Source Information

Ancestry.com. Maryland, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1634-1777 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
Original data: Barnes, Robert, compiler. Maryland Marriages, 1634–1777. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 1975.

About Maryland, U.S., Compiled Marriage Index, 1634-1777

This database contains a collection of details on early Maryland marriages extracted from church and other records.

Historical Background

In his forward to Maryland Marriages, Robert Barnes explains the scope of his book, which has been indexed in this database:

“This book is a compilation of all marriages recorded from 1634 to 1777 in church records and other documents which are on deposit at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore or the Hall of Records in Annapolis.”

Barnes explains that the Maryland Assembly began passing laws requiring banns for marriages and registers for births, marriages, and deaths as early as 1640. The responsibility for keeping registers was passed to the Anglican Church after it was established as the colony’s official church in 1692. Further details on the sources Barnes consulted can be found in the book’s foreword.

What You Can Find in the Records

Marriages are arranged alphabetically by groom's last name, followed by the marriage date and name of the bride. Some records also provide fathers’ names, previous spouses, or other details.

The last column of the entry includes a code with a page number. These refer to the author’s source for the marriage information. An explanation of the codes is included in the book’s introductory material, which you’ll find just before the list of marriages begins.