Harford County, Maryland Genealogy
Guide to Harford County, Maryland ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Resources
- 2.1 Bible Records
- 2.2 Biographies
- 2.3 Business, Commerce, and Occupations
- 2.4 Cemeteries
- 2.5 Census Records
- 2.6 Church Records
- 2.7 Court Records
- 2.8 Directories
- 2.9 Emigration and Immigration
- 2.10 Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
- 2.11 Funeral Homes
- 2.12 Genealogies
- 2.13 Guardianship
- 2.14 Land and Property Records
- 2.15 Local Histories
- 2.16 Maps and Gazetteers
- 2.17 Migration
- 2.18 Military Records
- 2.19 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 2.20 Newspapers
- 2.21 Obituaries
- 2.22 Other Records
- 2.23 Periodicals
- 2.24 Probate Records
- 2.25 School Records
- 2.26 Tax Records
- 2.27 Vital Records
- 3 Research Facilities
- 4 Societies
- 5 Websites
- 6 Research Guides
- 7 References
County Information
Description
The County was named for Henry Harford. The County has Bel Air as its seat and the County was created December 17, 1773. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Harford County Courthouse
20 West Courtland Street, Room 304
Bel Air, MD 21014
Phone: 410-838-6000
Harford County Website
County Health Department has birth and death records.
Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage and land records from 1779, divorce and court records from 1803.[3]
Harford 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.
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| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1898 | 1774 | 1898 | 1773 | 1774 | 1790 | |
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Record Loss
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1858 Some records were destroyed in a fire. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes
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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
The following are locations in Harford County, Maryland:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communites | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
History Timeline
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
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- 1041 page index to Individuals Buried in Harford County, Harford County Historical Society
Census Records
For tips on accessing Harford County, Maryland Genealogy census records online, see: Maryland Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 14,976 | — |
| 1800 | 17,626 | 17.7% |
| 1810 | 21,258 | 20.6% |
| 1820 | 15,924 | −25.1% |
| 1830 | 16,319 | 2.5% |
| 1840 | 17,120 | 4.9% |
| 1850 | 19,356 | 13.1% |
| 1860 | 23,415 | 21.0% |
| 1870 | 22,605 | −3.5% |
| 1880 | 28,042 | 24.1% |
| 1890 | 28,993 | 3.4% |
| 1900 | 28,269 | −2.5% |
| 1910 | 27,965 | −1.1% |
| 1920 | 29,291 | 4.7% |
| 1930 | 31,603 | 7.9% |
| 1940 | 35,060 | 10.9% |
| 1950 | 51,782 | 47.7% |
| 1960 | 76,722 | 48.2% |
| 1970 | 115,378 | 50.4% |
| 1980 | 145,930 | 26.5% |
| 1990 | 182,132 | 24.8% |
| 2000 | 218,590 | 20.0% |
| 2010 | 244,826 | 12.0% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Federal Census reports available 1790-1930 including slave and veterans schedules.
Church Records
- 1668-1995 Maryland, Church Records, 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index
- 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:
- United Methodist, Abingdon Charge, Cokesbury Church, Abingdon, Md. (includes cemetery and church records 1850s-1980s)
Church of England
Court Records
Free online index to thousands of Harford County court cases dating from 1700s to 1900s on The Historical Society of Harford County website.
Directories
Emigration and Immigration
- List of imported servants and transported convicts from Europe who served labor terms in Harford County, Maryland (work in progress), courtesy: Immigrant Servants Database. Includes Richard J. Cox's abstracts of Maryland Gazette runaways.
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
Funeral Homes
Genealogies
- Surname Files at Harford County Historical Society
- Master Family Index to Binders at Harford County Historical Society
- Henry Peden's Partial Index to Special Genealogy Collections at Harford County Historical Society
- [Harris] Harris, Mrs. Norris. "The Harris Family of Baltimore and Harford Counties," The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Spring 1990):68. FHL US/CAN Book 975 B2m.
Guardianship
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 Harford County Deed Books (1773-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)
- 1777-1778 Harford County Land Index
Local Histories
Maps and Gazetteers
Martenet's Map of Harford County, Maryland
Migration
Military Records
Revolutionary War
Harford County men served in the 3rd Maryland Regiment[6] and the 6th Maryland Regiment.[7]
- 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, Harford County on page 127.
- "Harford County, Maryland, Oaths of Fidelity, 1778," The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Fall 1988):126-127; Vol. 30, No. 1 (Winter 1989):10-11; Vol. 30, No. 2 (Spring 1989):46-47; Vol. 30, No. 3 (Summer 1989):88-89; Vol. 30, No. 4 (Fall 1989):126-127; Vol. 31, No. 1 (Winter 1990):6-7. FHL Collection 975 B2m
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, Harford County, pp. 149-151. 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
- 1861-1865 Maryland, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index
Regiments. Service men in Harford 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 Harford:
- - 2nd Regiment, Maryland Eastern Shore Infantry, Company G, and H
- - 7th Regiment, Maryland Infantry, Company C, and H
Naturalization and Citizenship
Newspapers
- Harford County newspapers are identified in "Guide to Maryland Newspapers," available online, courtesy: Special Collections, Maryland State Archives.
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
Online Probate Records
- 1634-1777 Probate Records, Colonial Index, 1634-1777, Maryland State Archives
- 1635-1743 Maryland Calendar of Wills 1635-1743 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
- 1635-1777 Maryland Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1777 at Ancestry — index and images ($)
- 1774-1809 Indentures and Guardianships 1774-1809, Harford County Historical Society
- 1796-1940 Maryland Probate Estate and Guardianship Files , 1796-1940 at FamilySearch images
- 1846-1854 Estate Distributions 1846-1854, free index, Harford County Genealogical Society
- Scanned images of wills, administrations, and inventories FamilySearch at FamilySearch.
School Records
Tax Records
- 1783 Harford 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.
- 1896, 1902 Harford County Personal Property Tax Valuations 1896 and 1902, Harford County Historical Society
Vital Records
Birth
Marriage
- 1658-1940 Maryland County Marriages, 1658-1940 at FamilySearch — index
- 1666-1970 Maryland Marriages, 1666-1970 at FamilySearch — index
- 1865-1899 Harford County Marriages 1865-1899, Harford County Historical Society
- 1900-1930 Harford County Marriages 1900-1930, Harford County Historical Society
- 1931 Harford County Marriages 1931, Harford County Historical Society
- Marriage Records, Maryland State Archives
Death
- 1898-1944 Maryland Death Index 1898-1944
Divorce
Research Facilities
Archives
Family History Centers
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.
Libraries
Museums
Societies
- Harford County Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 15
Aberdeen, MD 21001
Email: AdmnHSHC@verizon.net
Website - Historical Society of Harford County, Inc.
143 N. Main St.
Bel Air, MD 21014
Phone: 410-838-7691
Email: info@harfordhistory.org
Website
Facebook - The Hereditary Order of the Signers of the Bush Declaration
4219 Paddrick Road
Darlington, MD 21034
Email: ctsmithson@gmail.com
Website
Websites
- The Harford County MDGenWeb Project, a member of The MDGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- Harford County, Maryland Genealogy, History and Facts (Genealogy Inc)
- "Harford Co.," in Genealogical Sources in Periodicals at The Maryland State Archives.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project, Harford County.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project, Harford County. (Backup site)
- 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
Research Guides
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Maryland.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Harford," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harford_County,_Maryland."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Maryland.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Maryland.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Harford County, Maryland," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harford_County%2C_Maryland, accessed 29 July 2018.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "3rd Maryland Regiment," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Maryland_Regiment, accessed 31 May 2012.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "6th Maryland Regiment," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_Maryland_Regiment, accessed 31 May 2012.
