Maryland Register of Wills Records, Baltimore City and County

Film images located at FamilySearch.org

These two data sets provide nearly 2 million images for Maryland wills and estates. They contain a large amount for Baltimore City and County, some of which are also available online at the Archives. It also, inexplicably, contains copies of some data which cannot be found at the Archives at all. The following is an attempt at organizing and explaining the various data contained at this site since the two datasets each contain part of the data and the items are often not in any logical order. The online data also occasionally mixes up the City and the County.

Direct link to Maryland material at FamilySearch. (detailed below)

Direct link to City will index (says 1796-1940, but only goes back to 1921 for Baltimore) - Use the browse function, not the search.

Guardianship index (City)

When accessing this data, either through the direct links above, or via the links below, you will need to sign in at FamilySearch. Registration is free. If you have any trouble accessing the below links after signing in, please let me know.

Note: whereever it says "Vol" below, think "book" or "liber".

County

Administration bonds 1721-1821
Adminsitration 1756-1791
Letters of administration index (1776-1911)
Administration 1791-1852
Estate docket index 1908-1954
Estate dockets (Orphans' Court) 1908-1957
Inventories index 1666-1963
Inventories 1665-1850
Orphan's Court proceedings index 1777-1857
Orphan's Court proceedings 1777-1850
Will index 1664-1969
Wills 1675-1852

City

Administration account index 1851-1926
Administration 1852-1908
Estate docket index 1901-1940
Estate dockets (Orphans' Court) 1908-1940
Wills 1852-1940
Probate records 1925-1941
Unproven wills 1923-1940
Orphan's Court Proceeding index 1901-1940

Administration account index 1915-1926 (city)

Same as CM194 which are online @ Archives (26 files, 1 GB total)

Alternate link to Libers 9-20

Administration bonds 1721-1852 (county)

Same as CM129, many scanned, but not online.

Administration 1756-1791 (county) abstracts (Barnes)

Letters of administration index (county or city?) 1776-1911

@ Archives?

Administration Registry 1791-1852 (county)

Same as CM130 @ Archives

Administration Registry 1852-1908 (city)

Not found @ Archives

Alternate link to following

Estate docket index 1908-1954 (county)

Same as CM149 which are online @ Archives (4 files, 311 MB total)

Estate docket index 1901-1940 (city)

Estate dockets (Orphans' Court) 1908-1957 (county)

Same as CE313/CM148 which are not online, but are scanned @ Archives
This provides a record of actions, with references to liber/folio for bonds, oaths, admin, proceeding, orders etc. Each books includes an index register grouped by first letter of surname.

Estate dockets (Orphans' Court) 1908-1940 (city)

Inventories index 1666-1863 (county)

Same as CM156 (online). Years given in CM156 shown below in (paraentheses). 1699 is obvious error.

Alternate link to Inventories Includes: T601/C197 (index) 1666-1893); C341/T2902 index 1666-1951; C342 index to Originals 1676-1947 in boxes 1-103
Corrected list of above

Inventories 1665-1850 (county)

Same as CM155, which are not online, but many scanned @ Archives
* indicates those not scanned @ Archives
The film numbers "WK" listed below are as they are found on the FamilySearch site's copies. The film numbers at the Archives are somewhat different.
Most rolls contain an index at the end. Years given in CM155 shown in (parentheses).

Alternate link to Inventories Includes: C342 Originals 1676-1947 (boxes 1-103); C340 1666-1851 books 1-65; C340 /T2705 1851-1941 books 1-57; T603/C196 1851-1941 books 65-283
Corrected list of above

Archives CM155 contains (1851-1969), Vols 1-113, many scanned but not online

Original wills 1852-1940 (City) (Books 25-202)

Same as CM219 @ Archives - all scanned, but not online.

Probate records 1925-1941 (City)

Can't find @ Archives.
These are copies of all the material in a folder related to each estate, not just the "will".
Each film begins with a 2-page register of the names included on that film.
The files are each labeled "Baltimore City County, Maryland", but all records seem to be for the City.
It's simplest to use the will index to "browse" through the alphabetical list of names to find records.

Orphan's Court Proceeding index 1777-1857 (county)

Same as CM182, which are online @ Archives (13 files, 1.15 GB total)

Orphan's Court proceedings 1777-1850 (county)

Same as CM181, which are mosly scanned, but none online @ Archives
* indicates those not scanned @ Archives

  • Alternate copies
  • Books 1-4, 1777-1803
  • Books 5-8, 1803-1813
  • Books 9-11, 1817-1822
  • Books 12-14, 1822-1829
  • Books 15-17, 1829-1836
  • Books 18-21, 1836-1845
  • Books 22-23, 1845-1848
  • Books 24-25, 1848-1850
    		•

    Orphans' Court proceedings index 1901-1940 (city)

    Same as CE308, microfilm (all scanned) @ Archives or CM209 (most online)

    Unproven wills (city) 1923-1940

    Same as T3704 @ Archives (no microfilm).
    Use this will index, then the "browse" function to find records.

    Will index 1664-1969 (county)

    Same as CM189, which are online @ Archives (6 files, 331 MB total)

    Wills 1675-1852 (county)

    Same as CM188, 1666-1851 (Books 1-24), which are all scanned, but not online, @ Archives.

    Wills (county) 1851-1979

    Not found at FamilySearch.
    See as CM188, 1851-1979 (Books 1-173), which are all scanned, but not online, @ Archives.

    Abstracts (Colonial)

    Abstracts of Colonial wills (Vol 4-20, 1685-1732)
    Abstracts of Colonial wills (Vol 21-23, 1732-1743)
    Abstracts of admin accounts (Book 6 - abt 1756-1775; Book 7 - abt 1766-1777; Book 8 - abt 1778-1786; Books 9-10 - abt 1787-1791)