Queen Annes County History


 Queen Anne's County History

  • The original inhabitants were the Matapeakes, Ozinies, Monoponsons, and the Choptanks.
  • In 1608 Capt.John Smith named Queen Anne's County "Brooke's Forest"
  • In 1627 Comm.William Clayborne chose Kent Island as the site for a trading post and the first settlement in Maryland, which is now part of Queen Anne's County.
  • Queen Anne's County was originally Kent County from 1632 through 1662.
  • Queen Anne's County was embraced as part of Talbot County in 1662, excluding Kent Island.
  • Queen Anne's County was erected in 1706, including Kent Island.
  • The county was named for Queen Anne who had ascended the throne a few years prior.
  • Queen Anne's County is 401 square miles or 257,920 acres.
  • The county is bound by Kent County to the NW, Delaware and Caroline County at the E and SE, Talbot County to the S, and the Chesapeake Bay to the W.
  • The county seat was Queenstown from 1706 until 1784.
  • In 1784 the county seat was removed to Centreville.
  • Queen Anne's planters and farmers grew - Buckwheat, Indian Corn, Oats, Rye, Wheat, Hay, Irish Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Orchard Products.
  • By 1880 there were 1279 farms in Queen Anne's County.
For more information on Queen Anne's History, it's inhabitants, settlers, their way of life and their place in Maryland and America's History you should read the following:
  • Queen Anne's County Maryland by Frederick Emory
  • Old Kent: The Eastern Shore of Maryland by George Hanson
  • Early Buildings and Historic Artifacts in Tidewater Maryland, 1.The Eastern Shore by Dr.H.Chandlee Forman
  • Queenstown, The Social History of a Small American Town, by Harry C.Rhodes
  • Chesapeake Bay in the Civil War by Eric Mills Return to Queen Anne County
Reviewing What's On The Bokshelves "1860 Federal Census of Queen Anne's County, Maryland"

The 1860 Census contains the names of the 10,929 individuals residing in the county on the eve of the American Civil War. Within a year many families would be split apart and the family unit would never be as intact or as stable again. The format most closely follows that used by the enumerator and includes the name, sex, age, race, occupation, place of birth, and whether married within the year preceding the census. Individuals are grouped according to the election district within which they resided and the post office which served the household. 312 pages, paper, spiral bound. 

"Chesapeake Conflict: The Troublesome Early Days of Maryland"

In 1621, William Clayborne of England arrived in Virginia as a surveyor and later became a prominent official in the local government. He built up a successful fur trade, operating from Kent Island, which he discovered, purchased, named, and settled in 1628. In 1632, the English King gave a patent, which included Kent Island, to his friend Lord Baltimore. Clayborne/Claiborne disputed the action. The Claiborne/Baltimore conflict dominated events and issues that helped to shape the Maryland colony, and was the opening salvo in a series of disputes over Chesapeake rights which have never been completely resolved. This book is a must if you enjoyed Maryland's First Settlement and want to know more, or if you have early Maryland ancestors.  Author, Gene Williamson has included illustrations and a searchable index.

"Baptisms of Talbot Circuit 1842-1867 and Sardis Methodist Episopal Chruch 1875-1890"

A compilation by Helen E. Seymour. These baptisms took place in St.Michaels, Bayside, Ferry Neck, Royal Oak, Trappe, Bolingbrook, Miles River Neck, Broad Creek Neck, Oxford, Oxford Neck and Tilghman's Island in Talbot County, Maryland. Scattered among the pages are baptisms performed in Centreville,Queen Anne's County, Potato Neck, Somerset County, Hillsboro, Caroline County, and Dorchester County. Ages and birthdays make this an excellent genealogical source. It has a complete surname index.