Maryland, Dorchester Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of digital images to court dockets from the collections at the Dorchester County Historical Society in Cambridge. The records cover the year 1855.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
These records may include:
 * The names of interested parties
 * The date of the court proceeding or transaction
 * Details of the case
 * The place of residence
 * The names of witnesses

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate court date or location of residence

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Record Type, Volume, and Year Range to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the information to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. Also search for immigration, military, land and probate records
 * Use the information to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses in court cases may be close family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family
 * Church Records often were kept years before government records were required and are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record. Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Try variant spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Search the indexes and records of Maryland, United States Genealogy

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Maryland.
 * Maryland Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.