View source for Maryland History

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=== Brief History  ===

The following important events in the history of [[Maryland, United States Genealogy|Maryland]] affected political jurisdictions, record keeping, and family movements. 

'''1632''' The King of England granted a charter for a colony where British Roman Catholics could settle in North America between [[Virginia, United States Genealogy|Virginia]] and what would become [[Pennsylvania, United States Genealogy|Pennsylvania]]. The charter was granted to Cecilius Calvert, (Lord Baltimore). <ref>James McSherry, ''History of Maryland from Its First Settlement in 1634 to the Year 1848'' (Baltimore: John Murphy, 1849), 22-25. Digitized in 2006 by [http://books.google.com/books?id=K7AcFOAF_9cC Google Book].</ref> 

'''1632-1691''', and '''1715-1776''' Maryland was a [[P genealogical glossary terms|proprietary]] colony. The Calvert family proprietors (and Governor's Council) issued land grants to entice settlers to the colony before 1680. Starting in 1680 they changed to a [[United States. United-States - Land and Property- Land Terms & Definitions|headrights]] system. <ref>John Leeds Bozman, ''History of Maryland from Its First Settlement in 1633 to the Restoration in 1660'' (Baltimore: James Lucas and E.K. Deaver, 1837) {{FHL|187462|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2bj, 2: 9-22}}. Digitized in 2007 by [http://books.google.com/books?id=VMULAAAAYAAJ Google Book]. </ref>For more details see the [[Maryland Land and Property|Maryland Land and Property]] page. 

'''1634:''' The ships ''Ark'' and ''Dove'' brought about 200 Catholic and a few Protestant [[England|English settlers]] to the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where [[St. Mary's County, Maryland Genealogy|St. Mary's County]] was established. <ref>McSherry, 25-33.</ref> 

'''1634-:''' Virginia leaders refused to recognize the Maryland charter and continued to sell-off Maryland land on the {{wpd|Delmarva_Peninsula|Delmarva Peninsula}}. This resulted in decades of border conflicts and uncertain land and tax claims, and attempts by Virginians to incite Indians against Maryland.<ref>Reginald V. Truitt, and Millard G. Les Callette, ''{{WorldCat|3016672}} Worcester County Maryland’s Arcadia]'' (Snow Hill, Md.: Worcester County Historical Society, 1977), 23-24, 33. ▲ {{FHL|258278|item|disp=FHL Book 975.221 H2t; fiche 6087644}}.</ref> <ref>Bozman, 2:33-35.</ref> 

'''1649''' Maryland passed the {{wpd|Maryland_Toleration_Act|Religious Toleration Act}} to protect Catholics and immigrating Puritans from each other and create an environment to attract more immigrants. <ref>{{MDTol}}</ref> Eight years of religious wars followed anyway. 

Maryland was also one of the key destinations of tens of thousands of {{wpd|Penal_transportation| transported British convicts}}. <ref>{{MDHist}} </ref>Prior to 1776 three-fourths of immigrants were convicts, slaves, {{wpd|Indentured_servants|indentured servants}}, or became indentured servants to pay for their passage to America. For information about convicts and indentured servants see the works of Peter Wilson Coldham indexed in [http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/default.aspx?rt=40 Ancestry.com], a subscription web site. 
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'''1682''' Pennsylvania began to assert ownership of what became [[Delaware, United States Genealogy|Delaware]] and northern parts of Maryland. The Maryland citizens resisted including the murder of a pushy Pennsylvania tax collector. These border conflicts would not be fully resolved until the drawing of the Mason-Dixon line between 1763 and 1767. <ref>Richard Wilson, and Jack Bridner, ''{{WorldCat|8530259}} Maryland: Its Past and Present'' (Lanham, Md.: Maryland Historical Press, 1981) ▲ {{FHL|549692|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2wi}}, 83-84.</ref> 

'''1691-1715''' Maryland became a {{wpd|Crown colony}}. <ref>Richard Walsh, and William Lloyd Fox, ''{{wpd|1217352}} Maryland: A History 1632-1974]'' (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1974) ▲ {{FHL|231377|item|disp=FHL book H2wr, 24-28}}.</ref> 

'''1706:''' Baltimore port was founded. It soon became a major port and commercial center. <ref>{{MDBalti}}</ref> 

'''1740s''' Germans from Pennsylvania started moving into central Maryland's [[Frederick County, Maryland Genealogy|Frederick County]] until it was the second most populous county. <ref>Wilson and Brinder, 81-82.</ref> 

'''1763-1767:''' The Maryland-Pennsylvania boundary was established by the surveying of the {{wpd|Mason_Dixon_line}}. <ref>{{MDMason}}</ref> 

'''1776:''' Maryland adopted a Declaration of Rights and a state constitution. 

'''1788''' (April 28) Maryland officially became a state in the Union by ratifying the Constitution. 

'''1791:''' Maryland ceded sixty square miles for the [[District of Columbia Genealogy|District of Columbia]]. 

'''1802:''' The property qualification for voting in local elections was removed. 

As tobacco and later cotton farming grew in the South (including Maryland) so did the [[African American Slavery and Bondage|African slave trade]]. After '''1808''', when importation of slaves was banned, the {{wpd|Slavery_in_the_United_States#Second_Middle_Passage|Slavery in the United States (Second Middle Passage)}} internal slave trade resulted in many slaves from Maryland being moved to more western states like [[Tennessee, United States Genealogy|Tennessee]] and [[Kentucky, United States Genealogy|Kentucky]]. <ref>{{MDSlave}}</ref> At the start of the Civil War the slave trade was the second largest money making enterprise in Maryland. 

'''1812-1815:''' The [[War of 1812, 1812 to 1815|War of 1812]] involved many Maryland residents, and some battles were fought in Maryland. 

'''1818:''' The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Road; National Road] section was completed from Cumberland, Maryland to Wheeling, [[West Virginia Genealogy|(West) Virginia]] on the Ohio River. <ref>Wilson and Bridner, 113-16.</ref> 

'''1818-1850:''' {{wpd|Chesapeake and Ohio Canal}} was built along the Potomac River from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland mainly by Irish workers. <ref>Wilson and Bridner, 117-19.</ref> 

'''1834-1853:''' {{wpd|Baltimore and Ohio Railroad}}, the oldest common carrier railroad in America, in 1834 reached Harper's Ferry, (West) Virginia. In 1853 it was extended to Wheeling (West) Virginia on the Ohio River. <ref>Wilson and Bridner, 120-22.</ref> 

'''1850s:''' Miners from [[Scotland Genealogy|Scotland]], [[Ireland Genealogy|Ireland]], [[Germany Genealogy|Germany]], and [[Wales Genealogy|Wales]] immigrated to work western Maryland's coal deposits. The Nativist "{{wpd|Know Nothing Party}} was formed to resist this wave of immigration. <ref>Wilson and Bridner, 126-27.</ref> 

'''1850s:''' Former slaves like Harriet Tubman and Fredrick Douglas escaped from and through Maryland across the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania or Delaware. Quakers and others who lived in these states helped runaways on the "[http://ww2.mdslavery.net/ Underground Railroad]," a series of safe-houses leading farther north into Canada. The Underground Railroad helped runaways avoid being re-enslaved as a result of {{wpd|Fugitive slave act}}. <ref>Wilson and Brinder, 136-42.</ref> [[Image:{{Antietam}}]] 

By the start of the Civil War 49 percent of [[African American Research|African Americans]] in Maryland were already free. <ref>Wilson and Brinder, 142.</ref> 

'''1851:''' [[Baltimore (Independent City), Maryland Genealogy|Baltimore City]] became an independent city and started keeping court, land, and probate records separately from the county. 

'''1861-1865''' Maryland soldiers fought on both sides during the [[United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865|Civil War]], but the state of Maryland stayed in the Union. 

'''1864:''' Remaining slaves in Maryland were emancipated. 

'''1865-1875:''' [[African American Research|African Americans]], often former slaves from the South, flooded into the [[District of Columbia Genealogy|District of Columbia]] and Baltimore looking for work at the end of the Civil War. 

'''1904:''' {{wpd|Great Baltimore Fire}} left 35,000 without jobs. <ref>{{BaltFire}}</ref>

=== State Histories Useful to Genealogists  ===

Good genealogists strive to understand the life and times of their ancestors. In this sense, any history is useful.<br> 

But certain kinds of state, county, and local histories, especially older histories published between 1845 and 1945, often include biographical sketches of prominent individuals. The sketches usually tend toward the lauditory, but may include some genealogical details. If these histories are indexed or alphabetical, check for an ancestor's name. Some examples for the State of Maryland are: 

*Ethan Allen, ''History of Maryland: to Which Are Added Brief Biographies of Distinguished Statesmen, Philanthropists, Theologians, etc.'' (1866; Reprint Fort Wayne, Ind.: Allen County Public Library, 1988?) {{FHL|497808|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2aL; Fiche 6125065}}. [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZlwVAAAAYAAJ Google Book]. Includes 18 biographical sketches of prominent citizens. 
*Matthew Page Andrews, and Henry Fletcher Powell, {{WorldCat|1655587}} ''Tercentenary History of Maryland''], 4 vols. (Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub., 1925). ▲ {{FHL|232274|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2t}}. Volumes 2-4 contain biographical sketches. 
*Ronald Hoffman, and Sally D. Mason, {{WorldCat|42649800}} ''Princes of Ireland, Planters of Maryland: a Carroll Saga, 1500-1782''] (Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, c2000). {{FHL|1055704|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2hr}}. 11 pages of a Carroll family descendancy chart. 
*Francis Sims McGrath, {{WorldCat|1725334}} ''Pillars of Maryland'' (Richmond, Va: Dietz Press, c1950; Reprint, 198-). {{FHL|488742|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2mcg}}. Almost entirely biographical sketches. 
*Harry Wright Newman, {{WorldCat|10552122}} ''The Flowering of the Maryland Palatinate: an Intimate and Objective History of the Province of Maryland to the Overthrow of Proprietary Rule in 1654, with Accounts of Lord Baltimore's Settlement at Avalon''] (Washington, D.C.: H.W. Newman, 1961). {{FHL|231258|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2nh}}. About half the book is biographical sketches. 
*Hester Dorsey Richardson, ''Side-lights on Maryland History: with Sketches of Early Maryland Families'', 2 vols. (First published serially in the ''Baltimore Sunday Sun'' from May 17, 1903 to December 25, 1904; Reprint Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1913; Reprint 1967). {{FHL|231274|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2r 1967}}; {{FHL|237813|item|disp=FHL Film 1697311}}, which is digitized by BYU Family History Archives. Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.  Family History Library [https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/532007-redirection Vol 1] and [https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/530664-redirection Vol 2]. Unusually detailed history including lists of settlers and document transcripts mentioning citizens. 
*J. Thomas Scharf, {{WorldCat|444161}} ''History of Western Maryland: Being a History of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties from the Earliest Period to the Present Day; Including Biographical Sketches of Their Representative Men''], 2 vols. (1882; Reprint Baltimore: Regional Pub., 1968). {{FHL|231288|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2s 1968; Fiche 6046813}}. Several indexes have been published. 
*Raphael Thomas Semmes, {{WorldCat|2351809}} ''Captains and Mariners of Early Maryland''] (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1937). {{FHL|258230|item|disp=FHL Book 975.2 H2sr; Fiche 6049133}}.

'''Draper Manuscript Collection.''' Look for ancestors from Maryland 1740-1830 in the '''[[Draper Manuscript Collection]]'''. These manuscripts cover the history of the "trans-Allegheny West," a region including the west Carolinas and Virginia, all the Ohio River Valley, and part of the upper Mississippi Valley. There are 491 volumes of partially-indexed manuscripts, papers, and books. 

To find more books and articles about Maryland history use the Internet [http://www.google.com/ Google] search for phases like "Maryland history." 

The [https://familysearch.org/catalog-search Place Search] of the FamilySearch Catalog lists many more histories under topics like: <br> 

:{{FHL|687781|subject-id|disp=MARYLAND - HISTORY}}

:MARYLAND, [COUNTY] - HISTORY

:MARYLAND, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - HISTORY

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=== Sources  ===

{{reflist}} {{Maryland|Maryland}}  


[[Category:Maryland, United States|History]][[Category:United States History]]