Baltimore Maryland Inner Harbor Family History Center

The Inner Harbor Family History Center serves Baltimore's Inner Harbor, West Baltimore, and Northwest Baltimore. We are a computer-only center where you can access a computer to use online resources like FamilySearch; we don't have microfilm/microfiche readers. We have consultants available to help you! Our services and resources are free of charge.

Center Contacts and Hours

 * Language:  English


 * Address:  900 W Madison Ave., Baltimore MD 21201


 * Location Map: Google Map


 * Phone or Text: 443-527-7618


 * E-mail:  [mailto:MD_BaltimoreInnerHarbor@familyhistorymail.org MD_BaltimoreInnerHarbor@familyhistorymail.org]


 * Open Hours:
 * As of July 20, 2020 the Center is open for patrons who wish to schedule an appointment. Please plan to observe the following COVID-19 precautions:
 * Rather than having open hours we will meet you by appointment. Please contact us 2-3 days or more before you wish to come in so that we have time to arrange staff to meet you.
 * We now have computers in two rooms so that we can accommodate 2 patron appointments at the same time.
 * Face coverings are required at all times for patrons and staff.
 * Please bring your own drinking water. The building water fountain is not accessible during the pandemic.
 * We sanitize all surfaces before and after each appointment.
 * A clear barrier will be in place between you and our staff if you need consultant assistance at the computer.
 * We can help you remotely over the phone or via video conferencing platforms. Note, however, that we cannot provide remote access to records that are restricted to viewing in a Family History Center.
 * SPECIAL CLOSURE NOTICE: The Center will be closed:
 * November 26, 2020, Thanksgiving Day; December 25, 2020, Christmas Day; January 1, 2021, New Year's Day.


 * If the front door is locked when you arrive, ring the white oblong doorbell near the bright green "ring doorbell" sign.
 * Parking:
 * Pay-to-park on Madison; street parking is free after 6 PM Monday - Saturday, and all day Sunday.
 * Free parking in the church lot, east side of the church between the church and MLK Boulevard.
 * No parking in the lot on the west side of the church between the church and the office building. That lot belongs to the office building and unauthorized vehicles are towed aggressively.

Upcoming Events
February 25 - 27, 2021 - RootsTech is the world’s largest family history conference and is sponsored by FamilySearch. RootsTech 2021 will be 100% free and online February 25 – 27, 2021. Connect with your friends, family, and homelands from the comfort of your home. Register for free at RootsTech.org.

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal  The Family History Center Portal gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that ordinarily charge for subscriptions. Some of the available sites are:
 * The 19th Century British Library Newspapers digital archive— https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. This fully searchable database of the British Library's newspaper holdings provides a complete run of 48 national and regional Victorian British newspapers for the 19th century from 1800 to 1900.
 * Access Newspaper Archives—http://www.newspaperarchive.com. NewspaperArchive.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive. Discover fascinating news in archived newspapers hundreds of years old—including obituaries, birth announcements, sports articles, comics, and more.
 * Alexander Street Press, American Civil War—http://alexanderstreet.com/. Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs, and approximately 100,000 indexed pages of diaries, letters, and memoirs.
 * Ancestry.com—http://www.ancestry.com/.
 * Kinpoint Premium—https://kinpoint.com. Kinpoint is designed to make it easier for you to do your family history by letting you see what to work on at a glance, quickly find missing information in your family tree, and discover insights into the lives of your ancestors.
 * MyHeritage—Library Edition—http://myheritagelibraryedition.com/research. Used by millions of people worldwide to help research family history, build a family tree, and add photos, historical records, and more.
 * Puzzilla—https://puzzilla.org  Find new research opportunities on descendant lines in Family Tree.

Hardware and Equipment

 * Two computers, printer, scanner. We are a computer-only center and have no microfilm/microfiche readers.
 * You are welcome to bring your own laptop or device in and use the Center's wifi.

Center Services
We can assist you in using FamilySearch. We are open by appointment, except during any holiday or special closures noted above.


 * We can assist FamilySearch users remotely (over the phone) and view your tree with you using FamilySearch's helper tool.

Some FamilySearch databases and collections are only accessible at a designated Family History Center. If you have run into that issue you are welcome to use our computers to access these materials, or to access them on your own laptop or device in the Center using the Center's wifi.

Resources in the Local Area

 * Maryland Historical Society Guide to Genealogical Research (describes the Society's most popular resources and how to use them) http://www.mdhs.org/sites/default/files/Guide_to_Family_Research.pdf
 * Maryland State Archives
 * What research can you do at the State archives? Start here to find general Maryland research guides, topic specific guides such as for marriage records, a list of searchable collections and key indices at the Archives, and contact information for other information sources such as courts and libraries. http://guide.msa.maryland.gov/pages/viewer.aspx?page=topviewed
 * Baltimore City Archives
 * What research can you do at the City archives? Resources include many searchable records sets pertaining to people, property, events and groups. https://msa.maryland.gov/bca/

Volunteer at the Center:
Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering to help others research their family history.