| Important General Maryland/Anne Arundel County Events | Year | Events Specifically Related to the Clerk's Office |
 Maryland Charter granted to Cecilius Calvert,
2nd Lord
Baltimore
|
1632 | |
| Office of Court Clerk established, to record proceedings of the court, record deeds, and preserve court records | 1644 | |
| 1649 | Annapolis, once called Providence, settled by Puritans fleeing religious persecution in Virginia | |
| 1650 | Anne Arundel County established; named after Lady Anne Arundel, wife of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland; Andrew Skinner recorded as First Clerk for Anne Arundel County Court | |
| Battle of Severn: Puritans from Virginia defeated Governor William Stone's forces | 1655 | |
| 1658 | First evidence of Anne Arundel County Court meeting at "Severne," another early name for Annapolis | |
| Slavery sanctioned by law; slaves to serve
for life
terms |
1664 | |
| 1676 | All Clerks appointed and removed by Provincial Secretary | |
| 1679/
1680 |
First courthouse established at "The Ridge,"
small area
of the South River, near Butlers; used until 1683 when it "fell
down"
 Image in Radoff, The County Courthouses and Records of Maryland |
|
| Maryland Revolution in
which Protestant
Associators
overthrew proprietary officers; until July 1690 |
1689 | Court convened in Londontown; met there until 1694/1695 |
| William and Mary declare Maryland a royal
colony, not
a proprietary province as had previously been established |
1692 | Payment of one-tenth the Clerk's gross
revenues to the
Provincial
Secretary established |
| Capital of colony moved from St. Mary's City
to Anne
Arundel Town; Name change: Anne Arundel Town to Annapolis |
1694/
1695 |
Annapolis declared county seat of Anne Arundel County; General Assembly passed act to allow Anne Arundel Court to meet in the State House in Annapolis; Court probably met at Richard Hill's home until State House completed |
| 1697/
1698 |
 Anne Arundel Court began meeting in the first State House Image in Radoff. County Courthouses and
Records of
Maryland, Part One.
|
|
| State House destroyed by fire | 1704 | All county records ruined in fire, except the
most recent
court land
records up to that point |
| 1706 | 
Anne Arundel County Court began use of the
second State
House; Court
|
|
| City of Annapolis incorporated | 1708 | |
|
Proprietary rights restored to Benedict Leonard
Calvert, 4th Lord Baltimore |
1715 | |
| Maryland Gazette established | 1727 | |
| Baltimore Town established | 1729 | |
| 1734 | John Brice II appointed Clerk; Served 31 years as Clerk | |
|
Last Native American land claims relinquished
by treaty |
1744 | |
| Tobacco inspection law to ensure a quality product | 1747 | |
| Stamp Act enacted and met with great opposition | 1765 | |
|
Merchants establish a policy of non-importation
of British goods |
1769 | Second State House torn down to make room for a new one; Anne Arundel Clerk and other Anne Arundel County agencies moved to small building near this site |
| Burning of Peggy Stewart in Annapolis harbor | 1774 | |
| Maryland Rifle
Companies head
off to join
Washington's army in Boston, Massachusetts |
1775 | |
| Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia by four Marylanders; Maryland Convention declared independence from Great Britain (July 6); Maryland's Constitutional Convention (August - November) | 1776 | Clerks to be appointed by Anne Arundel County justices |
|
1777 |
Nicholas Harwood appointed Clerk; he served 33 years as Clerk; Marriage licenses obtained from the Clerk required for all marriages | |
![[Color photograph of Maryland State House]](/msa/speccol/sc5200/sc5294/images/ga3.gif)
Construction on third State House in Annapolis
completed;
still in use today
State
House Dome, Annapolis, Maryland (Annapolis Illustrations Collection,
MSA SC4314-1-1, Maryland State Archives).
|
1779 | |
| Maryland troops, led by Baron deKalb, fought at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina; de Kalb died in battle | 1780 | |
| Maryland ratified the Articles of Confederation | 1781 | |
| Maryland divided into 5 judicial districts; Anne Arundel County part of the third district along with Baltimore and Howard Counties | 1790 | Clerks appointed by judges of the county courts for terms of good behavior |
|
Import of slaves forbidden; voluntary slave
manumission permitted |
1796 | |
| 1800 | Election returns required to be filed with county clerks | |
| Property qualifications removed for voting in
local and
state elections, thus all adult white males could vote |
1802 | |
| 1810 | William Saunders Green appointed Clerk; served 35 years as Clerk | |
 Bombardment
of Fort McHenry during War of 1812; inspired Francis Scott Key to write
the "Star Spangled Banner"
Image from
Annapolis
Complex Collection
|
1814 | |
| 1817 | Clerks authorized to issue licenses without the presence of a judge and granted full responsibility for granting licenses and collecting required fees | |
| 1820 | Maryland General Assembly decided to remove | |
| 1821 | General Assembly authorized the construction of a county-owned courthouse | |
| 1824 | 
Courthouse on Church Circle in Annapolis
completed;
|
|
| Jewish enfranchisement; removal of religious requirement for civil offices | 1826 | |
| Charter issued for Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | 1827 | |
|
Law began requiring popular election of
governors and state senators |
1837 | |
| Frederick Douglas escaped slavery | 1838 | County Clerks appointed by governor for seven-year term |
| U.S. Naval Academy founded in Annapolis | 1845 | |
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery Image: TUBMAN, HARRIET. Photograph by H. B. Lindsley, 1880. LC-USZ62-7816 |
1849 | |
|
New Constitution for Maryland; County Commissioners system of county government established for all Maryland counties |
1851 | Clerk popularly elected to a six-year term |
| U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney writes the opinion of the Dred Scott case | 1857 | |
| Federal troops occupied Annapolis (April) | 1861 | |
| Battle of Antietam (September 17) | 1862 | |
| 1865 | 
Election between Sprigg Harwood and George Gambrill for Anne Arundel County Court Clerk contested; Gambrill declared winner; Harwood was elected to the office in 1867 and served until 1895 |
|
| Fourth State Constitution adopted by voters | 1867 | |
| 1871 | Trials of Mrs. Wharton, accused of poisoning and murder; incidents occurred in Baltimore, but the trials were removed to the Anne Arundel County Court | |
| 1887 | William N. Woodward became Deputy Clerk; he later served as Clerk from 1918 to 1925; 38 years total of service working for and as the Clerk | |
| Maryland began use of secret ballot in elections | 1890 | |
| 1892 | Courthouse remodeled | |
| 1895 | 
Election between Washington G. Tucker and Dr. George Wellsfor Clerk contested; Wells declared winner; he served until 1918 |
|
| 1896 | 
William Martin Brady became Deputy Clerk, beginning 37 years of service in the the Clerk's Office; he served as Clerk from 1925-27, and again in 1933, although he was never elected to the position |
|
|
Wave of campaign
and election reform enacted,
including primary elections |
1908 | |
| Babe Ruth pitched for international league Orioles | 1914 | |
| 1917 | Murder trial of John Snowden removed from Anne Arundel County Court to Baltimore City Court; found guilt and hanged; pardoned by Governor Parris Glendening in 2001 | |
| First election in which women can vote | 1920 | |
| 1925 | Parts of the Courthouse made fireproof | |
| Amendment established four-year terms of office | 1926 | Clerks elected to four-year term; vacancies filled by Circuit Court judges, with appointees holding office until the next regular election |
| Hall of Records opened, Annapolis
Murray v. Pearson, et al. case concerning integration of the University of Maryland Law School; Murray represented by Thurgood Marshall |
1935 | |
| 1940 | Once-missing minutes of March 1867 court session found in basement of Anne Arundel County Courthouse by WPA workers | |
| Maryland's 29th Division at Omaha Beach for D-Day | 1944 | |
Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened
Marion E. Warren Photograph, 1953
|
1952 | 
Major additions made to Courthouse; these additions dwarfed the original building in size and cost; total costs of these renovations: $110,000 as compared to the the initial construction of the Courthouse which totaled $12,000 Image in Radoff. County Courthouses and Records of Maryland, Part One |
| 1955 |
Clerk John H. Hopkins III retired, noting the changes in the office that occurred including a great increase in the number of cases filed and the number of people working for the Clerk to tackle this increased work load |
|
| Voting machines first used for elections in Maryland | 1956 | |
| 1962 | Elleanor Owings appointed to serve as Acting Clerk after the death of George T. Cromwell while he was still in office; she was the first woman to serve in this position | |
| Anne Arundel County residents
voted to adopt
a home
rule charter system of government |
1964 | |
| 1966 | 
Marjorie Holt became the first woman elected to the position of Clerk; she served until 1972 and in that year, won election to the United States Congress |
|
| State Equal Rights Amendment adopted;
Maryland ratified
the federal ERA;
First election in which 18 was the minimum voting age |
1972 | |
| 2000 | Renovation and expansion of Courthouse completed | |