Kent County, Maryland Genealogy

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


 * This article is about a county in the state of Maryland. For other uses, see Kent (disambiguation).

Courthouse
Clerk Circuit Court has marriage records from 1796; divorce records from 1867, land records from 1656, and court records from early 1800's.

History



 * By 1631, William Clayborne was appointed Commander of the settlers of the Isle of Kent which he named for his home, the English County of Kent.

Parent County

 * Created 30 December 1637 from colonial lands.

Boundary Changes

 * 19 February 1661, Talbot County was set off.
 * For a time much of Cecil County was attached to Kent County until 1659 then attached to Baltimore County.
 * 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
1720--A courthouse fire in 1720 destroyed some records.

Neighboring Counties
Anne Arundel | Baltimore | Cecil | Harford | Queen Anne's | Delaware counties: Kent | New Castle

Census
Federal Census reports available 1790-1930 including slave and veterans schedules.

Church

 * 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), Shrewsbury Parish (includes parish registers 1699-1882, vestry minutes 1701-1861 (gaps), and communicants 1876-1882)

Church of England

 * Chester Parish
 * St. Paul's Parish
 * St. Peter's Parish
 * Shrewsbury Parish

Court
Provincial Court


 * Residents Appearing at the Provincial Court, 1647-1656
 * Residents Appearing at the Provincial Court, 1656-1660
 * Residents Appearing at the Provincial Court, 1662-1670
 * Residents Appearing at the Provincial Court, 1670-1676

Family Histories
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]

General


 * 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. [Kent County families appear in Vols. 1-3, 7, and 21.]
 * Hanson, George Adolphus. Old Kent: The Eastern Shore of Maryland; Notes Illustrative of the Most Ancient Records of Kent County Maryland, and of the Parishes of St. Paul's, Shrewsbury and I. U. and Genealogical Histories of Land and Distinguished Families of Maryland, and Their Connections by Marriage, etc., with an Introduction. Baltimore: J. P. Des Forges, 1876. Digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive; ; 1967 reprint:

Bibliography


 * [Asbury] Holtzclaw, B.C. "Asbury of Westmoreland County, Virginia," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1967):55-65; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):77-87; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1968):10-26. Digital version at Ancestry ($).
 * [Barry] Bidlack, Russell E. Ann Arbor's First Lady, Events in the Life of Ann I. Allen. Ann Arbor, Mich., n.d.
 * [Boyer] Wallis, Guy. The Boyer Family of Kent &amp; Cecil County, Maryland and Tompkins County, New York. Bristol, Vt.: G. Wallis, 1997.
 * [Brooke] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [Burchinal] Gans, John Lyons and Frank M. Burchinal. The Burchinal Genealogy: Jeremiah Burchinal of Mt. Harmon, Kent County, Maryland and His Descendants. MSS., Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Microfilmed 1965:
 * [Burchinal] Burchinal, Beryl Modest and Martin Luther Burchinal. The Burchinal Genealogy, Thomas Burtchnell of Cecil County, Maryland and His Son, Jeremiah "Jeremy" Burchinal of Mount Harmon, Kent Co. Maryland and Their Descendants. Pittsburgh: B.M. Burchinal, 1984. ; 1988 supplement:
 * [Burchinal] Burchinal, Beryl Modest and Donald Lee Robinson. The Burchinal Genealogy: The Descendants of Thomas Burtchnell ca 1670-1709 of Cecil County, Maryland, and His Children Jeremiah Burchinal "Jeremy" and Mary Burchinal, Kent County, Maryland. Apollo, Penn.: Closson Press, 1998.
 * [Caulk] Russell, George Ely. "The Swedish Settlement in Maryland, 1654," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 4 (Oct. 1978):203-210.
 * [Coleman] Coleman, Richard F. and Caroline Coleman Cofrode. A Coleman Family History: De[s]cendants of Charles Coleman, Born 1763, Kent County, Maryland. North Canton, Ohio: R.F. Coleman, 1986.
 * [Comegys] Moss, Ernestine Parke. Cornelius Comegys of Kent County, Maryland. Memphis, Tenn.: E.P. Moss, 1982.
 * [Dabb] Russell, George Ely. "Anicake (Hanson) (Elena) (MacKenny) Dabb of Kent County, Maryland, 1652-1674," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul. 1978):159-164.
 * [de Hinojosa] Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273.
 * [Elena] Russell, George Ely. "Anicake (Hanson) (Elena) (MacKenny) Dabb of Kent County, Maryland, 1652-1674," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul. 1978):159-164.
 * [Elena] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60.
 * [Elenor] See Elena.
 * [Elexson] Russell, George Ely. "The Swedish Settlement in Maryland, 1654," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 4 (Oct. 1978):203-210.
 * [Forman] Dandridge, Anne Spottswood and Anne Elizabeth Forman Dismukes. The Forman Genealogy: Descendants of Robert Forman of Kent Co., Maryland, Who Died in 1719-1720: Also Descendants of Robert Forman of Long Island, New York, Who Died in 1671; the Forman Family of Monmouth Co., New Jersey; Together with Notices of Other Families of the Name Forman. Salem, Mass.: Higginson, [2001?]. Digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive; ; another copy:.
 * [Goodhand] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [Hanson] Russell, George Ely. "Anicake (Hanson) (Elena) (MacKenny) Dabb of Kent County, Maryland, 1652-1674," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul. 1978):159-164.
 * [Hanson] Russell, George Ely. "The Swedish Settlement in Maryland, 1654," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 4 (Oct. 1978):203-210.
 * [Hanson] Hanson, George A. Old Kent. 1876. 159-168.
 * [Harris] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [Holman] Utermohlen, William J. The Holman Family of Kent County, Maryland and Woodford County, Kentucky: A Preliminary Study. Alexandria, Va.: W.J. Utermohlen, 1993.
 * [Holman] Utermohlen, William J. "The Ancestry of Richard Rue and His Holman and Vansant Connections," The American Genealogist, Vol. 69, No. 4 (Oct. 1994):235-245.
 * [Hosier] Henry Hosier of Kent County, Maryland. Typescript. No date. Microfilmed 1983:
 * [Ingram] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [Jenkins] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [MacKenny] Russell, George Ely. "Anicake (Hanson) (Elena) (MacKenny) Dabb of Kent County, Maryland, 1652-1674," The American Genealogist, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Jul. 1978):159-164.
 * [Pollock] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [Rue] Utermohlen, William J. "The Ancestry of Richard Rue and His Holman and Vansant Connections," The American Genealogist, Vol. 69, No. 4 (Oct. 1994):235-245.
 * [Strong] Albee, Fredericka Strong (b. 1878). One Branch of the Strong Family of Kent County, Maryland. Typescript, National Library, DAR. Microfilmed 1971:
 * [Sweatman] Brayton, John Anderson. "Madam Esther Pollock of Kent Co., Md., and Chowan Co., N.C., and the Lutens," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):376-392..
 * [Usilton] Stuart, Sarah Elisabeth. William Usilton of Kent County, Maryland (? -1729) and Some of His Descendants. Chestertown, Md.: E.V. Tuttle, 1938.
 * [Vansant] See Rue.
 * [Wallis] Wallis, Lucille A. and Guy Wallis. Samuel Wallis of Kent County, Maryland: Some of His Descendants &amp; Allied Families. Multi-volume. Decorah, Iowa: Anundsen, 1991-2000.
 * [Wolcott] Wolcott, John Benjamin and Charles V. Waid. Wolcott Immigrants and Their Early Descendants (the First Six Generations): Henry and Elizabeth Wolcott of Windsor, Connecticut; John and Winifred Wolcott of Watertown, Massachusetts; William and Alice Wolcott of Salem, Massachusetts; John and Sarah Wolcott of Kent County, Maryland; Samuel Wolcott of Shrewsbury, New Jersey. n.p.: Society of the Descendants of Henry Wolcott, 2002.

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 Kent County immigration resources include:


 * Act of Naturalization of Several Individuals
 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Chester Town [Chestertown] and Kent County with the following surnames: Ringold and Wilmore.] Available at.
 * Kent County Immigration Index 1663-1667
 * [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=Kent&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 transported convicts from Europe] who served labor terms in Colonial Kent 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 Kent County Deed Books (1648-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Other Kent County land resources include:

Land Records (scroll over half way down the page)

Revolutionary War
Kent County men served in the 5th Maryland Regiment.


 * 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 et. al. 1967 reprint: 973 X2pc 1840. [See Maryland, Kent 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, Kent County, pp. 151-152. 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 Eastern Shore Infantry, Companies A, B, C, D and E.

Newspapers

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

Private Papers

 * Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Correspondence with the American Colonies 1739-1782," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 1998):108-128; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):189-205. [Overseas correspondence of residents of Chester Town [Chestertown] and Kent County with the following surnames: Ringold and Wilmore.] Available at.

Probate

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


 * Wills and Estate Records, USGenWeb (scroll to bottom of page)

Online Probate Records
 * 1604 – 1878 Maryland Wills and Probate Records 1604-1878 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1635 – 1743 Maryland Calendar of Wills 1635-1743 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1796 – 1940 at FamilySearch images

Taxation

 * 1678, 1681 1678 and 1681 Kent County tax lists, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.
 * 1783 Kent 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.

Birth

 * 1650 - 1681 Colonial Births 1650-1681

Marriage

 * 1658 - 1940 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1666 - 1970 at FamilySearch — index
 * 1654 - 1676 Colonial Marriages 1654-1676
 * Marriage Records - Maryland State Archives

Death

 * 1898 - 1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944

Other Kent County death resources include:


 * 1655 - 1678 Colonial Deaths 1655-1678

Societies and Libraries
Historical Society of Kent County 301 High Street P.O. Box 665 Chestertown, MD 21620 Phone: 410-778-3499 E-Mail: [mailto:Director@kentcountyhistory.org Director@kentcountyhistory.org] Website

The Historical Society of Kent County Library 301 High Street P.O. Box 665 Chestertown, MD 21620 Phone: 410-778-3499 E-Mail: [mailto:library@kentcountyhistory.org library@kentcountyhistory.org] Website

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Websites

 * Kent County, Maryland Genealogy, History and Facts (Genealogy Inc)
 * "Kent Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Kent County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Kent County. (Backup site)
 * , Kent County