Local History and Genealogy

Photo of the Chesapeake City Canal Bridge

Local History Resources

  • Capturing Cecil County
    Watch videos of Cecil County Public Library local history programs.
  • Chronicling America: Cecil Whig
    Find digitized issues of the Cecil Whig from the first issue (August 7, 1841) until December 25, 1920.
     
  • Microfilm: Cecil Whig
    A roll of microfilm

    Located at the Elkton Central Library, rolls of film from August 7, 1841 to December 2010. The microfilm machine may be used with the assistance of the reference staff. Additionally, there are paper copies of the newspapers after 2010.
     
  • Historical Society of Cecil County
    The online home of the Historical Society of Cecil County, which makes available information on Cecil County history and genealogy.
     
  • Yearbooks at the Historical Society of Cecil County 
    A list of yearbooks located at the Historical Society of Cecil County, which you can view on site.
     
  • Yearbooks at the Cecil County Public Library
    A list of yearbooks owned by CCPL. These can be viewed in our branches.
     
  • Local History Books in our Collection
    A list of local history books owned by the Cecil County Public Library. Some of these items are not available for checkout—you need to visit the library in order to view the reference collection.

Genealogy Resources

  • Maryland Historical Society
    The online home of the Maryland Historical Society, which is a starting place for exploring the people, places and events that shaped Maryland’s past.
     
  • Maryland Land Records (must create an account)
    The Maryland Judiciary, the 24 elected Court Clerks of Maryland, and the Maryland State Archives have joined in partnership to provide up to date access to all verified land record instruments in Maryland. An account is required, but the service is free.
     
  • Maryland: Request Certificates (Birth, Death, Marriage, etc.)
    Instructions for requesting birth, death, marriage, and other certificates from the Maryland Department of Health.
     
  • Enoch Pratt Genealogy Resources
    The Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore has an extensive genealogy collection with great resources. Scroll to the bottom of the page for website links.

Heritage Quest

Heritage Quest logo

HeritageQuest includes federal census records, source documents, and indexes. Rich with demographic and genealogical detail, the collection contains personal data such as education, place of birth, language, occupation, veteran status.

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