Welcome to Wicomico County MDGenWeb
Wicomico County, whose name comes from Native American words meaning "place where houses are built", was part of "Old Somerset", which once encompassed the entire lower Eastern Shore area of Maryland and was settled as early as the 1660s. The original boundaries of Somerset County were split in 1742, when Worcester County was formed, and again in 1867 with the formation of Wicomico County from parts of Somerset and Worcester. By 1750, the dispute over the southern boundary of Delaware was finally over, and Lord Baltimore lost the Sussex County area to William Penn. Another close neighbor is Dorchester County, Maryland.
Today, Wicomico County is an area of contrasts. The bustling big city atmosphere of the county seat, Salisbury, stands in sharp relief to tranquil, sleepy farming areas like Tyaskin, quiet country villages such as Powellville, quaint fishing towns like Nanticoke, and seemingly untouched, "lost in time" villages such as Whitehaven, where you can still ride a ferry that has been in operation for almost 300 years across the Wicomico River.
Don't Miss
Finding Your Wicomico Ancestors
Eight quick ways into the collection.
Records
Transcribed Historical Records
Deeds, family Bibles, wills, petitions, church material, and other records preserved on this site.
Queries & Surnames
Query & Surname Registry NEW
Post a genealogy query, register the surnames you research, and connect with others working on Wicomico families.
Cemeteries
Paul J. Willing Cemeteries Project
Cemetery locations, gravestone transcriptions, burial information, and photographs from throughout Wicomico County.
Maps & Land
Historic and Rectified Maps
Put old roads, landowners, communities, election districts, waterways, and tracts onto the landscape.
1877 Atlas
Lake, Griffing & Stevenson
Browse the county's 1877 election-district maps and town plans.
History
Stories, Articles & Written Artifacts
People-centered local history, community stories, letters, and other material that adds context to the records.
Census
Wicomico Census Resources
Find census material for the county and remember to search Somerset and Worcester for families before 1867.
Books & Collections
Read Larger Collections Online
Books, transcribed volumes, store accounts, and substantial Lower Eastern Shore research collections.
Search Wicomico Genealogy Resources
Search the county site by surname, place, church, tract, cemetery, or topic.
Questions, Corrections, and Contributions
If you find a broken link, have a correction, know of a useful Wicomico research resource, or have records or historical material you would like to share, please contact the site coordinator.
Please understand that the county coordinator cannot provide individual genealogical research, but this site is designed to help you locate records, repositories, maps, transcriptions, and other sources that may move your own research forward.
Wicomico County MDGenWeb Coordinator: Shari Handley · Email the coordinator · Learn how to contribute material