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Somerset County, Maryland Genealogy

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Guide to Somerset County, Maryland ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Princess Anne
Organized: August 22, 1666
Parent County(s): Colonial lands[1]
Variant Spellings: Somersett[2]
Neighboring Counties
Dorchester • St. Mary's • Wicomico • Worcester • Accomack (VA)
See County Maps
Courthouse
Somerset County Maryland Courthouse.jpg
Location Map
Map of Maryland highlighting Somerset County.png

County Information

Description

Somerset County was created 22 Aug 1666[3] and was named for Mary, Lady Somerset, the wife of Sir John Somerset and daughter of Thomas Arundell, 1st Baron Arundell of Wardour. Its county seat is Princess Anne. It is located in the southeastern area of the state.[4]

County Courthouse

Somerset County Courthouse
30512 Prince William Street
Princess Anne, MD 21853
Phone: 410-221-7651
Somerset County Website

Clerk of the Circuit Court has marriage, divorce, court and land records from 1666.
Register of Wills has probate records.[5]

Somerset County, Maryland Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[6]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1865***[7] 1666 1898 1666 1666 1664 1790
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1898. General compliance by the 1910s.

***Some early birth, marriage and death records exist from 1649-1720, MSA CM956

Record Loss

In 1831 the courthouse burned, but the records were saved.

  • Lost censuses: 1790, 1830, 1890

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[9]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places


History Timeline

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Somerset County, Maryland online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Maryland Cemeteries for more information

Census Records

For tips on accessing Somerset County, Maryland Genealogy census records online, see: Maryland Census.

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 15,310 —
1800 17,358 13.4%
1810 17,195 −0.9%
1820 19,579 13.9%
1830 20,166 3.0%
1840 19,508 −3.3%
1850 22,456 15.1%
1860 24,992 11.3%
1870 18,190 −27.2%
1880 21,668 19.1%
1890 24,155 11.5%
1900 25,923 7.3%
1910 26,455 2.1%
1920 24,602 −7.0%
1930 23,382 −5.0%
1940 20,965 −10.3%
1950 20,745 −1.0%
1960 19,623 −5.4%
1970 18,924 −3.6%
1980 19,188 1.4%
1990 23,440 22.2%
2000 24,747 5.6%
2010 26,470 7.0%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".
  • 1800 Somerset County Census Images
  • 1850 Somerset County Census Transcriptions

Federal Census reports available 1800-1930 including slave and veterans schedules. Exception-1830 Federal Census is missing.

Church Records

  • 1668-1995 Maryland, Church Records, 1668-1995 at FamilySearch — index- How to Use this Collection
  • The Maryland State Archives Guide to Maryland Religious Records is not intended to be a complete listing of all Religious institutions in Maryland. It was originally based upon the churches recorded by the Federal Works Progress Administration during a records survey conducted from 1935 to 1941. It has been expanded by later acquisitions from religious organizations to the Maryland State Archives. Search for church records at the Archives by denomination, by county or by title. The following records, taken from its collection, have been digitized and made available to view for free online:
    • Methodist, includes membership, minutes, and other registers for various congregations from 1800s-1900s
    • Methodist, Smith Island Charge, includes membership and church records for various congregations from 1800s-1900s
    • Methodist Episcopal, includes registers, minutes, and records for various congregations from 1800s-1900s
    • Methodist Protestant, covers various congregations from 1820s-1960s
    • Presbyterian, Manokin Church, Princess Anne, Md., includes church history, register, session records, committee proceedings, treasurer's accounts, and Woman's Society Minutes from 1737-1964
    • Protestant Episcopal (Church of England), St. Mark's Church, Coventry Parish, Kingston, Md., includes parish registers 1745-1911 (some gaps) and vestry minutes 1772-1915)


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

The New Early Settlers of Maryland at Maryland State Archives. Search for immigrants who had arrived in the colony by the 1680s. Contains "entries from Gust Skordas' Early Settlers of Maryland and Carson Gibb's Supplement to the Early Settlers of Maryland."

Other Somerset County immigration resources include:

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

  • Barnes, Robert W., F. Edward Wright, Vernon L. Skinner and Henry C. Peden. Colonial Families of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 23 vols. Westminster, Md.: Family Line, 1996-2003; Lewes, Del.: Delmarva Roots and Colonial Roots, 2007. FS Library US/CAN Book 975.21 D2b v. 1 ff. [Somerset County families appear in Vols. 7-10, 12, 15, 17-18, 20, and 22.]
  • Bell - Bell, John B. "Four Early Thomas Bells on the Eastern Shore of Virginia," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1985):278-288; Vol. 30, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1986):3-16. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number. FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 29 (1985)-v. 30 (1986).
  • Chancellor - Wroe, William Clarke. The Wroe and Chancellor Families, with Special Attention to the Descendants of Chancellor Wroe (1782-1818) and His Wife, Elizabeth Monroe Chancellor (1793-1872). Edgewater, Md.: W.C. Wroe, 1992. Digital version at Family History Archives; FS Library Films 1697721 Item 1, 1698019 Item 11.
  • Covington - Covington, Elbert E. Covington and Kin. DeSoto, Illinois: E.E. Covington, 1973?. Available at FS Library; digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Delaymos - Russell, George Ely. "Portuguese and Spanish Colonists in Seventeenth-Century Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 76, No. 1 (January 2001):50-60.
  • Elzey - Boddie, Mrs. John Boddie. Historical Southern Families. Volume XIV. Baltimore, 1970. FS Library Book 975 D2b v. 14.
  • Gadd - Russell, George Ely. "John Lumbroso Jr. (1666-1744) of Pasquotank County, North Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jan. 1983):32. FS Catalog 973 D25aga v. 59
  • Gibbons - Dryden, Ruth T. The Gibbons Family of Somerset County, Maryland. San Diego, California: R.T. Dryden, 1991. Available at FS Library.
  • Gordy - See Melson.
  • Hayman - Gordon, Evelyn Hayman and Gilbert Gordon. The James Alderman Hayman Family and Their Ancestral Florida Pioneers. Tampa, Fla.: privately published, 1986. FS Library Book 929.273 H332g.
  • Hayman - Brayton, John Anderson. "The Hayman Family of Somerset Co., Md., and Pasquotank Co., N.C.," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Aug. 2005):248-254.
  • Layfield - Hatcher, Patricia Law. "'Mother Nottle': A Correction to the Ancestry of George and Samuel Layfield of Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Jan. 2002):18-24.
  • London - Richardson, Douglas. "Ambrose London of New York, Virginia and Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 58, No. 3 (Jul. 1982):160-163. FS Catalog 973 D25aga v. 58
  • London - Richardson, Douglas. "Major Ambrose London of New York, Virginia, and Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 64, No. 2 (April 1989):75-78. FS Catalog 973 D25aga
  • Manlove - Russell, George Ely. "The Migrations of Mark Manlove (ca.1617-1666) in New England, Virginia, and Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 61, No. 2 (Jul./Oct. 1985):71-76. FS Catalog 973 D25aga v. 61
  • Melson - Melson, Lewis B. The Melson Family in America: With Special Emphasis on the John-John-Daniel-Daniel-Benjamin-Samson Branch that Originated on the Eastern Shore of the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia Peninsula. 2 vols. Annapolis: L.B. Melson, 1996. Available at FS Library.
  • Parramore - Bell, John Barr. "Another Adventurer John Parramore (1607-1676)," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1991):3-17. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number. FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 35 (1991).
  • Parramore - Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004-2007. Volume 2. FS Library Book 975.5 H2j v. 2.
  • Pilcher - Uhrbrock, Richard S. "Pilchers (Pilchards) and Reddens of Delmarva," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sepl 1974):187-195. To locate digital pages use search form at American Ancestors ($); first select Virginia Genealogist, The from the Database list. Then select Volume number. FS Library Book 975.5 B2vg v. 18 (1974).
  • Roades - Redden, Robert J. "The Roades Family of Colonial Sussex County Delaware," Delaware Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Apr. 1994):49-53; Vol. 7, No. 4 (Oct. 1994):73-75.
  • Robins - Dorman, John Frederick. Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607-1624/5. 3 vols. Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004-2007. Volume 2. FS Library Book 975.5 H2j v. 2.
  • Russell - Russell, George Ely. "John Russell from Somerset County, Maryland," The American Genealogist, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Jul. 1980):144-147. FS Catalog 973 D25aga v. 55-56
  • Smith - Smith, Wesley. A Family History and Fifty-two Years of Preacher Life in Mississippi and Texas. Nashville, Tenn.: University Press, 1898. Available at FS Library. [Discusses seventeenth-century Smith immigrants.]
  • Standbridge - Brayton, John Anderson. "The Hayman Family of Somerset Co., Md., and Pasquotank Co., N.C.," North Carolina Genealogical Journal, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Aug. 2005):248-254.
  • Townsend - Bayles, John J. and James L. Taylor. Some Descendants of John Townsend of Snow Hill, Maryland, 1640-1698, Accomack Co., Va., and Somerset Co., Md. Oxnard, California: J.J. Bayles, 1989. Available at FS Library.
  • Vaughan - "The Vaughan Family of Sussex County," Delaware Genealogical Society Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Oct. 2006):91-95.
  • Waggaman - "The Ennalls and Waggaman Families of Maryland," The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Oct. 1893):98-105. Digital version at JSTOR - free.
  • Waggaman - Edwards, Thomas Clarke. The Waggamans and Their Allied Families. Paramus, New Jersey: T.C. Edwards, 1983. Available at FS Library.
  • Wright - Wright, Charles W. The Wright Ancestry of Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico Counties Maryland. Baltimore: Baltimore City Printing and Binding Co., 1907. Available at FS Library. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Online Land Indexes and Records


Local Histories

Maps and Gazetteers

St. Mary's CountyWicomico CountyWorcester CountyAccomack County, Virginia GenealogyNorthumberland County,MD SOMERSET.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

1877 Atlas of Wicomico, Somerset, and Worcester Counties, MD is available online from Johns Hopkins' Library.

Migration

Military Records

Revolutionary War

Somerset County men served in the 3rd Maryland Regiment[10] and the 4th Maryland Regiment.[11]

  • A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshals of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census. 1841. 1967 reprint: FS Catalog Collection 973 X2pc 1840. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Maryland, Somerset County on page 128.

War of 1812

  • List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FS Catalog Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). See Vol. 5, Maryland, Somerset County, p. 155. Identifies War of 1812 veterans living in this county in 1883.

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Somerset served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Somerset:

- 1st Regiment, Maryland Eastern Shore Infantry, Company K.
- Purnell Legion, Maryland Infantry, Companies D and G.

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Online Probate Indexes and Records


School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

  • 1678, 1681 1678 and 1681 Som[e]rsett County tax list, available online, courtesy: MDGenWeb.
  • 1723-1759 Online access to 31 of the tax lists between 1723 and 1759 are available from the Maryland State Archives: 1723-1759 Tax Lists
  • 1724 Jacob, John E. "Somerset County, Maryland, 1724 Tax Lists," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 61, No. 3 (Sep. 1973):195-200; Vol. 61, No. 4 (Dec. 1973):285-294. FS Library Book 973 B2ng v. 61.
  • 1727 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1727 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1992. FS Library Book 975.2 A1 no. 204.
  • 1730, 1733, 1744, 1748 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1730, 1733, 1744 & 1748 Tax Lists, Somerset County, Maryland. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice, 1992. FS Library Book 975.223 R48m.
  • 1730-1740 Russo, J. Elliott. Tax Lists of Somerset County, 1730-1740. Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1992. FS Library Book 975.223 R48r.
  • 1733 Lankford, Wilmer O. 1733 Tax List, Somerset County, Maryland. Princess Anne, Md.: Manokin Press, 1992. FS Library Book 75.223 R48L.
  • 1739 Powell, Judy. Somerset County, Maryland, 1739 Tax List. Roanoke, Tex.: J. Powell, 1990. FS Library Book 975.223 R48p.
  • 1753 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. Somerset County, State of Maryland, 1753 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1990s. FS Library Book 975.2 A1 no. 192.
  • 1757 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1757 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1992. FS Library Book 975.2 A1 no. 205.
  • 1759 Miller, Rebecca Furniss. 1759 Tax List. Princess Anne, Md.: Miller's Choice Genealogy, 1994. FS Library Book 975.223 R4m.
  • 1783 Somerset County Tax List of 1783 at Maryland State Archives. Alphabetical index to names to all property owners assessed. The index cards include county, hundred, names of tracts of land and whether individuals were paupers or single males as provided in the law.
  • 1798 Reedy, Tom. The 1798 Federal Direct Tax of Somerset County, Maryland. Westminster, Md.: Willow Bend Books, 1999. FS Library Book 975.223 R48rt.
  • 1798-1803 Powell, Judy. Somerset County, Maryland Tax Lists, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803. Roanoke, Tex.: J. Powell, 1992. FS Library Book 975.223 R48po.

Vital Records

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Research Facilities

Archives

Listed below are archives in Somerset County. For state-wide archival repositories, see Maryland Archives and Libraries.

FamilySearch Centers

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Somerset County. For state-wide library facilities, see Maryland Archives and Libraries.

Somerset County Public Library System
11767 Beechwood Street
Princess Anne, MD 21822
Phone: 410-651-0852
Website
(Multiple locations)

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Somerset County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see Maryland Societies.

Somerset County Historical Society
Website

Lower Delmarva Genealogical Society
Box 3602
Salisbury, MD 21802-3602
Phone: 410-742-4059
Email: lowerdelmarva@yahoo.com
Website
Includes material for Dorchester, Wicomico, Somerset and Worcester Counties.

Websites

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Maryland.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ William Hand Browne, ed., Archives of Maryland: Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland October 1678-November 1683 (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1889).
  3. ↑ Individual County Chronologies, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/MD_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Somerset County, Maryland," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Somerset_County,_Maryland&oldid=1220731032 (accessed May 25, 2024).
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Maryland.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Somerset County, Maryland. Page 317-318 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 308-309.
  7. ↑ Maryland State Archives, Guide to Government Records, Birth Records
  8. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Maryland.At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  9. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Somerset County, Maryland," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_County,_Maryland, accessed 15 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "3rd Maryland Regiment," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Maryland_Regiment, accessed 31 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "4th Maryland Regiment," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4th_Maryland_Regiment, accessed 31 May 2012.
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Topics
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Repositories
Allegheny County Library System Washington Street Library · Baltimore City Archives · Bristol Public Library VA · Division of Vital Records · Dorchester County Central Public Library · Enoch Pratt Free Library · Frederick County Artz Public Library · Frostburg State University Ort Library · Handley Regional Library VA · Historical Society of Pennsylvania · Historical Society of Washington, D.C. · Jewish Genealogical Society of Maryland · Johns Hopkins University George Peabody Library · Library of Congress DC · Maryland Genealogical Society · Maryland Historical Society · Maryland Historical Trust Library · Maryland State Archives · Maryland State Law Library · Mid-Atlantic Germanic Society · National Archives and Records Administration (Archives I) DC · National Archives at College Park, Maryland (Archives II) · National Archives at Philadelphia PA · National Genealogical Society VA · Pennsylvania State Archives · Prince George's County Genealogical Society · Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore · Salisbury University Nabb Research Center · Talbot County Free Library · United Methodist Historical Society of the Baltimore-Washington Conference · University of Maryland McKeldin Library · Washington County Free Library · Washington National Records Center
Migration
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