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MGS Response to the Coronavirus
We have temporarily stopped accepting new orders for research. Not all research repositories are open. We regret the interruption in our services, and we thank you for your understanding and patience. Our usual slate of educational programs and events has been suspended, but we have just launched a new webinar series.
Everyone please continue to take care and stay well.
~ Dru Null, MGS President
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.
New Maryland Minutes Webinar
 We are pleased to announce that our newest Maryland Minutes Webinar is now available. Colonial Research in Maryland by MGS Board Member Debra Hoffman provides an introduction to genealogical research on colonial Maryland, focusing particularly on the resources at the Maryland State Archives.
The pre-recorded, 22-minute video will be available for public viewing for several weeks and then will be added to our archive of Maryland Minutes Webinars available to MGS members
Check back here and on our Facebook page to find out when new Maryland Minutes videos will be posted, and get additional information about our overall webinar program, which we plan to grow throughout the year.
Vote for MGS Officers
.jpg) Every two years, MGS holds an election of its officers. (At-large Board Members are elected on alternate years.) The Board has approved the following slate of candidates developed by the Nominating Committee.
President: John Siemon
Vice President: Heather O'Hara
Treasurer: Allender Sybert
Recording Secretary: Edward A. Foreman, Jr.
Voting is being held through an online ballot. The link to use for voting has been sent to MGS members by email and also is available in the Members Only section of the web site. The deadline to vote is 11:59PM on May 29.
Thank you to all our members for participating in this election and for your continuing support for MGS.
New Webinar: Researching the Enslaved in Maryland
 In many ways, April is forever associated with the Civil War. The war both began and ended in the month of April. And President Abraham Lincoln died from an assassin’s bullet on April 15. Fittingly, MGS is pleased to announce this April that genealogist Robyn Smith has graciously permitted us to host her prerecorded webinar on researching the enslaved in Maryland as a benefit for MGS Members.
A Tangled Web: Researching the Enslaved in Maryland (57 minutes) is now available in the Webinar Archive in the Members Only section. Robyn Smith specializes in Maryland, African American, slavery and court records research, and her webinar provides an excellent overview of doing genealogical research on Maryland's enslaved population. Many thanks to Robyn for sharing this resource with MGS members.
The MGS Journal
The December 2020 issue of the Journal is available. Members receive their copies by mail. Limited quantities of the current and earlier issues of the Journal also are available for sale. Members receive a discounted price. Click here for information on prices and how to purchase.
 In this issue, Sandy Quick begins her family story with the terrible accident that befell a young boy in 1875. This German immigrant family would have several members who broke new ground, including two female photographers. Helen Hinchliff continues her exploration of Baltimore women with a look at six Goucher College students who may or may not have been suffragists. Jane Burgess cautions researchers about using the 1840 census of Montgomery County, which contained duplications and other errors. And John Trezise tells the interesting story of Marylanders who bought land and settled in western New York in the late 1790s and early 1800s. Wwe introduce a new feature called “Photo Vault,” which will shine light on selected photographs from the MGS collection of photos. Druscilla Null introduces the feature, and Allender Sybert details the histories of two young girls whose pictures are part of the collection. William Hollifield has provided a transcription of the Hood family Bible, and once again Jane Burgess challenges your genealogical knowledge in the crossword puzzle. Allender Sybert reviews current books and genealogical resources in our review section.
For a look at the full table of contents, click here.
Baltimore City Online Marriage Index (1851-1914)
 As of March 8, 2021, we have added the final 27,690 records to complete our online Baltimore City Marriage License Index covering 1851-1914. The database has 243,638 marriage records. This Members Only index is designed to help you find/identify ancestors who obtained Marriage Licenses in Baltimore City between 1851 and 1914. The searchable electronic index contains names and dates from index cards in the Maryland State Archives Record Series CM205 (1851-1885) and Record Series T2426 (1886-1914). The original index cards are alphabetized by the name of the groom. Many of the original cards are out of order and hard to read. This MGS index provides the first searchable index to the names of brides, as well as grooms!
The 1851-1914 Index is now 100 percent complete online. (as of 8 Mar 2021). People from all over Maryland, as well as other states and other countries, married in Baltimore. If you have ancestors that may have married in Baltimore City between 1851 and 1914, find them in the MGS index.
To access the data, click on Members Only, then sign in and look for “Baltimore Marriage Index” on the left side of the page.
MGS would like to thank the 38 dedicated volunteers who've spent several thousand hours completing this project. Many thanks also to Board Member John Siemon for his coordination of the project and to Board Member Dave Powell for his database expertise. Click here to see a list of all who worked on this project.
Introducing the MGS Photo Vault
 We’re pleased to announce our newest web site feature - the MGS Photo Vault. This image gallery contains photographs of 19th- and early 20th-century Marylanders. Over 100 photographs have been uploaded to date.
Most of the photographs are from the collection of Gary B. Ruppert, a past MGS Board Member who was named a Fellow of the Maryland Genealogical Society in 2009. Upon his death in 2017, his heirs graciously donated his collection of photographs and genealogical materials to MGS.
Fortunately, a sizable number of the photographs are labeled. (The one to the right is identified as Georgie Brown.) The identity of people in the unlabeled images is not currently known, but we hope by posting them that some might be identified.
Making the photographs available online is a work in progress. We encourage you to check periodically to see what new images have been added.
April 2021 MGS News
The April 2021 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.
MGS Now Selling Used Books
 MGS is pleased to announce that used genealogy-related books are now 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, general interest and methodology, U.S. resources, Mayflower and New England, photography, lineage societies, British research and Scottish clans, German genealogy, royalty and nobility, Norman ancestry, and heraldry. We will be adding books as they become available.
Digital Issues of the MGS Bulletin
MGS Members can read 48 years (1960 to 2007) of the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin in the Members Only portion of the web site.
Access is available to MGS members as an exclusive member benefit. After signing in as a member, look for the "MGS Bulletin Archive" link under Members Only on the lefthand navigation bar.
The Bulletin is packed with family genealogies and transcriptions from source records, including bible records, church records, tombstones, court records, etc. You can consult the cumulative table of contents to learn what articles appear in each issue. The issues are PDFs that are full-text searchable.
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