Dorchester County, Maryland Genealogy

United States

Maryland

Dorchester County

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

Maryland Online Genealogy Records

County Facts County seat: Cambridge Organized: May 27, 1668 Parent County(s): Colonial lands Neighboring Counties Calvert  • Caroline  • St. Mary's  • Somerset  • Talbot  • Wicomico  • Sussex (DE) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

Edward Sackville

County Information

Description

Dorchester County was named for Earl of Dorset. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Dorchester County Courthouse
206 High Street
Cambridge, MD 21613
Phone: 410-228-0481
Dorchester County Website

Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage records from 1780, divorce records from 1821, court records from 1860, and other records from 1669, plat records from 1912, equity docket records from 1821 and corporation records from 1858.

Dorchester County, Maryland Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1898	1780	1898	1860	1669	1852	1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1898. General compliance by the 1910s.

Record Loss

1852 -- Fire burned courthouse. There are gaps in the court records. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle. When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog. Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. List of counties in the United States with Record Loss

Boundary Changes

Created 27 May 1668 from Colonial lands. County seat: Cambridge 15 June 1773, Caroline County was set off. 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.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Cities
Cambridge (county seat)
Towns
Brookview Church Creek East New Market	Eldorado Galestown Hurlock	Secretary Vienna
Unincorporated communities
Bishops Head Crapo Crocheron	Hoopersville Linkwood Rhodesdale	Toddville Wingate
Census-designated places
Algonquin Elliott	Fishing Creek Madison	Taylors_Island

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Dorchester County, Maryland online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com MDGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project MDInterment MDGravestones Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves FamilySearch Places
See Maryland Cemeteries for more information

• Dorchester County cemetery transcriptions in the US Genweb Project and other sources.Dorchester County Cemeteries

Census Records

For tips on accessing Dorchester County, Maryland Genealogy census records online, see: Maryland Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	15,875	—
1800	16,346	3.0%
1810	18,108	10.8%
1820	17,759	−1.9%
1830	18,686	5.2%
1840	18,843	0.8%
1850	18,877	0.2%
1860	20,461	8.4%
1870	19,458	−4.9%
1880	23,110	18.8%
1890	24,843	7.5%
1900	27,962	12.6%
1910	28,669	2.5%
1920	27,895	−2.7%
1930	26,813	−3.9%
1940	28,006	4.4%
1950	27,815	−0.7%
1960	29,666	6.7%
1970	29,405	−0.9%
1980	30,623	4.1%
1990	30,236	−1.3%
2000	30,674	1.4%
2010	32,618	6.3%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• 1776 Transcription and Index
• 1778
• 1790
• 1800
• 1810
• 1820
• 1830
• 1840
• 1850
• 1850 Slave
• 1860
• 1860 Slave
• 1870
• 1880
• 1890
• 1900
• 1910
• 1920
• 1930

Church Records

• 1668-1995 Maryland, Church Records, 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
• 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 from their collection have been digitized and made available to view for free online:

Church of England
Trinity Church was built by 1690. A chapel of ease served parishioners on Taylor's Island. See also the following parishes:

• Dorchester Parish
  
• Great Choptank Parish

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Emigration and 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 Dorchester County immigration resources include:

• 1897-1952 Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists Index, 1897-1952 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. Overseas correspondence of a resident of Vianna (Vienna, Dorchester County) with the following surname: Dennis.
• List of imported servants and convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Dorchester County, Maryland (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. Includes Richard J. Cox's abstracts of Maryland Gazette runaways.

Genealogies

• 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. Dorchester County families appear in Vols. 7, 11, 13-14, 16, and 19.
• Ennalls - "The Ennalls and Waggaman Families of Maryland," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1893):98-105. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
• Wright - Wright, Charles W. The Wright Ancestry of Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico Counties Maryland. Baltimore: Baltimore City Printing and Binding Co., 1907. Available at FamilySearch Digital Library; FHL; and Google Books.
• Wroughton - Loeser, Rudolf. "Margaret (__) (Wroughton) (Attowell) Grimes and Some Relatives," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1998):111-118; Vol. 42, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1998):194-204. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg.

Land and Property Records

Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of Dorchester County Deed Books (1669-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Local Histories

• History of Dorchester County, Maryland. 1902. By Elias Jones. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins. Online at: Internet Archive, Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Military Records

Revolutionary War

Dorchester 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: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Maryland, Dorchester County on page 128.

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. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. See Vol. 5, Maryland, Dorchester County, pp. 145-146. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War

• 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
• 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection

Regiments. Service men in Dorchester served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Dorchester:

- 1st Regiment, Maryland Eastern Shore Infantry, Companies A, B, and C.

World War II

• 1940-1945 Maryland, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers

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

Dorchester County, Maryland Old Newspapers are available online.

• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

Obituaries

• Abstracts of Obituaries - scroll down the page for the list

Other Records

Private Papers

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. "Intercepted Letters Relating to America 1777-1811," The Genealogist, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2000):184-200; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Spring 2001):53-74. Overseas correspondence of residents of Vianna (Vienna, Dorchester County) with the following surname: Dennis.

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records

• Maryland, Wills and Probate Records at findmypast - index
• 1634-1777 Maryland, Index To Colonial Probate Records, 1634-1777 at findmypast - index
• 1634-1777 Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777 online at Maryland State Archives website - free
• 1635–1743 Maryland Calendar of Wills 1635-1743 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1635–1777 Maryland Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
• 1796–1940 Maryland Probate Estate and Guardianship Files , 1796-1940 at FamilySearch images - How to Use this Collection

Social Security Records

• 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
• 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

• 1678, 1681 1678 and 1681 Dorchester County tax lists, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.
• 1746 1746 Dorchester County Tax List (fragment) at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
• 1753 1753 Choptank Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
• 1783 Dorchester 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.

Vital Records

Marriage

• 1658-1940 Maryland County Marriages, 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
• 1666-1970 Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index - How to Use this Collection
• Maryland Marriage References by Robert Barnes - free.
• Marriage Records - Maryland State Archives

Death

• 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944
• 1898-1923 Death index - scroll down the page.

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Dorchester County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Maryland Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Salisbury Maryland Family History Center
• Eastern Shore Public Library (Virginia) - Chincoteague Island Branch - an affiliate library.
• Winterthur Library - an affiliate library.

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Dorchester County. For state-wide library facilities, see Maryland Archives and Libraries.

Dorchester County Library
303 Gay Street
Cambridge, MD 21613
Phone: 410-228-7331
Fax: 410-228-6313
TDD: 410-228-0454
Email: infodesk@dorchesterlibrary.org
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Dorchester County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Maryland Societies.

Dorchester County Historical Society
902 LaGrange Ave.
Cambridge, MD 21613-2009
Phone: 410-228-7953
Email: dchs@verizon.net
Website

Lower Delmarva Genealogical Society
Box 3602
Salisbury, MD 21802-3602
Email: lowerdelmarva@yahoo.com
Website
Includes material for Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties.

Upper Shore Genealogical Society of Maryland
P.O. Box 275
Easton, MD 21601
Email: USGSMD@yahoo.com
Website

National Society United States Daughters of 1812
Maryland - Kitty Knight Chapter
Email: info@usdaughtersof1812maryland.org
Website

Websites

• The Dorchester County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• "Dorchester Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project, Dorchester County.
• FamilySearch Catalog - The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a family history center.