Maryland Vital Records

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= Maryland Birth, Marriage and Death Records =

Maryland Vital Records Online Links
Maryland Vital Records include, births, marriages, and deaths. Divorce records are also considered vital records. To learn more about Maryland vital records, choose from the list below:


 * Maryland Vital Records: Birth
 * Maryland Vital Records: Marriages
 * Maryland Vital Records: Death
 * Maryland Divorce Records

Introduction to Vital Records
Civil governments have created records of births, marriages, and deaths. Records containing this information are commonly called “vital records,” because they refer to critical events in a person's life. These are the most important documents for genealogical research, but the births, marriages, and deaths of many people have never been recorded by civil authorities.

The practice of recording civil vital statistics developed slowly in the United States. Early vital information was sometimes recorded in brief entries in register books until the twentieth century, when it became more common to create certificates. The federal government has not registered vital records. This responsibility was left to the town/city, county or state agencies.

Each state eventually developed its own laws and created a statewide registration system. Unfortunately, these records do not exist until the early 1900's in most states. Local offices did not always comply immediately with the registration laws. Within 20 years after registration laws were enacted, most states were recording at least 90 percent of the births and deaths.


 * For more information about United States Vital Records, click on the following link:


 * United States Vital Records.

Birth Records
Some births were recorded in colonial Maryland by the Maryland General Assembly but not many survived or where ever recorded (no state records from 1800 until 1865). Birth registration was inconsistant but started again in 1865. In 1875, Baltimore began recording births. In 1898, counties in Maryland began recording births, although full compliance did not happen until the 1910s.

For more information about availability, content, and history about birth records in Maryland click on this link:


 * Maryland Vital Records: Birth

Marriage Records
Records of marriages were generally the first vital records kept consistantly in Maryland by the Maryland General Assembly. Early colonial marriage records includes banns and marriage registers. By 1777, marriage licenses were required but it wasn't until 1865 that the county court recorded all marriages in Maryland.

For more information about availability, content, and history about marriage records in Maryland, click on this link:


 * Maryland Vital Records: Marriages

Divorce Records
For more information about availability, content, and history about divorce records in Maryland click on this link:


 * Maryland Divorce Records

Death Records
The earliest death records in Maryland was the Maryland General Assembly requiring the registration of burials. This lasted until 1695. The Maryland General Assembly assigned responsibility to the Circuit Courts in 1865 and the County Courts in 1898 - but compliance was spotty. It wasn't until 1914 that all deaths in Maryland were recorded.

For more information about availability, content and history about death records in Maryland, click on this link:


 * Maryland Vital Records: Death

Lost and Missing Records
Counties with fragmented records:

Allegany (1893), Anne Arundel (1704), Calvert (1882), Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester (1852), Frederick, Harford (1858), Kent (1720), St. Mary's (1831), Somerset (1831), Talbot, Washington (1871)

Substitute Records

 * Maryland Church Records
 * Maryland Cemetery Records
 * Maryland Census
 * Maryland Newspapers
 * Maryland Military Records
 * Maryland Periodicals
 * Maryland History

Tips

 * Informaiton listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the Subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the records.
 * If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by govenments, search for church records of chiristening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths.
 * Records for African American may be recorded in separate files with separate indexes.
 * Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be uanavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
 * Search for Vital Records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Maryland to locate records filed by the State and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by that county.

Archives, Libraries and Societies

 * Maryland Archives and Libraries
 * Maryland Societies