WASHINGTON CO.,

Maryland,

United States

Introduction

Gen Tool-Kit

Surnames

Ancestral Gen-Sites

List Of Localities

Website Resources

Image Gallery

Contact Information

Introduction

     Washington County was created in 1776 and was formed from Frederick County. The County was named for George Washington (1732-1799), commander of the Continental forces during the Revolutionary War, and first president of the United States. The County Seat is Hagerstown.

     The western part of Maryland (including the present Washington County) was incorporated into Prince George's County in 1696. This county included six current counties, and by repeated splitting, new ones were generated. The first was Frederick from Prince George's in 1748. Washington County as created included the areas later to become Allegany County (split off in 1789) and Garrett County (included in Allegany County when it was split off in 1789, later split from Allegany County), so included the entire westernmost part of the state of Maryland[2].

     Washington County, located in western Maryland, Appropriately enough, it was Washington County that produced the first monument to George Washington, erected on July 4, 1827 outside of Boonesboro and completed in one day by the townspeople. During the Gettysburg campaigns the monument, which had almost fallen to pieces, was patched with logs and used as a Union signal station. In 1934, ten acres of land, including the monument, were deeded to the State of Maryland, and additional land was

 

subsequently acquired for a state park. A copy of the earlier monument was built of local stone by the Civilian Conservation Corps and rededicated on July 4, 1936.

     Hagerstown, the county seat, lies in the fertile valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the intersection of two important truck routes, I-81 and I-70. These roads follow respectively the historic north-south pathway through the Cumberland and Shenandoah valleys and the old National Pike, over which pioneers for decades traveled to settle in the country beyond the Appalachians.

     The county's rich heritage is a delight for history buffs. Here visitors can roam the Antietam National Battlefield, the site of the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War; Fort Frederick, erected in 1756 for defense against the French and Indians; or the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, stretching from Georgetown to Cumberland.

     Counties adjacent to Washington County are Fulton County, Pennsylvania (northwest), Allegany County (west), Morgan County, West Virginia (southwest), Berkeley County, West Virginia (south), Jefferson County, West Virginia (south), Loudoun County, Virginia (southeast), Frederick County (east), Franklin County, Pennsylvania (northeast).

 

Washington County,

Maryland

Gen Tool-Kit

COUNTY RECORDS  :

Washington County Register of Wills/ Clerk of Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1777 and is located at 95 W. Washington Street, Hagerstown 21740; (301) 739-3612

 

 Washington County Circuit Court Clerk has Land Records from 1777 and Marriage Records from earliest to 1919 and is located at 95 W. Washington Street, Hagerstown 21740; Mailing Address: P.O. Box 229, Hagerstown, MD 21741; 301-733-8660

 

Source: Family History 101 States

 

HISTORICAL SOCIETY:

Washington County Historical Society
135 West Washington Street
Hagerstown 21740

 

Washington County Genealogical Society
RR 1, Box 77-A
Keedysville 21756

 

Source: U. S. Historical Societies Directory

Source: List of historical societies - Wikipedia

COUNTY LIBRARY :

Hagerstown Community College. William M. Brish Library. ( Hagerstown, MD United States) [web site ]  [online catalog]

 

Washington County, MD. Washington County Free Library System. ( Hagerstown, MD United States) [web site ]  [online catalog] [Unicorn]

 

Source: lib-web-cats: Search for Libraries

HISTORICAL PLACES:

List of Registered Historic Places in Maryland

 

Source: List of National Register of Historic Places

Washington County,

Maryland

Surnames

The following are surnames of persons, found within our databases,

as having been either born, married or died in this location.

McVicker; Moreland; Pinnell; Scruggs and allied families

Johnson, William (1705-1785)

Bozarth; Peiffer; Quigley; Rhubart and allied families

 

Dellinger; Knecht; Pfeffer; Silar and allied families

 

To find out more about each surname listed above click on the corresponding LINK.

Additional information regarding these surnames may also be found at:

  Surname Locator Resources

Washington County,

Maryland

Ancestral GenSite(s)

 

 

 

 

 

LOCATION OF IDENTIFIED SITE

 

DIRECTIONS TO IDENTIFIED SITE(s)

 

INTERNET WEB LINK(s)

 

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES(s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOCATION OF IDENTIFIED SITE(s)

 

DIRECTIONS TO IDENTIFIED SITE(s)

 

INTERNET WEB LINK(s)

 

FAMILY HISTORY NOTES(s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Washington County,

Maryland

 

List of Localities

 

The red star in the map at the left designates the

location of the seat of government for this county.

Source: MapQuest

 

The list below will assist in your research regarding the matching of your ancestors birth, marriage, death dates and in what locality of this county these events may have occurred.  Source:  Wikipedia

Washington County contains the following incorporated municipalities:

City:  Hagerstown (incorporated 1813)

 

Towns:   Boonsboro;   Clear Spring;   Funkstown;   Hancock;   Keedysville;   Sharpsburg;   Smithsburg;   Williamsport

 

The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county:    Cavetown;   Chewsville;   Fort Ritchie;   Fountainhead-Orchard Hills (a combination of the communities of Fountainhead and Orchard Hills;   Halfway;   Highfield-Cascade (a combination of the communities of Highfield and Cascade;   Leitersburg;   Maugansville;   Mount Aetna;   Mount Lena;   Paramount-Long Meadow (a combination of the communities of Paramount and Long Meadow;   Robinwood;   Rohrersville;   Saint James;   San Mar;   Wilson-Conococheague (a combination of the communities of Wilson and Conococheague);  

 

Other unincorporated areas not listed as CDP's include:   Beaver Creek;   Big Pool;   Cearfoss;   Downsville;   Fairplay;   Huyett;   Indian Springs;   Mercersville;   PenMar;   Van Lear;   Weverton

 

 

Washington County,

Maryland

Website Resources

The following are links to websites that will provide you with specific

genealogical information to assist with your research for this county. 

General Resource Sites

 

Use the following LINKS to find more information that may pertain to this location.

Washington County,

Maryland

Image Gallery

 

During our research we have collected images and photographs that are of general interest to a variety of localities.  Some of them are presented on this website because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our ancestors past lives.

 

The Burnside Bridge is part of the Antietam National

 Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland.

 

If you have any photographs or other images relating to this ancestral

 location we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.

Use the following LINK to ascertain whether we have any images that pertain to this location.

ANCESTRAL LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHS and IMAGES

 

Contact Information

Email

Pony Express:

Tom
27 Christopher Dr.
Burton, NB E2V3H4
Canada

Email

Snail mail:

Fred
889 Dante Ct.
Mantua, NJ 08051

USA