Archives of Maryland
Historical List
Howard District [1] and Howard County
Orphans' Court Judges
1840-2022

By a constitutional amendment passed in November 2022, the position of orphan's court judge was eliminated in Howard County. After that time, orphan's court cases are heard by circuit court judges.

1840-1844
Charles Carroll, Chief Judge
Edward C. Alexander
McLane Brown

1844-1845
Thomas W. Morris, Chief Judge
McLane Brown 
Thomas S. Herbert

1845-1847
Charles S. Ridgley, Chief Judge
Isaac C. Anderson 
William Watkins

1847-1848
William W. Watkins, Chief Judge
Isaac Anderson 
William Fort

1848-1852
McLane Brown, Chief Judge
George Hemmick
William Frost

1852-1855
McLane Brown, Chief Judge
George Hemmick [2] 
William Frost
John A. Dorsey [3] 

1855-1859
William Baker Dorsey, Chief Judge 
Henry H. Owings 
John Orem [4] 
Thomas Burgess [5] 
James Billingsly [6] 
Henry O. Devries [7] 

1859-1863
Henry H. Owings, Chief Judge
Henry O. Devries
John A. Dorsey

1867-1871
Henry H. Owings, Chief Judge [8] 
Alfred P. Amos 
Thomas D. White 
James F. Gordon [9] 

1871-1875
James F. Gordon, Chief Judge
Martin H. Babson
Dye W. Worthington

1875-1879
Dye W. Worthington, Chief Judge [10]
James Harban 
William Matthews
Anthony M. Johnson [11] 

1879-1883
Anthony M. Johnson, Chief Judge
Reuben Dorsey 
George M. Buckingham

1883-1887
Anthony M. Johnson, Chief Judge
Reuben Dorsey 
John W. Hebb

1887-1891
Anthony M. Johnson, Chief Judge [12] 
Reuben Dorsey [13] 
John R. Dorsey
John McShane  [14] 

1891-1895
Reuben Dorsey, Chief Judge
John McShane [15] 
Lawrence W. Hobbs 
John H. Hebert [16] 

1895-1899
James A. Curtis, Chief Judge
George W. Snyder
Herman D. Wehland

1899-1903 
William T. Day, Chief Judge
Pulaski Dorsey
Henry Mollman

1903-1907
William T. Day, Chief Judge
Pulaski Dorsey
Henry Mollman

1907-1911 
Henry Mollman, Chief Judge
George W. Renn
Oliver P. Cross 

1911-1915
William T. Day, Chief Judge [17] 
George W. Renn
William H. Bauger [18] 
Milford D. Shipley [19] 
Joseph B. Croomes [20] 

1915-1919 
Edward B. Powell, Chief Judge
Christian Eckert 
Oliver P. Cross [21] 
Mortimer D. Crapster [22] 

1919-1923 
Thomas S. Cross, Chief Judge 
Christian Eckert
George W. Renn

1923-1926 
Thomas S. Cross, Chief Judge
Christian Eckert 
Nicholas H. Warfield

1926-1930 
Joshua D. Disney, Chief Judge
Christian Eckert [23] 
Charles E. Thompson
Jesse Eyre [24] 

1930-1934 
Jesse Eyre, Chief Judge
Charles E. Thompson
Robert B. Peddicord

1934-1938 
Robert B. Peddicord, Chief Judge
J. Louis Snyder 
George W. Renn

1938-1942
J. Louis Snyder, Chief Judge
Robert B. Peddicord
Milton R. Iglehart

1942-1946
J. Louis Snyder, Chief Judge
William H. Hanson
Milton R. Iglehart [25] 
Edwin E. Burgess [26] 

1946-1950
J. Louis Snyder, Chief Judge
Edwin E. Burgess
William H. Hanson

1950-1954 
William H. Hanson, Chief Judge
Maurice E. Dasher 
Sebastian B. Cissel

1954-1958 
Harold J. Stromberg, Chief Judge
Maurice E. Dasher 
William I. Bauman [27] 
Philip F. German [28] 

1958-1962 
Harold J. Stromberg, Chief Judge
Maurice E. Dasher
S. Dallas Slack

1962-1966 
Harold J. Stromberg, Chief Judge
Maurice E. Dasher 
S. Dallas Slack

1966-1970 
Harold J. Stromberg, Chief Judge 
G. Cashel Nichols 
Maurice E. Dasher [29] 
Irvin P. Dasher [30] 

1970-1974
Harold J. Stromberg, Chief Judge
G. Cashel Nichols [31] 
Irvin P. Dasher 
Edward E. Kennedy [32] 

1974-1978 
Edward E. Kennedy, Chief Judge
Irvin P. Dasher 
Ann D. Ring

1978-1982
Irvin P. Dasher, Chief Judge
Ann D. Ring 
Jean M. Gobbel

1982-1986
Jean M. Gobbel, Chief Judge
Irvin P. Dasher [33] 
W. Bryan Souder 
Rosemary M. Ford [34] 

1986-1990 
Jean M. Gobbel, Chief Judge
Rosemary M. Ford 
Margaret D. Rappaport [35] 
Frank S. Turner [36]

1990-1994 
Rosemary M. Ford, Chief Judge
Charles M. Coles, Jr. 
Catherine A. Walters [37] 

1994-1998 
Rosemary M. Ford, Chief Judge
Charles M. Coles, Jr.
Joyce C. Pope

1998-2002
Charles M. Coles, Jr., Chief Judge
Joyce C. Pope
Sherae M. McNeal

2002-2006
Charles M. Coles, Jr., Chief Judge
Joyce C. Pope
Sherae M. McNeal

2006-2010 
Sherae M. McNeal, Chief Judge
Joyce C. Pope 
Jay Fred Cohen

2010-2014
Sherae M. McNeal, Chief Judge
Anne L. Dodd 
Leslie Smith Turner

2014-2018
Leslie Smith Turner, Chief Judge
Anne L. Dodd 
Nicole Bormel Miller

2018-2022 
Anne L. Dodd, Chief Judge
Elizabeth Ann Fitch
Leslie Smith Turner

Special thanks to the Orphans' Court for Howard County for sharing their research.

Notes:
1. Howard District was created from Anne Arundel County by Chapter 22, Acts of 1838 (confirmed by Chapter 49, Acts of 1839; further authorized by Chapter 98, Acts of 1839). Although it had no representation in the General Assembly, the District had the status of a county, with its own court, sheriff, register of wills, and other county officers. It officially became Howard County in 1851 (Constitution of 1851, Art. VIII, sec. I).
2. Resigned 17 October 1854. 
3. Appointed 19 October 1854, to fill vacancy caused by Hemmick's resignation.
4.  Resigned following his election as sheriff, November 1857. 
5. Appointed 2 December 1857 to fill vacancy caused by Orem's resignation, and served until 2 March 1858. However, his nomination to the post was not confirmed and he was replaced by Billingsly.
6. Took office 15 March 1858, to fill vacancy originally caused by Orem's resignation, for which Burgess was unsuccessfully nominated. Died April 1858.  
7. Appointed 4 May 1858 to fill vacancy caused by Billingsly's death.
8. Resigned April 1869.
9. Appointed 27 May 1869 to fill vacancy caused by Owings's resignation.
10. Resigned November-December 1877. 
11. Appointed 22 December 1877 to fill vacancy caused by Worthington's death.
12. Died 4 May 1891. 
13. Named Chief Judge 8 May 1891 after Johnson's death. 
14. Appointed 8 May 1891 to fill vacancy caused by Johnson's death.
15. Died 28 April 1895. 
16. Appointed 8 May 1895 to fill vacancy caused by McShane's death.
17. Resigned 15 January 1914, shortly before his death on 26 January 1914. 
18. Died 2 July 1915. 
19. Appointed 25 February 1914 to fill vacancy caused by Day's death. 
20. Appointed July 1915 to fill vacancy caused by Baugher's death.
21. Died 2 April 1919. 
22. Appointed 22 April 1919 to fill vacancy caused by Cross's death. 
23. Died 23 June 1927. 
24. Appointed 22 July 1927 to fill vacancy caused by Eckert's death.
25. Died 12 June 1946. 
26. Appointed 1 October 1946 to fill vacancy caused by Iglehart's death. 
27. Died 27 May 1956. 
28. Appointed 10 July 1956 to fill vacancy caused by Bauman's death
29. Died 7 July 1969. 
30. Appointed to fill vacancy caused by the death of his father, Maurice Dasher, 22 September 1969. 
31. Died 27 June 1971. 
32. Appointed 24 August 1971 to fill vacancy caused by Nichols's death. 
33. Died 8 November 1984. 
34. Appointed 20 December 1984 to fill vacancy caused by Dasher's death.
35. Resigned, 1990. 
36. Appointed 4 May 1990 to fill vacancy caused by Rappaport's resignation. 
37. Resigned May 1994.

Sources:
HOWARD COUNTY REGISTER OF WILLS (Orphans Court Proceedings) 1840-1982 [MSA T 2743] 
SECRETARY OF STATE (Commission Record) 1838-1967 [MSA S 1081]
SECRETARY OF STATE (Appointments and Commissions) 1910-1996 [MSA T 868]
BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS (Death Record) 1950-1972 [MSA CE 502]
Maryland State Archives Legislative History Project [MSA SC 1138]
The Sun (Baltimore)
The Washington Post

© Copyright February 06, 2023Maryland State Archives