Marriage Licenses of Caroline County, Maryland, 1774-1815

Description

Caroline County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, was formed in 1774 from parts of Queen Anne’s and Dorchester counties, which now constitute Caroline’s northern and southern boundaries. It is bound on the west by Talbot County and on the east by Kent and Sussex counties, Delaware, so it is indeed a county of genealogical significance. The marriage licenses transcribed herein represent all those recorded during the forty years immediately following Caroline’s erection. The licenses were copied from the records in the office of the Clerk of the County Court, and but one year–1776–is missing. The listings are arranged chronologically and name over 4,000 brides and grooms, with the men named first. This material originally appeared in three issues, in 1904, of the “Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography.”