Maryland Archives and Libraries

United States Maryland  Archives and Libraries

These repositories preserve sources, indexes, and provide services to help genealogists document their ancestors who lived in Maryland.

Wiki Articles on Major Repositories in Maryland
Maryland State Archives· Maryland Historical Society· Maryland Historical Trust Library· Maryland State Law Library· Maryland Genealogical Society· Baltimore City Archives· Dorchester County Central Public Library· Enoch Pratt Free Library· Frederick County Artz Public Library· Frostburg State University Ort Library·Johns Hopkins University George Peabody Library· Talbot County Free Library· University of Maryland McKeldin Library· Washington County Free Library· Pennsylvania State Archives· Historical Society of Pennsylvania· Library of Congress DC· National Archives and Records Administration (Archives I) DC· National Archives at College Park, Maryland (Archives II)· National Archives at Philadelphia PA

National Archives
Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave. SE Thomas Jefferson Building, LJ G4 Washington, D.C. 20540-4660 Telephone: Reading Room: 202-707-5537 Fax:  202-707-1957 E-mail:  Ask a Librarian Internet: http://www.loc.gov/rr/genealogy/


 * The "Local History and Genealogy Reading Room" has moved to the main reading room, but services are unchanged. They are part of the world's largest library including 50,000 genealogies, 100,000 local histories, and collections of manuscripts, microfilms, maps, newspapers, photographs, and published material, strong in North American, British Isles, and German sources. Maryland family history is well represented.

National Archives and Records Administration (Archives I) 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington DC Telephone: 1-866-272-6272 Fax:  301-837-0483 E-mail: National Archives and Records Administration Internet: http://archives.gov/


 * Archives I has nationwide censuses, pre-WWI military service and pensions, passenger lists, naturalizations, passports, federal bounty land, homesteads, bankruptcy, ethnic sources, prisons, and federal employees. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC (Archives I), houses textual and microfilm records relating to genealogy, American Indians, pre-World War II military and naval-maritime matters, the New Deal, the District of Columbia, the Federal courts, and Congress. Their collection includes many people who settled in Maryland.

National Archives at College Park, Maryland (Archives II) 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001 Telephone: 866-272-6272 Fax: 301-837-0483 E-mail: I have a question form Internet: National Archives at College Park, Maryland


 * Archives II houses documents created after 1900 at the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, and Treasury, modern military records, passport applications, and District of Columbia records. Many residents of Maryland are found among their records.

Statewide Archives
Maryland State Archives Hall of Records Building 350 Rowe Boulevard Annapolis, MD 21401 Telephone: 410-260-6400 Fax: 410-974-2525 E-mail: [mailto:ref@mdsa.net ref@mdsa.net] Internet: Maryland State Archives


 * This is the premier facility for locating Maryland ancestors. The Maryland State Archives online has nearly all available public records from 1634 to 1789; most original state and county records through the mid-twentieth century; microfilm copies of land, probate, and vital records to the present; and over 130 major card indexes to Maryland land records and early settlers, newspapers, county records, church records, family, and business records. This is the most complete collection of any of the 13 colonies. It can take up the three days just to check the indexes. For more information about the state archives, see the following references.


 * Maryland. Hall of Records. A Guide to the Index Holdings at the Hall of Records. Rev., Bulletin, [Maryland. Hall of Records] No. 17. (Annapolis, Maryland: Hall of Records, 1972.) This is a county-by-county list of indexes and years covered.
 * Papenfuse, Edward C., et al. A Guide to Government Records at the Maryland State Archives: A Comprehensive List by Agency and Record Series. (Annapolis, Maryland: Maryland State Archives, 1992.) This guide lists record types, years covered, and series number.
 * Papenfuse, Edward C., et. al. A Guide to the Maryland Hall of Records: Local, Judicial and Administrative Records on Microfilm. Volume 1. (Annapolis, Maryland: Hall of Records Commission, 1978.) Volume one is a detailed list of many records on microfilm for Allegany County, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City, Maryland. These include court, probate, and land records. The archives has additional computer printout lists for all counties. You can write to them for information about records of specific localities and time periods.
 * Radoff, Morris Leon, et al. The County Courthouses and Records of Maryland, Part Two: The Records. (Annapolis, Maryland: Hall of Records Commission, 1963.) This is a county-by-county list of record types, years covered, and series number.

Maryland Historical Society 201 West Monument St. Baltimore, Maryland 21201-4674 Telephone: 410-685-3750 E-mail: [mailto:reference@mdhs.org reference@mdhs.org] Internet: Maryland Historical Society Library Overview


 * This facility has the largest genealogical book collection in Maryland, and family Bibles, newspapers, and biographies.

Maryland Historical Trust Library 100 Community Place, Crownsville, MD 21032 Telephone: 410-514-7655 (Call for hours of operation) Internet: Maryland Historical Trust Library Internet: Online catalog

Maryland State Law Library Courts of Appeal Building 361 Rowe Boulevard Annapolis, MD 21401 Telephone: 410-260-1430 Fax: 410-974-2063 Internet: Maryland State Law Library

Maryland Genealogical Society 201 West Monument Street Baltimore, MD 21201 E-mail: [mailto:info@mdgensoc.org info@mdgensoc.org] Internet: Maryland Genealogical Society

Regional Archives
Allegheny County Library System Washington Street Library 31 Washington Street Cumberland, MD 21502 Telephone: 301-777-1200 Fax: 301-777-7299 E-mail: [mailto:washingtonstlibrary@alleganycountylibrary.info washingtonstlibrary@alleganycountylibrary.info] Internet: Washington Street Library


 * They have a western Maryland historical collection with genealogies, and local histories. Cumberland, Maryland, was the start of the National Road to Ohio and farther west.

Baltimore City Archives 2165 Druid Park Drive Baltimore, MD 21211 Telephone: 410-396-0306 Internet: Baltimore City Archives


 * Two useful guides to Baltimore records are:
 * Cox, Richard J., and Patricia M. Vanorny. "The Records of a City: Baltimore and Its Historical Sources." Maryland Historical Magazine 70 (Fall 1975): 286-310.
 * LeFurgy, William G. The Records of a City: A Guide to the Baltimore City Archives. (Baltimore, Maryland: City Archives, 1984.)

Dorchester County Central Public Library 303 Gay St. Cambridge, MD 21613 Telephone: 410-228-7331 Internet: Dorchester County Public Library


 * Their collection includes many Maryland Eastern Shore, and Delaware historical references.

Enoch Pratt Free Library 400 Cathedral Street Baltimore, MD 21201-4484 Telephone: 410-396-5430 Fax: 410-396-1441 Internet: Enoch Pratt Free Library


 * Excellent local, county, and Maryland state records.

Frederick County Artz Public Library 110 East Patrick Street Frederick, MD 21701 Telephone: 301-600-1630 Internet: C. Burr Artz Public Library


 * They have Maryland history, genealogy, and more.

Frostburg State University Ort Library 1 Stadium Drive Frostburg, Maryland 21532-2342 Internet: Frostburg State University Lewis J. Ort Library

Johns Hopkins University George Peabody Library 17 East Mount Vernon Place Baltimore, MD 21202 Telephone: 410-659-8179 Fax: 410-659-8137 Internet: George Peabody Library

Talbot County Free Library Maryland Room 100 W. Dover Street Easton, Maryland 21601 Telephone: 410-822-1626 Fax: 410-820-8217 E-mail: Message form Internet: Maryland Room


 * Look here for their many Maryland Eastern Shore, and Delaware historical references. Their collection includes church records, burial permits, Talbot County genealogy links, Bibles, family records, manuscripts, maps, local oral histories, and vertical files.

University of Maryland McKeldin Library College Park, MD 20742-7011 Telephone: 301-405-0800 Internet: Theodore R. McKeldin Library


 * Their Maryland historical collection is quite large.

Washington County Free Library 100 South Potomac Street Hagerstown MD 21740 Telephone: 301.739.3250 Internet: Genealogy


 * The Western Maryland Room  is a genealogical resource which includes published histories, oral histories, books, periodicals, and family folders.

Archives Outside Maryland
National Archives at Philadelphia 900 Market Street (entrance on Chesnut Street) Philadelphia, PA 19107-4292 Telephone: 215-606-0100 Fax: 215-606-0111 E-mail: [mailto:Philadelphia.archives@nara.gov Philadelphia.archives@nara.gov] Internet: http://www.archives.gov/philadelphia/


 * Has federal agency and court records for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. All U.S. federal censuses 1790-1940, and indexes. Also have passenger arrivals in Philadelphia 1800-1945 and Baltimore, pension and bounty land warrant applications, naturalizations 1790-1990, early federal history, diplomacy, military history, Chinese-Americans, World War II homefront, National Park Service, merchant marine, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, federal tax evasion and smuggling cases.

Pennsylvania State Archives 300 North Street     (mail to:  350 North Street) Harrisburg, PA 17120 Telephone: 717-783-3281 E-mail: [mailto:ra-statearchives@pa.gov ra-statearchives@pa.gov] Internet: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission


 * Their colonial records include many references to Maryland settlements. This huge collection has indexes and original sources associated with the series, such as vital, military, prison, naturalization, land records, census, ships lists, railroads, mines, and 1.5 million online records including online genealogy guides.

Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-5699 Telephone: 215-732-6200 Fax: 215-732-2680 E-mail: [mailto:ReadyReference@hsp.org ReadyReference@hsp.org] Internet: http://hsp.org/


 * Has early Quakers, Germans, Scots-Irish, and other settlers in William Penn's colonies of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. This is also an excellent place to learn about early settlers of Maryland. Records which have been published are normally well-indexed. This society also has 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century manuscripts (letters, diaries, account books, deeds, minutes, and scrapbooks), passenger arrival lists and indexes, local and regional history, ethnic and immigrant studies materials, 600,000 books, 20 million manuscripts, over 300,000 graphics items, and 300 years of newspapers.

Online Records

 * Sailor a collection of research databases for the use of Maryland public libraries including HeritageQuest Online and History Reference Center.