Holdings of the Library at Maine Historical Society:
Sources relevant to genealogy research. This list is only a sampling.
Since 1822, Maine Historical Society has served as a nationally recognized research center for the study of the history of Maine and its people. Its collections are arranged in four categories: Library, Manuscripts and Special Collections, Museum, and the Wadsworth–Longfellow House & Garden.
Catalogs and indexes:
- Book card catalog
- Surname index cards
- Manuscript index cards
- Maps card catalog
- Ring's Index to State of Mainers
- Obituary Index cards
- Minerva – online catalog
- Historic photographs, manuscripts, and artifacts from our collection: Maine Memory Network
Published Genealogies
- Over 6,000 compiled family genealogies primarily from New England. Collection contains many unique, small runs, and privately printed genealogies.
- Manuscript and research notes of many authors including Sybil Noyes, Benjamin Lake Noyes, Charles Thorton Libby, and Walter Goodwin Davis.
State, County, and Local Histories
We have a substantial collection of state, county and town histories for Maine and other communities throughout New England.
Reference Materials and Research Books
Over 1,000 genealogy and family history "how-to" books.
Biographical Resources
- American National Biographies (1999)
- Dictionary of American Biography
- Dictionary of National Biography (British)
- Lamb's Biographical Dictionary
- Maine Families (Three generations of people that appear in the 1790 census), Maine Genealogical Society. (8 volumes to date)
- Notable Americans
- Ring's Index to State–of–Mainers, index to biographical compilations of Maine people that appear in approximately 50 books in the MHS collections
- Sibley's Harvard Graduates
- Who Was Who in America
- Who's Who in America
Lineage Society Records
- Daughters of the American Revolution Lineage Books
- Sons of the American Revolution Patriot Index
- Daughters of American Colonists Yearbook
- Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots
- Lineages of the Society of Mayflower Descendants
Vital Records
United States
New England is the home of the oldest set of vital records in the United States. Most towns kept records of births, marriages, or deaths from their founding. Below is a sample of these records available in the Research Library.
Maine
- Vital records for all Maine towns that have been published
- Portland births, marriages, and deaths to 1900 (microfilm)
- Originals and transcriptions of many Maine vital records before 1892, especially Cumberland and York counties
- Maine vital records to 1892 (pre–1892 statewide index includes only 80 towns)
- Maine vital records, 1892–1954, available on microfilm for every Maine town
- Microfilms of original town record books
- Published county marriage records by Picton Press
Connecticut
Barbour Collection of 136 town vital records up to about 1850
Massachusetts
- All printed vital records from "Official Series" of towns to 1850, also on CD–ROM
- Microfiche of town vital records not included in "Official Series"
- Plymouth Colony vital records, 1636–1686, taken from court records
- Plymouth Colony vital records, 1633–1689, by Nathaniel Shurtleff
Rhode Island
- Town vital records to 1850:James Arnold Series
- Index of Births, Marriages, and Deaths recorded in Providence, RI, by Charles Chapin, MD
Census Records
United States Federal Census
- 1790–1930 — all of Maine
- 1790 Indexes for all states
- AIS index books for Maine 1790–1850
- Selected other state indexes
- 1860 York County index
- 1850 Aroostook County and Mortality schedule
- 1850 Census transcription of Maine towns
- A Black Census of Maine, 1800–1910
- CD–ROM indexes (see CD–ROM section below)
Canadian Federal Census
- 1851 New Brunswick only
- 1871 New Brunswick Directory
Census Indexes and Guides
A variety of census indexes are available for many states
Obituaries
1900–1941, 1964–1996
Maine obituaries from Portland area newspapers organized in chronological scrapbooks and indexed on cards
1941–1963
Maine obituaries from Portland area newspapers organized on index cards alphabetically
1997 — present
Maine obituaries from Portland area newspapers; index on computer
Other published obituaries
- Death Notices from Freewill Baptist Publications, 1811–1851, David C. Young, Robert L. Taylor
- Vital Records from Maine Newspapers, 1785–1820, David C. Young, Elizabeth Keene Young
- Obits from Maine Newspapers, 1785–1852, David C. Young
Cemetery Records
National Society of the DAR
Maine cemetery inscriptions of many Revolutionary War soldiers; also includes church records, family bibles, and wills
Maine
- MOCA (Maine Old Cemetery Association) records of cemeteries transcribed in Maine towns
- Miscellaneous transcriptions for cemeteries all over Maine
Annual Town Reports
We have a substantial collection of town reports from all over Maine but primarily southern Maine. The collection is most complete since 1900. Town reports tell the activities of the town for that year and often contain vital records.
Directories
MHS has an extensive city directory collection for Maine, including:
City Directories
- Augusta
- Bangor
- Bath
- Biddeford/Saco
- Brunswick
- Lewiston/Auburn
- Portland, 1824 to present
- Rockland
- Sanford
- Westbrook/Gorham/Windham
- Various Mitchell directories for many other smaller Maine towns, 1905 to 1907
Other Directories
- New England Business Directory and Gazetteer, 1900-1924
- Maine Register, 1820 to present
- Various County directories, late 1880s–1900
School Records and Yearbooks
School Records
- Boy's High School records, 1850–1853
- Girl's High School 1862 photographs of students
- Portland's North School, 1867–1944: Students, parents, nationality, occupation of parents and other information
- Portland High School records, 1863–1901: Names, age, parents, courses, etc.
- Stroudwater School records, 1823–1878, warrants for and minutes of meetings
Yearbooks
We have a large collection of yearbooks from various schools and colleges in Maine, including:
- Bates College
- Bonney Eagle High School
- Bowdoin College
- Cheverus High School
- Colby College
- Deering High School
- Fryeburg Academy
- Hebron Academy
- Portland High School
- University of Maine
- University of Southern Maine
- Westbrook Junior College
Military Records
Maine
- Adjutant General's Report, Maine, 1861–1866
- Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (17 volumes) includes Maine
- Roster of Maine in the World War 1917–1919 (2 volumes)
Connecticut
- Connecticut Military Record 1775-1848
- Record of Connecticut Men in the War of Rebellion 1861 to 1865 (Adjutant General's Office)
New Hampshire
Adjutant General's Report, New Hampshire, 1865, 1866, 1868
Massachusetts
- Adjutant General's Report, Massachusetts, 1863, 1864, 1865
- Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War (8 volumes)
- Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (17 volumes) includes Maine
- Record of the Massachusetts Volunteers, 1861–1865
Other
- Official Records of the Union & Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series I & II, 31 volumes
- Roster of Ohio Soldiers, 1861-1866 (12 volumes)
- Index to War of 1812 Pension Files, (3 volumes), by Virgil D. White
- U.S. Quartermaster's Dept. Roll of Honor (27 volumes)
- Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files, 4 volumes, by Virgil D. White
- Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force of the United States Army for the Years 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865, Part 1, New England
- War of the Rebellion, Official Records (70 books in 128 volumes in 4 series; also on CD
Periodicals
Maine History, formerly the Maine Historical Society Quarterly, 1961–present
- Published by Maine Historical Society and is the only scholarly journal on Maine History
- Includes book reviews
Collections of the Maine Historical Society, 1831–1916
The Maine Genealogist
- Published by Maine Genealogical Society, contains queries
York County Genealogical Society Journal
The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1847–present
- Published by NEHGS, the Register is the oldest journal in the field of American genealogy
- Indexed in book volumes
- Vols. 1–50 (name and subject)
- Vols. 51–142 (name only)
- Entire set of books from vol. 1–148 available on CD–ROM with indexes and search capabilities
National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 1912–present
- Vols. 1 to present
The American Genealogist (TAG), 1922–Present
New York Genealogical & Biographical Record, 1869-present
- Vols. 1 (1869) to present
- Master Subject Index, vols. 1–113
Historical Journals
- New England Quarterly
- Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
Ethnic Periodicals
- Irish at Home and Abroad
- Connections (French–Canadian/Quebec)
Other Periodicals
- Connecticut Nutmegger
- DAR Magazine (last 10 years only)
- Rhode Island Roots
- Genealogist's Magazine
- Various other genealogical magazines and journals
Newspapers (microfilm)
- Bangor Daily Whig & Courier, 1837–1862
- Boston — Evening Transcript, microfiche, 1848–1912 (contains biweekly genealogical columns)
- Cumberland Gazette (original papers and on microfilm), 1785–1788
- Deering News, 1891–1915
- Eagle (Castine), 1809–1812
- The Eastern Argus, 1803–1853
- Kennebec Journal, 1825–1913
- Le Justice de Biddeford, 1897–1950
- Lewiston Evening Journal, 1861–1866
- Maine Times, 1968–1996
- The Oxford Democrat, 1833–1891
- Portland Evening Express, 1960–1967
- Portland Gazette, 1798–1824
- Portland Press Herald, 1958–1968
- Portland, ME — Index to newspapers, 1785– 1835
- Republican Journal (Belfast), 1829–1868
- Other selected small town newspapers
Land Records
- York Deeds, 1630–1737 in book form; up to 1850 on microfilm; also have CD-Rom
Probate, Wills, and Court Records
- Maine Wills, 1640–1760
- Maine Probate, 1687–1800
- Maine Province and Court Records, 6 volumes
- York County Will Abstracts to 1858
- Several Lincoln County (1760–1800) and Penobscot County (1816–1866) records
Voter Registrations
- Portland voter registrations, 1855–1967
- South Portland voter registration, 1899–1986, volumes and index cards
Atlases, Maps, and Gazetteers
- Extensive collection of maps and city atlases for Maine including
- 1914 Richards maps — Portland and South Portland
- Northeast Boundary Collection
- Proprietors maps of Kennebec and Pejepscot Companies, 1700+
- Revaluation of Portland, 1882
- Sanborn Fire Maps, 1909–1962, for larger industrialized cities and towns
- Variety of atlases and maps for United States (country, states, and cities)
- British Isles (mostly for England and Wales, and some of Scotland)
Maine Church Records
- Many published and manuscript church records for Unitarian, Baptist, Quaker, Methodist, Congregational churches
Immigration Records
- Cumberland County Naturalizations Index, 1787–1906
- Portland Naturalization Record index, 1855–1911, contains names, residence, date of papers, court, and date of approval
- Passenger and Immigration Lists Index on CD 1538–1940
- The Famine Immigrants, 1846–1851
- Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, Filby and Lower, 3 volumes and Supplements for 1982–1996
- Mayflower Families, 14 volumes
Manuscript Collections
- Cumberland County Sheriff's Records
- Longshoremen's records 1880–1978
- Pownalborough early court records
- Maine Central Railroad records and station drawings 1837–1952
- Collections donated by genealogists
- Notebooks, index listings, and unpublished genealogies
- Town scrapbooks
- Diaries, letters, personal records, land deeds, wills
- Photographs, postcards, and stereo views
- Church records, original town birth registers, diaries
- Account books
- Typescript or manuscript genealogies
- Typescript or manuscript cemetery records
- Architectural and engineering drawings
- Proprietors' maps
- A wide variety of various unpublished documents
Databases and CD–ROMs
Databases
- HeritageQuest Online
- Sanborn Digital maps of Maine
- Ancestry Library Edition
- NewEnglandAncestors.org
- Portland Voters Registration 1892–1902 – remote access
- John Calvin Stevens Architectural drawings finding aid
- Obituaries database (see Obituaries above)
CD–ROMs
- 1880 U.S. Census &National Index (LDS)
- Acadian Genealogies 14th to 19th centuries
- Canadian Genealogy index, 1600s–1900s
- Early Vital Records of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to about 1850
- Family History Library (FHL) Catalog
- Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, Mass. — NEHGS
- Heritage Quest Magazine 1985–1999
- Index to Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, 1848–1864 (CD 188)
- Inhabitants &Estates of the Town of Boston, 1630–1800 — NEHGS
- Maine Marriage Index, 1743–1891
- Massachusetts Town, Probate, and Vital Records 1600–1900 (CD 502)
- Mayflower Vital Records, Deeds, and Wills 1600s–1900s (CD 167)
- Military Records: War of 1812 Muster Rolls (Ancestry.com)
- Mortality Schedules: 1850–1880
- Passenger &Immigration Lists: Boston, 1821–1850 (CD 256)
- Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1538–1940 (Brøderbund)
- Picton's Lost Souls (names found in Picton Press Books)
- Plymouth Court Records, 1686–1859 — NEHGS
- Sprague's Journal of Maine History — Picton Press
- The Records of the Church of Boston — NEHGS
- The Search for Missing Friends, 1831–1920 — NEHGS
- Torrey's New England Marriage Prior to 1700 — NEHGS
- U.S. Census Indexes (Maine 1790–1880, 1900; other selected years and states)
- Vital Records Index: British Isles (LDS)
Canadian Resources
New Brunswick
- New Brunswick Vital Records from Newspapers (ongoing) 1784-1889, by Daniel F. Johnson
- 1871 Directory
Prince Edward Island
- 1871 Directory
Nova Scotia
- 1871 Directory
Québec
- Many Repertoires of marriages in parishes in Québec
- Dictionaire Généalogique des Familles du Québec by Jetté
Families of Quebec into the 1720/30s - Dictionaire Généalogique des Familles Canadiennes by Tanguay
Families of Quebec to the 1780s - Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français by Drouin
Books cover 1608–1800 - Généalogie de Familles Originaires des comtés de Montmagny, L'Islet, Bellechasse, (16 volumes)
- Le Grand Arrangement des Acadians au Quebec by Bergeron (8 volumes)
- Our French–Canadian Ancestors by Thomas Laforest
- Recueil de Genealogies des Comtés de Beauce — Dorchester — Frontenac, 1625–1946, (11 volumes)
Ethnic Resources
England
- Various county parish registers in book form
- Additional county parish registers in book form
- The British Isles Vital Records Index on CD-ROM (LDS)
- Various wills and probate indexes for English counties
- Superb collection of county histories
Ireland
- Indexes to Irish wills
- Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 4 volumes
- Griffith's Valuation (Ireland land valuation for tax purposes), index on CD–ROM
- The Famine Immigrants 1846–1851, 7 volumes
- The Search for Missing Friends, Volumes 2 – 7 (whole series on CD)
French–Canadian
- See section on Canada above
Scrapbooks
We have many ethnic scrapbooks containing various materials such as newspaper articles, manuscripts and photographs pertaining to selected ethnic communities in Maine, including:
- African–American
- Chinese–American
- Greek
- Irish
- Italian
- Jewish–American
- Native Americans
- Polish
- Spanish