Dorchester County MD

Dorchester County MD, organized in 1669; extends from Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware state line, and is bounded on the southeast by Nanticoke River and on the north by Choptank River. The surface is generally level, although the upper part of the comity undulates considerably. The area is 608 square miles, of which more than a third, or 128,160 acres, was under cultivation in 1900. The population for the same year was 27,962. The county seat is Cambridge, a town of about 5,000 inhabitants in 1900, while the next town in size is East Newmarket, which had a population of 1,267 in 1900.

Many residents of Dorchester County have historically made their living as farmers or working on the water. The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries provide harvests of crabs, oysters and many fish species to both commercial and recreational fishermen. Dorchester County was the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, who escaped from slavery and afterward worked to guide other refugee slaves to freedom in the North.

Naticoke Burial Customs

The Nanticoke, who lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, were connected, linguistically, with the Delaware, and before the latter removed westward beyond the Alleghenies they were neighboring tribes. The Nanticoke were encountered by Capt. John Smith and his party of colonists from Jamestown in 1608, living on or near the river which continues to bear their tribal name. For many years they were enemies of the colonists, but remained in the region until about 1730, when the majority of the tribe began moving northward, stopping at the mouth of the Juniata, and elsewhere in the valley of the Susquehanna, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Samuel D. Lecompte

Samuel D. Lecompte, first chief justice of the Territory of Kansas and afterward prominent on the bench of Leavenworth County, and a representative in both houses of the Legislature, was born in Dorchester County, Maryland, December 13, 1814. After graduating from Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, he studied law in Maryland and, upon being admitted to the bar, began practice in Carroll County, that state. He had served one term in the Maryland Legislature and become quite prominent politically, when he moved to Baltimore in 1854. In October, 1854, President Pierce appointed Mr. Lecompte chief justice of the Territory of Kansas, which … Read more

Maryland Cemetery Records, Calvert to Dorchester Counties

Maryland Cemetery records are listed by county then name of cemetery within the Maryland county. Most of these are complete indices at the time of transcription, however, in some cases we list the listing when it is only a partial listing. Calvert County Following Cemeteries (hosted at Calvert County, Maryland Tombstone Transcription Project) Harrison Family Graveyard Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church Cemetery Olivet United Methodist Church Cemetery Caroline County Following Cemeteries (hosted at Caroline County, Maryland Tombstone Transcription Project) Denton Catholic Cemetery Denton Township Cemetery Burrsville Union Methodist Cemetery Burrsville Wesley Methodist Cemetery Carroll County Following Cemeteries (hosted at Carroll … Read more

1885-1977 Baptism and Marriage Records, Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church, Dorchester County, Maryland

Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church on Taylors Island, Maryland

The Bethlehem Methodist Church Records document the membership and activities of the Dorchester County church. Bethlehem Methodist Church was erected in 1858 in Taylors Island, MD, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The church is still active today. A Taylor’s Island’s Methodist congregation is believed to have been established as early as 1781. Included are baptisms and marriages from 1885 to 1977.

Ababco Tribe

Ababco Indians. An eastern Algonquian tribe or subtribe. Although mentioned in the original records of 1741 in connection with the Hutsawaps and Tequassiinoes as a distinct tribe, they were probably only a division of the Choptank. This name is not mentioned in John Smith’s narrative of his exploration of Chesapeake bay. The band lived on Choptank River, Maryland, and in 1741 the Colonial government confirmed them in the possession of their lands on the south side of that stream, in Dorchester County, near Secretary Creek. By 1837 the entire tribe to which they belonged had dwindled to a few individuals … Read more

Records of the Malone Methodist Episcopal Church at Madison MD, 1883-1893

Church Record of the Malone Methodist-Episcopal Church of Madison, Maryland

This ledger contains the church record of the Madison Circuit of the Delaware Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which was an African American church in Dorchester County Maryland that included Malone Church. While the Malone Church member lists, probationer lists, and minutes date between 1883 and 1939, the Madison Circuit baptismal and marriage records date between 1883 and 1893. These records include significant information about church members including places of residence and parent names.