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Welcome!
Since 1959, the Maryland Genealogical Society has been promoting genealogical study and research. Through our publications, programs, resources, and outreach, the Society can help you explore your family history.
And we hope that you'll follow us on Facebook for timely news and information.
Join Us at the Next MGS Virtual Meetup!
 Our next virtual member meetup is happening via Zoom on Wednesday, November 13, from 7-9pm EST and our focus will be Research Help.
Board members will be leading breakout rooms answering general questions, doing lookups on subscription sites, providing help with German research and translation, leading a discussion on AI & genealogy, and assisting with brick wall brainstorming.
Meetups are free and only open to MGS members. To register, click here to sign in as a member, then go to the "MGS Virtual Meetup" link on the lefthand dropdown menu under Members Only.
We look forward to providing research support to our members, so we hope to see you there!
"Finding Your Roots: The Where and When" Webinars
Although the live sessions of our workshop series, Finding Your Roots: The Where and When, have ended, you can still register to view the series on demand. Our partner, Maryland Public Television, maintains the event registration page and will provide new registrants with links to the recorded sessions. The registration fee is $100.00 for the series.
Those who register for the series will receive a one-year MPT Passport membership or membership extension, and a one-year membership to MGS. (Sorry, the MGS membership benefit is not applicable to current MGS members.)
The workshop series was led by nationally known speaker Annette Burke Lyttle, who has been the presenter for several previous MGS/MPT workshop series. Recorded presentations include:
- Finding and Using Vital Records—and What to do When They Don’t Exist
- Church and Cemetery Records—More Ways to Locate Our Ancestors’ Vitals
and Locations
- Finding and Using Federal, State, and Special Censuses—and What to do
When They Don’t Exist
- Directories and Local Histories—Even More Ways to Find Our Ancestors’ Vitals
and Locations
MGS Journal
In the most recent issue of the Journal, Ed Funk, who previously wrote about the dramatic and tragic story of his ancestor, Johannes Ziemer, now brings us another in-depth look at one of his forebears, Jakob Conrad Funk. The story takes place in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore, where the immigrant Jacob Funk and his family planted a garden that supplied the family as well as the neighborhood with fruits and vegetables. But trouble began when Thomas Chappell opened a fertilizer plant on an adjacent property. The fumes and fallout from the plant meant the end of the garden, and thus began a lengthy court battle between the two men. This may be one of our earliest documented cases of environmentalism versus industrialization.
In an article that clears up some misinformation, Dann Norton uses court records to distinguish between two Green families, one in St. Mary’s County and one in Charles County. He concludes that there were two Mary Greens and two Sarah Greens living at the same time. Vanessa Wood has tackled an equally confusing family in her article about Green Halsey of South Carolina and his descendants, who eventually moved to Maryland for better economic opportunities. Green was enslaved, but his son Solomon lived as a free man in South Carolina and later in Baltimore, and the family forged strong bonds and thrived in their new home. Dave Powell brings us the interesting but tragic story of his ancestor, David Bonsack. Using a family bible, court records, and newspaper accounts, the author relates that David’s mother left her husband and had an affair with one of his employees, which resulted in David’s birth. David served in the army in the Civil War, married, and became a minister, but he later ran off with one his parishioners—and a good sum of money. Sadly, there is no happy ending here. Finally, John Sinks describes two sets of records in the Montgomery County Court recorded in March 1778 that have been widely overlooked: returns of oaths of fidelity followed by the enumeration of free men over 18, commonly known as the 1778 Maryland Census. As always, we keep you informed about new genealogy publications with Allender Sybert’s reviews.
Webpage Spotlight: Online MD Birth Certificates
 Check out our new webpage on locating Maryland birth certificates online. Starting in 1875 in Baltimore City and in 1898 in the counties, birth certificates that are at least 100 years old are available on the Maryland State Archives website and the Internet Archive website. We've pulled together on one webpage the key links you'll need and tips for successful searching.
All Issues of the MGS Journal Online
 All issues of the Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, from 2008 to the present, are available online to MGS members! The Journal’s predecessor publication, the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, already was online, which means that members can access over 60 years of informative articles on Maryland families and genealogical records.
New issues of the Journal will be posted as they are published.
October 2024 MGS News
The October 2024 edition of MGS News is now available. If you are a MGS member, you should have received the issue by email. If you are a member and haven't provided us with your email, please contact us at info@mdgensoc.org so that you can begin to receive MGS News.
Archived copies of this issue and previous issues are available in the Member's Only area.
Used Genealogy Books For Sale
 MGS has an inventory of used genealogy-related books available for purchase on the For Sale page. MGS members receive a 12% discount on purchases. (Be sure to be signed in on the website as a member before ordering!) All prices already include shipping and handling. Sales are first come, first served!
In addition to books on Maryland, our current inventory includes the following topics: family histories; U.S., British, German, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia research; photography, lineage societies, royalty and nobility, heraldry, and general interest. We will be adding books as they become available.
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