“Research in Maryland” is a newly updated guide for those looking to trace their family roots in Maryland and its once part of territories including Delaware, the District of Columbia, parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and up to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. This book provides a comprehensive history of Maryland, from when it was home to Native American tribes such as the Algonquins, Iroquois, and Siouans, to its colonial era that started in 1634 after it was granted to the 2nd Baron Baltimore by King Charles I.
This guide is co-authored by Rebecca Whitman Koford and Debra A. Hoffman. It carefully demystifies the land grant system in Maryland during and post the colonial era as well as changes in its court system and jurisdictions over time. A special focus has been made on key records analyses. This is because unlike the state and local governments, which started maintaining birth and death records only in the late 19th century, religious records may hold valuable insights. They discuss where to find church records of various sects, including Anglican / Episcopalian, Baptist, Lutheran and Reformed, Methodist, Roman Catholic, and Quaker.
While shedding light on different derivative resources, “Research in Maryland” also covers source materials for numerous ethnic groups. This includes African American, African, German, Irish, Jewish, and Native Americans. The guide further familiarizes the reader with the Maryland State Archives (MSA) and their initiative, Archives of Maryland Online, hosting over 471,000 important historical documents. It provides insightful overviews of additional state repositories, records of cemeteries, census, military, tax, and voters, as well as the various historical records concerning women.
This guidebook, published by NGS, is part of the Research in the States series, edited by Barbara Vines Little. To further explore its contents or to make a purchase, visit: https://www.familyrootspublishing.com/store/product_view.php?id=3846.