This invaluable resource provides a wealth of information on wills from the late 17th century in Maryland. Featuring extensive transcriptions and annotations of wills from this period, The Maryland Calendar of Wills is an essential tool for anyone interested in genealogical research or the social history of the region. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

In 1904, Jane Baldwin published the first volume of The Maryland Calendar of Wills series. The purpose of her work, as expressed in her introduction, was to meet the need of students of history and genealogists. She expected that her compilations would also assist in tracing titles to properties. Embracing the same goal, F. Edward Wright has continued the series. Following the Baldwin format, abstracts include the date of the drawing of the will and the date of probate. Abstracts give the names of all persons mentioned in the original will, including witnesses, names of tracts, acreage and situation, or means by which a property came into the possession of the testator. A full name index adds to the value of this work.