Documents
This page is reserved for documents, ours or contributed, that may be of interest for those researching various aspects of the history of African Americans of Frederick County.
All Smothers in Maryland Census 1790 - 1858 This file contains listings of the US Census records for all individuals in Maryland by the name of Smothers from 1790 to 1850, including the 1850 Slave Schedule. (W) following the surname of the head of the household means white, (B) or (Mu) means African American. Note that there may be other individuals by the name of Smother, and such persons are not included in this list.
Maryland Law Requiring Registration of Free Negroes - 1806 This is an important law that parallels one in Virginia of the same year. The Maryland law, however, did not require that the registrations be recorded in a book by each county clerk. Hence there are (unfortunately) no "Free Negro Registers" for Maryland Counties. Some counties, however, do have copies of some of the certificates that free Negroes were required to obtain and carry.