The Anne Arundel Genealogical Society wants to help you discover more about your family history. We invite you to become a member, visit our research center, browse our website, and attend our monthly presentations and special events. Our Historical and Genealogical Research Center at the Kuethe Library in Glen Burnie houses more than 6,000 books, many photographs, maps, CDs, and obituary, bible, and church record collections. Because our history is so connected with our neighboring counties and states, we have an extensive collection of material from across Maryland and surrounding states.

Perhaps our most important asset is our staff of experienced genealogists. The people you will meet at the Kuethe Library and at our meetings have a wealth of experience and knowledge they are always willing to share.

Beginning, intermediate, and experienced family history researchers will find resources both usual and unusual in the Kuethe Library. Our monthly meetings feature presentations by experts on a wide variety of genealogy topics. Visitors are welcome.

Let us know how we can help you with your family history research.

On a regular basis, we email notices of upcoming meetings and events, renewal reminders, and newsletters. We have heard from some of you that you aren't receiving our email. Check here for some possible solutions.

AAGS Upcoming Programs - October 5

Join us at 7:00pm on Thursday, October 5, 2023, via Zoom, for our monthly meeting. Rachel Frazier, Deputy Director of Reference Services at the Maryland State Archives, will present an "Introduction to Genealogical Records at the Maryland State Archives." She will provide an overview of the resources at the Archives and will also address materials that were digitized during the pandemic, which are now being indexed and gradually added to the Archives’ online collections. Rachel will return to AAGS on February 1, 2024, for a presentation on Maryland land records.

Rachel Frazier is the Deputy Director of Reference Services at the Maryland State Archives. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Maryland Global Campus in English and History, and a Master of Library and Information Services degree from University of Maryland College Park, with a focus on both library science and archival work.

This program is open to the public. We will email the Zoom link for the meeting to AAGS members the day before the meeting. If you are not a member of AAGS there is a $5 charge to help us defray our expenses. Please register and pay by credit card or PayPal here, and we will email you the link for the program. We request that you register no later than Wednesday, October 4, so we can send you the link in a timely manner.

DNA Special Interest Group

The Anne Arundel Genealogical Society DNA Special Interest Group (SIG) is a member benefit. Kathy Korin and Tom McCarriar are the group moderators.

The group is open to AAGS members at all levels of DNA knowledge and experience. The purpose of the group is to explore the use of DNA as a genealogical tool, and to inform and educate members about the use of DNA in their personal genealogical research.

Our next meeting will be at 7:00pm, EST, Tuesday, October 17, on Zoom. Keep an eye out here for the meeting topic. If you have suggestions for meeting topics, let us know.

We will email the Zoom link to all AAGS members on October 16, the day before the meeting. If you have questions or comments, please email us at dna@aagensoc.org. We're working on the schedule for 2024, so suggestions for topics are welcome.

Glen Haven Memorial Park Cemetery Inscription Day

Are you ready for another AAGS Cemetery Inscription Day?

Then join us on Saturday, October 21, 2023, from 10 am to 1 pm at Glen Haven Memorial Park, 7215 Ritchie Highway, Glen Burnie, MD. Help us record information from memorials for use by family history researchers.

BillionGraves is the world's largest resource for searchable GPS cemetery data. We will be using the BillionGraves app to photograph memorials, which can be indexed and transcribed to make them searchable by millions of families looking for their ancestors. Before you arrive, download the free BillionGraves app to your phone and set up an account. Make sure your phone is fully charged, and set to record GPS locations.

If you have questions, or in case of inclement weather, contact Tina Simmons at tns0301@gmail.com or 410-978-7167.

AA County Citizen Preservation Stewardship Program

Until the 20th century, it was common to establish small family cemeteries on private land. These cemeteries hold an important place in the history of our communities. They represent the resting place of those who made Anne Arundel County the place it is today. The names on the headstones are often the same names given to nearby towns, roads, and landmarks. Unfortunately, unchecked development and vandalism are destroying these important cultural resources.

Anne Arundel has the largest number of cemeteries and the oldest tombstones in Maryland. County regulations do not allow cemeteries to be moved from their original location. To preserve these records of the past, and to respect the final resting places of our ancestors, we need your help documenting the current condition of cemeteries in Anne Arundel County.

Join Anne Arundel County’s Citizen Preservation Stewardship Program to help document and preserve the history of Anne Arundel County. For more information see this flyer, or visit aacounty.org/cemeteries.

AAGS Publications

Grave Matters: Cemetery Inscriptions, Anne Arundel County, Maryland Volumes 1, 2, and 3 provide tombstone inscriptions, and, in some cases, additional information obtained from cemetery records, verbal conversations, privately published records, government records, individuals familiar with the sites, and family members. These books focus on the non-commercial cemeteries north of Route 50 in the county.

Volume 1 contains information on 92 cemeteries in Annapolis Junction, BWI Airport, Ft. Meade, Hanover, Harmans, Jessup, Laurel, Severn, and several sites just beyond the county border.

Volume 2 contains information on 45 cemeteries in Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, Glen Burnie, Linthicum, Millersville, and Odenton.

Volume 3 contains information on 69 cemeteries in Arnold, Crofton, Crownsville, Gambrills, Pasadena, and Severna Park.

The books are fully indexed by surname and maiden name. Alternate cemetery names are also included. All three books can be purchased on Amazon for $25 each. A limited number will be available at the Kuethe Genealogical and Historical Library in Glen Burnie for $25.00 each, or for a reduced price of $60 for the three volume set.

Anne Arundel County Probate Index

The Maryland State Archives is participating in a joint project with the Comptroller of the Treasury, the Registers of Wills, and FamilySearch to have the state's probate records from 1634 to 1940 indexed, scanned, and made available online. Volunteers are preparing the documents for scanning, and indexing the records. Scanned records from this project have already started to appear on the FamilySearch website, but they are not yet indexed. In the meantime, once scanning is completed for a county, the Maryland State Archives and FamilySearch are making the associated index available for researchers.

Scanning of Anne Arundel County probate records has recently been completed. We are excited to make the Anne Arundel County Probate Record Index available to everyone researching their Anne Arundel ancestors at the Maryland Archives. Review this index before you visit the Archives to identify the specific probate documents relating to your ancestors.

Indexes have also been completed for Caroline, Carroll, and Baltimore counties. They are available on the Maryland Genealogical Society website.

Check here for more information about volunteer opportunities at the Maryland Archives.

Member Benefits in Readings Online

Two of our publications, Anne Arundel County, MD Wills Index 1777-1918, and Anne Arundel County, MD Marriage Records 1777-1877, are now available to our members in searchable pdf format. The Wills Index provides an alphabetical list of the primary persons in each of the Anne Arundel County (Maryland) will records between 1778 and 1918, and contains the names of over 3,700 persons, the book number and page number where the record is located at the Maryland State Archives, and the year of the record. The Marriage Index is an index for brides, with 4,736 marriage records.

Click on the links above to preview these publications. Members can access complete copies in Readings Online after logging in to our website. And in case you missed it, pdf copies of The Old Stone House, by Margaret Sparrow, and Louisa C. McPherson's Book, edited by Ray Ringgold and indexed by Audrey Bagby, are already available to our members in Readings Online.

If you prefer hard copies of the Wills Index or Marriage Records, you can still purchase them for $5 in our Store, while supplies last.

AAGS Publication - Abstracts of Land Records Anne Arundel County, Maryland (Volume 8)

This is the eighth volume of a series started by the Anne Arundel Genealogical Society. It covers the period of 1754-1763. While the title is Abstracts of Land Records there is much more than just land transactions in these volumes. They include all the transactions recorded by the court clerk. The abstracts of land transactions include basic information including; grantor, grantee, date of deed and of recordation; consideration paid, and release of dower. Many of the transactions are not sales but what today we would call a mortgage or a loan. Collateral for such loans were the land, indentured servants, slaves, animals, and other items of value. Other actions recorded include the finding of stray horses, the ships and freight rates for sending tobacco to London, the release of soldiers, and other matters. Some of the transactions were carried out in Great Britain or other Maryland counties but involve current or former Anne Arundel County residents or property in the county.

Abstracts of Land Records, Volume 8 can be purchased on Amazon.com. Click here to buy your copy.

Planning to Visit the Kuethe Library?

You can make the most of your time by doing some research online before you arrive. More than 5,000 of our books are now listed in the Anne Arundel County Public Library catalog. We’ve also posted indexes of our Bible records, genealogy (surname) files, and more here on our website. And we are working on an index for our Anne Arundel County obituary records. Take a few minutes to check these resources at home so you can head straight to the information you need when you arrive. We hope to see you soon at the Kuethe Library!

Join Us on Facebook

Already on Facebook? Log in to your Facebook page, then enter and choose Anne Arundel Genealogical Society in the search box, and ask to join. We have reached over 1,000 AAGS Facebook Group members nationwide!

New to Facebook? Go to www.facebook.com. Provide the information requested to set up your free account. Then you can "friend" other Facebook members and share your comments, photos, videos, and favorite websites. You can join groups (AAGS, for example) and send public and private messages to your Facebook friends. It's a great way to meet other genealogists and maybe even make contact with long lost relatives. Give it a try!