Maine Archives, Societies & Publications

It is a good idea to familiarize personally with just about any repository in Maine that you simply might travel to by communicating with to the best suited archive or library in advance.

Most, if not all, Maine repositories have written and published content that present its collections as well as research policy.

Maine archives and historical organizations usually have On-line sites that provide equivalent details. Several also contain down loadable data for some or parts of their collections.

List of Maine Archives

List of Maine Libraries & Museums

  • Davistown Museum, The, P.O. Box 144 , Hulls Cove, ME 04644; (207) 288-5126
  • Maine State Library, State House Station 64, Augusta, ME 04333
    Located at the Maine Cultural Center, both have been granted additional support for extending and organizing their already diverse collections. Maine State Archives is the only central location in the state for vital records before 1892 and is the permanent “repository” for state documents. In addition it holds all census records, adjutant general’s records, court records, Maine land office records, county marriage returns, and the updated microfilm collection of extant Maine town records.
    The east wing of the building houses the Maine State Library with the largest collection of town histories and family genealogies in the state, microfilm holdings of newspapers, town reports after 1902, and the two collections of cemetery indexes.
  • Maine Historical Society Library, 485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
    Open to non-members for a nominal fee, its superior collection includes extensive printed works on state and family history, and manuscripts.

List of Maine Historical & Genealogical Societies

For almost every state there is a state genealogical society, a state genealogical council, or both.

In addition to their own work, Maine groups many times help coordinate the efforts of local societies throughout the Maine.

Their unique publications, newsletters and quarterlies, supplement those created through the area societies.

Regional and State Societies

  • Maine Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 221, Farmington, ME 04938
    Local chapters in the state and state-wide meetings as well as bi-monthly publication Maine Seine. Maine Families in 1790 is published and sold by the society, along with vital records of Mount Desert and the records of Rev. Edward Carter. The organization’s library is presently at Cutler Memorial Library in Farmington.
  • Maine Historical Society, 485 Congress Street, Portland 04101
  • The 1837 Foundation of Northern Maine

County, Township and City Societies

Religious and Ethnic Societies

Maine Newspapers & Publications

Maine Genealogical publications (magazines, newsletters, periodicals, books, etc.) contain all types of invaluable information about specific ancestors, whole lineages and families, places in time, and about all sorts of genealogical records and repositories.

Newspapers

The Maine State Library, Maine Historical Society, and other libraries and historical societies across the state have vital statistics from newspaper publications on file.

The University of Maine’s Folger Library at Orono has the biggest microfilm newspaper collection in the state. Their holdings can be scanned in the form of a computer-printed list.

They also have a typescript “Maine Newspapers in the Smaller Maine Public Libraries” on file. Members of the NEHGS can also read an article detailing Maine newspapers written by Russell Farnham, CG online.

Periodicals

Genealogical journals provide you with plenty of sources of information and facts, they are generally overlooked by genealogy and family history researchers and genealogist in looking around for family history.

Many regional and county genealogical and/or historical societies produce periodicals which have records relating to the region or vicinity they operate.

Frequently these publications have articles involving records that are not obtainable somewhere else.

Books