Maryland, Church Records, 1660-1996

What is in This Collection?

The collection consists of an index to selected marriage records throughout Maryland for the years 1668 to 1995.

Beginning in 1640, the Maryland General Assembly required the clergy to post marriage banns and keep registers of marriages. Marriage Banns alerted the community to the upcoming marriage through weekly announcements at the local church leading up to the marriage date. The marriage register recorded that the marriage event happened.

The Maryland General Assembly transferred the responsibility for recording marriages starting in 1695 to the Protestant Episcopal Church and their parishes. Therefore, during the colonial period, parish registers became the only place marriages were recorded. By 1777, the Clerk of the County Court was required by the Maryland General Assembly to supply marriage licenses. Marriage licenses were not always obtained by all those getting married.

Those excused from obtaining licenses included:

• Quakers, due to religious practices
• African-Americans, until 1777
• Couples who's marriage banns were published for three Sunday's in the bride's resident county

A license created does not mean the marriage took place. Starting in 1865, the county court was required to record all vital events including marriages and send a copy to the Secretary of the Senate. The individual performing the marriage brought a copy of the marriage license back to the court to have the actual date of marriage recorded in the marriage register books. The creation of marriage records allowed the local clergy to record the religious sacraments utilized by their congregation. Later, the records were obtained by the Secretary of the State to keep track of the population and demographics in the state. These records are generally reliable but may be subject to error.

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

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Maryland, Church Records Digital Folder Number List.