Maryland Genealogical Society
Maryland Genealogical Society

Welcome!

Since 1959, the Maryland Genealogical Society has been promoting genealogical study and research.   Through our publications, programs, resources, and outreach, the Society can help you explore your family history.
 
If you are already a member of the Society, you can log in by clicking on the Members Only link. If you are not already a member, we encourage you to become a member and begin receiving all the benefits of membership.  
 
And we hope that you'll follow us on Facebook for timely news and information.
 
        
    
                      
 

Basics+ Workshop

Cracking the Code: Tools For Successful DNA Research
Saturday, June 21, 2025
9:45am - 3:30pm EDT
Virtual event via Zoom
 
Whether you are relatively new to using DNA or more experienced, our virtual Basics+ Workshop, Cracking the Code: Tools For Successful DNA Research, will help you make the most of this important genealogical research tool. 
 
The agenda provides details on the timing of the event. Presentations will include: 
  • 3 Types of DNA, 4 Challenging Types of Families, 5 DNA Testing Companies: Help Me Understand​ 
  • Successful Sleuthing, Not Stalking, for DNA Matches
  • Lunch and Learn: Q&A
  • Ancestry Pro Tools: Increase Your DNA Analysis
  • Strategies to Identify Your DNA Matches: Case Studies
Recordings of the presentations will be available to registrants for later viewing for 60 days.
 
Our presenter is Kelli Jo Bergheimer, a writer, teacher, editor, author, and international genealogical speaker.  Kelli is the Director of Education for Your DNA Guide and is the Director of Curriculum and Assessments for Blue Kayak, a K-12 textbook company. Kelli also runs Mess on the Desk, a genealogical organization company with a YouTube channel. Kelli is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
 
Registration Info
$40 for MGS members, $50 for non-members. Registration deadline: Noon, EDT, June 20, 2025. 
 
Members: First, be sure you log in as a member. Then click here to register at the member price.
 
Nonmembers: To register using PayPal or a credit card, fill in the requested information below and click on the "Add to Cart" button.
 
2025 Basics+ - Non-member
Name
Email address
 
 
 

Finding Your Roots: Organize Your Genealogy

Although the live sessions of our workshop series Finding Your Roots: Organize Your Genealogy have ended, you can still register to view the series on demand.  Our partner, Maryland Public Television, maintains the event registration page and will provide new registrants with links to the recorded sessions. The cost of the series is $100.00. Registration will close on May 15.
 
Four (4) two-hour sessions are designed to help you organize the many aspects of your genealogical research.  
Sessions include:
  • What To Do With All That Data
  • Make It Easy to Write and Share Family Stories
  • Organize and Preserve Your Family Archive
  • All Those DNA Matches - What Do They Mean?
Registrants will also receive a one-year introductory membership to the Maryland Genealogical Society (not applicable to current MGS members) and a one-year MPT Passport membership or membership extension.  
 
Sessions are led by two nationally known speakers. Annette Burke Lyttle has been the presenter for several previous MGS/MPT workshop series. She holds the Certified Genealogist® credential and owns Heritage Detective, LLC, providing professional genealogical services in research, education, and writing. Annette is a course coordinator for the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG), a past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists, and editor of The Florida Genealogist. Kelli Bergheimer is a writer, teacher, editor, and international genealogical speaker. She is the Director of Curriculum and Assessments for Blue Kayak, a K-12 textbook company, and the Director of Education for Your DNA Guide, a genetic genealogy education company. Kelli runs a small business—Mess on the Desk, a genealogical organization company with a YouTube channel. Kelli is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
 
 

April 2025 MGS News

 
The April 2025 edition of MGS News is now available. If you are a MGS member, you should have received the issue by email. If you are a member and haven't provided us with your email, please contact us at info@mdgensoc.org so that you can begin to receive MGS News. 
 
Archived copies of this issue and previous issues are available in the Member's Only area. 
 
 
 
 
 

All Issues of the MGS Journal Online

All issues of the Maryland Genealogical Society Journal, from 2008 to the present, are available online to MGS members! The Journal’s predecessor publication, the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, already was online, which means that members can access over 60 years of informative articles on Maryland families and genealogical records. 
 
To access the issues, sign in as a member and select “MGS Bulletin & Journal” from the dropdown menu under "Members Only" on the left navigation bar. To learn what articles appear in each issue, you can consult the Journal cumulative table of contents and the Bulletin cumulative table of contents. Cumulative indexes for all volumes also are available for review.
 
New issues of the Journal will be posted as they are published.
 
 
 

MGS Journal

 
In the most recent issue of the Journal, Malissa Ruffner, as part of the work of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, recounts the story of Jim Wilson, a free man of color who lived in Caroline County in the middle of the nineteenth century. He was accused of the murder of a young girl and arrested, but before he could be brought to trial, he was lynched by a mob. Malissa traces his family and his life as a way of restoring his humanity and his place in the community.
 
John Sinks presents the history of the Gaither family, ranging over several counties in Maryland and North Carolina and including five generations named John, and he corrects some previous confusion. Lee Garlock traces the Petticoart family, including the many variations in the spelling of their surname. The article examines the factual data for the family progenitor and addresses various claims that have become widespread on several web-based platforms, some of which can be proven to be based on false premises. Who was the mother of Eliza Jane (Starr) Doxen? Fitting together pieces of information from census records, Quaker meeting minutes, marriage records, newspapers, and city directories, Daphne Gabb has created a picture of how the Starr family and their associates overlapped in Baltimore and has shown that Joseph Starr actually married two women named Rebecca.
 
 As always, we keep you informed about new genealogy publications with Allender Sybert’s reviews, including the most recent edition of Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence Explained.
 
MGS Members can read this newest issue online in the Members Only section. All are welcome to consult the full table of contents and the tables of contents of earlier issues. Earlier issues of the Journal are available for sale, and members receive a discounted price. We are actively seeking articles for the Journal, and encourage you to take a look at our submission guidelines. 
 
 

Used Genealogy Books For Sale

(Image by Emma Lopez, posted on Flickr under a Creative Commons license.)MGS has an inventory of used genealogy-related books available for purchase on the For Sale page. MGS members receive a 12% discount on purchases. (Be sure to be signed in on the website as a member before ordering!) All prices already include shipping and handling. Sales are first come, first served!

In addition to books on Maryland, our current inventory includes the following topics: family histories; U.S., British, German, New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia research; photography, lineage societies, royalty and nobility, heraldry, and general interest. We will be adding books as they become available.