Emphasis on the John-John-Daniel-Daniel-Benjamin-Samson Branch that Originated on the Eastern Shore of the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia Peninsula. 2 vols. Annapolis: L.B. Melson, 1996. Available at.
 * Parramore - Bell, John Barr. "Another Adventurer John Parramore (1607-1676)," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1991):3-17. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number..
 * Parramore - Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004-2007. Volume 2..
 * Pilcher - Uhrbrock, Richard S. "Pilchers (Pilchards) and Reddens of Delmarva," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sepl 1974):187-195. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number..
 * Roades - Redden, Robert J. "The Roades Family of Colonial Sussex County Delaware," Delaware Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Apr. 1994):49-53; Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1994):73-75.
 * Robins - Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004-2007. Volume 2..
 * Russell - Russell, George Ely. "John Russell from Somerset County, Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Jul. 1980):144-147.
 * Smith - Smith, Wesley. A Family History and Fifty-two Years of Preacher Life in Mississippi and Texas. Nashville, Tenn.: University Press, 1898. Available at . [Discusses seventeenth-century Smith immigrants.]
 * Standbridge - Brayton, John Anderson. "The Hayman Family of Somerset Co., Md., and Pasquotank Co., N.C.," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Aug. 2005):248-254.
 * Townsend - Bayles, John J. and James L. Taylor. Some Descendants of John Townsend of Snow Hill, Maryland, 1640-1698, Accomack Co., Va., and Somerset Co., Md. Oxnard, California: J.J. Bayles, 1989. Available at.
 * Vaughan - "The Vaughan Family of Sussex County," Delaware Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct. 2006):91-95.
 * Waggaman - "The Ennalls and Waggaman Families of Maryland," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1893):98-105. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
 * Waggaman - Edwards, Thomas Clarke. The Waggamans and Their Allied Families. Paramus, New Jersey: T.C. Edwards, 1983. Available at.
 * Wright - Wright, Charles W. The Wright Ancestry of Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico Counties Maryland. Baltimore: Baltimore City Printing and Binding Co., 1907. Available at . Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

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 Somerset County Deed Books (1665-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)
 * Abstracts of Early Somerset County Land Records online at Salisbury University website. Includes 1670-1683 Land Surveys and 1685 Rent Rolls - free.

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

Local Histories

 * Old Somerset on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. c1935. By Clayton Torrence. Richmond, Virginia : Whittet & Shepperson. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Ancestry ($);.

Maps and Gazetteers
1877 Atlas of Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester Counties, MD is available online from Johns Hopkins' Library.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Revolutionary War
Somerset County men served in the 3rd Maryland Regiment and the 4th Maryland Regiment.


 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Maryland, Somerset County on page 128.

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. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Maryland, Somerset County, p. 155. 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


 * - 1st Regiment, Maryland Eastern Shore Infantry, Company K.
 * - Purnell Legion, Maryland Infantry, Companies D and G.

World War II

 * 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

 * Somerset County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.
 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * Maryland, Wills and Probate Records at findmypast - index
 * 1634-1777 Maryland, Index To Colonial Probate Records, 1634-1777 at findmypast - index
 * 1634-1777 Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777, Maryland State Archives
 * 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
 * Dates Vary United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search at FamilySearch - incomplete index and images, counties and dates vary

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.
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records

 * 1678, 1681 1678 and 1681 Som[e]rsett County tax list, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.
 * 1723-1759 Online access to 31 of the tax lists between 1723 and 1759 are available from the Maryland State Archives:  1723-1759 Tax Lists
 * 1724 Jacob, John E. "Somerset County, Maryland, 1724 Tax Lists," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 3 (Sep. 1973):195-200; Vol. 61, No. 4 (Dec. 1973):285-294..
 * 1727 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1727 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1992. FS Library Book 975.2 A1 no. 204.
 * 1730, 1733, 1744, 1748 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1730, 1733, 1744 &amp; 1748 Tax Lists, Somerset County, Maryland. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice, 1992..
 * 1730-1740 Russo, J. Elliott. Tax Lists of Somerset County, 1730-1740. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1992..
 * 1733 Lankford, Wilmer O. 1733 Tax List, Somerset County, Maryland. Princess Anne, Md.: Manokin Press, 1992..
 * 1739 Powell, Judy. Somerset County, Maryland, 1739 Tax List. Roanoke, Tex.: J. Powell, 1990..
 * 1753 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. Somerset County, State of Maryland, 1753 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1990s..
 * 1757 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1757 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1992. FS Library Book 975.2 A1 no. 205.
 * 1759 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1759 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1994..
 * 1783 Somerset County Tax List of 1783: This is an alphabetical index to names to all property owners assessed. The index cards at the Maryland State Archives include county, hundred, names of tracts of land and whether individuals were paupers or single males as provided in the law.
 * 1798 Reedy, Tom. The 1798 Federal Direct Tax of Somerset County, Maryland. Westminster, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 1999..
 * 1798-1803 Powell, Judy. Somerset County, Maryland Tax Lists, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803. Roanoke, Tex.: J. Powell, 1992..

Marriage

 * 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
 * Maryland Marriage References by Robert Barnes.
 * Marriage Records - Maryland State Archives

Death

 * 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944

FamilySearch Centers

 * Eastern Shore Virginia FamilySearch Center
 * Salisbury Maryland FamilySearch Center
 * Eastern Shore Public Library - Virginia - an affiliate library.
 * Eastern Shore Public Library - Chincoteague Island Branch - an affiliate library.

Libraries
Somerset County Public Library System 11767 Beechwood Street Princess Anne, MD 21822 Phone: 410-651-0852 Website (Multiple locations)

Societies
Somerset County Historical Society Website Lower Delmarva Genealogical Society Box 3602 Salisbury, MD 21802-3602 Phone: 410-742-4059 Email: [mailto:lowerdelmarva@yahoo.com lowerdelmarva@yahoo.com] Website Includes material for Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties.

Websites

 * Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History &amp; Culture includes bibliographies of sources, family history guides, biographies, etc.
 * "Somerset Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * Genealogy Trails
 * The Somerset County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Somerset County.
 * Somerset Links
 * - 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