Upcoming Events

October Lunch and Learn
Macabre Maryland:
Halloween Tales from the Archives

Records in the archives can tell lots of stories-lots of spooky stories! Join the Maryland State Archives' own Rachel Frazier to explore strange collections from the Archives that reveal fascinating insight into Maryland life and lore, and get into the Halloween spirit with peculiar pictures, dark demises, and poisonous potions. The mysterious especially intrigues us at this time of year, so join us in exploring the stranger side of Maryland history through our unique collections.

Rachel Frazier, director of Reference Services for the Maryland State Archives, holds a masters of Library and Information Sciences from the University of Maryland. She has worked for the State Archives since 2008. Frazier is the recipient of the 2024 Ancestry Leadership Award, and is a 2025 fellow with the History Leadership Institute. Making archives accessible and welcoming is an ongoing goal of Frazier and her colleagues.

October Lunch and Learn
Connecting With Kin:
How to Research Your Family History at the Maryland State Archives

Are you interested in starting to explore your family history? Have you ever wondered how to research using the resources of the Maryland State Archives? Do you want to connect with your Kin? Take the first steps on your genealogical journey and learn about fundamental family history research tools with the program, inspired by this year's One Maryland One Book selection, Kin: Rooted in Hope.

This is a free, hybrid event with limited in-person seating. All participants can view the virtual presentation online. Afterward, people attending in person will have a chance to use the digitized records online at the Archives in Annapolis with assistance from our professional archivists.

Register for this event here. Registration is free but required. If you have questions please contact msa.helpdesk@maryland.gov.

Program Schedule
10:00 am - 11:30 am Presentation on starting family history research (in person or online options)
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Limited in-person opportunity to research the Archives' digitized records

Presenters
Rachel Frazier, Director of Reference Services

Christopher E. Haley, Director of Research, Student Outreach, and the Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland

Danielle Smith, Reference Archivist

This event is presented in partnership between Maryland State Archives and One Maryland One Book, a program of Maryland Humanities. One Maryland One Book is sponsored by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the Maryland State Library Agency.

November Lunch and Learn
Father Eugene Patrick O'Grady:
A Baltimore Clergyman in World War II

Military historian Joseph Balkoski tells the story of Eugene Patrick O'Grady, who accompanied Mary's soldiers as a chaplain throughout World War II. O'Grady was born in 1909 in West Baltimore, one of six children of Irish immigrants, and ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1935. When Maryland's National Guard, as part of the 29th Division was mobilized in February 1941, the division had no chaplains, so O'Grady volunteered for this duty. He remained with the division throughout its stateside training, its overseas movement to Britain, and landed with Maryland's 115th Infantry Regiment on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He was a constant presence in the frontlines, and as one 29er noted, “he always beamed hope into our tormented souls.” This is the story of Eugene Patrick O'Grady and his remarkable dedication to the welfare of all 29th Division soldiers.

Joseph Balkoski served for many years as Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard and the US Army's 29th Infantry Division. He is the author of eight widely acclaimed books on World War II history, including a two-volume series on American involvement in the D-Day invasion (Omaha Beach and Utah Beach) and a five-volume series, From Normandy to Victory, on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II.

Balkoski was the founder and curator of the Maryland Museum of Military History at Maryland National Guard headquarters in Baltimore, which includes the 29th Infantry Division Archives, one of the finest collections of archival papers in the United States related to the service of a US Army division in wartime. He served on the Governor of Maryland's Commission on Military Monuments, and was recently awarded the Maryland Distinguished Service Cross and Maryland National Guard Meritorious Service Medal for his lifetime of service to veterans, the state of Maryland, and the Army National Guard. In 2023, he was awarded the Order of St. Maurice, which is issued by the US Army Chief of Infantry for a lifetime of service to US Army infantrymen.