Maryland, Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999

What is in This Collection?

This collection is comprised of digital images from court records at the Register of Wills in Maryland. The collection includes records from 1629 to 1999. The records are arranged by county and then by date. The included dates and exact offices vary by county. Many of the volumes have an index at the back of the volume. Additional details will be added as they become available.

Each county began keeping probate records from the time the county was created. Orphan’s Court was the name of the probate court at the county level. Probate records were generally recorded in the county where the person lived. Estates were probated for approximately 25 percent of the heads of households in the United States before 1900, whether or not the individual left a will. Wills were more likely to have been found in rural communities than in larger cities and industrial areas.

Probate records were used to legally dispose of a person’s estate after his or her death. If the deceased had made a will, the probate process transferred the following from the deceased to an executor or executrix: the legal responsibility for payment of taxes, care and custody of dependent family members, liquidation of debts, and transfer of property title to heirs. If there was no will, the transfer went to an administrator or administratrix. A guardian or conservator was appointed if the deceased had heirs younger than 21 or if the heirs were incompetent due to disability or disease.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

To Browse This Collection

What Can These Records Tell Me?

Probate records include petitions, inventories, wills, guardianships, accounts, decrees, and other court documents. Information found in this collection may include:

• Name of the testator or deceased
• Names of heirs, such as a spouse, children, relatives, and friends
• Name of the executor, administrator, or guardian
• Names of witnesses
• Residence of the testator
• Dates the documents were written and recorded

Collection Content

Sample Images

• Maryland Probate Documents Examples
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  1929 Probate record #1

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  1929 Probate record #2

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  1926 Probate record #3

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  1934 Will record

Coverage Table

The coverage table shows the places and time periods covered in the records for this collection. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.