DURHAM COUNTY HISTORY AND LOOKUP (EXTINCT COUNTY, 1669-1672)
County History Books
*None Listed
Durham County, Maryland (Unorganized, est. 1669): A Genealogical Overview
Durham County, Maryland, represents a unique challenge for genealogists as it is a “phantom county”—an entity that was legally created but never fully organized or governed before its name and territory were reassigned. Proclaimed in 1669 on the Atlantic coast of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, it existed only on paper for a few years. For researchers with ancestors in this region during the late 17th century, understanding Durham’s brief, ephemeral existence is key to locating records in the correct, and actually functioning, jurisdictions that succeeded it.
I. County Formation and Evolution
Understanding that Durham County never functioned as a government is the most critical fact for any researcher. Its history is one of proclamation, not practice, and its records are entirely subsumed by its parent and successor county.
- 1669: “County” Formed: Durham County was created by a proclamation from the Governor of Maryland. It was intended to govern the rapidly settling seaside and bayside areas of the lower Eastern Shore.
- Parent County: Its territory was partitioned from the easternmost portion of Somerset County, which had been established just three years earlier in 1666.
- Dissolution and Successor County: The county was never formally surveyed or organized with its own court, sheriff, or record-keeping body. By 1672, the name Durham County had fallen out of official use. Its designated territory remained under the administration of, and was fully reabsorbed by, Somerset County. Therefore, Somerset County is its direct legal predecessor and successor. Later, in 1742, this same territory would be used to help form Worcester County. Due to long-running border disputes with William Penn’s grant, some of its northern territory eventually became part of Sussex County, Delaware.
- Name Origin: The county was almost certainly named for the County of Durham in the north of England, a common naming practice of the Calverts, the proprietors of the Maryland colony.
- County Seat History: As an unorganized “paper county,” Durham never had a county seat, courthouse, or any governmental buildings. All administrative and judicial functions for the area were continuously handled at the Somerset County seat.
II. Settlement and Early History
The history of the region intended for Durham County is the history of the 17th-century English settlement on the lower Delmarva Peninsula.
- Early Inhabitants: Prior to European arrival, the land was home to several Algonquin-speaking peoples, most notably the Pocomoke, Assateague, and Nanticoke tribes, who lived in communities along the rivers and bays.
- Colonial Settlement and Economy: English settlement of the area began in the 1660s, largely by colonists migrating from the Eastern Shore of Virginia seeking land and religious tolerance. The economy was almost entirely dependent on the cultivation of tobacco on small plantations and farms, which relied heavily on the labor of English indentured servants and, increasingly, enslaved Africans. The many navigable rivers and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean made maritime trade essential.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
This section provides practical guidance for locating records for ancestors in the territory designated as Durham County. No records will be found under the “Durham County” name.
- County Courthouse (Successor Repository): All civil records for this area and time period are located in Somerset County. Researchers must consult the records of the Somerset County Clerk of Court, located at 30512 Prince William Street, Princess Anne, MD 21853. These records include the earliest land grants, deeds, probate records (wills and inventories), and court proceedings. For ancestors in the area after 1742, records may be found in Worcester County.
- Vital Records:
- Birth and Death Records: Maryland did not mandate statewide civil registration of births and deaths until 1898. For the colonial period, vital information must be gleaned from parish registers. The Church of England was the established church, and its parishes were tasked with recording births (christenings), marriages, and burials. Researchers should identify the early parishes that covered this area, such as Somerset Parish and Coventry Parish. (Note: Do not confuse this area with Durham Parish, which is located in Charles County on the opposite side of the state).
- Marriage Records: Marriages were recorded in the registers of the Anglican parish where the wedding took place.
- Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
- Maryland State Archives: Located in Annapolis, this is the central and most important repository for all early Maryland records. It holds microfilm copies of all surviving colonial-era county court records and parish registers.
- Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture: Located at Salisbury University, this is a premier research facility specifically focused on the history and genealogy of the Delmarva Peninsula.
- Somerset County Historical Society: Located in Princess Anne, it can provide local context and resources.
- Bordering Jurisdictions (Hypothetical):
- Somerset County, MD
- The Atlantic Ocean
- Territory under dispute with the Penn Proprietorship (now Sussex County, DE)