Prince George's County, Maryland Genealogy

United States

Maryland

Prince George's County

Guide to Prince George's 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: Upper Marlboro Organized: October 3, 1695 Parent County(s): Calvert, Charles Neighboring Counties Anne Arundel  • Calvert  • Charles  • Howard  • Montgomery  • Alexandria (VA)  • Fairfax (VA)  • District of Columbia (DC) See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption This page is available for adoption

Prince George of Denmark

County Information

Description

Prince George's County was named for Prince George of Denmark. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse

Prince George's County Courthouse
14735 Main Street
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772
Phone: 301-952-3318
Toll-free (in Maryland) 800-937-1335
Prince George's County Website

Clerk of the Circuit Court has land and court records.
Register of Wills has probate records.

Prince George's 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	1696	1898	1700s	1696	1698	1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1898. General compliance by the 1910s.

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. The 1830 Census is missing.

Boundary Changes

Created 3 October 1695 from Calvert and Charles counties. County seat: Upper Marlboro 10 June 1748, Frederick County was set off. 1791, portions were ceded to form the District of Columbia. 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
Bowie College Park District Heights Glenarden	Greenbelt Hyattsville Laurel Mount Rainier	New Carrollton Seat Pleasant
Towns
Berwyn Heights Bladensburg Brentwood Capitol Heights Cheverly Colmar Manor	Cottage City Eagle Harbor Edmonston Fairmount Heights Forest Heights Landover Hills	Morningside North Brentwood Riverdale Park University Park Upper Marlboro (county seat)
Unincorporated communities
Ardmore Avondale Berwyn (redirect to College Park) Carmody Hills Carole Highlands Cedar Heights Chapel Oaks Cheltenham Collington Danville Green Meadows	Indian Creek Village Kentland Lewisdale Meadows Montpelier Muirkirk North College Park North Englewood Palmer Park Piscataway Raljon	Rogers Heights South Bowie Tantallon Tuxedo Vansville West Hyattsville West Bowie White Hall Woodyard
Census-designated places
Accokeek Adelphi Andrews AFB Aquasco Baden Beltsville Brandywine Brock Hall Calverton Camp Springs Cedarville Chillum Clinton Coral Hills Croom East Riverdale Fairwood Forestville Fort Washington	Friendly Glassmanor Glenn Dale Goddard Hillandale Hillcrest Heights Kettering Konterra Lake Arbor Landover Langley Park Lanham Largo Marlboro Meadows Marlboro Village Marlow Heights Marlton Melwood Mitchellville	National Harbor Oxon Hill Peppermill Village Queen Anne Queenland Rosaryville Seabrook Silver Hill South Laurel Springdale Suitland Summerfield Temple Hills Walker Mill West Laurel Westphalia Woodlawn Woodmore
Ghost towns
Good Luck

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Prince George's 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

• Cemetery Transcriptions includes partial transcriptions for Ammendale Cemetery-Ammendale-(Christian Bros.), 11007 Montgomery Road, Beltsville, MD
• Fort Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood
• White Marsh Cemetery-Bowie MD

Census Records

For tips on accessing Prince George's County, Maryland Genealogy census records online, see: Maryland Census.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	21,344	—
1800	21,175	−0.8%
1810	20,589	−2.8%
1820	20,216	−1.8%
1830	20,474	1.3%
1840	19,539	−4.6%
1850	21,549	10.3%
1860	23,327	8.3%
1870	21,138	−9.4%
1880	26,451	25.1%
1890	26,080	−1.4%
1900	29,898	14.6%
1910	36,147	20.9%
1920	43,347	19.9%
1930	60,095	38.6%
1940	89,490	48.9%
1950	194,182	117.0%
1960	357,395	84.1%
1970	660,567	84.8%
1980	665,071	0.7%
1990	729,268	9.7%
2000	801,515	9.9%
2010	863,420	7.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

• The 1830 Census is missing.
• Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. By Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. 1915. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins Company. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books. Provincial Census of August 31, 1776, Prince George's County: St. John's and Prince George's Parishes (89 pages of facsimile reproductions and index). Pages 1-89.
• Federal Census reports available 1790-1930 including slave and veterans schedules.

Church Records

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

• Protestant Episcopal (Church of England), St. John's Church, King George's Parish (aka Piscataway Parish, St. John's Parish), includes: parish registers 1689-1878 and vestry minutes 1693-1823
• Protestant Episcopal, St. Simon's Chapel (African American), includes: parish and church registers 1902-1963, etc.
• Protestant Episcopal, St. Thomas's Parish, includes: parish registers 1850-1970 and various records

Church of England

• King George's Parish
• Piscataway Parish
• Prince George's Parish
• Queen Anne's Parish
• St. John's Parish

Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Capitol Heights
• Greenbelt

List of Churches and Church Parishes

• FamilySearch Places
  

Emigration and Immigration

• 1897-1952 Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists Index, 1897-1952 at FamilySearch — index and images - How to Use this Collection
• List of imported servants and convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Colonial Prince George's County, Maryland (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. Includes Richard J. Cox's abstracts of Maryland Gazette runaways.

Genealogies

• Addison - Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. Digital versions of Vol. 1 at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books; Internet Archive, Vol. 2 at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive; FHL Book 929.273 Se48k.
• Addison - Lomax, E.L. Genealogy of the Virginia Family of Lomax. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• Bates - Russell, Donna Valley. "The Maternal Ancestry of Mary Bates, Wife of Lingan Wilson of Prince George's County, Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 68, No. 2 (Apr. 1993):72-76. Available at FHL.
• Beall - See Bates.
• Beckwith - Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273. Available at FHL.
• Boteler - Russell, Donna Valley. "The Boteler Family of Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Jan. 1995):9-17. Available at FHL.
• Bowell - Bowell, Lillian and William Bowell. A Bowell Family History. St. Paul, Minn.
• Buckerfield - See Bates.
• Calvert - Douxchamps, Hervé, Jan Botemans and Henry Hoff. Rubens et ses Descendants. Volume IV, La Descendance Lunden. Brussels, Belgium: Office Généalogique et Héraldique de Belgique, 1985. 1977 edition: FHL Book 929.2493 R823d.
• Chapline - Dare, Maria J. Liggett. Chaplines from Maryland and Virginia. Washington, D.C.: M.J.L. Dare, 1902. FHL Film 896749 Item 3; digital version at Internet Archive.
• Chilton - Dorman, John Frederick. "The Chilton Families of Virginia and Maryland," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1967):71-78; Vol. 11, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1967):121-125; Vol. 11, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1967):167-174; Vol. 12, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1968):15-18; Vol. 12, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1968):83-86; Vol. 12, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1968):109-113; Vol. 12, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1968):169-175; Vol. 13, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1969):32-36; Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1969):65-71; Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1969):177-180; Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1970):15-22; Vol. 14, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1970):75-82; Vol. 14, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1970):123-128; Vol. 14, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1970):165-168; Vol. 15, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1971):32-41; Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1971):122-124; Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1971):259-264; Vol. 16, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1972):301-306. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg v. 11-v. 16.
• Crauford - Tyler, Lyon G. "The Blackburns, of 'Ripon Lodge,'" The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 4 (Apr. 1896):266-269. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
• D'Hiniossa - Hoffman, William J. "Alexander D'Hiniossa, The Last Dutch Director on the Delaware," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 73, No. 4 (Oct. 1942):246-250. Digital version at The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society ($); FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 73.
• Elder - Donnelly, Mary Louise. Maryland Elder Family and Kin - William Elder 1707-1775 Emmitsburg, Md. Pioneer. Burke, Va.: M.L. Donnelly, 1975. FHL Book 929.273 EL22d.
• Gambra - Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60; Vol. 77, No. 1 (Apr. 2001):138-147. Available at FHL.
• Hawley - Hawley, Laura. Hawley, Halley, Holley and Families of Similar Surnames Found in Early Records of England, Maryland and Virginia. Bowie, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 2003.
• Hepburn - See Bates.
• Holdsworth - See Bates.
• Ingram - Barnum, Dorothy Jeter and George Ely Russell. “James Johnson alias Ingram: A Southern Odyssey,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Mar. 1988):5-16. Digital version at National Genealogical Society website ($); FHL Book 973 B2ng v. 76 (1988).
• Ingram - Barnum, Dorothy Jeter. The James and Mary Kendall Ingram Family. Moultrie, Georgia: D.J. Barnum, c1988. Available at FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273 In4ba; Film 1320971 Item 11.
• Lamar - Lamar, William Harmong, "Thomas Lamar of the Province of Maryland, and a Part of His Descendants," Publications of the Southern History Association, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Jul. 1897):203-210. Digitized by Internet Archive - free.
• Lamar - Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Heraldica: Being a Registry of Virginia Gentry Entitled to Coat Armor, With Genealogical Notes of the Families. New York: The Genealogical Association, 1908. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
• Parker - See Bates.
• Pottenger - Thompson, Neil D. and Paul C. Reed. "Falsehood and Truth: The Ancestry of John Pottenger, Immigrant to Maryland in 1684," The American Genealogist, Vol. 68, No. 3 (Jul. 1993):139-145. Available at FHL.
• Prather - Lewis, Olan R. The Thomas Prather Family. Lakeport, Calif.: O.R. Lewis, 1988. FHL Book 929.273 A1 no. 5324.
• Rawlins - Lancaster, Jeannie. "Rawlins Family," Tree Builders, Christian County Genealogical Society, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Fall 2006):57-67.
• Reagan - Reagan, Donald B. Smoky Mountain Clans. 3 vols. Knoxville, Tenn.: D.B. Reagan, 1978-1983. FHL FAM HIST Book 929.273R22b 1978. [The Reagan family is discussed in Vol. 1.]
• Scearce - McNamara, Elizabeth W. Weakley, Scearce, Arnold Families of Kentucky, Their Descendants and Ancestral Families. Baltimore, 1980. FHL Book 929.273 W371m.
• Smith - Russell, Donna Valley. "Nathan and Thomas Smith of Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 65, No. 4 (Oct. 1990):230-232. Digital version at American Ancestors ($); FHL Collection
• Sprigg - Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2005. See Volume 2. FHL Book 975.5 H2j v. 2.
• Taylor - Dennstedt, Albert Marjorie. "Richard and Ann Taylor's Descendants in Maryland and Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 40, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1996):29-38; Vol. 40, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1996):134-145; Vol. 40, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1996):199-211; Vol. 40, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1996):282-293. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number. FHL Book 975.5 B2vg.
• Welsh - Russell, George Ely. "Molly Welsh: Alleged Grandmother of Benjamin Banneker," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 94, No. 4 (December 2006):305-314. FHL Collection 973 B2ng v. 94 (2006)
• Wheat - Monk, Arliss Shaffer. "Undocumented Genealogies: To Trust or Not to Trust? Lessons from Several Strains of Wheat," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 86, No. 1 (March 1998):37-49. FHL Collection 973 B2ng v. 86 (1998)
• Wilson - See Bates.

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 Prince George's County Deed Books (1696-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Maps and Gazetteers

Martinet's Map of Prince George's County - approx 1861. Online at Library of Congress.

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

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

Military Records

• Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. Vol. 1. By Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. 1915. Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins Company. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books. Two Muster Rolls, Militia Prince George's County, French War, 1799, giving Dates of Birth of Soldiers, are listed on pages 173-175.

Revolutionary War

Prince George's County men served in the 3rd Maryland Regiment and the 6th 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. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. See Maryland, Prince George's County on page 127.

• Revolutionary Records of Maryland. By Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh and Margaret Roberts Hodges. 1924. Washington, D.C.: R.H. Darby Print. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($). Contains lists of Prince George's County men involved in the Revolutionary War.

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, Prince George's County, pp. 153-154. 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 Prince George's 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 Prince George's:

- 1st Regiment, West Virginia Light Artillery, Battery H Light Artillery.

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

• Prince George's County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.
• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)

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
• 1635–1743 Maryland Calendar of Wills 1635-1743 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1635–1777 Maryland Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
• 1698-1958 Maryland, Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999, original books (wills, bonds, accounts, proceedings), at FamilySearch.
• 1796–1940 Maryland Probate Estate and Guardianship Files , 1796-1940 at FamilySearch images - How to Use this Collection
• Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777, Maryland State Archives.

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

• 1733 Russell, Donna Valley. "1733 Taxables," Western Maryland Genealogy, Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 1987):99-103.
• 1746 1746 Antietam Hundred Tax List at Maryland Genealogical Society, transcription
• 1828 1828 Tax List Prince George's County, Maryland. editor, Shirley Langdon Wilcox; compiled by Prince George's County Genealogical Society. - [Bowie, Md?] The Society, 1985. - 130 p.FHL 975.251 R4t. F187.P9 A13 1985

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
• 1777-1800 Marriage Licenses Issued at Upper Marlborough, Prince George's County, 1777-1800. From Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. By Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh. 1915. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins Company. Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Google Books. Pages 93-172.
• 1777-1886 Index of Marriage Licenses Prince George's County Maryland 1777-1886 at Ancestry ($)
• Maryland Marriage References by Robert Barnes. Maryland State Archives.
• Marriage Records, Maryland State Archives.

Death

• 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Prince George's 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

• Suitland Maryland Family History Center
• Washington DC Family History Center
• Mount Vernon Genealogical Society - an affiliate library.
• National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution - an affiliate library.

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Prince George's County. For state-wide library facilities, see Maryland Archives and Libraries.

John Calder Brennan Library
817 Main Street
Laurel, MD 20707
Phone: 301-725-7975
Email:research@laurelhistoricalsociety.org
Website

Frederick S. DeMarr Library
P.O. Box 14
Riverdale, MD 20738-0014
Phone: 301-220-0330
Email: info@pghistory.org

Museums

Greenbelt Museum
10B Crescent Road
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-507-6582
Facebook
Website

Societies

Listed below are societies in Prince George's County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Maryland Societies.

Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, Inc.
Prince George's County MD Chapter
PO Box 44252
Fort Washington, MD 20749-4252
Email: janemaur@aol.com
Website

Greenbelt Historical Society
204 Lastner Lane
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Phone: 301-474-5156
Website

Prince George's County Genealogical Society
PO Box 819
Bowie, MD 20718-0819
Phone: 301-262-2063
Email: information@pgcgs.org
Facebook
Website

Prince George's County Historical Society
Facebook
Website

Riversdale Historical Society
4811 Riverdale Road
Riverdale Park, MD 20737
Phone: 301-864-0420

Laurel Historical Society
817 Main Street
Laurel, MD 20707
Phone: 301-725-7975
Email: info@laurelhistoricalsociety.org
Website

Websites

• The Prince George's County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
• "Prince George's Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
• The USGenWeb Archives Project for Prince George's 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.

Family History Library

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