St. Mary's County, Maryland Genealogy

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St. Mary's County

Guide to St. Mary's County, Maryland ancestry, family history, and genealogy, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.


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St. Mary's County, Maryland
Map
Map of Maryland highlighting St. Mary's County
Location in the state of Maryland
Map of the U.S. highlighting Maryland
Location of Maryland in the U.S.
Facts
Founded January 24, 1637
County Seat Leonardtown
Courthouse
Address St. Mary's County Courthouse
23115 Leonard Hall Dr.
Leonardtown, MD 20650
St. Mary's County Website



Courthouse

Beginning Dates for St. Mary's County, Maryland Genealogy Government Records
Birth Marriage Death Census Land Probate
1898 1794 1898 1790 1781 1658


Clerk Circuit Court has marriage and land records.
Register of Wills has probate records.
The 1830 Census Missing.[1]

History

Michaelangelos Pieta.jpg

The county is named after The Virgin Mary. It was the "first county named in a colony intended to be a haven for Catholics."[2]

The settlement of Lord Baltimore's Maryland began with the arrival of passengers from England at St. Clement's Island [3], on the Potomac River in what is now southwestern St. Mary's County, on March 25, 1634 (celebrated annually [4]). The passengers arrived in two vessels, the Ark and the Dove, which had set sail from the Isle of Wight on November 22, 1633. The county is also home to the first Catholic Mass celebrated in the original thirteen colonies.[5]

Parent County

  • Created 24 January 1637 from the Colonial lands

Variant Spellings

  • Saint Mary's[6]

Boundary Changes

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.

Record Loss

St. Mary's has suffered substantial record loss.

  • Lost census: 1890
  • 1831--The courthouse was destroyed by fire. Some deeds were re-recorded back to 1781, and abstracts of deeds sent to Annapolis beginning in 1784 also make up for some of the records that were destroyed.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Places/Localities

Populated Places

Town
Census Districts
Communities

Neighboring Counties

Mdst.mary's.jpg

Maryland counties:

Virginia counties:

Resources

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online Tombstone Transcriptions in Print List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com Family History Library Findagrave.com
USGenWeb WorldCat Billion Graves
MDGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
MDInterment
Billion Graves
See Maryland Cemeteries for more information.
  • All Faith Cemetery
  • All Saints Cemetery
  • Charles Memorial Gardens
  • Christ Church Cemetery
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens
  • Galilee Cemetery
  • Holy Face Cemetery
  • John Wesley Cemetery
  • Joy Chapel Cemetery
  • Mount Zion Cemetery [7]
  • New Saint Aloysius Cemetery
  • Old Saint Aloysius Cemetery
  • Old Saint Josephs Cemetery
  • Our Lady's Chapel Cemetery[8]
  • Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery
  • Queen of Peace Cemetery
  • Saint Andrews Cemetery
  • Saint Francis Xavier Cemetery
  • Saint Georges Cemetery
  • Saint Georges Cemetery [9]
  • Saint Johns Cemetery
  • Saint Josephs Cemetery
  • Saint Michael Cemetery
  • Saint Nicholas Cemetery
  • Saint Paul's Cemetery


Census

Federal Census reports available 1790-1930, including slave and veterans schedules. Exception-1830 census is missing. For tips on accessing St. Mary's County, Maryland Genealogy census records online, see: Maryland Census.

Church

  • 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.
Protestant Episcopal
  • 1833-1859 - Poole, Martha Sprigg. "St. Andrew's Parish Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths 1833-1859," Chronicles of St. Mary's, vol. 5, no. 2: Feb. 1957 (Abell to Craigg); vol. 5, no. 6: Jun. 1957 (Craig to Greenwell); vol. 5, no. 9: Sep. 1957 (Greenwell to Hutchins); vol. 6, no. 1: Jan. 1958 (Hutchins to Mareman); vol. 6, no. 5: May 1958 (Mareman to Payne); vol. 6, no. 10: Jun. 1958 (Payne to Stone); vol. 7, no. 1: Jan. 1959 (Tabbs to Watts); vol. 7, no. 3 Mar. 1959 (Watts to Wise); vol. 7, no. 4: Mar. 1959 (Wise to Wooton).

Court

Family Histories

It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:

  • Locate publications about direct ancestors
  • Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
  • Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

For ancestors who lived in St. Mary's County in the 1600s, a Harvard graduate has probably studied your family. See Dr. Lois Green Carr's Biographical Files of 17th and 18th Century Marylanders (courtesy: Maryland State Archives).

Bibliography
  • [Abell] Abell, William Russell. The Abell Family of St. Mary's County, Maryland and the American Revolution. Des Moines, Iowa: privately published, 1984. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
  • [Abington] Berkley, Henry J. "The Abingtons of St. Mary's and Calvert Counties," Maryland Historical Magazine, Vol. 25 (1930):251-255. FHL Book 975.2 H25m v. 25 (1930).
  • [Addison] Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. Digital versions of Vol. 1 at Google Books; Internet Archive | Vol. 2 at FamilySearch Books Online;Internet Archive; FHL Book 929.273 Se48k.
  • [Butler] See de Hinojosa.
  • [Carvile] See de Hinojosa.
  • [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):301-30. 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.
  • [DeButts] Russell, George Ely. "DeButts Family of Maryland and Virginia," The Genealogist, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Fall 1998):131-188.
  • [Decosta] Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60.
  • [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. FHL Book 974.7 B2n v. 73.
  • [de Hinojosa] Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273.
  • [Ellyson] Wagner, Douglas W. Ellyson. "The Early Generations of the Ellyson Family," The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 72, No. 1. Reprint: FHL Book 929.273 A1 no. 6718.
  • [Forrest] Kennedy, Mary Selden. Seldens of Virginia and Allied Families. New York: Frank Allaben Genealogical Co., c1911. Digital versions of Vol. 1 at Google Books; Internet Archive | Vol. 2 at FamilySearch Books Online;Internet Archive; FHL Book 929.273 Se48k.
  • [Gerard] Weis, Frederick Lewis and Walter Lee Sheppard. Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992. FHL Book 974 D2w 1992.
  • [Gray] Russell, George Ely. "Francis Gray of Maryland and Virginia," The Genealogist, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Fall 2011):131-143. FHL Book 929.105 G286n v. 25, no. 2 (fall 2011).
  • [Guyther] See de Hinojosa.
  • [Leigh] Hoff, Henry B. "Alexander de Hinojosa and His Descendants in Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):260-273.
  • [McFarlane] Finley, Carmen J. "The McFarlings: From Virginia to the California Gold Rush," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 44, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 2000):3-12; Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 2000):131-145; Vol. 44, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 2000):186-195; Vol. 44, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 2000):275-292. 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.
  • [Norris] Diller, Corinne Hanna. "Johns and Thomases: Using Named Farmland to Sort Identities among Norrises of St. Mary's County, Maryland," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 86, No. 4 (December 1998):271-282. FHL Book 973 B2ng v. 86 (1998).
  • [Plater] Lomax, E.L. Genealogy of the Virginia Family of Lomax. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1913. Digital version at Internet Archive - free.
  • [Vanswearingen] Daniels, Frances C.T. Some Descendants of Garrett Vanswearingen of St. Mary's, Maryland. Georgetown, Del.: A.B. and R.P. Thompson, 1983. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.
  • [Walker] Holtzclaw, B.C. "Asbury of Westmoreland County, Virginia," Virginia Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul. 1967):55-65; Vol. 5, No. 4 (Oct. 1967):77-87; Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan. 1968):10-26. Digital version at Ancestry ($).

Gazetteers

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 St. Mary's County immigration resources include:

Land

Through a Joint eGovernment Service of the Maryland Judiciary and the Maryland State Archives, free images and indexes of the complete series of St. Mary's County Deed Books (1781-present) have been uploaded to their website: A Digital Image Retrieval System for Land Records in Maryland. (Requires free registration.)

Local Histories

Maps

St. Mary's County Tract Map: 1705 by Dr. Russell Menard identifies early settlers and land locations.

Military

Revolutionary War
  • 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, St. Mary's County on page 127.]
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, St. Mary's County, pp. 154-155. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.]
Civil War

Newspapers

Periodicals

Chronicles of St. Mary's is published by the St. Mary's County Historical Society. A subject and author index is available on their website.

Probate

Online Probate Records

Research Guides

  • Reno, Linda. “Research in St. Mary’s County.” Maryland Genealogical Society Journal 50, no. 1 (2009): 119-125.

Taxation

  • 1678, 1681 - 1678 and 1681 St. Mary's County tax lists, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.

Vital Records

Birth
Marriage
  • 1640 - 1820 - St. Mary's County, Maryland, Marriages: 1638-1820 at St. Mary's Families - free. "The marriage database contains 10,096 marriages, most of which occurred in St. Mary's County, Maryland between 1637 and 1820. Source records include County Court Records (marriage licenses), wills, deeds, extant church records (St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, and St. Inigoes Catholic Church, including marriage and baptisms) and Prerogative Court Records (compiled by V.L. Skinner, Jr.)."
  • 1794 - 1864 - Brumbaugh, Gaius Marcus. Maryland Records: Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church from Original Sources. Vol. 1. Baltimore, Md.: Williams & Wilkins Company, 1915. Digital version at Google Books. "Marriage Licenses of St. Mary's County, 1794-1864 (7533 Persons)," is available online, see pages 313-405 and index.
Death

Societies and Libraries

St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society, Inc.
SMCGS
P.O. Box 1109
Leonardtown, MD 20650
E-mail:smcgs@mindspring.com
Website

St. Mary’s County Historical Society
SMCHS
Tudor Hall
41680 Tudor Place
Leonardtown, MD
Phone: 301-475-2467
E-Mail: membership@stmaryshistory.org
Website


St. Mary’s County Library Branches
37600 New Market Rd
Charlotte Hall, MD
Phone: 301-884-2211

23250 Hollywood Rd
Leonardtown, MD
Phone: 301-475-2846

21677 FDR Blvd.
Lexington Park, MD
Phone: 301-863-8188
Website

The Society of the Ark and the Dove was founded in 1910. It was formed to fellowship those that trace their descent from Lord Baltimore and those that arrived on the Ark and the Dove in 1634 to settle Maryland. This society is multifaceted, encouraging research of early Maryland history and promoting and supporting Museums, Historical Foundations and Societies.

Family History Centers

Websites

References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), St Mary’s County, Maryland page 318, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ List of Counties in Maryland,] Wikipedia.
  3. ↑ St. Clement's Island, accessed 14 Aug 2016 on Wikipedia.com.
  4. ↑ Maryland Day, accessed 14 Aug 2016 on Wikipedia.com
  5. ↑ Wikipedia
  6. ↑ William Hand Browne, ed., Archives of Maryland: Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland October 1678-November 1683 (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1889).
  7. ↑ Family History Library Film Number 599840 item 4 page 105
  8. ↑ Family History Library Film Number 599841 item 3 page 125
  9. ↑ Family History Library Film Number 599840 item 4 page 112
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