Editing Allegany County, Maryland (section)

==History==
The western part of Maryland (including the present Allegany County) was originally part of [[Prince George's County, Maryland|Prince George's County]] when Maryland was formed in 1696.<ref>Thomas, James W., and Williams, Thomas J. C. ''History of Allegany County, Maryland.'' Baltimore, Md.: Regional Publishing Co., 1969, p. 289.</ref> This county included six current counties, and by repeated splitting, new ones were generated: [[Frederick County, Maryland|Frederick]] from Prince George's in 1748;<ref name="Bentley128">Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. ''County Courthouse Book.'' Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2009, p. 128.</ref> and [[Montgomery County, Maryland|Montgomery]] and [[Washington County, Maryland|Washington]] from Frederick in 1776.<ref>Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. ''County Courthouse Book.'' Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2009, p. 129.</ref>

Allegany County was formed in 1789 by the splitting of [[Washington County, Maryland|Washington County]].<ref>Bentley, Elizabeth Petty. ''County Courthouse Book.'' Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2009, p. 126.</ref> At the time it was the westernmost county in Maryland, but a split in 1872 created [[Garrett County, Maryland|Garrett County]], the current westernmost county.<ref name="Bentley128" />
[[File:Recto Allegany County Bank 10 dollars 1860 urn-3 HBS.Baker.AC 1141921.jpeg|alt=A 10-dollar note inscribed "THE ALLEGANY COUNTY BANK Will pay TEN DOLLARS to the bearer on demand. Cumberland." The note has illustrations of a young woman, a girl, and three men on a boat.|thumb|A 10-dollar note from the Allegany County Bank from 1860.]]
Prior to 1789, the Virginia Commonwealth claimed the area of present-day Garrett and Allegany Counties, of Maryland. A 1771–1780 map of Virginias counties, shows Hampshire County, but the Virginia State boundary has Hampshire outside that boundary line. When conducting genealogical research, it is possible to find tax records for Hampshire County, Virginia included in Maryland records, and Maryland records in Hampshire County... Hampshire County was formed in 1758 by the Virginia Commonwealth and at its founding, included the present day counties of Garrett and Allegany Counties in Maryland, and Hardy, Grant, Mineral, and part of Morgan Counties in what is now West Virginia.<ref>Virginia Counties Map of 1771–1780; Henry Howe's 1845 History of Virginia.</ref>