Maryland Genealogy

USA (1,379,301) > Maryland (18,487)

By Record Type

Overview of Maryland records

If you're not sure which records would be helpful, you can try our Ancestor Source Finder tool.

By County

By City

Overview of Maryland Genealogy Records

• History: Maryland was first settled in 1634 and became a state in 1788.
• Birth records: A few birth records were kept previous to 1865 with more kept after 1865. Statewide registration of births began in 1898 with complete records by the 1910s. Baltimore began recording births in 1875. Birth records from 1898 to 1921 (1875 to 1921 for Baltimore City) can be obtained from the Maryland State Archives. Birth records from 1898 to the present can be obtained from the Maryland Department of Health.
• Marriage records: A few marriage records were kept starting in 1777. County courts recorded all marriages starting in 1865. Copies of marriage records can be obtained from the county clerk's office where the event occurred.
• Death records: A few death records were kept starting in 1865 with more in 1898, and complete records were kept by 1914.  Death records from 1898 to 1921 (1875 to 2011 for Baltimore City) can be obtained from the Maryland State Archives. Death records from 1969 to the present can be obtained from the Maryland Department of Health.
• Divorce records: Divorces before 1854 were granted by the state legislature. Divorce records for 1854 and later can be obtained from the clerk of the circuit court where the divorce was granted.
• Census records: The first federal census available for Maryland is 1790. There are federal censuses publicly available for 1790 (partial), 1800 (partial), 1810, 1820, 1830 (partial), 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, and 1950. There were state censuses taken in 1776 and 1778.
County records: Court, land, probate, naturalization, and tax records were kept by the individual counties.
• Other records: Many cities and towns kept newspapers, records kept by churches, cemeteries, histories, school, city directories, and other records that can be located by using the city pages on this site. Records specific to minority groups can be found in the Minority Records section.
• All records: Use the links on this site to locate online indexes and images of many of the above records.