Howard County, Maryland Genealogy

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



Description
The County was named for John Eager Howard. The County has Ellicott City as its seat and the County was created May 13, 1838. The County is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Howard County Courthouse 3430 Courthouse Drive Ellicott City, MD 21043 Phone: 410-992-2025 or 410-313-3000 Howard County Website Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court and land records. 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 1860-1930.

Church Records

 * 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index

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:
 * Protestant Episcopal (Church of England), Christ Church, Queen Caroline Parish 1712-1939 (includes parish register 1712-1937 and vestry minutes 1728-1776, 1809-1939)
 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania ($), free to members of the society; also available at Ancestry ($). This database is incomplete for all counties.


 * Contains the church records of:
 * Elkridge: Elkridge Methodist Church

Church of England
 * Queen Caroline Parish

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 Howard County Deed Books (1840-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

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, Howard County, p. 151. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War

 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch — index


 * - 2nd Regiment, Maryland Cavalry (6 months, 1863-1864), Company C
 * - 3rd Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade Company I
 * - 7th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry (Ashby's) (Confederate). Company B (1st) (Howard Dragoons).

Newspapers

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

Probate Records
Online Probate 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

Marriage

 * 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1858 Partial Listing of Howard County Marriages 1858
 * 1860-1939 Howard County Marriage Licenses 1860-1939, the Howard County Historical Society
 * 1886-1900 Howard County Circuit Court Marriage Records 1886-1900
 * Marriage Records, Maryland State Archives

Death

 * 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Columbia Maryland Family History Center

Libraries

 * Charles E. Miller Branch & Historical Center Howard County Library System 9421 Frederick Rd Ellicott City, MD 21042 Phone: 410-313-1950 Website

Societies

 * Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Central Maryland Chapter P. O. Box 648 Columbia, MD 21045
 * Howard County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 274 Columbia, MD 21045 Email: [mailto:info@hcgsmd.org info@hcgsmd.org] Website
 * Howard County Historical Society 9421 Frederick Road Ellicott City, MD 21042 Phone: 410-480-3250 Email: [mailto:info@hchsmd.org info@hchsmd.org] Website
 * Sons of Confederate Veterans Isaac Trimble Camp #1836 Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #69 2832 Nine Mile Circle Catonsville, MD 21228 Email: [mailto:terrymkl@aol.com terrymkl@aol.com] Website

Websites

 * Howard County, Maryland Genealogy, History and Facts (Genealogy Inc)
 * The Howard County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * "Howard Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project, Howard County
 * Slave owners households
 * - 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

 * Zimmerman, Kenneth E. Guide to Research in Howard County, Maryland. Woodstock, Md.: K. E. Zimmerman, 1997.