Researching Your Black Catholic Roots

   

When the Archdiocese of Baltimore was established at the end of the eighteenth century,  it was estimated that twenty percent of Maryland’s Catholic population was black. Many had been here for several generations, descendants of Africans who had been brought here enslaved. Others had arrived recently as immigrants, including a number who were refugees from the Haitian Revolution. Black Catholics have always been a diverse and significant part of Maryland’s Catholic community, comprised initially of both free and enslaved who spoke several languages and observed different cultural traditions. All made important contributions to the development of the Catholic Church here.  

When researching your black Catholic ancestors, the most valuable resource for locating information are the sacramental registers maintained by the parishes of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In these records one will find such information as the names of the individuals who received the sacrament, parent and sponsor information, and dates the sacraments were performed. When available, other types of church records, including census, confraternity, and parish directories, can also be helpful in locating family members. Examples of different types of church records that can be found in our holdings have been included for you below.

For those researching ancestors who were enslaved, the challenges can seem daunting, but each year more resources are being made available. Information to assist those researching their Maryland roots can be found below. They range from genealogy workshops prepared specifically for those interested in tracing their African American ancestors to historic newspapers and city directories to military records. 

Church Records

Archdiocese of Baltimore (Maryland counties of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington)

In 2018, the Archdiocese of Baltimore initiated a project to digitize its sacramental registers in a public/private partnership with the leading family history website FindMyPast. Records over 100 years old are being made available to researchers through the Catholic Heritage Archive, where they can be viewed for free. Records currently unavailable through Catholic Heritage Archives can be accessed on microfilm. Please see the main Genealogy page for more detailed information. 

Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. (Maryland counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s)

The sacramental registers of the following parishes can be found on microfilm at the Maryland State Archives: St. Ignatius Church,  Port Tobacco (Charles County) and St. Mary’s of the Mills, Laurel (Prince George’s). Individuals will need to contact all other parishes directly for assistance:  Parish Contact Information.

Transcriptions of early sacramental records for St. Mary’s County can be found in:

Edwin Warfield Beitzell’s The Jesuit Missions of St. Mary’s County, Maryland, 1960, 1975, 1976. 

Agnes Kane Callum’s Flower of the Forest Black Genealogical Journal (1982-1998)

The early sacramental records for Holy Trinity Church, Washington, D.C., have been digitized and are available through Georgetown University. Other important resources, including historical databases, can be accessed through the parish’s website.

Diocese of Wilmington (Maryland counties of Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester)

The Diocese of Wilmington will be making available online searchable indices for baptisms and marriages through 1900 and burials at diocesan cemeteries, 1876-2012, in the near future. Please check the Archives‘ website for updates.

Transcriptions of early sacramental records for these counties can be found in:

F. Edward Wright’s Vital Records of the Jesuit Missions of the Eastern Shore, 1760-1800, 1986.

Joseph C. Cann’s History of Saint Francis Xavier Church and Bohemia Plantation Now Known as Old Bohemia, 1976.

The sacramental registers of the following parish can be found on microfilm at the Maryland State Archives: St. Joseph’s Church, Cordova (Talbot).

 

Examples of different types of church records.

Click on the image to see a larger version of the file. Click here for information on the documents.

                                                                                                       

  Society of the Holy Family                                     Easter Duty List                                           St. Peter’s pro-Cathedral

      Membership List,                                       St. Mary’s Seminary Chapel                                       Marriage Records

          1843-1844                                                          1810-1811                                                             1791-1792

 

         

Helpful Resources

Black Catholic Parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore

If you are uncertain which parish your ancestors may have attended, a list of current and historic parishes has been compiled by county.

Online Resources

State/Federal

Maryland State Archives

• Researching African American Families
• Online Genealogy Workshops
• Maryland City Directories
• Maryland Census Indices (1776, 1778, 1870, 1880)

County

Anne Arundel County Public Library

Baltimore City Archives

Regional

University of Maryland Libraries

Enoch Pratt Free Library

National

National Archives and Records Administration

• Genealogy
• Resources
• Maryland and Delaware, Freedmen’s Bureau Field Office Records, 1865-1872

 

Genealogy

Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. – Central Maryland Chapter

Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade

Free African Americans in VA, NC, SC, MD, and DE

Georgetown Slavery Archive

History of Enslaved People at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School

Last Seen: Finding Families after Slavery

Maryland Genealogical and Historical Societies

O Say Can You See: Early Washington, D.C., Law & Family

Oceans of Kinfolk

Ten Million Names

 

History

Slavery

Digital Library of American Slavery

History of Slavery – Maryland

Guide to the History of Slavery – Maryland

Legacy of Slavery –  Maryland

Slavery Commission – Maryland

 

Emancipation

Freedmen and Southern Society Project

Freedmen’s Bureau Search Portal

 

Military Service

Patriots of Color Database – American Revolution

 

Digitized Newspapers

If you have a valid library card, a number of regional and national newspapers can be accessed through the public library system, including the Baltimore Afro American for the years 1893-1988 and the Baltimore Sun for the years 1837-1991.

The Maryland State Archives has digitized a number of newspapers that have been published over the state’s history, which can be accessed through their website: historic newspapers.

 

Selection of Published Resources

Agnes Kane Callum, Flower of the Forest Black Genealogical Journal, c. 1982-1998.

Agnes Kane Callum, Inscriptions From the Tombstones at Mount Calvary Cemetery, 1926-1982 (Glen Burnie). Baltimore: Mullac Co., 1985.

Ralph Clayton, Free Blacks of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 1850. Heritage Books, 1987.

Ralph Clayton, Black Baltimore, 1820-1870, Heritage Books, 1997.

Ralph Clayton, Slavery, Slaveholding, and the Free Black Population of Antebellum Baltimore. Heritage Books, 1987.

Marsha Lynne Fuller, African American Manumissions of Washington County, Maryland. Westminster, MD: Willow Bend Books, 2d ed., 2019.

Paul Heinegg, Free African Americans of Maryland and Delaware From the Colonial Period to 1810. Clearfield, 2000. See his website for the most up-to-date information.

Jerry M. Hynson, Free African Americans of Maryland 1832, Including:  Allegany, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s and St. Mary’s Counties. Heritage Books, 2009.

Jerry M. Hynson, Maryland Freedom Papers. Westminster, MD: Family Line Publications, 1996-2025.

Ronald Vern Jackson, Maryland 1860 Slave Schedule. North Salt Lake, UT: Accelerated Indexing System International, 1991.

Phebe R. Jacobsen, Researching African American Families at the Maryland State Archives. Annapolis: Maryland State Archives, rev. ed., 2018.

Henry C. Peden, Jr., African American Cemeteries in Harford County, Maryland. Berwyn Heights, MD: Heritage Books, 2022.

Dorothy S. Provine, Registrations of Free Negroes, 1806-1863, Prince George’s County, Maryland. Washington, DC: Columbian Harmony Society, 1990.

James M. Rose, Alice Eichholz, Black Genesis: A Resource Book for African-American Genealogy. 2d ed.; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 2003