Have you ever wondered what other resources, besides books, are available to researchers at the historical society? Whether you are researching family history, or locations in Cecil County, or events in Cecil County, the historical society is here with many resources available.

All of our digital records are only accessible in person on our computers. When you find a record or some other item you wish to save, all you need to do is put it on the computer’s desktop, then email it to yourself OR take a picture of it with your phone.

This is the list of resources & a very brief description of each.

Birth Records – This is NOT a set of records of all Cecil County births. Your ancestor might be there.

Board of Health Records (1902 – 1908) – Each month the Cecil County Board of Health had meetings about health issues in the county, as well as suspected well water issues. It’s all hand written, but easy to read for the most part. Meeting minutes are included, as well as lists of patient’s names, mostly children. The names are listed, as well as the town in which they resided, the age of the patient, the illness they have, their doctor’s name, and notes about the patient.

Burial Permits (1906 – 1958) – These records are list according to the year, then in alphabetical order. Records include the person’s name, sex, date of death, cause of death, place of death, and burial site.

Burns Cemetery Records – Gary Burns, a former volunteer, compiled this Excel file and included as many cemetery records as he could find. There are churches, town cemeteries, and some family plots.

Cecil County Court Records (1701 – 1732) These records are handwritten in that old-fashioned, scrolly handwriting that is so hard to read. Don’t let that stop you from reading them though.

Cecil County Justice of the Peace (1800s – 1950s) – Handwritten, but may include information you need

Cecil County Road Books – Hand drawn maps from early Cecil County. The advantage of these digital pictures is that you can enlarge them to see them better.

Census Records (1850, 1860, and some of 1880) – These are not the regular census forms, but are the agriculture, manufacturing, mortality, and social statistics schedules.

Civil War Pension Book (1862) – This lists bounty payments to Cecil County citizens or beneficiaries from Snow’s Battery, Purnell’s Legion, and other units who fought for the North.

Cecil County Commissioners’ Meetings (1845 – 1938) – these are meeting minutes that include the names of the persons attending.

Elkton Town Records (1867 – 1952) – These include bills received, expenses, and disbursements of payments.

Grant Funeral Home (1887, 1891 – 1924) – This is the accounts book for the funeral home, which was located in Cherry Hill.

Levy Books (1794 – 1838) Handwritten, lists property owners & amounts paid

Marriage Records – This is NOT a list of all marriages in the county. There is a list of weddings performed at the Little Wedding Chapel from 1981 – 1986.

McCauley Diary Index – The 46 volumes, covering day-to-day activities in Cecil from 1851 to 1897, span an important period in the county’s history. On those pages, you will find Judge McCauley’s notes about the passage of life, his work as a surveyor, and some major events in the nation.

Minutes of Transfers of Real and Personal Property; Commencing March 15, 1832 AND Proceedings of the Commissioners of the Tax (August 1813 – July 1821) These two documents show real estate transfers and taxes due on them. These records include enslaved persons and their sex, age, and value.

Poor House Books (1789 – 1952) – This was also called the Alms House. This includes the names of residents, names of the trustees, and meeting notes. Mostly hand written.

Rent Rolls (1658 – 1776) – Colonial records of the rent collected in the county

Slave Records (1853 – 1864) – Yes, this exists and it’s very sad to read. This is helpful to African Americans trying to do genealogy. All slave owners are not listed. Some did not list the names of their slaves. This is handwritten and arranged by owner’s name and district in which they lived.

Tax Records (1786 -1896) -These are arranged by location and name.

Trinity Parish (1861 – 1863, 1923 – 1929, marriage records for 1929 – 1957) – This Elkton Church’s records are very well organized! This includes vestry minutes, the rector’s record, burials, communicants, and baptism.

 

 

 

 

Digital Newspapers

We have 15 different newspapers that have been digitized. Most are from Cecil County, but also have several from surrounding counties.

The list includes:

Aegis (Harford County) – 1972 -April 1984

Cecil County Star -1930 – 1939

Cecil Democrat – 1848 – 1980

Cecil Republican and Gazette – 1832 – 1842

Cecil Star – 1886 – 1926

Cecil Whig – 1841 – 1941, 1944 – 1946, 2010

Elkton Appeal – 1884 – 1907

Elkton Courier – 1836 – 1837

Elkton Press – 1823 – 1832

Havre Republican (Harford County) – 1868 – 1946

Midland Journal – 1885 – 1946

Perryville Record – 1891 – 1904

Rising Sun Herald – 1989 – 1994

Rising Sun Journal and Home Journal –

Oxford – Chester County Press (Chester County, PA)

Another periodical we have digitized is the Upper Shoreman (1963 – 1987)