Cecil County, Maryland Genealogy

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County Courthouse


County Commissioners County Administrative Building 200 Chesapeake Blvd., Suite 2100 Elkton, MD 21921 Ph: (410) 996-5201

Maryland State Archives - Guide to Government Records - Cecil County Information

Register of Wills Circuit Courthouse 129 East Main Street - Suite 102 Elkton, Maryland 21921 (410) 996-5330 (888) 398-0301 Fax (410) 996-1039

Mailing Address: Register of Wills, Cecil County P O Box 468 Elkton, MD 21922-0468 Business Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Friday

History


Though Cecil County was not established by Lord Baltimore and his colonists until 1674, a small settlement came prior to that time. In 1633, twenty five years after John Smith sailed the tributaries of the Upper Chesapeake Bay, Englishman William Claiborne opened a trading post on Palmers Island at the mouth of the Susquehanna. He traded beavers and furs with the Susquehannocks, and sold them to the French in Canada. A small settlement and a plantation surrounded the first white man's post in the area.

There are two names that will forever be linked to the establishment of Cecil County. The first is the Second Lord Baltimore, Cecilius Calvert (1605-1675), for whom the County was named. He ruled the land called Maryland, after his father -The First Lord Baltimore died. He was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675.

The second name is that of Augustine Herman, one of Cecil's first land owners. Herman offered his masterful map making skills to create a map of Maryland, and in exchange received a large tract of land that spread out from the Bohemia River. Because of his skills he was considered an important man, and it was Herman who was able to convince Charles Calvert, the second Proprietary Governorof the Province of Maryland, to divide Cecil County out of Baltimore County. In 1674 Herman's wish was granted, and by proclamation, the boundaries for the new county of Cecil were established. The first courthouse was located on the Sassafras River.

The County seat is Elkton. The newspaper of record is the Cecil Whig. As of 2000, the population was 85,951.

Parent County

 * 1674--Cecil County was created 6 June 1674 from Baltimore County by a proclamation by the Proprietary Governor Cecil Calvert. County seat: Elkton.

Boundary Changes

 * Much of Cecil county was originally attached to Kent County until Baltimore County was created 12 January 1659.
 * Cecil County was created in 1674. The original boundaries of Cecil County, as created in 1674, by proclamation of Governor Charles Calvert, are described as follows: "From the mouth of the Susquehanna River down the eastern side of the bay to Swan Point, thence to Hell Point, and so up Chester River to the head thereof." Nothing appears to have been said about the eastern or northern bounds of the county, because they were in dispute, nevertheless the lord proprietary still claimed to the Delaware and to the fortieth degree of north latitude. These bounds were slightly varied by another proclamation issued a few days afterwards, which there is reason to believe threw a small part of what is now the extreme southwestern part of Kent County under the jurisdiction of the authorities of Kent Island.

Record Loss
Many early court records have disappeared.

Time Lines
Cecil County Chronology

Neighboring Counties
Harford | Kent | New Castle County, Delaware | Pennsylvania counties: Chester | Lancaster | York

Bible Records

 * Family Bible Records at the Historical Society of Cecil County
 * Bible Recordscontributed to USGenWeb

Cemeteries

 * Cherry Hill United Methodist Cemetery
 * Colora Friends Meeting Cemetery
 * Elkton Catholic Church Cemetery
 * Saint Mark's Episcopal Church Cemetery

Transcriptions of various cemeteries in Cecil County can be found at the following websites:
 * Findagrave
 * Interment
 * USGenWeb's Tombstone Transcription Project
 * Cecil County Cemetery Records from the Historical Society of Cecil County. On this page, you will find links to PDF files containing an inventory of Cecil County tombstone transcriptions. One of their most experienced family history researchers and a past president of the Genealogical Society of Cecil County, Gary Burns, has worked several years compiling this detailed spreadsheet. It is still a work in progress and only goes to the letter P right now, but you will find over 29,000 entries for Cecil County Tombstones thus far.
 * The Political Graveyard is a great resource for Politicians that were born, lived and died in Cecil County.

Published Transcriptions:

For more information about Cemeteries in Maryland please refer to the Maryland Cemeteries page.

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


 * 1790 - 1830 Census Transcripts for Cecil County from the USGenWeb Census Project
 * 1850 Census Searchable index from FamilySearch
 * 1860 Census Searchable index from FamilySearch
 * 1870 Census Searchable index from FamilySearch
 * 1880 Census Searchable index from FamilySearch (no images)
 * 1900 Census Searchable index from FamilySearch

For more information about the using the census in Maryland please refer to the Maryland Census page.

Churches

 * Maryland State Archives' Guide to Maryland Religious Institutions identifies all churches known to have existed in Cecil County, Maryland. It covers all denominations and includes record descriptions. Maryland Archives' List of Churches in Cecil County
 * Nottingham, Cecil County, Maryland Quaker Records at Ancestry.com (subscription required). This database contains records for the Quaker Monthly Meeting for the city of Nottingham, which lies in Cecil County. Researchers may find records of birth, marriage and death for their nineteenth- century Quaker ancestors listed in this database.
 * St Mary Anne's Parish (North Elk Parish)
 * St Stephen's Parish (North Sassafras Parish)
 * Shrewsbury Parish (South Sassafras Parish)(now in Kent County, Maryland)
 * St Augustine Parish(Bohemia Manor, Chesapeake City, MD)
 * St Paul's Methodist Church at Johntown
 * St Xavier or Old Bohemia - The Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis Xavier, also called the Old Bohemia Shrine, is near Warwick. Founded 1704 by Rev. Thomas Mansell, S.J., one of the earliest permanent Catholic establishments in the English Colonies.
 * Bohemia offered advantages which were influential in the selection of this spot for a center of missionary enterprise. It was accessible both by land and water. A trading post at a nearby landing offered opportunities for the shipment of tobacco to England and the import of supplies needed by the colonists. By land, the Delaware Path or Highway was an artery of traffic between the two bays.
 * Bohemia Academy Founded 1745 by Rev. Thomas Pulton, S.J. attended by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signed of the Declaration of Independence, and his cousin John Carroll, first Catholic Bishop in the U.S.
 * Zion Methodist Church Cecilton - Zion Methodist Church was founded in 1819. the original building was on the north side of the road on ground now used as a cemetery. It was never fully finished. A church was erected in 1850 on the present site, the land being deeded to the church by John Ward Jones. On August 21, 1888, Zion Church was destroyed by a cyclone. Ground was broken for the new building April 2, 1889.

Court

 * Cecil County Orphans' Court

Before 1776, information may be found in any one of the following types of courts:


 * The Admiralty Court
 * The Provincial Court
 * The Prerogative Court
 * The Chancery Court

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. FHL US/CAN Book 975.21 D2b v. 1 ff. [Cecil County families appear in Vol. 6]
 * Biographies contributed to USGenWeb

Bibliography


 * [Hendrickson] Bendler, Bruce A. "The Hendrickson Family in Cecil County, Maryland: The First Three Generations," The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Winter 1990):20-22. FHL US/CAN Book 975 B2m.

Surname Files


 * Cecil County Surname Filesat the Historical Society of Cecil County

Gazetteers
Gazetteer of the state of Maryland By Richard Swainson Fisher, pages 61-63 are about Cecil County.

A Gazetteer of Maryland and Delaware By Henry Gannett

A new and complete gazetteer of the United States: ... By Thomas Baldwin, J. Thomas

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 Cecil County immigration resources include:


 * [http://www.immigrantservants.com/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=Cecil&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 Cecil County, Maryland (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. [Includes Richard J. Cox's abstracts of Maryland Gazette runaways.]

Land
The earliest land deed was recorded in 1674.

Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of Cecil County Deed Books (1674-present) have been uploaded to their website: MDLandRec.Net: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Local Histories

 * Chesapeake City, People, Places and Events Remembered - Lee Collins has digitized an outstanding collection of photos, ephemera, and other materials of interest to those researching or studying the past in Chesapeake City.
 * An Introduction to the area history provided by Cecil County Tourism
 * The Nottingham Lots and the Early Quaker Families A Paper Presented by Robert Warwick Day, Ph.D. Spartanburg, South Carolina in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the founding in 1701 of the Nottingham Lots by William Penn and early Quaker settlers of Chester County, PA.

Maps

 * Catalog of Sanborn Mapsin the Collection of the Historical Society of Cecil County
 * Online mapsavailable from the Historical Society of Cecil County
 * Cecil County. Simon J. Martenet, Martenet's Atlas of Maryland, 1865, Huntingfield Collection, MSA SC 1339-1-75
 * Cecil County GIS- Online Mapping. An interactive geographic information systems (GIS) website of Cecil County.
 * Map of the upper part of the peninsula, showing the locations of Indian Forts, Early Land Grants and Boundary Lines drawn by Geo. M. Reese under the direction of George Johnston, the author of History of Cecil County, Maryland and designed to illustrate the history of Cecil County.
 * USGS Quad Topographic Features in Cecil County
 * Cecil County Historical Markers
 * Province of Pennsylvania, 1681-1776
 * Maryland County Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) Maps - These maps are downloadable and are in PDF format. The main use of these are the locations of all known cemeteries in a county and of course the various roads and church locations

Military

 * John F. DeWitt Military Museum at the Historical Society of Cecil County 135 E. Main Street, Elkton 410-398-1790 Impressive display of military memorabilia from the Revolutionary War through Desert Storm.

Newspapers

 * Cecil County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.
 * Cecil County Newspapers, as held at the Historical Society of Cecil County. Bound and microfilmed volumes of newspapers, as well as single issues, published in Cecil County since 1823 and the present, constitute a valuable portion of the Society's library.
 * Cecil Whig- P.O. Box 429, Elkton, MD 21922; (410) 398-3311
 * Rising Sun Herald - 303 E. Main St., Rising Sun, MD 21911; (410) 658-5740
 * Cecil Soil Magazine- P.O. Box 645, Rising Sun, MD 21911; (410) 658-3244
 * Newspaper articlestranscribed for USGenWeb
 * Obituary/Death Notice Index (Surnames A-L)for Cecil County, Maryland
 * Obituary/Death Notice Index (Surnames M-Z)for Cecil County, Maryland
 * Obituaries contributed to USGenWeb

Probate

 * Probate estate files from 1851 to 1940 can be searched on FamilySearch. The site will let you view and save the actual probate record.
 * Wills and Estate Recordscontributed to USGenWeb
 * Administration Accounts at the Maryland State Archives

CECIL COUNTY REGISTER OF WILLS (Administration Accounts) C586, 1678-1854 [Paper CECIL COUNTY REGISTER OF WILLS (Administration Accounts) CM308, 1678-1976 [Microfilm]]

Societies and Libraries

 * The Historical Society of Cecil County

The Historical Society is open to the public at the following times. They are closed on all major holidays. Monday ………………………………………………….. 10:00 a.m.— 4:00 p.m. Tuesday………………………………………………….. 6:00 p.m.— 8:30 p.m. Thursday…………………………………………………. 10:00 a.m. — 4:00 p.m. 1st and 4th Saturday of Each Month…………………….. 10:00 a.m.— 2:00 p.m.


 * Genealogical Society of Cecil County, Inc P.O. Box 11 Charlestown, MD 21914 (410) 287-8793
 * Upper Shore Genealogical Society of Maryland P.O. Box 275 Easton, MD 21601 (410) 745-3050
 * Cecil County Public Library
 * Maryland State Archives - Combined List of Archived Records for Cecil County

Taxation
Cecil County Tax List of 1783 : First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth Districts. 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
Vital records for Cecil County from USGenWeb

Birth

Marriage


 * USGenWeb Marriages Project for Cecil County Maryland

Death


 * Maryland Death Certificate Index 1898-1944, available online, courtesy: Vital Records Indexing Project, Maryland State Archives.
 * Death Certificates 1920s-1940s, 1940s-1950s, available online, courtesy: Historical Society of Cecil County
 * Burial Permits, 1906-1912, 1912-1962; available online, courtesy: Historical Society of Cecil County

Web Sites

 * The Cecil County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Cecil County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Cecil County. (Backup site)
 * FamilySearch.org Family History Library Catalog for Cecil County.
 * FamilySearch Record Search for Cecil County Probate Estate Files from 1851 to 1940 are searchable.The site will let you view and save.
 * The Historical Society of Cecil County
 * Cecil County Public Library