Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.
County level research is essential in the pursuit of family and local history. The list below highlights the most common county courthouse records used by genealogists, but there are many more record sets available. Use the guides below and explore the specific resources for the counties of interest to assure that you locate all pertinent documents.
When requesting courthouse records, inquire about both docket books and paper files. Often both types of material exist for each record. While the two formats may merely repeat the data, one may be easier to read than the other. And, in many cases, there are further details, unique notations, over-sized pages such as maps, and so on, that are filed in only the docket book or in only the paper file. Seeing both will provide a more complete review of the record.
| Birth Records |
|
|---|---|
| Civil Lawsuits |
|
| Coroner Inquests |
Note: If the cause of death is suspicious or unknown, the Medical Examiner's office is responsible for conducting an inquest. |
| Criminal Court |
Note: The Maryland court system has four levels: two trial courts and two appellate courts. The Maryland State Archives has all the original records of the Provincial, General, and Chancery courts. The state archives also has many of the original records and indexes of the county, circuit, and district courts and the Court of Appeals, often into the twentieth century. Some of the Provincial Court records have been published in the Archives of Maryland. The Maryland State Archives also has a collection of miscellaneous court papers for the years 1729 to 1904. The collection contains naturalizations, county court cases, manumissions, mortgages, depositions, bonds, voting, and other records. |
| Death Records |
|
| Deeds |
|
| Divorce Records |
|
| Marriage Records |
|
| Naturalizations |
|
| Taxes |
|
| Will and Probate |
|
The subscription resources marked with a padlock 
are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.
Using Ancestry Library Edition for Maryland
Begin your search through Ancestry's vast collections, by viewing the list designated as Maryland records External.
Using FamilySearch for Maryland
FamilySearch provides useful state and county wikis that make excellent starting points for research. The Maryland Wiki External includes links to each of its 23 counties and Baltimore counties.
FamilySearch has digitized many of its microfilms containing county courthouse records. Not all records have been indexed yet, so search engine results may NOT show you the full range of FamilySearch data. You must browse the FamilySearch catalog Externallistings for each county to view the full set of records available. The vast amount of accessible original records is well worth your time to explore.
There is no fee to use FamilySearch, but you must create a personal account to access the databases and digital records.
Below are selected print publications for statewide courthouse records. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
To locate additional published materials,go to the Print Resources section of this guide for search tips on locating published county courthouse records, abstracts, and indexes that may aide you in locating original records at the county level.
Courthouse Research for Family Historians by 
Index to Maryland colonial judgements ... by Proceedings of the County Court of Charles County, 1658-1666, and Manor Court of St. Clement's Manor, 1659-1672.Proceedings of the county courts of Kent (1648-1676), Talbot (1662-1674), and Somerset (1665-1668) counties. Court series (7) Published by authority of the State under the direction of the Maryland Historical Society, J. Hall Pleasants, editor, Louis Dow
