NOW AVAILABLE! Vital Records of Mount Vernon, Maine

Hot on the heels of our highly anticipated Maine Families in 1790, Volume 11 release comes the latest publication from the Maine Genealogical Society (MGS). Vital Records of Mount Vernon, Maine continues the long tradition of publishing established by MGS 30 years ago. Special publication #74 of the Society is now available to both non members and members, exclusively through the MGS website at http://www.maineroots.org

Mount Vernon, Maine, is a small community located northwest of Augusta. Originally settled in 1774 as Washington Plantation, the town was incorporated June 28, 1792 as the 80th town in Maine. When the settlers applied for incorporation as Washington, they learned that there was another town in Maine by that name so they chose instead the name of George Washington’s estate - Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon is bounded by Vienna, Rome, Belgrade, Readfield, and Fayette, and many of the marriages included in this book relate to people from those towns. These vital records are transcribed from the original town records which are on microfilm at the Maine State Archives. We have made every attempt for accuracy. We located most of the original records of Mount Vernon in the Maine State Archives in Augusta and were able to compare our transcription with the originals. We also discovered other important records relating to paupers so we have added those to this book. We
also visited the Dr. Shaw Memorial Library in Mount Vernon but could find no relevant original records. With nearly 550 pages, and an every name index of more than 16,500 entries, this book is a gold mine of information for anyone researching early families of the area.

Because punctuation is so erratic in these early documents, we have included only the necessary commas and periods. However, we have transcribed the erratic spelling exactly as written by the early town clerks. We included all vital records such as births, deaths, marriages, and marriage
intentions as well as sale of pews and sheep marks, but we did not transcribe such town records as meetings or lost horses. Such omissions are noted within the book.


If you would like to order a copy of Vital Records of Mount Vernon, Maine it is only available through the Maine Genealogical Society.

Purchases can be made through our online store by visiting our website:
http://www.maineroots.org

Members of MGS receive $7 off the regular retail price

*MGS membership is $25 per calendar year.  In addition to superb discounts on publications and conferences, your MGS membership gets you a quarterly newsletter with information about genealogical events and MGS chapter news from across the State, our quarterly scholarly journal, The Maine Genealogist, and a number of other benefits.  Consider joining MGS today and save on this and other upcoming publications.  http://maineroots.org/index.php/about/membership/

Maine Families in 1790 Volume 11 is now shipping

Maine Families in 1790 Volume 11 was recently delivered from the printer. Preorders have shipped, but there's still plenty of copies left for those that were waiting to make their purchase.  With more than 18,700 names in this edition's every name index, this volume will be a most welcome addition to many researchers libraries.

For more information about this release, see our last post.

Remember, this and upcoming titles are now available to both MGS members and non-members (though members do receive a nice discount on all titles)

Maine Families in 1790, Volume 11 - Now Taking Pre-Orders!

After nearly 6 years since Volume 10, The Maine Genealogical Society is excited to announce we are now accepting preorders for volume 11 of our Maine Families in 1790 series.  This book is now at the printer and is available to both Maine Genealogical Society members and non-members for pre-ordering now!  Books are currently scheduled to arrive from the printer to MGS the week of December 13.  Pre orders will be shipped to individuals as soon as we have them, with the intention to get them to most households before the Christmas holiday.

Edited by Joseph Crook Anderson II, FASG, Volume 11 of the Maine Families in 1790 series is the biggest yet. Crammed with 800 genealogy-packed pages, this volume treats 208 new families located throughout the District of Maine. Consistent with the previous volumes, all of the families have been thoroughly researched and edited, and all facts are meticulously documented with clear source citations. Conclusions drawn from circumstantial evidence, incomplete records, or conflicting sources are fully discussed within each family sketch. With this volume, the total number of families treated in the series is now 2,895 (or 17% of all families living in Maine in 1790). The usefulness of these books for genealogical research cannot be overstated. The Maine Families in 1790 series is simply the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource on families living in the state during the late-Colonial, Revolutionary War, Federalist, and early statehood periods of Maine’s history.

Surnames of heads-of-household included in Volume 11 are:
Alexander, Allen, Andrews, Atkinson, Baker, Beal(s), Berry, Besse, Bickford, Bishop, Bixby, Blake, Bonney, Booker, Bowman, Boyd, Bradbury, Bradford, Britton, Brown, Card, Cash, Cass, Chandler, Chipman, Clifford, Colby, Collier, Colson, Cottrell, Cousens, Crary, Crommett, Davis, Dexter, Dickey, Dingley, Downing, Dutton, Ellis, Eustis, Fairbanks, Farley, Farnsworth, Fenby, Fletcher, Foster, Fowler, Frye, Fuller, Gilbert, Gilpatrick, Goodridge, Goodwin, Gould, Grant, Greeley, Griffin, Haley, Hall, Hancock, Hawes, Hicks, Hinds, Hinkley, Hopkinson, Houston, Ingalls, Jack, Jacobs, Jewell, Jewett, Jordan, Kilborn, Lackey, Lambert, Lancaster, Lanpher, Libby/Libbey, Lindsey, Longley, Martin, Mathews, Mayberry, Merithew, Metcalf, Miller, Millet, Mitchell, Moors, Neal, Niles, Nock, Norris, Odam, Otis, Patch, Patten, Peabody, Peirce, Perley, Perry, Poke, Porter, Potter, Pratt, Randall, Redlon, Reed, Richmond, Robbins, Russell, Sawyer, Shute, Small, Smith, Springer, Spurr, Staples, Stimson, Stinchfield, Stowers, Sturgis, Sturtevant, Sylvester, Tate, Thurston, Town(e)(s), True, Turner, Walker, Ward, Washburn, Wells, Weston, Whiting, Whittier, Wilder, Winslow, Woodman, Young.

As always, MGS members enjoy a substantial discount on the non-member price.  The nearly $20 
discount to members on just this book makes the $25 annual membership dues well worth the investment.

Interested to know if your Maine families are represented in the first 10 Volumes?  There is a master index of heads of households for volumes 1-11 available on the MGS website available here.

NOW AVAILABLE: Vital Records of Newcastle, Maine

Vital Records of Newcastle, Maine, special publication #72 of the Maine Genealogical Society (MGS) is now available exclusively through MGS.

The town of Newcastle is located in Lincoln County on the peninsula between the Sheepscot and Damariscotta Rivers. The town was originally called Sheepscot Plantation and settled in 1630 by fishermen. The town was attacked and destroyed in 1676 during the King Philip’s War but many residents returned when the War ended. During another French and Indian War in 1688 the town was again destroyed with residents not returning for about 30 years. The name of the town was changed to Newcastle in 1730 and incorporated on 23 August 1775 as the 30th town in Maine. The population of the town increased from the first census in 1790 when there were 787 residents to its high point in 1850 when there were 2,012 residents. After that, it dropped each year to a low point in 1930 of 914, rising in 1940 to 994 residents.

The vital records for the town of Newcastle have been transcribed for this book from the microfilms located in the Maine State Archives as digitized on two CDs available from Picton Press. Also included are Delayed Records of Births and Marriage Intentions which were transcribed from two original volumes located in the Newcastle town office, neither of which have been microfilmed. The quality of the microfilmed records is quite good with only a few pages having sections either too faint or too dark to read but were found to be more readable in the original record volumes found in the Newcastle town office.

Vital Records of Newcastle includes Birth, Marriage, and Death records as transcribed from images of microfilms held at the Maine State Archives. Also included are records from the journal of Ebenezer Webb.

With over 380 pages of information, including an Every Name Index of well over 8,000 individuals, this book is a must have if you are researching families in the Newcastle area in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.  At $39.95 for non-members,, this book is a great value for any genealogical library.

If you would like to order a copy of Vital Records of Newcastle, Maine it is only available through the Maine Genealogical Society.

Purchases can be made through our online store by visiting our website:
http://www.maineroots.org

Members of MGS receive 25% off the non-member price, a savings of $10!

*MGS membership is $25 per calendar year.  In addition to superb discounts on publications and conferences, your MGS membership gets you a quarterly newsletter with information about genealogical events and MGS chapter news from across the State, our quarterly scholarly journal, The Maine Genealogist, and a number of other benefits.  Consider joining MGS today and save on this and other upcoming publications.  http://maineroots.org/index.php/about/membership/

Vital Records of Woolwich, Maine now available EXCLUSIVELY through MGS!

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #71
Vital Records of Woolwich, Maine

The Maine Genealogical society has some exciting news, and it's NOT just for members!  We are very excited to announce our latest Vital Records of Woolwich, Maine, special publication #71 of the society.

This book is available exclusively through the Maine Genealogical Society.  As our first self-published publication, you can't find Vital Records of Woolwich, Maine anywhere else.

Unlike other MGS special publications, which we could only sell to members due to contractual obligations with our publisher, this new title is available, from our website, for anyone with an interest in their Woolwich ancestry.  You do not need to be a member of MGS to purchase this title!  As with our other titles, MGS members still receive a generous discount when identifying themselves as a member at checkout. In addition, as our first self-published work we were able to continue to bring you the same high quality standards of our previous books while keeping a lower price - and we are able to offer both a paperback and hardcover edition.

 The town of Woolwich is located in Sagadahoc County, Maine, on the east side of the Kennebec River. The early name of the town was Nequasset, the Indian name of a local pond. The first settlers were John Bateman and Edward Brown who resided there in 1638. They purchased from Robin Hood, an Indian chief, most of the territory now comprised by Woolwich.

The town was incorporated 23 August 1775 as the 32nd town in Maine. The population of the town increased slightly from the first census in 1790 when there were 787 residents to its high point in 1830 when there were 1,495 residents. Since then, it dropped each year to a low point in 1930 of 671 residents, rising in 1940 to 1,144 residents.

Vital Records of Woolwich includes Birth, Marriage, and Death records as transcribed from images of microfilms held at the Maine State Archives. Also included are town meeting and miscellaneous records of interest to genealogists as well as ear marks.

With over 650 pages of information, including an Every Name Index of more than 17,000 individuals, if you have families living in Woolwich prior to the 1890s, you're sure to find something of interest in this book.

If you would like to order a copy of Vital Records of Woolwich, Maine it is only available through the Maine Genealogical Society. 

Purchases can be made through our online store using one of the following links:

Hardcover (*$49.95 for non MGS members/$39.95 for members)
http://tinyurl.com/nrozb2l
Paperback (*39.95 for non MGS members/$29.95 for members)
http://tinyurl.com/narozbd

*MGS membership is $25 per calendar year.  In addition to superb discounts on publications and conferences, your MGS membership gets you a quarterly newsletter with information about genealogical events and MGS chapter news from across the State, our quarterly scholarly journal, The Maine Genealogist, and a number of other benefits.  Consider joining MGS today and save on this and other upcoming publications.  http://maineroots.org/index.php/about/membership/

Waterville, Maine 1890 Census now available through the Taconnett Falls chapter!

Many genealogists have run into the conundrum over the years of trying to find their ancestors in the 1890 census only to learn most of the census for that year was destroyed during a fire many years ago.  Researchers looking for their Waterville ancestors may be surprised to know a copy of the 1890 census still exists and was recently published through the hard work of the Tacconnett Falls chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society and Sam Teddy Publishing.  The paperback book contains nearly 300 pages (including index) and is a must have for anyone researching their 1890's Waterville families.

Thanks so much to the folks at the Taconnett Chapter for bringing this vital resource to print!

If you're interested in purchasing a copy, you can contact the Taconnett Falls chapter of MGS at taconnettfalls11@yahoo.com for more information.

For more information about how this resource came to be available, check out this Bangor Daily News article by Roxanne Saucier:

http://bangordailynews.com/2014/12/07/living/1890-census-records-for-waterville-gets-reprinted-as-new-284-page-book/

New Book on Windham, ME History

Time for a good book? If you're interested in Windham history, you may enjoy reading Kay Soldier's latest book about Windham's "Northeast Road" -- the old time name for Route 202 or Gray Road.
Read about the old Revolunary soldiers who settled in the Eastern part of Windham and chuckle at Charles Legrow's descriptions of every house and settler from the Rotary (or Foster's Corner) to the Gray line. Every graveyard, every school and all the houses, and all the people who lived there -- as memorialized by one of our town's best historians -- Charles Legrow.

Genealogists will have a field day with the family details.

Read about some of Windham's finest people including Tony Pecoraro, Walter Reeves, Flora Lamb and others -- and read about the Days Gone By and what the different seasons meant to some of us old timers.
 
This is not an official publication of the Maine Genealogical Society, but rather a new book by one of our members.  If you would like a copy, please send $20 per copy to Kay Soldier, 114 Tandberg Trail, Windham, Maine 04062 and she will mail it out right away.

Maine Famlies in 1790 Bundle

Maine Genealogical Society members are now getting an extra special deal on top of already discounted items.  The popular Maine Families in 1790 Series Value Bundle includes 3 volumes from the 10 volume set at more than 50% off their retail price!  Volumes 5, 6 and 7 are included in this limited time deal and include more than 1,600 poages of family sketches. The Every Name Index for just these three volumes includes more than 40,000 names!

Retail these books sell for a combined $166. MGS Members could already get them at a substantial discount, $92, but for a limited time, this value bundle is available for MGS Members only for $75!  Not a member?  Why not join and take advantage of this amazing deal?  For the extra $25 you get our quarterly newsletter, quarterly scholarly journal, more discounts on ALL our in stock titles and you have the opportunity to have your genealogy related website added to our list of links, and post queries to the blog.

And, if you're coming to our Spring Workshop in Augusta, let us know which books you're interested in and we can bring them with us and save you some shipping costs!  Not registered for the workshop?  Better hurry, there's only a week left before the registration deadline.

For more information on both these deals, visit our website: http://www.maineroots.org

Vital Records of Wiscasset, Maine Now Available

The town of Wiscasset is situated on the Sheepscot River in the southeastern part of Lincoln County and is the county seat. The town was first settled in 1663 but the settlement was abandoned during the French and Indian Wars and the King Philip's War in 1675. Not until 1730 did settlers return to the area.

The town was first included in the region called South Precinct of Pownalborough. The town of Pownalborough was incorporated as the twelfth town in Maine on February 13, 1760 and originally included what are now the towns of Wiscasset, Dresden, Alna and Swan Island. Land was set off forming the towns of Dresden and Alna on June 25, 1794 with the name of Pownalborough being retained for the remaining portion until June 10, 1802 when it was then changed to Wiscasset.

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication No. 66. 640 pages, 24,339 entry Every Name Index; hard cover. 2011.

MGS Member price is $74.95, a discount of $10.00 from the non-member price.

Coming to our workshop on April 23rd? This book, and many others, will be on sale there!

For more information, visit the Special Publications catalog on the MGS website.

Vital Records of Orland, Maine

We are pleased to announce the availability of our Special Publication #65.

The town of Orland is located in Hancock County, 17 miles west of Ellsworth. Granted to W. Dall, Nathaniel Snellings, Robert Treat and others in Boston. It was first settled by Joseph Gross from Fort Pownal in 1764. Zachariah Gross, his son, was the first male child born there in 1766. The first road was laid out in 1771 by John Hancock and Samuel Craig. Orland was incorporated on Feb. 21, 1800. Prior to that date it was known as Eastern River Township, or Plantation, No. 2.

James H. Wick, compiler. 426 pages, 14,106 entry Every Name Index. Hard cover. 2010.

Member price: $59.95 / Non-member price: $69.95

Visit our website for ordering information.

Vital Records of Litchfield, Maine

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #64 is now available. The Vital Records of Litchfield, Maine has been compiled by Marlene A. Groves.

The town of Litchfield is located in the southwestern corner of Kennebec County and is sixteen miles south-southwest of Augusta, the state capitol. The town was settled early and a survey in 1776 gives the names of these early settlers and the location of their lots. They were Benjamin Hinckley with lot 1, Eliphalet Smith with lot 2, Barnabus Baker with lot 3, Thomas Smith with lot 4, Benjamin Smith with lot 5 and Barnabus Baker, Jr., with lot 6. The town was first called Smithfield Plantation and incorporated as the 93rd town in Maine on 18 February 1795. Between 1827 and 1867 land was set off from Litchfield to the towns of Wales, Kennebec, West Gardiner and Webster.

608 pages, hard cover, 24,919 entry Every Name Index. 2010.

The book sells for $79.50, but MGS members pay only $69.50! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at www.pictonpress.com.

To learn more about other MGS Special Publications visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Publication of Litchfield Vital Records

Expected Early 2010 --

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #64 - Vital Records of Litchfield, Maine

Compiled by Marlene A. Groves, this publication includes 608 pp., 24,919 entry Every Name Index.

MGS Member Price is $69.50 (Non-member price is $79.50).

For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at www.pictonpress.com.

To learn about other MGS Special Publications visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Vital Records of Cape Elizabeth

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #63 is now available. The Vital Records of Cape Elizabeth, Maine has been compiled by Anne M. Diehm, edited by Joseph Crook Anderson II, FASG, and Marlene A. Groves.

Cape Elizabeth is located in the county of Cumberland and is five miles from the county seat of Portland. The original town formed a part of ancient Falmouth and was settled about 1630. Cape Elizabeth was incorporated as a district in Maine on 1 November 1765. It was later incorporated as the 34th town on 23 August 1776. In 1852 part of the town was set off to form a new town called Westbrook, and on 15 March 1895 the southern portion of the town was set off to form a new town called South Portland.

The Cape Elizabeth vital records include births, deaths, marriage intentions and marriages recorded by town clerks with this transcription containing those prior to the year 1892. Some of the early volumes of town records are located in the town of Cape Elizabeth and other volumes are located in the town of South Portland.

640 pages, hard cover, 28,235 entry Every Name Index. 2009

The book sells for $79.50, but MGS members pay only $69.50! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at www.pictonpress.com.

To learn about other MGS Special Publications visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Got books?

Maine Genealogical Society will have its wide selection of Special Publications for sale at our annual conference on September 26th in Bangor.

To insure that the books you are interested in adding to your library are available, we recommend that you pre-order. Click here to download the order form. Complete the order form and indicate that you will pick them up at the conference and you will avoid the freight charges. The order form and payment information needs to be sent to Picton Press (contact information is included on the form). Then, simply visit the MGS Special Publications table at the conference. We will have your order set aside and waiting for you!

Pre-orders for books need to be received by Picton Press by Wednesday, September 23rd, to insure delivery to the conference.

Save more! Order now! Don't forget, MGS members receive special low pricing!

Need information about the conference? Visit www.maineroots.org.

Vital Records of Cape Elizabeth

Advance Notice -

The Vital Records of Cape Elizabeth is currently on the press and expected to arrive early October 2009. This volume is 640 pages and contains over 28, 235 entries. Compiled by Anne M. Diehm, with co-editors Joseph Crook Anderson, II, FASG and Marlene A. Groves. A must have for researchers involved in this area of Maine.

The retail price for non-members is $79.50, but MGS members receive the discount price of $69.50.

Contact Picton Press (www.pictonpress.com) to pre-order. Please reference Book #2167 - and MGS members must provide their MGS membership number.

Vital Records of Smithfield, Maine

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #62 is now available. The Vital Records of Smithfield, Maine has been compiled by Marlene A. Groves.

The town of Smithfield is located in the southwestern part of Somerset County and is ten miles south southwest of Skowhegan, the county seat. The town was originally formed from part of the towns of Dearborn and Mercer and called East Pond Plantation.

This transcription of the vital records of the town of Smithfield was made from the microfilmed original records with verification of any questionable entries made by looking at the original volumes of records located in the Smithfield town office.

368 pages, hard cover, 7,677 entry Every Name Index. 2009.

The book sells for $57.95, but MGS members pay only $49.95! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at http://www.pictonpress.com.

To learn about other MGS special publications, visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Vital Records of Mercer, Maine

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #61 is now available. The Vital Records of Mercer, Maine have been compiled by Marlene A. Groves.

The town of Mercer is located in the southwestern corner of Somerset County and is twelve miles west of Skowhegan. The town is bounded on the West by New Sharon, on the North by Starks, on the east by Norridgewock and Smithfield, and on the South by Rome.

This transcription was made from the digital images of the original records as contained on the CD available from Picton Press. One original volume, the marriage records for the period 1804-1835, had never before been microfilmed but was digitized for this transcription from the original volume located in the Mercer town office. Also included in this transcription are several Delayed Records of Births for years prior to 1892 which were also located inthe town office.

224 pages, hard cover, 5,099 entry Every Name Index. 2009.

The book sells for $39.95, but MGS members pay only $35.50! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at http://www.pictonpress.com.

To learn about other MGS special publications, visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Vital Records of Cornville, Maine

Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #60 is now available. The Vital Records of Cornville, Maine was compiled by Sally Furber Nelson.

Cornville is a small rural community in Somerset County, located just north of Skowhegan, the county seat. The town was first settled in 1794 by men from Massachusetts and New Hampshire, many of them veterans of the Revolutionary War. The town was first called Bernardstown but, when it was incorporated as the 116th town on February 24, 1798, the name was changed to Cornville.

This transcription was made from a microfilm of the original records. It includes all of the material on that microfilm except an index.

254 pages, hard cover, 7,123 entry Every Name Index. 2009.

The book sells for $49.50, but MGS members save $5.00, paying only $44.50! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at http://www.pictonpress.com.

To learn about other MGS special publications, visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Vital Records of Castine, Maine

Maine Genealogical Special Publication #59 is currently available. Vital Records of Castine, Maine has been compiled by James H. Wick.

Castine, Maine is one of the oldest communities in North America, is located in Hancock County on Penobscot Bay and is thirty miles southwest of Ellsworth, the county seat. It has been occupied continuously since the early 1600s as the site of numerous trading posts, forts, missions and permanent settlement of France, Holland, England and colonial America. Before 1613, and during the course of its long history, Castine has also been home to several nations of Native Americans.

416 pages, hard cover, 12, 457 entry Every Name Index. 2009.

The book sells for $57.95, but MGS members pay only $48.95! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at http://www.pictonpress.com.

To learn about other MGS special publications, visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.

Vital Records of Norridgewock, Maine

Have you picked up your copy of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publication #57? Vital Records of Norridgewock, Maine has been compiled by Marlene A. Groves.

The town of Norridgewock is located in Somerset County on the Kennebec River and lies west of Skowhegan, the county seat. Norridgewock was incorporated on June 18, 1788 as the 54th town and was originally the county seat when Somerset County was incorporated in 1809 before it moved to Skowhegan in 1871. The area was once the territory of the Norridgewock Native Americans, a band of the Abenaki nation, for whom the town was named. Their village was located in the region called Old Point, which is now part of Madison.

There is an early volume of records containing town meeting records along with births, deaths and marriages for which a typescript was made years ago but no indication by whom or when. The town clerk indicates that this original volume stops at page 48 although the typescript contains additional pages. Even though the town was incorporated in 1788, there are earlier events recorded as early as 1774.

448 pages, 13, 124 entry Every Name Index. 2008.

The book sells for $54.50, but MGS members pay only $47.50! For more information or to place an order, please visit Picton Press, official publisher of Maine Genealogical Society Special Publications at http://www.pictonpress.com.

To learn more about other MGS special publications, visit our website at www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~megs.

Membership number required to receive the MGS member discount.