Howard County Register of Wills

Please Click to Watch The Honorable Byron Macfarlane’s video to Share about how his office helps us.

The Honorable Byron Macfarlane, Register of Wills, shares important information to make sure we have our Legal Affairs in Order.

Visit Office of the Register of Wills to learn more.

5 Facts to Know about the Register of Wills

  1. Maryland is one of only three states with elected Registers of Wills, along with Delaware and Pennsylvania.
  2. Originally, Registers were not elected. They were given lifetime appointments by the Governor. This morphed into 6-year appointments, then 6-year elected terms, and finally into 4-year elected terms.
  3. The closest election for Register in Howard County was the first election in 1851, in which the winner won by just 1 vote.
  4. The Register of Wills stores over 23,000 wills as a part of our safekeeping service. The oldest Last Will and Testament was filed on July 4, 1881.
  5. The Register of Wills is the clerk to the Orphans’ Court, which is a Court that has nothing to do with orphans. Instead, it presides over contested estate matters in the estates of an adult who has passed away.

Visit Winter Grace Senior Ministries to Learn More about Our Holistic, Christian Ministry with and for Older Adults. We would love to work with you individually, with your family, and/or your church family. Our mission is to:

“Empower and Enrich the Lives of Older Adults Through Christian Initiatives, Connecting People, Ideas, & Resources.”

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