Step-by-Step Maryland Research, 1880-Present

Step 1. Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :


 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History at ThoughtCo.com
 * Creating Oral Histories at FamilySearch Wiki

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2. Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.

 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.

Using clues to lead to census record searches.
Here are the records discovered.
 * The first step would be to search for the family in the 1920 census of Maryland.
 * If they are located in 1920, follow up both time periods, the 1930, 1940, and 1950, and then the 1910 censuses of Maryland.

Finding an earlier generation.
In the 1910 census, Raymond McKenzie is 24-years-old and probably married fairly recently. These are the records. His parents are Simeon/Simon McKenzie and Anna/Annie/Annie R./Rhoda A. Notice that in 1910, his 80-year-old grandfather, John C. Chaney, is living with him.
 * The next step would be to find Raymond McKenzie, a 14-year-old, living with his parents in the 1900 census.
 * Once his parents are identified, complete the family record by following up in the 1910, 1930, 1940, and 1950 censuses of Maryland.

Identifying yet an earlier generation.
The 1900 census reports that Simon D. McKenzie6 was born in May 1856, in Maryland. '''Simon and Rhoda McKenzie are listed in the 1880 census (the 1890 census was destroyed) living in the home of an older couple, Leo and Anna McKenzie. These are probably his parents, but as this census does not directly state relationships, we should work to prove it in other records.'''
 * To find an earlier generation, the 1880 census if Maryland should be searched for him as a 24-year-old, probably already married.
 * }



Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.
- For more information, see Maryland Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Find birth, marriage, and death certificates for ancestors and their children.
States, counties, or (even towns in some states) recorded births, marriages, and deaths.
 * In addition to the child's name, birth date, and place of birth, a birth certificate may give the birthplaces of the parents, their ages, and occupations.
 * A marriage certificate might list the parents of the bride and groom.
 * A death certificate may give the person's birth date and place, parents' names and birthplaces, and spouse's name.

Using census clues to lead to a birth certificate.
Census information gives approximate birth years and probable birth places, and that information leads to finding important birth records. In addition to basic birth date and place, a birth certificate can give age, birthplace, occupation, etc. about the parents. An example of an indexed birth record.

Using census clues to lead to a marriage certificate.
Finding marriage records can:
 * establish the full identity of the wife, with her maiden name and possible birth details.
 * find the names of the parents of the bride and groom.



Using the census clues to lead to a death certificate.
Moving forward in time, older generations stop showing up in the census. That is a clue that they probably died in the last 10 years. The death certificate is important because of all the possible secondary data beyond just the date and place of death: -
 * birth date and place of the deceased
 * maiden name of the wife
 * names of the deceased's parents
 * birth places of the deceased's parents.

Some of the examples shown above are index entries. That means for each of them an actual, original, full certificate exists. It is highly advisable to order the original certificate. It will contain many details not given in the index. In some cases, the image of the original is found online. Instructions are given below on obtaining the original certificate in other cases. -

How to Find the Records
There are basically three ways to find these indexes or full original certificates:
 * online databases
 * writing to a county courthouse (prior to the beginning of state civil registration)
 * purchasing them through the mail at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

Online databases, usually indexes, with some images

 * This chart gives links to some Maryland online databases for these records:

Records at the County Courthouse.
These records were originally created by county clerks, and then copies were sent to the state. County clerks can be willing to help find all the birth records for one family or perform other searches that the state would not do. To contact county clerks by e-mail or telephone, go to the Wiki article for each county. Links to the county Wiki articles are found at the end of this page or by clicking here: Maryland Counties.

Order Certificates from Maryland Vital Records Department.
Almost always the full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).


 * Where to Write for Maryland Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC.gov

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Maryland, see How to Find Maryland Birth Records, How to Find Maryland Marriage Records, and How to Find Maryland Death Records.

Step 4: Try to find additional details about ancestors in obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records online.
There are additional record collections available, based upon a person's death: obituaries, cemetery records, and Social Security records. These are a great source for more details about a person. Here are some examples; notice the level of details.

Obituary Collections

 * 1930-Current U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Find Online Obituaries, Newspapers, Cemetery and Death Records at Archives.com — index & images ($)
 * Maryland Newspapers and Obituaries at LDS Genealogy — index
 * Maryland Obituaries at ObitsArchive.com — free index, images ($)
 * Maryland Obituary and Death Notice Collection at GenealogyBuff — index
 * Online Maryland Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index

Cemeteries

 * 1949-1969 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * BillionGraves — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Findmypast ($)
 * FindaGrave — index & images
 * at FamilySearch — How to Use This Collection; index; Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * Maryland Cemeteries at USGenWeb Tombstones — index
 * Maryland Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy — index
 * Maryland Death Records and Maryland Cemetery Records at Interment.net — index
 * Maryland Gravestone Photo Project at MarylandGravestones.org — index & images
 * Names in Stone, Maryland, Vol. 2 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Names in Stone Vol. 1 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Online Maryland Death Records and Indexes at DeathIndexes.com — index

U.S. Social Security Death Index and Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at


 * 1935-2014 U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($); Picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off by providing information filed in the application or claims process
 * 1962-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

For more information, see Maryland Obituaries and Maryland Cemeteries.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see Maryland Military Records.
 * 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1942 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch Historical Records Indexes

 * 1650-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1665-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1877-1992 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Ancestry.com Indexes

 * 1662-1911 Maryland, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1662-1911at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1634-1777 Maryland, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1634-1777 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1655-1850 Maryland Records Colonial, Revolutionary, County, and Church from Original Sources Vol. I at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1655-1850 Maryland, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1655-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1667-1899 Maryland, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1667-1899 at Ancestry — index ($)
 * 1778-1800 Maryland Marriages, 1778-1800 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1801-1820 Maryland Marriages, 1801-1820 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources; by Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. n.p.: n.p., n.d. Online at: Vol. 1 - Ancestry; Vol. 2 - Ancestry

Catholic

 * 1753-1851 Maryland, U.S., Catholic Families, 1753-1851 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Catholic Heritage Archive at Findmypast — index & images ($)

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1701-1995 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Episcopal

 * 1771-1848 (*) Episcopal Church, Diocese of Maryland at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Lutheran

 * 1781-1969 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1800-1947 U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947 at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * Eighty Years : Embracing a History of Presbyterianism in Baltimore, with an Appendix at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * 1655-1693 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1681-1935 U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1800-1990 U.S., Quaker Cemetery Records, 1800-1990 at Ancestry — index & images ($)


 * For help with church records kept in Maryland, see Maryland Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * 1629-1999 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1635-1777 Maryland, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1796-1940 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * The Maryland Calendar of Wills, by Jane Baldwin Cotton. Baltimore, Maryland : Wm. J. C. Dulany Co., Publishers, 1901. Online at:, Ancestry, Vol. 1-8

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each Maryland county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Maryland Counties

For more information, see Maryland Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



Maryland Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records


 * 1607-1830 Scots On the Chesapeake, 1607-1830 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1820-1897 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1820-1948 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1950-1956 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1954-1957 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * One Step Webpages by Stephen Morse at StephMorse.org — index; Links to free and paid online passenger lists
 * To Maryland from Overseas at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Maryland Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records


 * 1794-1995 U.S., Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1795-1931 Maryland, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1795-1931 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1797-1951 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: fold3 ($)
 * 1840-1957 U.S., Naturalization Records, 1840-1957 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1906-1930 US, Naturalizations - MD, 1906-1930 at fold3 — index & images ($)
 * 1906-1931 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

For more information, see Maryland Emigration and Immigration and Maryland Naturalization and Citizenship.

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Maryland; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"


 * Google Books. Use keywords "Maryland" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * County and Town Histories
 * Internet Archive. Use keywords "Maryland" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use Maryland and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.


 * American Biographical Library at Ancestry — index ($)
 * Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Marylanders, by Esmeralda Boyle. Baltimore: Kelly, Piet and Company, 1877. Online at: HathiTrust, Ancestry ($)
 * County and Town Histories, Maryland at LearnWebSkills — index & images
 * Databases, Maryland at Enoch Pratt Free Library — index
 * Finding Aids and Indexes at Maryland State Archives — index
 * Genealogical and Memorial Encyclopedia of the State of Maryland, by Richard Henry Spencer. New York: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1919. Online at: HathiTrust
 * Men of Mark in Maryland ... Biographies of Leading Men of the state, by Bernard C. Steiner, Lynn R. Meekins, David H. Carroll and Thomas G. Boggs. Baltimore, Washington and Richmond: Johnson-Wynn Company and B. F. Johnson, Inc., 1907-1912. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust; Vol. 4 - HathiTrust
 * Men of Maryland, by George F. Bragg. Baltimore, Maryland: Church Advocate Press, 1914. Online at: HathiTrust
 * The Founders of Maryland as Portrayed in Manuscripts, Provincial Records and Early Documents, by Edward D. Neill. Albany: Joel Munsell, 1876. Online at: HathiTrust

Step 10: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * Maryland, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * Maryland, United States Historical Images, Old Version

Maryland Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in Maryland Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Maryland Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * Maryland Online Genealogy Records

Step 12: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Maryland.
This article focused more on Maryland state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Maryland. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.