Link To This Page — Contact Us —
State of Maine Genealogy,
Family History, Ancestry and Records Resources
A Guide for Maine Genealogy Research
Though it is massive and seemingly made up of gorgeous coastline or craggy mountains, the state of Maine is much more. It has a remarkable history that is full of all kinds of characters and events. Because of its maritime background and its shared borders with Canada, as well as its association with Native American peoples, there is a large demand for Maine genealogy materials. The state has a lot of them available, and many online!
Methods of Searching for Maine Genealogy Information
This is the age of information. We can get details about almost anything over the Internet and this is the reason that all genealogists should begin their work at a computer too. When searching for Maine genealogy information you can simply go online and use the many Maine resources in order to ask for copies of historical materials or simply to gather data.
Because there are so many resources online it does not mean that everything you need for Maine genealogy is available electronically, and this means that research for Maine genealogy materials also has to take offline locations into consideration as well. It is necessary for you to identify the resources to use for Maine genealogy, and to learn which can serve as online resources, and which cannot.
Your Best Tactics for Maine Genealogy Research
Most research begins with readily available public records, and these tend to also be the easiest online resources for Maine genealogy. They are found in the following places:
State Records – from probate information to birth certificates, cemetery information, death records, deeds, estate information, genealogical folders, land records, maps, marriage details, military or veterans information, newspapers, private manuscripts, state census information, surname lists and more, such records are available as online and offline resources for Maine genealogy.
Local Records – state research tends to start in the county clerk's office or at their website, and then moves on to the local genealogical societies, small local libraries, historical societies, and school or college libraries for Maine genealogy materials. These are items that are usually offline and viewable by appointment or special arrangement.
Vital Records – these will always cover the basic birth, marriage, divorce and death records from county, state, and national archives. These might also contain census records, newspaper items, military records, immigration and naturalization details, cemetery or obituary information, and passenger lists and records as well. These are going to be available as online or offline resources for Maine genealogy.
Your Best Locations for Maine genealogy Information
Which are the best resources for Maine genealogy work? Below we have provided details and links for some of the best for Maine genealogy:
Office of Vital Records
Maine Department of Health and Human Services
244 Water Street
#11 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0011
Website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/maine.htm
This is where anyone can order birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written request or even online.
Additional state and local records can be found at the:
Maine State Archives
Cultural Building
State House Complex
230 State Street
Augusta, Maine 04333
The Cultural Building also houses the Maine State Library and the Maine State Museum.
Website: http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/
The Maine State Archives is a massive treasury of information for a genealogist seeking materials for Maine genealogy projects of all kinds. There are all of the vital records imaginable, but there is also a tremendous archive of photos and documents relating to many different groups and periods of state history.
Also, consider using the Maine State Genealogy Page at: http://www.maine.gov/portal/facts_history/genealogy.html.
Lastly, these three websites provide a lot of state-specific details to those in search of details for Maine genealogy projects.
- The USGenWeb Project - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megenweb/;
- State census records at Genealogy Research Guides - http://www.researchguides.net/census/state.htm; and
- Genealogy Today - http://www.genealogytoday.com/genealogy/states/maine.html
List of Maine Counties
Select a county from the table below to to view more information on genealogical information & records pertaining to each county.
Since Maine was part of Massachusetts for a long time, it should be expected that it would conform to a similar system for recording deeds, probates, and vital records. Such is the case. Deeds and probates were filed at the county seat and vital records at the town office. However, in Maine, marriages were to be submitted to the county clerk as mandated by the legislature in 1828, although the practice was never uniform and the results have not been completely assessed. The following pages reports what has been found regarding marriage returns on a county basis and where they are located (either at the Maine State Archives or with the county clerk). The Town Resources that follow will also have marriage records.
Unfortunately, fire has claimed many records since they were too often held in private homes. A question mark (?) suggests that information is incomplete or not certain. Dates of records earlier than formation indicate the town holds records of parent towns. Some dates are considerably later than town organization, indicating that either the records are lost or have burned. Choose from the counties below to view the county information.
Maine Town Records
Town meeting records have an abundance of information about New England ancestors. Maine is no exception, although some may not be located at the town clerk's office. The on-going project for locating and microfilming Maine's town records continues under the auspices of the Maine State Archives. The addresses are published annually, free of charge, by the Secretary of State's office. Those in the chart below are as of 1990. Some towns operate out of town clerk's homes and change with annual elections. Microfilm information from the 1980 edition of “Maine Town and Census Records” and “Public Records Repositories in Maine” published by the Maine State Archives provide the dates for record sources. There are some more recent additions to their collection, but they have not yet been cataloged.
Discontinued & Extinct Maine Counties
This section provides an list of Maine counties that no longer exist. They were established by the Maine, provincial, or territorial government. Most of these counties were created and disbanded in the 19th century; county boundaries have changed little since 1900 in Maine.
- Devonshire County: Devonshire County, District of Maine, Massachusetts Bay Colony was a short-lived county formed during the colonial territorial disputes between the Province of Massachusetts and the Province of Maine. The county existed from 1674 to 1675.
Maine Counties with Burned Courthouses
The destruction of Maine courthouses greatly affects genealogists in every way. No only are these historic structures torn from our lives, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are lost forever. Even if they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most heartbreaking side of this is the fact that many of our courthouses are destroyed at the hands of arsonist. However, not all records were lost.
Below is a list of Colorado Counties and the years the Courthouses were subjected to a disaster. This does NOT mean that ALL RECORDS were lost. Often, folks took their documents again in for recording after a disaster and later deeds will contain long chains of title, etc.
- ?
