Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History & Culture Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva's Black History

Source Information

Wills from Caroline, Kent, and Talbot Counties of Maryland, 1688-1886

Probate & Other Court Records • 3,824 Records • Uploaded October 10, 2023

This source contains abstracts of wills from Talbot, Caroline and Kent Counties in Maryland. Probate dates within the series range between 1777-1872 for Talbot, 1688-1886 for Caroline, and 1777-1867 for Kent. Included in this source are entries that refer to enslaved people, servants, "Negroes" or "colored" individuals who are mentioned as a legacy, heir, or deceased individual (if so identified) in the will. The sources for Talbot and Caroline Counties were mainly from the book series of will abstracts compiled by Leslie and Neil Keddie, along with some original will books abstracted using the online resource FamilySearch. The sources for Kent County are from the books Abstracts of Kent County, Maryland Wills Volume 1 & Volume 2 by Christos Christou, Jr. & John Anthony Barnhouser.

The original wills can also be found on the Family Search website under the Maryland Register of Wills Record.
Original will books cited are:
Talbot County - JB3, JB4, JP5, JP6, JP8, JP8, JP9 JHH10, TNC11
Caroline County: CC A, JR A, JR B, JR C, WAF A, WGN B, JBS 1 Kent County: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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Fields Included

The list below shows the data fields included in this source. If a field is marked as Indexed, it is searchable.

  • County
  • Liber:Folio
  • Date of Will (Written)
  • Probate Date
  • Name of Deceased/Testator Indexed
  • Heirs/Legatee Indexed
  • Abstract Indexed
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