Rosters, Washington County Militia, circa 1776

The collection is divided into six series: Militia Enlistments, Maryland Line Enlistments, Accounts of Provisions, Pay Accounts and Payrolls, Oaths of Allegiance, and miscellaneous records.

Series I, Militia Enlistments are Maryland militia papers including enlistments, muster rolls, and rosters.

Series II, Maryland Line Enlistments are the enlistments, muster rolls, and rosters pertaining to the seven Maryland regiments, the Maryland Artillery, and other regiments attached to the Maryland Line e.g., the German Regiment. Also included in this section are enlistments, rosters, and muster rolls pertaining to the Flying Camp and the Independent Companies of Maryland. These items were added to this section because the Flying Camp, the Independent Companies, and Smallwood's Regiment were the nucleus around which the Maryland Line was formed in December 1776.

Series III, Accounts of Provisions, consists of records of provisions and clothing that were issued to the Maryland Line mainly between 1779 and the end of the war. The regiments mentioned are the seven Maryland regiments, the Maryland Artillery, Rawling's Regiment, the German Regiment, and detachments of the Maryland Line at Annapolis and Frederick.

Series IV, Pay Accounts and Payrolls, includes documents concerning money transactions from the beginning of the war to the last settlements of pay disputes in the late 1780's. Most of these items concern the payment of Maryland Continental Troops during and after the war.

Series V, Oaths of Allegiance, consists of documents signed by the residents of the respective counties. Cecil, St. Mary’s, Washington, and Worcester Counties are represented in this collection, as are oaths submitted to the Governor and Council. See Appendix A below for a detailed inventory of the contents of this series.

Series VI, Miscellaneous records, consists of documents that did not fit comfortably within any of the five series defined above.