Genealogical Research in Maryland

GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH IN MARYLAND* BY RAYMOND B. CLARK, JR. In Maryland there are three important institutions devoted to the collecting, accessioning and careful preservation of valuable records and other types of information. Such information is indispensable to a worker in the general area of historical research, and to anyone engaged in uncovering the past in the subsumed field of genealogy. The three agencies which provide primary sources of invaluable information for the serious genealogist are: (1) The Hall of Records in Annapolis, which functions as the State archives; (2) The Land Office in Annapolis; (3 ) The Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore. THE HALL OF RECORDS Located in a two-story brick building on the edge of the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis, this agency of the State of Maryland was created, and the building erected, as one of the permanent monuments of the 1934 tercentenary celebration of the founding of Maryland. It was designed to function as the custodian of all state and county records in existence before the ratification of the Federal Constitution in 1789. An exception to this function was made to apply to certain categories of records which are in the custody of the Land Office. In accordance with the enabling act, local county official's relinquished control of their early probate and deed records up to 1789. In return, the offices of the Register of Wills and the Recorder of Deeds in the several county courthouses received photostat or microfilm copies of the surrendered wills, accounts, inventories and deeds. Thus it is still possible to work in the county courthouses if that is more convenient than making a special trip to Annapolis. The original records received at the Hall of Records were restored, accessioned, and a series of excellent card indexes for a number of the more important series or classes of records were prepared. These are readily available in the Index Room, and facilitate the use of the original records, or the copies which have been made to prevent further deterioration of the originals. The cards reveal the name of the person identified with the record, the date of the record, the county of its origin, the source (wills, accounts, inventories, etc.), and the particular volume and • Based on a lecture delivered by the writer at a Genealogical Workshop for the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania Si February 1961 Copyright 1963 by Raymond B. Clark, Jr. 3 4 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine page. Unbound records in boxes are identified by the number of the box. From time to time the agency publishes a Bulletin, usually mimeographed and stapled, listing the Index Holdings. The most recent list appeared in Bulletin No. 11, September, 1959. Prior to 1777, probate records were recorded both in the county and by the central Prerogative Court. Thus, where fires have destroyed courthouse records, as in Anne Arundel County in 1704, in St. Mary's County in 1831, and in Calvert County in 1882, probate records are still extant and available for research. An interesting characteristic of probate records in early Maryland is found in the inventories, listing the personal property of the decedent, which were signed by the two persons nearest of kin. It was also customary to have the two largest creditors affix their signatures. As the relatives who signed the inventories were not minor children of the dedident, it is often possible to trace family relationships through these signatures when other genealogical sources are lacking. In addition to the one large file of card indexes to probate materials from 1634 - 1777, there is a smaller but similar index for probate references after 1777, as well as one for testamentary proceedings, referring to actions of the Prerogative Court. There is also a series of seven volumes, entitled "Balance of Final Distribution of Estates" for the period 1751 - 1777. In some of the estates recorded in these volumes, all of the heirs of a decedant are named. In addition to all the wills and probate records for the counties from 1634 - 1789, the Hall of Records has acquired many later records. Through the microfilming project of the Mormon Church which copied wills and other records up to 1840 or 1865, and by means of an appropriation from the State to continue the work where the Mormon project terminated, the Hall of Records now has copies of almost all wills and deeds from the twenty-three counties down to 1850, and well into the twentieth century for many of them. A person undertaking extended Maryland genealogical research would therefore do well to examine these files before beginning his search in the local courthouses. The Hall of Records also has several runs of Maryland marriage records. A catalogue of marriage references, collected by Mrs. Margaret Roberts Hodges, a genealogist, was purchased by the State. When a marriage was inferred in a court record or other type of record, and no evidence of a marriage license was found, Mrs. Hodges entered the reference to the union of the two persons involved. The Hall of Records houses small but important collections of manuscripts and records relating to the Revolutionary War. Two important Genealogical Research in Maryland 5 indexes refer to the citizens listed in the Census of 1776, and to those who took the Oath of Fidelity. The Census of 1776 was made to fulfill a resolution of the Continental Congress to ascertain the population of the colonies. The Census of 1778 was made to discover how many free white males, over eighteen years of age, had failed to take the Oath of Fidelity. There is also a catalogue of references to two groups of Revolutionary War pay-musters. Service in the Colonial Wars of the 1730's and 1740's is found in a separate catalogue. There is also a small file on Maryland soldiers serving in the Army of the Confederacy during the War between the States. The most recent acquisitions of the Hall of Records have been original church records in the forms of registers of births, marriages and deaths. The agency also has a collection of early naturalizations, early laws, papers of the governors of the state, and of all available publications of the various State agencies. The Hall of Records has published over a period of years a series of official publications known as The Calendar of Maryland State Papers: No. 1: The Black Books (1943). No. 2: The Bank Stock Papers (1947). No. 3: The Brown Books (1948). No. 4: The Red Book. Part 1 (1950). Part 2 (1953). Part 3 (1955). No. 5: Executive Miscellanea (1958). This collection of papers, by an act of the General Assembly in 1882, was placed in the custody of the Maryland Historical Society, then the only repository for records of this type. These manuscripts of a somewhat miscellaneous nature, were at one time mounted on pieces of paper and bound in volumes with different colored bindings; hence the names. These have now all been calendared, and the calendars published. Some of the manuscripts in the collection are those of the Census of 1776 and Oath of Fidelity. Many of the names which appear on the militia lists for the period of the Revolution appear nowhere else, not even in Volume 18 of the Archives of Maryland. The Reports of the Archivist of Maryland, published each year, include sections listing in detail the early state and county records which have been found, repaired, microfilmed, or indexed. Other publications of the Maryland Hall of Records Commission, of use in genealogical research, are: Catalogue of Archival Material. No. 2, 1942. 161 p. 6 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Index to the Maryland Line in the Confederate Army, 1861-1865. No. 3, 1945. 74 p. Land Office and Prerogative Court Records of Colonial Maryland, Gust Skordas and Elizabeth Hartsook, No. 4, 1946. 124 p. Buildings of the State of Maryland at Annapolis, Morris L. Radoff. No. 9, 1954. xi, 140 p. Profusely illustrated. The County Courthouses and Records of Maryland. Part One: The Courthouses, Morris L. Radoff. No. 12, 1960, xiv, 174 p. Part Two: The Records, in preparation. THE LAND OFFICE Formerly located in the Hall of Records Building, the Land Office now occupies quarters in the new Maryland Office Building in Annapolis. Created in 1680, the Land Office has served as the custodian of such records as land patents, chancery papers, proprietary rent rolls, surveys and grants, and of some court records. A good description of its holdings is found in the publication No. 4 (1946), of the Hall of Records Commission, cited above. In the earliest days of the Maryland colony, as a means of stimulating colonization, and to compensate leaders of colonizing groups for the cost of transportation to the New World, land was granted by Lord Baltimore in the First Conditions of Plantation. This condition obtained until 1683. After that time, money was required for the purchase of land. As a result, the earlier books in the Land Office, containing the names of persons for whom transportation-land was claimed, provide an important census of the first Maryland immigrants. The Early Settlers List refers to these patent records. All persons for whom patents were issued, or for whom grants were prepared, are to be found in one index at the Land Office. The names of the tracts of land, listed by counties, and with referiinces to the original patents, surveys, or grants, are provided in a companion index. To trace the transfers of land after the date of the recording of the original grant, county deed books in the Hall of Records should be consulted. In the Land Office conveyances also appear in the Provincial Court records, 1637-1776, and in the itcords of the General Court of the Western Shore, 1778-1805. In this connection, the term 'Western Shore" refers to that part of Maryland lying west of Chesapeake Bay. The better known "Eastern Shore" refers to the area of Maryland lying east of Chesapeake Bay, and includes nine of Maryland's twenty-three counties. The proprietary form of government in Maryland required its citizens to pay land rent. A record of these payments is contained in the Genealogical Research in Maryland 7 Rent Rolls. The entries are listed by tract-names in each county. The earliest Rent Rolls were not considered to be government documents, but the private property of the Proprietor. The largest single collection is contained in the Calvert Papers in the Maryland Historical Society, q.v. The Land Office collection of Rent Rolls begins in 1734 and is for both the Eastern and Western Shore counties. A companion series to the Rent Rolls are the Debt Books, arranged by the names of individual debtors. They provide the names of the tracts and the extent of acreage held by each debtor. Those for the Eastern Shore start in 1733; those for the Western Shore begin twenty years later in 1753. Chancery Courts heard suits brought before them. In the Land Office there is an index of both plaintiffs and defendants referred to in the records of this court. Some Chancery Court Records and Provincial Court Records have been published in the Archives of Maryland. THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Founded in 1844, the Society has headquarters at 201 West Monument Street, Baltimore, Maryland. Its main building, erected in 1847, is the three-story, brick town house of the Baltimore philanthropist, Enoch Pratt. It has a library, storage space, and a gallery addition known as the H. Irvine Keyser Memorial. The Society has a noteworthy collection of Maryland genealogies. Many of these are in manuscript form; a few have been published; more of them are typewritten or mimeographed. Some consist of a series of elaborate charts or family trees. In addition to family genealogies, there are collections of genealogical notes and the files of several prominent professional genealogists, as well as the notes and files of a number of highly competent amateurs. Worthy of mention are the names of Sears, Wilson, Turner and Hayward. Recently the William N. Wilkins Foundation presented to the Society, carded and ready for use, the mammoth collection of genealogical notes and references of Mr. Wilkins. A calendar of the items in this gift is available. Louis Dielman was a devoted member of the Society whose hobby was maintaining a file of newspaper clippings consisting chiefly of births, marriages and obituary notices. The value of the Dielman file in genealogical research in Maryland is inestimable. It is maintained today by volunteers who clip Baltimore and representative Maryland newspapers for the purpose of keeping the collection up to date. In 1946 Mrs. Sumner A. Parker of Baltimore established the Parker 8 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine Genealogical Prizes in memory of her late husband. The Society encourages its members, genealogists and others to submit entries in the contests. All such become the property of the Society, thereby enlarging and strengthening its collection of genealogies. Other genealogical societies might well give serious consideration to such a stimulus. The Society has a fine collection of transcripts of church registers of births, marriages, deaths and tombstone inscriptions. These records, all copied from the original sources, are the work of members, genealogists, and in many cases represent the efforts of patriotic and hereditary societies, such as the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of 1812, and the Daughters of Founders and Patriots. The Society also has a good collection of unpublished military rosters. These relate to the colonial wars, the Revolution, the War of 1812, and supplement the published volumes of Maryland military service records. The manuscript collections of the Society include letters, diaries, day books, journals, account books, ledgers and business records. Probably the most outstanding single collection is the Calvert Papers, numbering thousands of items relating to the lives and the work of various members of the Calvert family and their agents. It is particularly strong in rent rolls and other proprietary papers relating to land. The earliest rent roll in existence is that for St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles and Kent counties to 1659. The Calvert Papers would probably have remained in an unusable condition had it not been for a grant in excess of $5000 made by the Daughters of Founders and Patriots. This financial assistance made possible the careful piece by piece restoration of these documents of the Lords Baltimore. The large manuscript collection of Benjamin H. Latrobe (1764 1820) was acquired very recently through gifts of members and friends of the Society. Although born in England, Mr. Latrobe is known as an American architect because of the large number of public and private architectural and engineering commissions he executed in this country. Appointed surveyor of public buildings by Jefferson in 1803, he was in charge of the rebuilding of the Capitol in Washington after its burning by the British in 1814. Papers of the Bordley, Carroll, Hollyday, Lloyd, Wirt and Howard families are only a few of the other collections deposited at the Society. The Society is not staffed to undertake genealogical research, either for correspondents or in response to telephone inquiries. It will furnish the names of several professional genealogists when so requested. Photostating and microfilming services are not available. Genealogical Research in Maryland In 1882 the Society was authorized to publish the Archives of Maryland. This series is similar to the publications of other states, such as the Pennsylvania Archives, and the North Carolina Colonial and State Records. Included in the series are official proceedings of the Assembly and Council (the two bodies of the colonial Maryland legislature), correspondence of some of the colonial governors, records of the Committee of Safety and of the provincial courts. Volume 18 of the series is particularly valuable to genealogists as it contains the "Roster of Troops Serving in the Revolutionary War for Maryland." The Maryland Historical Magazine, published by the Society, has been issued quarterly since 1906. The early issues contain many useful articles on chancery depositions, various county land records, and several genealogical lineage articles. The present policy of the Society, however, now excludes papers which might be classified as of a strictly genealogical nature. In recent years feature articles on old houses have been run; in these, genealogical data has been used to trace the families which occupied these houses. Volumes 17, 18 and 42 contain marriage and death notices extracted from the Maryland Gazette (printed at Annapolis). These run from 1727 to 1734 and from 1744 to 1821. Maryland History Notes, also published by the Society, is issued chiefly as a means of notifying members of the Society of new items procured, notices of meetings, and provides information about other historical organizations. The Wheeler Leaflets on Maryland History are written and illustrated especially for school use. Studies in Maryland History are a new series also published by the Society. Formerly the Society published a Fund Publication series. In some of these much historical and genealogical data may be found. THE PEABODY INSTITUTE LIBRARY, BALTIMORE Founded in the late 1860's by George Peabody, famous London and Baltimore merchant-philanthropist, the Library is housed in a building which is an early example of cast-iron construction. Its collection of 300,000 American and foreign books in many fields is especially rich in history, genealogy and heraldry. The section on English county histories and parish registers is particularly noteworthy. THE MARYLAND Room, ENOCH PRATT FREE LIBRARY, BALTIMORE The collection in this room is well known for local history and genealogical research. It is under the able supervision of Miss Elizabeth Litsinger who has a staff of competent assistants. Included in the source material found here are books, pamphlets and monographs on Maryland 10 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine and Baltimore history; Baltimore and other Maryland newspapers; a collection of magazines devoted wholly or in part to phases of Maryland history; a fine collection of maps, as well as a group of etchings, prints and photographs of Maryland landscapes. The Room has a good biographical index and excellent up-to-date catalogues. One of the most useful aids is the Vertical File. This includes thousands of items clipped from newspapers, from reports, pamphlets and other sources related to Maryland history, people, subjects or topics. While the Maryland Historical Society and the Peabody Institute Library are both stronger in manuscript and genealogical material, the Maryland Room is a fine local history collection and may profitably be used after consulting the resources of the other two institutions. DIVISION OF VITAL RECORDS AND STATISTICS Birth and death records were not kept in Maryland until 1898, and are even fragmentary until 1912. Marriage records begin 1 June 1951. Prior to that date, they may be obtained from the clerk of the Circuit Court in the county of marriage. Baltimore City has maintained vital records since 1875. Inquiries for births deaths after 1898 should be directed to the Division of Vital Records and Statistics, State Department of Health, Baltimore, Maryland. MARYLAND STATE LIBRARY, ANNAPOLIS This library actually includes two collections. One is the law library for the use of the General Assembly of Maryland (the legislative branch of the state government), for the Governor, state officers, offices and various commissions. The other collection is a general reference library, exceptionally strong in Maryland history, the volumes of which do not circulate. Annual appropriations permitting the acquisition of new books relating to Maryland are well spent. EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND COLLECTIONS The George Avery Bunting Library at Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland, has a good collection of Maryland material, greatly aided by the addition of a famous collection of Marylandia. The 'Wicomico County Free Library, Salisbury Maryland, has a special alcove for its good Maryland history collection. The Talbot County Free Library, Easton, Maryland, was the first county library on the Eastern Shore. It was founded in 1924 through the dedicated work of Caroline B. Walker. Its outstanding collections are the Robert Bartlett Dixon II Memorial Collectioi , and the uxuque Genealogical Research in Maryland 11 grouping of Marylandia of J. Gilman D'Arcy Paul, purchased for the library by Mrs. David Gillespie and Mr. and Mrs. James Dixon. In the Maryland Room are to be found imprints, books, pamphlets, broadsides and early Americana relating to Maryland; writings of the Lords Baltimore; a complete set of the publications of the Maryland Historical Society; some pictures, letters and manuscripts. The Queen Anne's County Free Library, Centreville, Maryland, now reorganized, has a good-sized Maryland history collection augmented by gifts from several persons. WESTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND COLLECTIONS Public libraries worthy of mention for their Maryland and local history materials include: at Annapolis, The Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Library; at Frederick, the C. Burr Artz Library; at Hagerstown, the Washington County Free Library; at Leonardtown, the St. Mary's County Memorial Library, housed in Tudor Hall, built in 1756 and beautifully restored by the last private owner who presented it to the St. Mary's County Library AsKiciation; at Hyattsville, the Prince George's County Memorial Library; at Rockville, the Montgomery County Public Library, aided by the facilities of the County Historical Society. UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE LIBRARIES Those in Maryland have, in some instances, small collections of Maryland history books, local history collections and vertical files. Their chief value to genealogists may be in their rosters of alumni. COLLECTIONS OUTSIDE OF MARYLAND The Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., has a large collection of genealogies, both domestic and foreign, and local history works. The National Archives and Records Service, also at Washington has original census schedules from 1790. That for 1790 was published as Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Maryland (Washington, 1907) and has been reprinted by the Southern Book Company, Baltimore. Later schedules to 1880 may be purchased as photostats or microfilm. Revolutionary War records, pension records and lists relating to Maryland are to be found here also. In 1938 Harry Wright Newman, author of several good Maryland genealogies, published Maryland Revolutionary Records: 3,050 Pensions Claims el Bounty Land Warrants, based on these records. This work is divided into several parts. Part 1: "Maryland Revolutionary Pensioners," which is a list only, the actual pension not being abstracted; Part 2: "Maryland Federal Bounty Land Grants;" Part 3: "List of Maryland Soldiers," non- 12 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine pensioners proved through their pension claims; Part 4: "Marriages Proved from Maryland Revolutionary Pensions;" Part 5: "List of NonMaryland Revolutionary War Soldiers Established from Pensions." The library of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is well known for its large collection of published works, and its volumes of transcripts of church registers and gravestone inscriptions collected by local chapters. The National Genealogical Society, with headquarters in Washington, has among its manuscript collections two that relate to Maryland: the Brumbaugh and the Culver collections. Needless to say, the historical societies of Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania all have Maryland material in both published form and in manuscript collections. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ADDITIONAL PUBLISHED MATERIAL Ass bulex to Source Records of Maryland (Baltimore, Md., 1940), comp. Eleanor Philips Passano. An indispensable aid in conducting any degree of genealogical research; probably the first work which should be consulted in any project which involves the tracing of families. Based on an exhaustive survey of the collections of the Maryland Historical Society, the DAR Library, Library of Congress, Johns Hopkins University Library, Diocesan Library of the Maryland Diocese of the Episcopal Church, now consolidated with the Peabody Library in Baltimore. Entries are coupled with abbreviations which facilitate the location of the sources. Includes approximately 20,000 names found in both printed and manuscript materials. Alphabetical index of surnames runs to 362 pages. Bibliography of 115 pages divided into topics such as State-Records-General, with sub-headings including: account books, calendars, reports, courts, deeds, journals, diaries, marnages; State-County Records; bibliography, biography, genealogy (referring to collections), newspapers and magazines; church records, listed by denomination and arranged by counties; tombstone ins.:riptions, war records. Symbols are used to indicate whether an item is a biography, a genealogy, or a history. A supplement bringing it up to date, is much needed. The Maryland Calendar of Wills (1904-1929), comp., vols. 1-3 and 8, Jane Baldwin Cotton; vols. 4-7, Roberta Boiling Henry. 8 vols cover the period 1653-1743. Abstracted wills show name of decedant, occupation if given, place of residence, names of all persons mentioned, executors, page and volume of original will volume in the Hall of Records. Covers 23 original will books. Index of Maryland Colonial Wills, 1634-1777 (Annapolis, Md., 1933), comp. James M. Magruder. Mimeographed, 3 vols. Lists testators, year of probate, county, fiber and folio of original entry. Maryland's Colonial Abstracts (Annapolis, Md., 1934), comp. James M. Magruder. Mimeographed, 5 vols. Includes abstracts of records other than wills: inventories and accounts. Has testator and general index. Maryland Records, Colonial, Revolutionary, County and Church (Baltimore, Md., 1915, 1925), Gains M. Brumbaugh. 2 vols. Volume I contains part of the 1776 Census record, marriage licenses, tombstone Inscriptions, poll-tax records. Volume II includes the remainder of the 1776 Census, some "State of His Lordship's Manor" or land tax records, some oaths of fidelity, some early naturalization records, marriage licenses, and some RevolutiooarY War pension records. Genealogical Research in Maryland 13 Maryland Revolutionary Records, Past I (Washington, D. C., 1925), Gaius M. Brumbaugh. 37 p. Records for Calvert, Montgomery, Prince George's and Washington Counties. Maryland Early Settlers, 14 vols.; Maryland Inventories and Accounts, 5 vols.; Maryland Marriage Records, 39 vols.; Maryland Will Books Nos. 24-38, 15 vols., comp. Annie Walker Bell Burns. Mimeographed. Abstracts or copies of source material. List of Early Maryland Settlers (1634-1682) (Baltimore, Md., 1923), comp. John M. Brewer. Similar to the work of Mrs. Burns, noted above. Both copied the first two deed books in the Land Office. Historic Graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia (New York, 1908), comp. Helen W. Ridgley. Not a complete listing of all Maryland tombstone inscriptions. This work, and A Calendar of Memorial Inscriptions Collected in the State of Maryland, are the only published works on Maryland grave inscriptions. Seignory in Early Maryland (Washington, D. C., 8949), Harry Wright Newman. Published by the Descendants of the Lords of the Maryland Manors, it contains a short description of the manorial system in Maryland, with lists of the manors and manor lords. Register of Maryland's Heraldic Families (Baltimfme, Md., 1935), Alice N. Parran. 2 vols. Lists important Maryland families and their lineages; includes sketch of the formation of the counties, a list of manors in each county, the Calvert family, and an alphabetical listing, A-W. Index in Volume II, with addenda. Lacks documentation. The Maryland Historical and Genealogical Bulletin, published from 1930 to 1949 by Frank F. Hayes, Jr., Baltimore. Included Bible records, copies of wills, marriage licenses and militia lists. Bulletin of the Maryland Original Research Society of Baltimore, published from 1906 to 1913. Included some articles of genealogical interest, as: "Memorial Tablets," an alphabetital listing of cemetery inscriptions in various graveyards; some Revolutionary War militia lists; some signers of the oath of fidelity, and some marriage records or licenses. Bulletin of the Maryland Genealogical Society. Formed in Baltimore in 1959, the Society is small, but grotimg rapidly. Monthly meetings. Members and others are encouraged to submit cards for the "Maryland Pioneer Index," being compiled so that the Society may exchange necessary data for researchers as required. Cards, three by five inches, one to a family, should list names of the members of the family, identifying dates, and places of residence, and be sent to Mrs. C. S. Meyer III, 2121 Holland Rd., Severna Park, Md. The Maryland and Delaware Genealogist. Published quarterly since September 1959, by Raymond B. Clark, Jr., and Sara Seth Clark. The only current genealogical magazine being published, editorial policy is to publish material from the four geographic areas of the state: Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, Baltimore and vicinity, Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware; to publish hitherto unpublished material; to publish records of counties or regions where records are scarce, have been lost or destroyed. Includes book reviews and notes, a query section, articles based upon worthwhile collections of material, a map on the inside cover showing county boundaries, and some heraldry items. Address: P.O. Box 9394, Mid-City Station, Washington 5, D. C. HISTORICAL SOCIETY OP PENNSYLVANIA (Not included in above listing) Baltimore Directories, 1804, 1824, 1829, 1831-32, 1833, 1835-36, etc. Zion in Baltimore, 1855-1955 (Baltimore, 1958), Klaus G. Wust. Earliest German Lutheran church in Baltimore; Includes signers of the first constitution, 1769, signers of the second constitution, 1773, building fund contributors. 1806- 14 The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine History of Calvert County (Baltimore, 1960), Charles Francis Stein. Includes tax assessments, 1782, for the hundreds of Lyons Creek, Lower Marlboro, St. Leonard's Creek, Upper and Lower Hundred of the Cliffs, Elton Read, Hunting Creek; similar lists for 1732-33; genealogical notices arranged alphabetically, etc. Cecil County, Md., Marriage Licenses, 1777-1840. Cecil County Signers of the Oath of Allegiance, March 2, 1778 (Elkton, Md., 1940), comp. Mollie Howard Ash. Marriage Licenses, Caroline County, 1774-1815 (Phila., 1904), Henry Downes Cranor. Published in The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (PMHB), XXVIII (1904), 209-215, 320-345, 428-455. Dorchester County, Md., Marriage License Record, 1780-185f, comp. Katherine H. Palmer. Abstracts of Land Records of Dorchester County (Cambridge, 1960), comp. James A. McAllister, Jr. 4 vols.; covers period 1669-1716. "Register of St. Michael's Parish, Talbot County, Maryland, 1672-1704," PMHB, XXIX (1905), 427-438. See also PMHB, XXV (1901), 583-585, "Maryland Militia Officers, 1776-1783;" ibid., XXI (1897), 503-504, "Roll of Captain James Hindman's Company of Maryland Independent Regular Troops, September, 1776;" ibid., XVIII (1894), 68-69, "Partial Roster of [Maryland] Officers under Washington, July, 1778." SELECTIONS FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA Ann Arundel County: Early West River Quals.r Records, 1658-1695. Published also in Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, (PGSP), III, 197-205. General Index of Wills, 1777-1917, comp. Margaret Roberts Hodges. Dorchester County: Abstracts of Wills; Great Choptank Parish, Baptisms, 17901796; Marriage License Bonds; Miscellaneous Records, comp. Rev. C. H. B. Turner. Dorchester Parish, Baptisms, 1796-1839; Marriage Licenses, 1790-1802. (See also PGSP, VIII, 252-260; ibid., IX, 85-87, 130-140.) Frederick County: Records of All Saints' Parish: Births, Marriages, Burials, 17271781. (See also PGSP, VII, 245-250.) Harford County: Marriage Licenses Issued 1779-1838. (See also PGSP, VIII, 151 163.) Kent County: N. Sassafras Parish, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, 1688-1822. Somerset County: Abstracts Coventry Parish Records. Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, 1709-1809, comp. Rev. C. H. B. Turner. St. Mary's County: Sacramental Registers of Rev. Joseph Mosley, S.J., and Rev. John Bolton, S.J., 1763-1802. Includes Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware. Talbot County: Third Haven Monthly Meeting Records, 1676-1755: Marriages, Births, 1665-1750; Deaths, 1675-1750. Washington County: Will Book Index, 1777-1850, comp. Dr. Mary Laughlin and Miss Mary Gish, Hagerstown. See also PGSP, VII, 192-194, "List of Decedents in Unindexed Bond Book in Office of the Register of Wills, Snow Hill, Worcester County, Maryland, 1667-1742." Genealogiss l Notes, Josiah Grauville Leach Collection, 3 vols.