• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

St. Mary's County Library

Header Right

  • My Account
  • How Do I?
  • Contact Us
  • Get a Library Card Today!

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

  • Read, Listen, Watch
    • Search the Catalog
    • eBooks and Audiobooks
    • Streaming Movies and Music
    • eMagazines
    • Search MD Libraries
    • Check Out a Hotspot
    • Check Out a Ukulele
    • Suggest a Title for Purchase
    • Recommended Reading
    • On the Shelf Blog
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Library Services
    • Get a Library Card
    • Using your Library Card
    • SMART Card
    • Curbside Pickup
    • Computers and Printing
    • 3D Printing
    • Meeting and Study Rooms
    • Makerspace at Leonardtown Library
    • Donate to the Library
    • Exam Proctoring
    • Notary Service
    • Tell Us Your Library Story
  • Research and Learn
    • All Online Resources
    • Genealogy and Local History
    • Language Learning
    • LinkedIn Learning
    • Cisco Networking Academy
    • Job Seeker’s Toolkit
    • Resources for Grant Seekers
    • Computer And Technology Instruction
    • Homework Help
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Kids Events
    • Teen Events
    • Adult Events
    • Book Discussions
    • Computer And Technology Instruction
  • Kids
    • Kids Events
    • Virtual Storytime
    • Homework Help
    • SMART Card
    • Recommended Reading
    • Tumble Book Library
    • 500 by Five
    • Ready to Read
    • Resources For Parents And Educators
  • Teens
    • Teens at the Library
    • Teen Events
    • Homework Help
    • SMART Card
    • Recommended Reading
    • Resources For Parents And Educators
  • About Us
    • Locations And Hours
    • Library Policies
    • Library Administration
    • Board of Library Trustees
    • Strategic Plan
    • Accessibility
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • Donate to the Library
    • Jobs At The Library
    • Volunteer At The Library
    • Friends Of The St. Mary’s County Library
    • St. Mary’s County Library Foundation
    • Community Partners
Genealogy and Local History

Genealogy and Local History Resources Available at the St. Mary’s County Libraries

  • A number of online resources, including Ancestry.com (available only in Library buildings) and HeritageQuest Online. See our Genealogy and Local History Online Resources page for more information.
  • St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society Collection in the Maryland Room at Leonardtown Library
    • Local family histories, county and Maryland history, Census, cemetery records, marriage licenses, and county and Maryland death records.
    • These reference materials cannot be checked out, but can be used within the library.
  • St. Mary’s County Newspaper Archive
    • Searchable database of:
      • The Beacon: 1923-1984, with gaps
      • The Enterprise: 1952-3 months ago, with gaps
      • The Tester: 1948-1962
      • Naval Air Test Center and NAS Patuxent River command histories through 1952
    • Having trouble viewing the newspapers? Try our Newspaper Archive Troubleshooting Guide
    • The Beacon, 1852-1921, is available online (with gaps) from the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers website
      • Because the paper operated under different names, there are three newspapers available on the site: Saint Mary’s beacon, St. Mary’s beacon, and St. Mary’s gazette. Use the Chronicling America: Maryland Newspapers page to access the collection.
  • County newspapers on microfilm at the Lexington Park Library
    • The Beacon: 1852-1984, with gaps
      • Subject Index of The Beacon, 1852-1890
    • The Enterprise: 1952-present
    • For information about accessing the microfilm, please call the Information Desk at 301-863-8188 or send questions to lexi.ref@stmalib.org.
  • Digital editions of the following are available on all public computers at all three libraries:
    • The Enterprise: 1952-3 months ago, with gaps
    • The Beacon: 1923-1984, with gaps
    • The Tester (1943-1962, with gaps in the early years), the newspaper of the US Naval Air Test Center
    • NAS Pax River Command Histories from the 1940s and 1950s
  • Maryland collection at all three libraries
    • Includes various print resources, including Maryland and St. Mary’s County history books and genealogical resources.

Local History Resources Available Elsewhere

  • Maryland Historic Trust Inventory of Historic Properties in St. Mary’s County
  • Southern Maryland Studies Center at CSM
    • Located in LaPlata, the SMSC is a central location for research on this historically important region. Students, historians, genealogists, and community members use SMSC’s resources to study the culture and development of Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s, and southern areas of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties.
  • St. Mary’s College of Maryland Archives
    • The SMCM archives provide for the acquisition, organization, description, preservation, and availability of unique materials documenting the history of the school as well as the history of Southern Maryland, particularly St. Mary’s County.
  • St. Mary’s County Genealogical Society
  • St. Mary’s County Historic Preservation Commission
    • St. Mary’s County Cemetery Project
    • Cemetery Database – Updated October 2020
    • Cemetery Database Footnotes
    • To contribute information to the database, pick up a form at the library.
  • St. Mary’s County Historical Society
    • Located at Tudor Hall in Leonardtown.
    • The Research Center is open Thurs-Fri, 11am-4pm, and the second and fourth Saturdays of every month, 10am-4pm. Closed from mid-December through January.
    • Reach the Business Office by phone at 301-475-2467.
    • Family Files Index – An alphabetical list of all the family files in the SMCHS Research Center, updated October 2021

Keep in Touch

Get Our App

Connect With Us

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

St. Mary's County Library

Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 – 5 p.m. (Lexington Park Library only)

 

Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library

St. Mary’s County Library Foundation

Locations

Charlotte Hall Library
37600 New Market Rd., Charlotte Hall, MD
301-884-2211

Leonardtown Library
23630 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD
301-475-2846

Lexington Park Library
21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD
301-863-8188

Quick Links

  • My Account
  • Search the Catalog
  • eBooks and Audiobooks
  • Streaming Movies and Music
  • Search MD Libraries
  • Online Resources
  • Events
  • Meeting Rooms
  • Mobile Apps
  • Mobile Print Service
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility
FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog