Baltimore City, Maryland Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Baltimore City, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected collection metadata checked against repository catalog descriptions. This is not a complete holdings audit, examination of original records, or certification of current access. See the access note for limitations. Repository catalog or holdings guide

Town founded
1729
Independent city
1851
Anne Arundel CountyCaroline CountyCarroll CountyCecil CountyFrederick CountyHarford CountyHoward CountyKent CountyMontgomery CountyPrince George's CountyQueen Anne's CountyBaltimore CountyBaltimore CityCarrollCecilHarfordHowardKentMontgomeryBaltimoreBaltimore City
Baltimore CityParent county (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries · U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Baltimore City, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Marriages, births and deaths

Wills and estates

Other records

Military records

Newspapers and directories

County government

Deeds and land

Schools

Court records

Tax records

Naturalization records

Poor relief and institutions

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected Maryland State Archives catalog series. Separate paper, microfilm and electronic catalog records may describe overlapping material; the format and series identifier are retained in each title. Electronic does not guarantee unrestricted online images. Consult the individual series page for restrictions, location and missing volumes.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

  • Find Baltimore City's official website

    We haven't checked this independent city's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the clerk of the circuit court and the register of wills.

  • The clerk of the circuit court

    Land records and marriage licenses, and civil and criminal cases.

  • The register of wills

    Wills, estates and guardianships.

  • The Maryland State Archives

    In Annapolis: most of the counties' older records, from colonial land and probate records to court and church records.

  • Maryland State Archivesfree

    The state archives in Annapolis, with most of Maryland's older county records and its online land records (MDLandRec).

  • FamilySearch Catalogfree

    Search by place for "Maryland, Baltimore City" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Baltimore County (the city became independent of the county on July 4, 1851)

Check the parent county for earlier records: Baltimore County

CecilKentHarfordQueen AnnesMontgomeryPrince GeorgesAnne ArundelFrederickCarrollBaltimoreBaltimore City (Ind. City)Baltimore City (Ind. City)BaltimoreKentHarfordMontgomeryCarroll
Baltimore City (Ind. City) as created in 1851Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. Before 1851, many of this city's records may have been kept by the county it separated from, so search there too. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

Maryland's land records from colonial times to the present are online at MDLandRec, run by the State Archives, with a free account (check its current terms for recent records). Baltimore City has kept its own records, separate from Baltimore County, since 1851.