Charles County, Maryland Genealogy

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

United States   Maryland    Charles County

Charles County Maryland Courthouse
Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage records from 1865; divorce and court records from 1796. Register of Wills has probate records. State Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland has land records from 1658.

Charles County Maryland History



 * Named for Charles Calvert, third Lord Baltimore.

Parent County

 * Created 13 April 1658 from Colonial lands by the order in Council, likely much of remaining portion of old Charles County that was created 1650 and dissolved 1653.

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating Maryland county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Maryland County Boundary Maps" (1637-1997) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
For a list of record loss in Maryland counties see: Maryland Counties with Burned Courthouses

Census Districts
Communities

Neighboring Counties
Maryland counties:


 * Calvert
 * Prince George's
 * St. Mary's

Virginia counties:


 * Fairfax
 * King George
 * Prince William
 * Stafford
 * Westmoreland

Cemeteries
LDS Cemetery Records Vol. 21 page 85 - New Saint Peters Cemetery page 97 - Old Saint Peters Cemetery Vol. 24 - page 100 - Trinity Parish Episcopal Church Cemetery

Census
"Constable's Census of Charles County, 1775-1778 (1800 Persons): Including Durham Parish; Benedict Hundred; Port Tobacco; West Hundred; Upper Hundred; East Hundred, Newport; Port Tobacco, Upper Hundred; Port Tobacco, Town Hundred; Port Tobacco, East Hundred; Pomonkey; Newport, West Hundred; William and Mary, Lower Hundred; Bryan Town Hundred," is available online, see pages 297-312 and index in:


 * Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Md.: Williams &amp; Wilkins Company, 1915. Digital version at Google Books.

Federal Census reports available 1790-1940 including slave and veterans schedules.

Church
Maryland State Archives' Guide to Maryland Religious Institutions identifies all churches known to have existed in Charles County, Maryland. It covers all denominations and includes record descriptions. The following records from their collection have been digitized and made available to view for free online:


 * Protestant Episcopal (Church of England), Trinity Church, Trinity Parish (includes parish register 1729-1797, vestry minutes 1750-1795, 1840-1922, and various treasurer's accounts 1790s-1860s)

Church of England
See also Durham Parish See also Piccawaxen Parish  See also Port Tobacco Parish  See also Trinity Parish  See also William and Mary Parish

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Bibliography


 * [A'Gambra] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60; Vol. 77, No. 1 (Apr. 2001):138-147.
 * [Addison] Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. Digital versions of Vol. 1 at Google Books; Internet Archive | Vol. 2 at ;Internet Archive;.
 * [Baptista] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60; Vol. 77, No. 1 (Apr. 2001):138-147.
 * [Boarman] Thomas, C.F. and Emily Emerson Lentz. The Boarmans. Washington, D.C.: C.F. Thomas, 1934..
 * [Boughton] Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2005. See Volume 2..
 * [Brown] Horner, Frederick. The History of the Blair, Banister and Braxton Families Before and After the Revolution: With a Brief Sketch of Their Descendants. Philadelphia: J.P. Lippincott, 1898. ; digital versions at Google Books - free and Internet Archive - free.
 * [Brown] Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. Digital versions of Vol. 1 at Google Books; Internet Archive | Vol. 2 at ;Internet Archive;.
 * [Brown] Copeland, Pamela C. and Richard K. MacMaster. The Five George Masons: Patriots and Planters of Virginia and Maryland. Lorton, Va.: The Board of Regents of Gunston Hall, 1989..
 * [Burford] Lomax, E.L. Genealogy of the Virginia Family of Lomax. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
 * [Chilton] Dorman, John Frederick. "The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1967):71-78; Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1967):121-125; Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1967):167-174; Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):15-18; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1968):83-86; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1968):109-113; Vol. 12, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1968):169-175; Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1969):32-36; Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):65-71; Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1969):177-180; Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1970):15-22; Vol. 14, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1970):75-82; Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1970):123-128; Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):165-168; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1971):32-41; Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):122-124; Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):259-264; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):301-306; ; digital version at American Ancestors ($).
 * [Compton] King, Larry. Blue Ridge Mountain Kinfolks: A Record of Ancestors, Descendants and Relatives of the Author and Wife, Including Fisher - Gilbert - Hall - Hartley - Hill - King - Kirby - Lawson Families. Manchester, Tenn.: King, 1976..
 * [Covert] King, George Harrison Sanford. "Maryland Coverts Become Virginia Colverts, Colberts and Calverts," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1970):3-10; Vol. 14, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1970):65-70. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Doughty] Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2005. See Volume 2..
 * [Douglass] Thompson, Neil D. "The Douglass Family of Charles County, Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 49, No. 4 (Oct. 1973):193-202; Vol. 50, No. 1 (Jan. 1974):45-51.
 * [Douglass] Thompson, Neil D. "The Douglass Family of Charles County, Maryland: Some Further Observations," The American Genealogist, Vol. 53, No. 2 (Apr. 1977):76-78.
 * [Eaton] Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2005. See Volume 2..
 * [Fernando] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60; Vol. 77, No. 1 (Apr. 2001):138-147.
 * [Forbes] Gordon, John Steele. "Who Was the Wife of James Forbes, Member of the Continental Congress from Maryland?," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Jan. 2001):29-35.
 * [Fowke] Copeland, Pamela C. and Richard K. MacMaster. The Five George Masons: Patriots and Planters of Virginia and Maryland. Lorton, Va.: The Board of Regents of Gunston Hall, 1989..
 * [Gambra] See A'Gambra.
 * [Glaze] Harris, Gale Ion. "John Glaze, Planter, of Charles County, Maryland: With Notes on Other Early Glaze Families in America," The Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Spring 2003):37-60.
 * [Hawley] Hawley, Laura. Hawley, Halley, Holley and Families of Similar Surnames Found in Early Records of England, Maryland and Virginia. Bowie, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 2003.
 * [Higdon] Coone, Lucille Barco and Robert S. Higdon. Colonial Higdons and Some of Their Descendants. Rev. ed. Manassas, Va.: L.B. Coone, 1978..
 * [Hoskins] Russell, George Ely. "Colonel Philip Hoskins (c1650-1718) of Port Tobacco, Charles County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 51, No. 1 (Mar. 1963):26-31, 248. 973 B2ng v. 51
 * [Hoskins] "Colonel Philip Hoskins of Charles County, Maryland Addenda," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 51, No. 4 (Dec. 1963):248..
 * [Lamar] Lamar, William Harmong, "Thomas Lamar of the Province of Maryland, and a Part of His Descendants," Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1897):203-210. Digitized by Internet Archive.
 * [Lewis] Cook, Michael L. "Major William Lewis," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1984):243-250. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Lomax] Thompson, Neil D. "English Origins of the Lomax Family of Charles County, Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Jul. 1969):153-156.
 * [Lumbrozo] Russell, George Ely. "Elizabeth (Wiles) (Lumbrozo) (Browne) Robinson of Charles Co., Maryland, 1662," The American Genealogist, Vol. 55 (1979):174-177.
 * [Lumbrozo] Russell, George Ely. "John Lumbroso Jr. (1666-1744) of Pasquotank County, North Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1983):32.
 * [Lumbrozo] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60; Vol. 77, No. 1 (Apr. 2001):138-147.
 * [Mills] Hackett, John Davis and Kathryn Dickerson Shannon. "Mills Families of Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1991):215-228; Vol. 35, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1991):284-296; Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1992):34-48; Vol. 36, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1992):109-119. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..
 * [Render] Smith, Pearl O. Renders and Their Relatives; Joshua Render of Charles County, Maryland, and Orange County, Virginia, and His Descendants, 1720-1985. Arlington, Va.: P.O. Smith, 1985..
 * [Stonestreet] Newman, Harry Wright. Stonestreet Family of Maryland, 1538-1958. Typescript, 1953..
 * [Stonestreet] Skidmore, Warren. Thomas Stonestreet of Birchden, Withyham, East Sussex, and of "Birchden" in Charles County, Maryland, with His Posterity Down to the Sixth Generation. Akron, Ohio: W. Skidmore, 1983..
 * [Story] Thompson, Neil D. "Walter Story of Charles County, Maryland, Father and Son," The American Genealogist, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Jul. 1975):147-150.
 * [Swann] Joy, Charles Austin. "Descendants of Jonathan Swann of Charles County, Maryland, and Caroline County, Virginia," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 70 (1982):271-281.
 * [Wheeler] Ball, Walter V. The Wheeler Family of Charles County, Maryland. Chevy Chase, Md.: W.V. Ball, 1966..

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. The database "comprises 34,326 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 Charles County immigration resources include:


 * [http://www.pricegen.com/immigrantservants/search/advancedResults.php?surname=&givenName=&varientSurnameSpellings=&gender=&dateOfBirthDay=&dateOfBirthMonth=&dateOfBirthQuantifier=&dateOfBirthYear=&placeOfBirthParish=&placeOfBirthTown=&placeOfBirthCity=&placeOfBirthCounty=&placeOfBirthColony=&placeOfBirthNation=&occupations=&religions=&orphan=&familyPosition=&immigrationYearQualifier=&immigrationYear=&portOfDepartureTown=&portOfDepartureCity=&portOfDepartureCounty=&portOfDepartureNation=&placeOfArrivalTown=&placeOfArrivalCounty=&placeOfArrivalColony=&shipName=&convict=&yearOfIndentureQualifier=&yearOfIndenture=&lengthOfIndentureYears=&lengthOfIndentureMonths=&yearOfFreedomQualifier=&yearOfFreedom=&placeOfIndentureTown=&placeOfIndentureCity=&placeOfIndentureCounty=Charles&placeOfIndentureColony=Maryland&agentSurname=&agentGivenName=&agentTitle=&masterSurname=&masterGivenName=&masterTitle=&residenceParish=&residenceTown=&residenceCity=&residenceCounty=&residenceColony=&residenceNation=&landowner=&literate=&spouseSurname=&spouseGivenName=&spouseMarriageDateDay=&spouseMarriageDateMonth=&spouseMarriageDateQualifier=&spouseMarriageDateYear=&spouseMarriageLocationParish=&spouseMarriageLocationCounty=&spouseMarriageLocationColony=&spouseMarriageLocationNation=&deathDateDay=&deathDateMonth=&deathDateQualifier=&deathDateYear=&deathLocality=&deathCounty=&deathColony=&deathState=&testate=&proofServantStatus=&proofConvictStatus=&headright=&preServitudeSources=&postServitudeSources=&comments=&family=&sourceCitations=&interestedResearchers= List of imported servants and convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Charles County, Maryland (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. [Includes Richard J. Cox's abstracts of Maryland Gazette runaways.]

Land
Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of Charles County Deed Books (1658-present) have been uploaded to their website: MDLandRec.Net: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Revolutionary War

 * A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Maryland, Charles County on page 127.]

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, Charles County, p. 145. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]

Newspapers

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

Probate

 * Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777 online at Maryland State Archives website - free

Taxation

 * [1642-1673] Rent Rolls Index, Charles County, Maryland 1642-1673. Digital version at The USGenWeb Archives - free.
 * [1678, 1681] 1678 and 1681 Charles County tax lists, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.
 * [1733] 1733 Charles County Tax Lists, available online, courtesy: The Combs-Coombs &amp;c. Research Group.
 * [1758] 1758 Charles County Tax Lists, available online, courtesy: The Combs-Coombs &amp;c. Research Group. [Not all lists for 1758 survive.]
 * [1783] Charles 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.

Vital Records
Marriage


 * Maryland Marriage References by Robert Barnes - free.
 * Marriage Records - Maryland State Archives

Death


 * Maryland Death Certificate Index 1898-1944, available online, courtesy: Vital Records Indexing Project, Maryland State Archives.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * White Plains Maryland Family History Center

Charles County Maryland Genealogy Websites

 * Charles County, MD History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * The Charles County MD GenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * "Charles Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Charles County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Charles County. (Backup site)
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Charles County