HOWARD COUNTY HISTORY AND LOOKUP
County History Books
*None Listed
Howard County, Maryland: A Genealogical Overview
Situated in the heart of central Maryland, strategically located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Howard County is now known as one of the most affluent and dynamic suburban counties in the United States. While defined in the modern era by the planned community of Columbia, the county possesses a deep and complex history. Its past is a story of colonial tobacco plantations, early American industrial innovation along the Patapsco River, and pivotal transportation corridors that shaped the nation. For genealogists, its records reflect this transition from a rural, agricultural district to a bustling modern hub.
I. County Formation and Evolution
Understanding Howard County’s two-stage creation from a larger parent county is the most critical first step for locating the correct ancestral records.
- 1838/1851: County Formed: The formation was a two-step process. In 1838, the area was separated politically from Anne Arundel County and established as the Howard District. It had its own officials but was not a fully independent county and still sent representatives to the legislature as part of Anne Arundel County. On March 13, 1851, the Howard District was officially erected as Howard County, the 21st county in Maryland.
- Parent County: The vast majority of Howard County was created from the western portion of Anne Arundel County. A smaller section in the north was taken from Baltimore County. Records prior to 1838 (for the Howard District) and 1851 (for the county) are located in the records of Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.
- Subsequent County Formations: The boundaries of Howard County have remained largely stable since its official formation in 1851. No new counties have been created from its territory.
- Name Origin: The county is named for Colonel John Eager Howard, a distinguished officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, a hero of the Battle of Cowpens, and the fifth Governor of Maryland.
- County Seat History: The county seat has always been Ellicott City. Prior to the county’s formation, it was a major industrial and commercial hub known as Ellicott’s Mills.
II. Settlement and Early History
- Early Inhabitants: The land that became Howard County was the traditional territory of Native American groups, most prominently the Piscataway people, an Algonquian-speaking tribe that inhabited much of the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
- Colonial Settlement and Economy: In the early 18th century, English colonists began to patent large tracts of land in the area, then the frontier of Anne Arundel County. The early economy was dominated by tobacco cultivation on large plantations, which relied heavily on the labor of indentured servants and, increasingly, enslaved African Americans. Prominent families like the Carrolls, Dorseys, and Ridgelys established vast estates. In the 1770s, Quaker brothers Joseph, Andrew, and John Ellicott established flour mills on the Patapsco River, sparking a shift from a tobacco-based to a grain-based economy and fostering early industrialization. The construction of the National Road and the B&O Railroad through Ellicott’s Mills solidified the area’s importance as a transportation and commercial center.
III. Genealogical Records and Resources
This section provides practical information for locating ancestral records, emphasizing the crucial pre- and post-1851 divide.
- Courthouse: The Howard County Circuit Court is located at 9250 Judicial Way, Ellicott City, MD 21043. This is the primary repository for county records created since 1851, including land records (deeds), probate (wills and estates), court cases, and marriage licenses. For all similar records prior to 1851, researchers must consult the records of Anne Arundel County (in Annapolis) and Baltimore County.
- Vital Records:
- Birth and Death Records: Statewide civil registration of births and deaths in Maryland began in 1898. For records from that date forward, researchers should consult the Maryland State Archives. For vital events prior to 1898, researchers must rely on non-governmental sources such as church registers (baptisms, burials), cemetery inscriptions, family Bibles, and newspaper obituaries.
- Marriage Records: Marriage licenses issued from 1851 to the present are held by the Howard County Circuit Court. For marriages that took place in this area prior to 1851, the records are located at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court. The Maryland State Archives holds microfilm copies of most historical marriage records for all counties.
- Libraries with Genealogy Collections:
- Howard County Historical Society: Located at 8328 Court Ave, Ellicott City, MD 21043. This is the most important local resource, offering research assistance, family surname files, photographs, maps, and historical documents specific to the county.
- Howard County Library System: The Central Branch in Columbia maintains a reference collection of local history and genealogy materials.
- Maryland State Archives: Located in Annapolis, this is the premier institution for all Maryland genealogy. It holds original and microfilmed records from every county, including court, probate, land, vital, military, and church records.
- Bordering Jurisdictions:
- Carroll County, MD
- Baltimore County, MD
- Anne Arundel County, MD
- Prince George’s County, MD
- Montgomery County, MD
- Frederick County, MD