Queen Annes County History and Information

Court Records | Vital Records | CENSUS Records | TAX Records | Military Records | Church & Cemetery |
Maps & Atlases | Genealogy Addresses | Genealogy Related Sites |

Queen Annes County was created in 1706 (Chapter 3, Acts of 1706) and was formed from Dorchester, Talbot, and Kent counties. The County was named for Queen Anne I (1665-1714), who ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1702 until 1714. The County Seat is Centreville.

Queen Anne's county was divided into "Hundreds" until 1798 when Election Districts were formed. The original hundreds were known as Chester Hundred, Island Hundred, Kent Island Lower Hundred, Kent Island Upper Hundred, Town Hundred, Tuckahoe Hundred, Worrell Hundred and Wye Hundred.

Queen Anne's County, located on Maryland's Eastern Shore, extends from the Mason-Dixon Line and Delaware to the Chesapeake on the west. Centreville, the county seat, is a well kept, quiet town typical of the Eastern Shore. The courthouse was completed in 1792 and the town was laid out in 1794. Fire has destroyed most of the older houses, but the courthouse itself remains, one of only two eighteenth-century courthouses left standing in Maryland. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Queen Anne's County are Kent County (north), Kent County, Delaware (east), Talbot County (south), Caroline County (southeast).

Queen Anne's CountyTowns Include Barclay, Centreville, Church Hill, Millington, Queen Anne, Queenstown, Sudlersville, Templeville. Communities Include Crumpton, Ingleside, Price, Romancoke. (Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government.)

Various organizations, such as the United States Census Bureau, the United States Postal Service, and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county: Chester, Grasonville, Kent Narrows, Kingstown, Stevensville

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Records at the County Courthouse

See Also Maryland Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Search Maryland Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

Government records of Queen Annes County are available in Original , Microfilm and Digital formats from the Maryland State Archives The Official County website is located at http://www.qac.org/. See also Courthouse History.

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time. The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Queen Annes County Register of Wills/ Clerk of Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1706 and is located at the Liberty Building, 107 North Liberty St. Suite 220, P.O. Box 59, Centreville, MD 21617; (888) 758-0010

The Register of Wills is responsible for appointing personal representatives to administer decedents estates and for overseeing the proper and timely administration of these proceedings. We also perform the following duties: assist and advise the public in the preparation of all required forms; maintain and preserve the permanent record of all proceedings; serve as the Clerk to the Orphans Court; track estates and refer delinquent matters to the Court; determine and collect inheritance taxes and probate fees/court costs; audit accounts of personal representatives and guardians; and, verify compliance with court orders.

Queen Annes County Circuit Court Clerk has Land Records from 1707 and Marriage Records from earliest to 1919 and is located at 107 North Liberty Street, Centreville, MD 21617; (410) 758-0322

The Clerk's responsibilities include supervising Clerk's office personnel in the civil, criminal, courtroom clerks, business license, marriage license, land records, and juvenile units.

There are a few online databases for Court, Land and Probate Records which include: Maryland Calendar of Wills, Maryland Marriages, 1655-1850 and Maryland Marriages, 1667-1899.

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in Maryland

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

Division of Vital Records Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, 6550 Reisterstown Rd., Reistertown Road Plaza, Baltimore, MD 21215; (410) 764-3038 or (800), 832-3277, Fax: (410) 358-0738. The Division of Vital Records of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issues certified copies of birth, death, fetal death, and marriage certificates for events that occur in Maryland. The Division also provides divorce verifications. The Division provides information on procedures to follow for registering an adoption, legitimation, or an adjudication of paternity.

RECORDS AVAILABILITY AND COST

  • Birth Certificates: The state of Maryland began issuing certificates for births since Aug 1898. Birth certificates for individuals born in Maryland after 1939 are also available for same day service at local health departments in all jurisdictions except Montgomery County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County. The State of Maryland Archives has Birth certificates since 1875 for Baltimore City and 1898 for Maryland counties.
    • Cost is $12.00 per certificate, payment is payable to the Division of Vital Records. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $12.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Death Certificates:The state of Maryland began issuing certificates for deaths since since 1969. Within 30 days of a death, copies of the record may also be obtained from the local health department in which the funeral director filed the death certificate, with the exception of Baltimore City and Baltimore County health departments. You must apply in person at the appropriate local health department. The State of Maryland Archives has Death certificates prior to 1969.
    • Cost is $12.00 per certificate, payment is payable to the Division of Vital Records. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $12.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Marriage Certificates: The state of Maryland began issuing certificates for marriage since since Jan 1, 1990. The State of Maryland Archives has Marriage certificates since 1640. Marriage Certificates are availible since before Jan 1, 1990 from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the license was issued.
    • Cost: $12.00 from the Division of Vital Records, payment is payable to the Division of Vital Records. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $12.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail. Contact the Maryland Archives and the Clerk of the Circuit Court for fees.
  • Divorce Certificates: The Division of Vital Records issues verification only since Jan 1961. Certified copies should be available from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.
    • Cost: $12.00 from the Division of Vital Records, payment is payable to the Division of Vital Records. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $12.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail. Contact the Clerk of the Circuit Court for fees.

ORDERING RECORDS

  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.
  • Order In Person:  Birth certificates for individuals with valid, government-issued photo identification who were born in Maryland are available for same day service at the Division of Vital Records in Baltimore. Same day service is also available at local health departments in all jurisdictions except Montgomery County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County for individuals born after 1939.
  • Order By Mail: Turn around is estimated at 3 to 6 weeks from the day the request is received. However, people are urged to allow sufficient time for delivery for all birth/death records. Mail a check or money order of $12.00 for each certified certificate. Do not send cash. Mail to the following address: The Division of Vital Records, 6550 Reisterstown Road, Reisterstown Road Plaza, Baltimore, MD 21215. Please include return address on envelope and application form. Allow 3 to 6 weeks for the search by mail for Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records.

The Maryland State Archives maintains many records that are invaluable for biographical and genealogical research. These include birth records, adoption records, marriage records, divorce records, and death records, and some indices to these records.

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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ounty Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for Maryland

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Queen Annes County, Maryland are 1790 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850 ,1860 ,1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Queen Annes County, Maryland are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Slave Schedules exist for 1850 & 1860. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Maryland Census, 1772-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1790 Federal Census Index; 1800 Federal Census Index; 1810 Federal Census Index; 1820 Federal Census Index; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1850 Slave Schedules; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1860 Slave Schedules; 1890 Naval Veterans; Early Census Index.
  • Maryland Colonial Census, 1776: Granted by the King of England to George Calvert in 1632, Maryland was home to nearly 300,000 people before the Revolutionary War. This database is a transcription of a colonial census taken in 1776.
  • Queen Annes County, Maryland Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
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County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for Maryland showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for Maryland showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. The Maryland Department of Transportation has county maps the show the locations of churches, cemeteries, roads, ect... free for viewing or download here

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Maps. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Maps by clicking the link below:

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County Military Records

See Also Military Records in Maryland

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Available at the Maryland State Archives with index is a Maryland tax assessment of 1783, which is “more complete” than the 1776 or 1778 “censuses”. Robert W. Barnes and Bettie Stirling Carothers abstracted the 1783 tax list of Baltimore County, Maryland but while it has some omissions, it serves as an index to photocopies of the originals published as Maryland Tax List 1783 Baltimore County from the collection of the Maryland Historical Society (Philadelphia: Historic Publications, 1970). The counties of Calvert, Cecil, Harford, and Talbot are covered by Bettie Carothers, comp., 1783 Tax List of Maryland (Part I: Cecil, Talbot, Harford, and Calvert Counties) (Lutherville, Md.: Pub. by compiler, 1977). Furthermore, there is a two part index to the 1783 list at the state archives, one by names of property owners, the other by names of the tracts.

The earliest tax records are to be found among the proprietary papers, dating from the 1630s. Some early tax records have been published, such as Raymond B. Clark, Jr., and Sara Seth Clark, comps., Baltimore County, Maryland, tax list, 1699-1706. At the Maryland State Archives is a tax list for St. Anne's Parish, Anne Arundel County, 1764-66. Also here are the surviving 1798 U.S. direct tax records, for Anne Arundel County (indexed), Baltimore County and City, and the counties of Caroline, Charles, Harford, Prince George's, Queen Anne's, Saint Mary's, Somerset, and Talbot. Richard J. Cox edited Name Index to the Baltimore City Tax Records: 1798-1808 Of the Baltimore City Archives, (Baltimore: Baltimore City Archives and Records Management Office, 1981).

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

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County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Maryland Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Queen Anne's County Historical Society, P. O. Box 62, Tucker House, 124 South Commerce St., Centreville, MD 21617 - 0062, (410) 758-3010
    Physical address: Office located at the West Gallery, Lawyer's Row, Centreville
    Mailing address: P.O. Box 62, Centreville MD 21617Telephone: 410-758-3010
    Hours of operation: Tucker House and Wright's Chance are open the first Saturday of the mont, May-October, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Office hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Queen Anne's County Genealogical Society, Wright's Chance, Commerce Street, Centreville, MD 21617
  • Maryland State Archives, 350 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, MD 21401
  • Maryland Genealogical Society, 201 W. Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-4674.
    Publishes the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin Quarterly.
  • The Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument Street, Baltimore MD 21201-4674
    Has published a quarterly magazine Maryland Historical Magazinefor over 90 years
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • Maryland Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in Maryland

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Queen Annes County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Queen Annes County Tombstone Transcription Project.

A search for church records should begin with Directory of Maryland church records (Westminster, Md.: Family Line Publications, 1987), arranged by county and giving a range of dates of available records for over 2,600 churches with mailing addresses. Also helpful are The First Parishes of the Province of Maryland (Baltimore: The Norman, Remington Co., 1923).

The largest collection of church records is at the Maryland State Archives, with a consolidated index, and many are at the Maryland State Archives, which has various original and microfilmed records, many with indexes. Some church records have been published in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin or in individual books, such as those for St. Paul's in Baltimore and for many German churches in the western counties.

Although Catholicism is very important to the history of Maryland, the disenfranchisement of Catholics after the establishment of the Anglican church in 1692 largely contributed to the lack of record keeping prior to the Revolutionary War. One source for St. Marys County in the 1700s, however, is Catholic Families of Southern Maryland: Records of Catholic Residents of St. Mary's County in the Eighteenth Century (1980; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985). Records of the German churches and the Society of Friends are very good. The latter were early settlers of Maryland, along with Anglicans and Catholics. Quaker records in Maryland, (Annapolis: Hall of Records Commission, 1966) is an excellent guide to the original and microfilmed Friends' records at the Maryland State Archives. Some Quaker records were published in Kenneth Carroll, Quakerism on the Eastern Shore (Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society, 1970) and other records are at the Maryland Historical Society, the state archives, and the Friends Historical Library in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

The Maryland State Archives has indexes to cemetery records for various time periods. Some have been published in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin and other journals and in individual works covering large parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Dorchester, Frederick, Garrett, St. Marys, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. A great number of grave marker inscriptions have been transcribed by members of the Maryland DAR and will be found at the Maryland Historical Society and the DAR Library in Washington, D.C. See also Historic graves of Maryland and the District of Columbia (1908; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967).

Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Queen Annes County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Queen Annes County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

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Courthouse History

The Queen Anne's County Court House was constructed at the time when the county seat was removed from Queenstown to Centreville. It was accepted by the County Court on June 1, 1796,and ordered to be "taken, held and deemed to be the proper Court House of Queen Anne's County."

The Court House (and the town of Centreville, which was built simultaneously) was erected on a plantation known as "Chesterfield," the ancestral home of Judge Joseph Hopper Nicholson, who was then living on the tract. Later, Judge Nicholson became Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit (then comprising Baltimore and Harford counties) and a judge of the Court of Appeals. He was also the member of the U.S. House of Representatives who, painfully ill, was carried into Congress to cast the deciding vote for Thomas Jefferson in his battle with Aaron Burr over the presidency.

Not too incidentally, Judge Nicholson was the person who suggested the music for the "Star-Spangled Banner" (Francis Scott Key was his brother-in-law).

Chief Judge Carroll T. Bond once wrote that Judge Nicholson was "another of those half-forgotten personalities who wait by the way to reward historical investigation."

The Court House remained in its original state until after the Civil War. In 1876, plans were made to rebuild that structure "on a scale which will change it from one of the most inconvenient to one of the most desirable of our county buildings."

Aside from this reconstruction, which was accomplished for $6,800, the exterior of the Court House is virtually the same as it was when originally constructed. An interesting (and often overlooked) feature is the gold eagle which appears in the pediment of the main portion of the building. It is undoubtedly a reflection of the fervent patriotism of the early citizens of the County, who were less than a decade from the ratification of the Federal Constitution.

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