Maryland Colonial Records

History
Maryland was initially settled as a proprietary colony by a charter granted to Cecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, in 1632. In 1634, St. Mary's City was founded when settlers arrived at the Chesapeake Bay from England. During the next several decades, governorship of the colony went back and forth between Lord Baltimore, who was Catholic, and the Puritans. Near the end of the 17th century, however, Maryland reverted to the Crown, and the Anglican Church became the official church of Maryland in 1692. Some disputed land was ceded to Virginia in 1732, and in 1763, the Mason-Dixon line was established between Maryland and Pennsylvania. Maryland was one of the original thirteen colonies of the United States.

Statewide Records and Resources
The following court records are kept at the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, Maryland.

Provincial Court (1637-1805)

 * Court Judgments, 1679-1778 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012941 ff). Online digital images at FamilySearch.

Prerogative Court (1635-1777)
Until 1776, probates were done at the province level, although counties also started handling probates in the 1690s.
 * Inventories and Accounts of Estates, 1674-1718 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012918). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Accounts of Estates, 1718-1777 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012899). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Inventories of Estates, 1718-1777 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012862). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Testamentary Proceedings, 1657-1777 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012930). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Will Books, 1635-1777 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012841 ff). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Probate Accounts, 1752-1758 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0901271). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Index to Inventories and Accounts, 1674-1718 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012929). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Index to Balances of Final Distribution Books, 1751-1776 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012860). Online digital images at FamilySearch.
 * Index to Inventories of Estates, 1718-1777 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012898).

Court of Appeals, General Assembly (1635-1650), Governor and Council (1650-1776)

 * Proceedings of the Maryland Court of Appeals, 1695-1729 (1933, reprint, Millwood, NY: Kraus Reprint, 1975).

Record Indexes Available at the Maryland State Archives

 * Hodges Marriage Reference Card File, 1674-1851.
 * Marriage Licences, etc., 1650-1695.
 * Births, and deaths, 1649-1715. Some counties started keeping vital records along with their land records before 1720.
 * Colonial Muster and pay Rolls, 1732-1772.

Land Records
All Maryland land originally was owned by the Calvert family. From 1633-1683, headrights and land grants were given to settlers in exchange for providing transportation for and others to Maryland. Cash sales replaced the headright system by 1683.
 * Patents Series (film 0013063). Originals are at the Hall of Records in Annapolis, MD.
 * Calvert Papers, *(Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1973). Online digital images at FamilySearch. A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of the Calvert Papers by Richard J. Cox and Maryland State Archives, (Baltimore, Maryland: Maryland Historical Society, 1973).
 * The "Black Books" in the "Rainbow Series" in the Maryland State Papers contains Proprietary Papers, 1701-1785 (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012975), and Church Vestry Papers (Annapolis: Hall of Records, 1947, film 0012975) from the colonial era.

Published Records

 * Archives of Maryland, 72 Vols., (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1883-1972).
 * Proceedings of the Court of Chancery of Maryland [Archives of Maryland, Vol. 51, Court Series 5] (film 0908320).
 * Judicial and Testamentary Business of the Provincial Court, 1637-1683, 11 Vols., [Archives of Maryland, Court Series 1-4, 10-15] (film 0924323).
 * Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1636-1770, 11 Vols., [Archives of Maryland, Vols. 3, 5, 8, 15] (film 0430292).
 * Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, January 1637/38-April 1774, 32 Vols., [Archives of Maryland, Vols., 1-2, 7, 13, 19, 22, 24, 26-7, 29, 30, 33-40, 42, 46, 50, 55-6, 58-9, 61-4] (film 0924322).

Finding Aids

 * The Maryland Calendar of Wills [1635-1774] by Jane Baldwin, 14 Vols., (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968-, fiche6046924).
 * Index of Maryland Colonial Wills, 1634-1777 by James C. Magruder, (1933, reprint, Balltimore: Genealogical Publishing CO., 1986).
 * Calendar of Maryland State Papers: No. 1. The Black Books by Elizabeth W. Meade, (1943, reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967, fiche 6050087).
 * Maryland Deponents, 1634-1799 by Henry C. Eden, (Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1991).
 * More Maryland Deponents, 1716-1799 by Henry C. Eden, (Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1992-).
 * Abstracts of the Inventories and Accounts of the Prerogative Court of Maryland [1674-1718] by V. L. Skinner, (Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1981-8).
 * Abstracts of the Balance Books of the Prerogative Courts of Maryland [1755-1777] by V. L. Skinner, (Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1995).
 * Abstracts of Chancery Court Records of Maryland, 1669-1782 by Debbie Hooper, (Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1996).
 * Abstracts of the Testamentary Proceedings of the Prerogative Court of Maryland by V. L. Skinner, (Baltimore, Maryland : Clearfield Company, 2004-2012).
 * The Early Settlers of Maryland: An Index to Names of Immigrants Compiled from Records of Land Patents, 1633-1680, in the Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland by Gust Skordas, (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing CO., 1968).
 * Land Office and Prerogative Court Records of Colonial Maryland by Elisabeth Hartsook, (1946, reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968, fiche 6117897).