The Genealogical Research Guide for Cecil County, Maryland (revised edition) by Darlene McDowell McCall is an informative out-of-print title packed with guidance and information for anyone starting on genealogy in the county. Last updated in 1997, it served as a good starting point for anyone seeking to discover records and sources.
The last edition of this twenty-year-old volume was published just as the Internet age was starting to transform research. Records, in the mid-and late-1990s, were paper or microfilm based, requiring a visit to the courthouse, the Historical Society, State Archives, or some other special collections library.
Of course, in the passing decades, we have seen a revolution in research methods as records became available in digital repositories for online access. But still, the methods and records groups one needs to access to investigate genealogy haven’t changed. The transformation has been in the way we access the records as the research strategies have largely remained the same.
Since the title still provides insightful guidance for anyone beginning on genealogy in this area, the author recently gave the Historical Society of Cecil County permission to publish it online in the Society’s virtual library. Here is the link.
Remember it is a publication from 1997 so many of the addresses and locations of records have changed in the age of the World Wide Web. But you will find helpful pages addressing the types of records you need to access to dig into family history and the types of insights you will be able to extract from primary sources. Too, there may have been additions to collections.
Thank you Darlene for allowing us to place your helpful work online.
Link does not work. thanks
Bob check it again. I rebuilt the link. Thanks for letting us know.
I am getting a 404 page not found error when I click on the link.
Emily, the Historical Society has redesigned its website. You might message them to get the new URL.