Penobscot County, Maine Genealogy

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Guide to Penobscot County, Maine ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Penobscot County, Maine
Map
Map of Maine highlighting Penobscot County
Location in the state of Maine
Facts
Founded February 15, 1816
County Seat Bangor
Courthouse
Address Penobscot County Courthouse
97 Hammond Street
Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207.942.8535
Penobscot County Website


Description[edit | edit source]

The County was named for the Penobscot tribe. The County has Bangor as its seat and the County was created 1816. The County is located in the central area of the state.[1]

Penobscot County, Maine Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[2]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1892 1892 1892 1816 1814 1816 1790
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1892. General compliance year unknown.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

  • Clerk Courts have divorce records from 1900 and court records from 1821.
  • Probate Court has probate records.
  • Register of Deeds has land records.[3]

Quick Facts[edit | edit source]

Parent County[edit | edit source]

1816 - Created 15 February 1816 from Hancock County.[4]

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Two counties were set off from Penobscot over the years:

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

  • 1911 - A fire at the Bangor Library on April 30 destroyed some newspapers. Newspaper issues destroyed in the fire: The Bangor Weekly Register, The Register and Penobscot Advertiser, andThe Register (1815-1828),The Bangor Daily Union (Volume 2, 1838-39), The Jeffersonian, (22 volumes, 1849-69), and some issues of The Bangor Daily Whig and Courier. [5]

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Places / Localities[edit | edit source]

MaineAroostook CountyPiscataquis CountyPenobscot CountyWashington CountySomerset CountyHancock CountyWaldo CountyPenobscot Indian Island ReservationTownship 8 R8Township 8 R7Township 8 R6Township 7 R8Township 7 R7Township 7 R6Township 6 R8Township 6 R7Township 6 R6Township 5 R8Township 5 R7Mount ChaseTownship 4 R8Township 4 R7PattenTownship 3 R8Township 3 R7StacyvilleTownship 2 R8Soldiertown TownshipHerseytown TownshipTownship 1 R8Grindstone TownshipTownship 1 R6Township 4 Indian PurchaseVeazie GoreTownship 3 Indian PurchaseMillinocketEast MillinocketMedwayLong A TownshipHopkins Academy GrantTownship A R7Township 3 R9Township 2 R9WoodvilleMattawamkeagKingman TownshipDrew PlantationSeboeis PlantationTownship 2 R8ChesterWinnWebster PlantationPrentiss TownshipMaxfieldHowlandMattamiscontis TownshipEnfieldLincolnLeeSpringfieldCarroll PlantationLagrangeEdinburgPassadumkeagLowellBurllingtonTwombly TownshipLakevilleWhitney TownshipDexterGarlandCharlestonBradfordCorinnaExeterCorinthHudsonAltonArgyle TownshipGreenbushSummit TownshipGrand Falls TownshipGreenfield TownshipMilfordIndian Island ReservationOld TownNewportStetsonLevantKenduskeagGlenburnOronoBradleyCliftonEddingtonHoldenPlymouthEtnaCarmelHermonBangorVeazieBrewerDixmontNewburghHampdenOrringtonTownship 9 R8Township 9 R7Oxbow (Plantation)Swett FarmTownship 9 R4Township 9 R3Township D R2BridgewaterTownship 8 R5Saint Croix TownshipTownship 8 R3Township C R2MonticelloTownship 7 R5Webbertown TownshipDudley TownshipHammondLittletonMoro (Plantation)MerrillSmyrnaLudlowNew LimerickHoultonHerseyDyer BrookOakfieldLinneusHodgdonCrystalIsland FallsTownship 4 R3Letter A R2 TownshipCary (Plantation)ShermanTownship 3 R4Bragg TownshipForkstown TownshipAmityBenedicta TownshipSilver Ridge TownshipTownship 2 R4Glenwood (Plantation)HaynesvilleOrientTownship 1 R5Upper Molunkus TownshipNorth Yarmouth Academy Grant TownshipReed Plantation (aka Wytopitlock)Molunkus TownshipMacwahoc (Plantation)BancroftWestonTownship 8 R4 NDanforthTownship 8 R3NKossuth TownshipTownship 6 R1NSakom TownshipTownship 6 NDTownship 42 MDTownship 43 MDTownship 36 MDTownship 30 MDDevereaux TownshipBedingtonTownship 24 MDDebloisTownship 18 MDOqiton TownshipTownship 3 NDTownship 41 MDTownship 40 MDTownship 39 MDTownship 35 MDTownship 34 MDGreat PondTownship 32 MDAmherstAuroraNumber 28 MD TownshipTownship 22 MDOsbornMariavilleWalthamEastbrookTownship 16 MDOtisDedhamEllsworthBucksportOrlandWinterportFrankfortMonroeJacksonThorndikeTroyUnityBurnhamBentonUnity TownshipClintonDetroitPittsfieldPalmyraSaint AlbansRipleyCambridgeOrneville TownshipAtkinsonMedfordMiloSebecDover-FoxcroftSangervilleParkmanGuilfordAbbotMonsonWillimanticBowerbankBarnard TownshipWilliamsburg TownshipBrownvilleLake View PlantationTownship 4 R9EbeemeeKatahdin Iron Works TownshipTownship 7 R9Elliottsville TownshipBowdoin College Grant W. TownshipBowdoin College Grant E. TownshipTownship B R11Township B R10Beaver CoveLily Bay TownshipFrenchtown TownshipShawtown TownshipTownship A R11Township A R10Ambejejus LakeTownship 1 R10Township 1 R11Township 1 R12Township 1 R13Spencer Bay TownshipTownship X R14Township 2 R13Township 2 R12Rainbow TownshipTownship 2 R10Township 2 R9Lobster TownshipTownship 3 R13Township 3 R12Township 3 R11Township 3 R10Mount Katahdin TownshipTownship 4 R9Township 4 R10Township 4 R11Township 4 R12Township 4 R13Chesuncook TownshipTownship 5 R12Township 5 R11Nesourdnahunk TownshipTownship 5 R9Trout Brook TownshipTownship 6 R10Township 6 R11Township 6 R12Township 6 R13Township 7 R13Township 7 R12Township 7 R11Township 7 R10Township 7 R9Township 8 R9Township 8 R10Township 8 R11Soper Mountain TownshipEagle Lake TownshipTownship 9 R13Township 9 R12Township 9 R11Township 9 R10Township 9 R9
Modern town borders in Penobscot County, Maine. Towns with records are named in black. Unincorporated green places usually lack records.

Neighboring Counties

Waldo | Somerset | Piscataquis | Aroostook | Washington | Hancock

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this census area:[6]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Native American communities
Census-designated places
Unorganized territories

Listed from southeast to northwest. NBPP=North of Bingham's Penobscot Purchase; NWP=North of Waldo Patent; R=Range; WELS=West of the Easterly Line of the State. For further details see Maine townships.

  • North Penobscot
    • Mattamiscontis (Township 1 R7 NWP)
    • Township 2 R8 NWP
    • Township 2 R9 NWP
    • Township 3 R9 NWP
    • Township A R7 WELS
    • Hopkins Academy Grant
    • Long A (Township A R8 and 9 WELS)
    • Township 3 Indian Purchase
    • Township 4 Indian Purchase
    • Veazie Gore
    • Township 1 R6 WELS
    • Grindstone (Township 1 R7 WELS)
    • Township 1 R8 WELS
    • Herseytown (Township 2 R6 WELS)
    • Soldiertown (Township 2 R7 WELS)
    • Township 2 R8 WELS
    • Township 3 R7 WELS
  • North Penobscot (continued)
    • Township 3 R8 WELS
    • Township 4 R7 WELS
    • Township 4 R8 WELS
    • Township 5 R7 WELS (Upper Shin Pond)
    • Twp 5 R8 WELS (Whitney Ridge Plantation)
    • Township 6 R6 WELS (Lower Shin Pond)
    • Township 6 R7 WELS
    • Township 6 R8 WELS
    • Township 7 R6 WELS
    • Township 7 R7 WELS
    • Township 7 R8 WELS
    • Township 8 R6 WELS
    • Township 8 R7 WELS
    • Township 8 R8 WELS

Plantations[7]
Carroll Plantation | Drew Plantation | Seboeis Plantation | Webster Plantation

Extinct towns and plantations[8]
Argyle | Grand Falls Plantation | Greenfield | Kingman | Mattamiscontis | Prentiss | Summit Plantation | Twombly Ridge | Whitney Ridge Plantation [9]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Tombstone Transcriptions Online Tombstone Transcriptions in Print List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com Family History Library Findagrave.com
USGenWeb WorldCat Billion Graves
USGenWeb Archives FamilySearch Places
Tombstone Project
ME Interment
Billion Graves
See Maine Cemeteries for more information.

Census Record[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1820 13,870 —
1830 31,530 127.3%
1840 45,705 45.0%
1850 63,089 38.0%
1860 72,731 15.3%
1870 75,150 3.3%
1880 70,476 −6.2%
1890 72,865 3.4%
1900 76,246 4.6%
1910 85,285 11.9%
1920 87,684 2.8%
1930 92,379 5.4%
1940 97,104 5.1%
1950 108,198 11.4%
1960 126,346 16.8%
1970 125,393 −0.8%
1980 137,015 9.3%
1990 146,601 7.0%
2000 144,919 −1.1%
2010 153,923 6.2%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Few church records have been published or microfilmed for Maine, making them a major untapped source for genealogical research. No complete survey of what exists has been made, but the Congregational Church was the largest denomination and its records were usually quite comprehensive. According to John Frost, “Genealogy in Maine: A Pragmatic Approach,” Family History in the Northeast, vol. 1, Hartford ’83 Conference (Hartford, Conn.: Connecticut Society of Genealogists, 1983) records for over two dozen Congregational churches are located at Maine Historical Society, as well as thirteen Baptist, three Universalist, and ten Quaker meetings.

Literally hundreds more church records probably exist in various repositories or the churches themselves. The most likely genealogical material can be found in the lists of memberships with letters of admission or dismissal and the baptisms.

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

An extensive array of courts has existed in Maine since the beginning of the settlements in the early 1600s. Jurisdictional changes are quite complicated. A detailed publication of the early records can be found in Province and Court Records of Maine, 6 vols. (Portland, Maine: Maine Historical Society, 1928), as well as on microfilm through the FHL. All of the original court records for York County are at Maine State Archives. Counties formed from York after 1760 (Cumberland and Lincoln) and 1789 (Washington) from York were also under Massachusetts jurisdiction, although these records appear not to have been microfilmed. Most extant court records to 1929 for all counties except Lincoln can be found at the Maine State Archives. Later court records after 1929 continue to be received by the archives. Lincoln County court records are at the courthouse in Wiscasset.

Before statehood, Maine’s court of appeals was the Massachusetts Superior Court of Judicature (1692–1780). This also served as the original court for some other cases such as murders. Records for this court are filled as “Suffolk Files” at the Massachusetts State Archives where they are indexed. The supreme judicial court replaced the superior court of judicature after 1780. According to the Massachusetts State Archives, their holdings include circuit court records for this court for Maine counties through 1793.
Online access to some private held indexes to court records can be found through Maine GenWeb

Penobscot County Superior Courthouse
78 Exchange Street, Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207-561-2300

Penobscot County District Court - Bangor
78 Exchange Street, Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207-561-2300

County District Court - Lincoln
52 Main Street, Lincoln, ME 04457
Phone: 207-794-8512

Penobscot County District Court - Millinocket
207 Penobscot Ave. Millinocket, ME 04462
Phone: 207-723-4786

Penobscot County District Court - Newport
12 Water Street, Newport, ME 04953
Phone: 207-368-5778

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

History[edit | edit source]

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Maine denominations, view the Maine Church Records wiki page.

Land and Property[edit | edit source]

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Maine Land and Property for additional information about early Maine land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.

Maine is a state-land state. Lands were generally acquired by proprietor grants, deeds from proprietors, or deeds from other individuals. Land transactions are recorded at the county level and are available in the county deed office.
PENOBSCOT COUNTY REGISTRY OF DEEDS ($) (note that many deeds are also online)

  • 1642-1737 - All deeds before 1737 have been transcribed and published in 18 volumes York Deeds 1642-1737 (Portland, ME: Maine Historical Society, 1887-1910).
  • Following the American Revolution, land was sold to help pay for the cost of the war in lotteries, tax sales, grants, patents and a few war grants. All original papers are held at the Massachusetts State Archives and they have been published in The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, vol 4-8.
  • 1824-1891 Between 1824 and 1891 the Maine Land Office took over the task of land distribution, records are located at the Maine State Archives (maps, field notes and deeds starting 1794 as Massachusetts deeds).
    A brochure entitled "Land Office Records in the Maine State Archives" is available from the archives. Land grant applications from the Revolutionary War are also available.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Local histories are available for Penobscot County, Maine Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Maine Local Histories.

Maps[edit | edit source]

• One superb map can be extensively used for research and traveling, detailing town divisions, geographical details, road surface types, routes of transportation, and locations of cemeteries. This map is the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, which is published in updated versions by DeLorme Publishing of Freeport, Maine.
• A bicentennial project edited by Gerald E. Morris entitled The Maine Bicentennial Atlas: an Historical Survey (Portland: Maine Historical Society, 1976) is a superb composite of historical maps from the earliest grants and charters to the present. Railroad, lumbering, mining, recreation, population changes, court regions, and election districts illustrate the depth of this resource for genealogical purposes.
• Atwood’s Length and Breadth of Maine includes helpful maps of towns. Maine State Archives has a computerized index of its fine map collection for Maine after statehood, but it is the Massachusetts State Archives that holds the important plotting maps for the pre-statehood development of Maine. Included in many of the maps are location of residences and names of owners.
• Saco Valley Publishing, 76 Main St., Fryeburg, ME 04037, has been reprinting excellent county editions of nineteenth-century maps indicating occupants’ names for each structure.

Somerset CountyAroostook CountyPiscataquis CountyPenobscot CountyWashington CountyWaldo CountyHancock CountyME Penobscot.jpg
Click a neighboring county
for more resources


Military Records[edit | edit source]

• For service in wars before statehood, refer to Massachusetts. However, a few printed sources have attempted to extract Maine soldiers from the Massachusetts holdings, notably Charles J. House's Names of Soldiers of the American Revolution who Applied for State Bounty...in Land Office (1893; reprint; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967); Charles A. Flagg's An Alphabetical Index of Revolutionary Pensioners Living in Maine (1920; reprint; Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1967); and Carleton and Sue Fisher's Soldiers, Sailors and Patriots of the Revolutionary War Maine (Louisville, Ky.: National Society Sons of the American Revolution, 1982).
• The Maine State Archives has a card index of each Civil War soldier and grave records for Revolutionary, Civil War, and War of 1812 soldiers as well as service records through World War I. More recent records can be found at the Bureau of Veterans Services, State House Station no. 117, Augusta, Maine 04333.
• The adjutant general's holdings for Maine, which include militia on state service in wars, state yearly published reports on Civil War soldiers. World War I and II reports are held at the Maine State Archives. The Spanish-American War service records are held but not published.
• For further information, consult: Neagles, James C. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1994.

Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]

Regiments. Service men in Penobscot County, Maine Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Penobscot County, Maine Genealogy:

- 1st Regiment, Maine Cavalry
- 2nd Regiment, Maine Infantry, Companies A, C, E, F, G and K.

Online Records

World War I[edit | edit source]

Naturalization[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Finding More Maine Newspapers[edit source]

Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Penobscot County, Maine Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Penobscot County Probate Court
97 Hammond Street, Bangor, Maine 04401
Phone: 207-942-8769 Fax: 207-941-8499

•1816-Present - Oct 2010: You are allowed to access our files except for adoptions after August 8, 1953 which are confidential. Our records cover the period of 1816 to present. Our office hours are 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. You do not need an appointment. We are open during the lunch hours. We are closed Thursday, November 11 and Thursday, November 25 and Friday November 26. Copies are $1 per page.
•1640-1760 - Maine Wills, William Sargeant (1887), reprint Baltimore Genealogical Publishing Company, 1972.
•1687-1800 - Maine Probate Abstracts, John E. Frost, Salt Lake City: Microfilm Service Corp., 1986-87

Online Probate Records

Records Destroyed[edit | edit source]

•Before 1888 - All Garland, Maine vital records from before 1888 were destroyed in a fire.
•1890 - Federal Census for Maine was completely destroyed by fire.

Taxation[edit | edit source]

Maine tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Vital records are also kept by town clerks or selectmen. Although some towns have existed since the 1650s, most vital records date from about 1700. The vital statistics are often arranged by family.
Before 1892, records of births, marriages, and deaths were kept by the towns and cities of Maine. Some municipalities kept good records, some kept no records, and some kept adequate records only to have them lost to fire, flood, or storage in private homes. The information on these municipal records is in most cases sparser than found on more modern records. Marriages and deaths, for example, rarely listed parents' names or the parties' places of birth. When, in the 1920's, the State requested copies of pre-1892 vital records from the towns, only about 80 towns responded (these records are available at the Maine State Archives).The Maine State Archives holds original vitals from 1892-1922 and microfilmed records from 1922-1955 including a bride’s index (1892-present), groom’s index (1956-present) and a death index (1955-present).

Maine State Archives
LMA Building
84 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
To contact staff for questions regarding their holdings, email the Research Room or by phone at 207-287-5790, Fax: 207- 287-5517. Online indexes are available for marriages (1892-1996, excluding 1967-1976) and deaths (1960-96).

Maine State Archives is the state’s official repository for state governmental records, beginning with 1639 court records and including many war and genealogical records for the state. In addition it holds all census records, adjutant general’s records, most court records, Maine land office records, a few county marriage returns, and the updated microfilm collection of extant Maine town records. Researchers will find the Maine Historical Records Repository Guide on the Maine State Archives website.

Vital record copies may be obtained from:
Maine Department of Human Services
Office of Data Research and Vital Statistics
220 Capital Street
11 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
Telephone: (207) 287-3181
Toll Free: 1-888-664-9491

The Vital Records Unit located at 244 Water Street in Augusta, is available to take walk in requests.
There is a 24 hour turnaround time for all requests made in person. You will be given a choice to have your records mailed to you, or you can pick them up the following business day.


Penobscot County Clerk
97 Hammond Street
Bangor, ME 04401
(207) 942-8535

Bangor birth, death and marriage copies are available for $7.00 each from:

Bangor, Main City Clerk ($)
73 Harlow Street
Bangor, ME 04401
Info: (207) 992-4220
Fax: (207) 945-4449

• In addition to how-tos on Maine genealogy, this archives site serves up a searchable marriage index (1892 to 1996, with a gap from 1967 to 1976) and death index (1960 to 1996).

• Vitalrec.com gives addresses of town and county record locations usually listing a price for records and year range of holdings.

Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]

Penobscot County Genealogical Society

Society founded in 2002, site lists several volunteers who will assist with local research gratis (or copying fees), the membership year runs October 1st - September 30th, and dues are $10.00 for an individual membership or $15.00 for a family membership.

The Penobscot County Genealogical Society meets on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 6:00 p.m. Meetings are held at the Bangor Public Library.

A newsletter is published every other month (October, December, February, April, June and August). It included meeting news, queries, research tips, member experiences with research (both successes and disappointments), genealogical website recommendations, announcements of other society events, and much more. Earlier newsletters 2002-2009 are published on their website in .pdf format. Penobscot Roots and Connections

University of Maine at Orono
Raymond H. Folger Library
Special Collections Dept.
Orono, ME 04469

In addition to focusing heavily on Orono, the collection has state, county, and town histories as well as special collections of various Maine families.

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Holdings at the Bangor Public Library:

Contact the library by:

Telephone Reference:
Call during regular hours Monday - Thursday, 9 AM to 8 PM; Friday & Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM; Closed Sunday
(207) 947-8336, ext. 106
(207) 945-6694 fax

Mailing Address:
145 Harlow Street
Bangor, Maine 04401-4903

Submit a question via email at:
reference@bpl.lib.me.us

Directories[edit | edit source]

The Bangor, Brewer and Penobscot County directory ... Boston: Littlefield Directory Publishing Co., 1851-92. 974.131.A1

General
- Marriage returns of Penobscot County, Maine prior to 1892 / edited by Ruth Gray. Camden, Me.: Picton Press, c1994. 929.1741.M3495m v.1-2
- "Paper talks" in Northern Penobscot. Bangor, Me.: Impact Publications, 1978- 974.13.19
- Twelfth census of the United States: Bradford Town, 1900 / compiled by Stephen L. Corliss. 974.13 .B4 .3
- Abstracts of Penobscot County Maine probate records, 1816-1866 : including abstracts of probate records from Hancock County, 1790-1816, relating to that part of Hancock County set off as Penobscot County in 1816 / edited by Ruth Gray. Camden, Me.: Picton Press, c1990. REF 929.37413.A164a
- Genealogical index to Penobscot County history of Maine, 1882: published by Williams, Chase & Co. / abstracted by Mrs. Edward W. Ames. [Brewer, Me.]: Ames, 1973. 974.13.1a
- Mrs. Patrick/Joseph Wheeler of Ireland and Penobscot County, Maine, and some of his descendents / by Mrs. Murray O. Wheeler. Tolland, Conn.: Clinton Press, [etc.], 1977 929.2.W566p v.1-2
- Penobscot pioneers / by Philip Howard Gray. Camden, Me.: Penobscot Press, 1992-1994 929.1 .G794p v.1 -6
- Early Farnham families of Hancock, Penobscot, and Lincoln Counties, Maine / by Russell C. Farnham. Lecanto, FL.: Russell C. Farnham; 1994. 929.2 F235e
- History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches. Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co., 1882. Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio) 974.13.1
- Storms, Roger C. A history of three corners. Lee, Me., Lee Academy, 1971. 974.102.S885h
- The pilgrim way / by Marion Edna Reed Kimball. Portland, Me.: House of Falmouth, c1962. 974.108.K565p
- Penobscot County (Me.) Abstracts of Penobscot County Maine probate records, 1816-1866 : including abstracts of probate records from Hancock County, 1790-1816, relating to that part of Hancock County set off as Penobscot County in 1816 / edited by Ruth Gray. Camden, Me.: Picton Press, c1990. 929.37413.A164a
- Penobscot County (Me.) Abstracts of Penobscot County Maine probate records, 1816-1883 : including abstracts of probate records from Hancock County, 1790-1816, relating to that part of Hancock County set off as Penobscot County in 1816 / edited by Ruth Gray. Camden, Me.: Picton Press, c1993. REF 929.37413 .A164ab

Maps
- Penobscot County, State of Maine / compiled from Prentiss & Carlisle Co. Inc. surveys, U.S.G.S., and information on file; Paul E. Atwood, topographer. 912.7413 .P919p
- The old maps of southern Penobscot County, Maine in 1875 / as compiled by Comstock & Cline, New York. Fryeburg, Me.: Saco Valley Printing, c1985. 912.7413.O44o
Atlas of Penobscot county, Maine: from recent and actual surveys & records / under the superintendence of W.A. Sherman. New York: Comstock & Cline, 1875. 912.7413.C739a

Microfilm
- United States. Census Office. 11th census, 1890, Schedules enumerating Union veterans and widows of Union veterans of the Civil War : Maine. [microform], Washington: National Archives, 1948 F973.7441.A3 part 1 and part 2

Also available are censuses on microfilm:
- State of Maine Census for 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1920
- The indexes for these censuses are located in the Microfilm Room for easy reference:
- United States. Census Office. 1st census, 1790 Title Heads of families at the first census of the United States taken in the year 1790: Maine, Washington, Govt. Print Off., 1908 929.1741.U58
Maine 1800 territorial census index, Salt Lake City, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, 1979 929.3741.J137m 1800
- Maine 1810 census index Publisher Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, c1976 929.3741.J137m 1810
- Maine 1820 census index Publisher Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, c1976 929.3741.J137m 1820
- Maine 1830 census index Publisher Bountiful, Utah Accelerated Indexing Systems, c1977 929.3741.J137m 1830
- Maine 1840 census index Publisher Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, c1978 929.3741.J137m 1840
- Maine 1850 census index Publisher Bountiful, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems, c1978 929.3741.J137m 1850

Vital Records
- Source: Vital Records of Bangor, ME Births 1795-1917, Deaths 1800-1892, Marriages 1834-1892
Location: Births and Deaths in book form at back of room in glass cabinet, 974.131.1 Microfilm found in boxes in the microfilm room.

City Directories
- Source: Bangor/ Brewer City Directories 1834-1869 (scattered years)
1869+ Location: early years are kept in the vault and can be asked for at the Reference Desk those from 1869+ are located in the Bangor Room (974.131.A1)

Obituary Index
- Source: Bangor Daily News Index, contains obituary listings under the heading Families and Individuals-(Name of Family) Location: in wooden boxes at end of Bangor Room
- Source: Bangor Daily Commercial, obituary lists from 1914-1922 Location: in file cabinet in Reference Dept.under heading Bangor-Vital Records
- Source: Bangor/Brewer City Directory Death Lists, 1909-1916 Location: in file cabinet in Reference Dept. under the heading Bangor-Vital Records
- Source: Obituary Notices of Bangor and Other Maine People Taken From Bangor Newspapers, Feb. 1916 - July 19,1927 Location: in Bangor Room (974.131.O12)

Cemetery Records
- Source: Mount Hope Cemetery Interment Listing, lists names from 1861+ Location: last shelf on left-hand side of the Bangor Room.
- Source: Bangor City Cemetery Interment Records. List of Bangor Cemeteries and how to obtain records Location: Ask for in the Bangor Room
Family Histories
- Source: One Branch of the Keefe or Keeffe Family of Bangor, ME (this is just one example of a family history ) Location: family histories are found on right-hand side of the Bangor Room in the 929. section alphabetically arranged by surnames


Bangor Histories
- Source: Bangor Historical Magazine, 1885-1892 Location: in Bangor Room (974.1.M28)
- Source: Bangor, Maine 1769-1914 : an architectural history Location: in Bangor Room (974.131.T372.b)

Bangor Church Records
- Source: The Church Directory of Bangor and Brewer, Containing the Names, Location, List of Officers, Order of Services, and Membership of The Different Churches 1894 Location: in Bangor Room (277.41.B22.1)
*This is just one example. Other church records may be found by looking in the
old wooden card catalog under Bangor, ME. (name of church) or Bangor, (ME)-

Churches - Penobscot County Records
- Source: Genealogical Index to Penobscot County History of Maine, 1882 Location: in Bangor Room (974.13.1a)
- Source: Marriage Returns of Penobscot County, Maine Prior to 1892 Location: in Bangor Room (929.1741.M3495m)
- Source: Abstracts of Penobscot County Maine Probate Records, 1816-1883 Location: in Bangor Room (929.37413 .A164ab)
- Source: U. S. Census Records for Penobscot County, 1800-1920 Location: boxes of microfilm found on shelves at end of left-hand side of Bangor Room (929.3741.J137.m), along with book indexes for films
Civil War and War of 1812
- Source: History of Penobscot County, Maine (lists Bangor participants in these Wars) Location: in Bangor Room (974.13.1a)
- Source: Second to None : the story of the 2d Maine volunteer infantry : "the Bangor regiment" Location: in Bangor Room (973.7441.M923.s)
- Source: Eastern Maine and the Rebellion : being an account of the principal local events in eastern Maine during the war Location: found in the Bangor Room (973.7441.B3)
*for more info. on Maine in the Civil War and individual regiments, check the 973.7441… section in the Bangor Room

Yearbooks
- Source: Oracle, Bangor High School 1892+ Location: ask for at Reference Desk (373.741.B224.o)
- Source: Bapstonian 1946-1957, Crusader 1958+, John Bapst Location: ask for at Reference Desk (373.741.J62.b)
- Source: Bangor High School Catalog, 1894-1936, 1953-4 Location: right hand side of Bangor Room (379.741.B22)
- Source: Catalogue of the Girl's High School, 1851-1860 Location: right hand side of the Bangor Room (373.741.B22)
________________________________________
Bangor Newspaper Index Located at the Back of the Bangor Room: Index of names, places, businesses, schools, and death, birth or marriage records. Articles are referenced to the specific day and page of a newspaper. Ask for assistance at the reference desk or in the Bangor Room.
Maine State Libraries


• Maine State Library, State House Station 64, Augusta, ME 04333, www.state.me.us/msl
Located at the Maine Cultural Center. The east wing of the building houses the Maine State Library, which has 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, www.mainehistory.org
Open to nonmembers for a nominal fee, this superior col-lection includes extensive printed works on state and family history, and manuscripts (see Maine Periodicals, Newspapers, and Manuscript Collections). Its website includes access to an ongoing, online genealogical discussion forum to post and retrieve queries.

Penobscot County Libraries
Bradford - John B. Curtis Free Public Library
435 Main Rd
Bradford, ME 44103
Phone: (207) 327-2939

Brewer Public Library
100 South Main Street
Brewer, ME 44122
Phone: (207) 989-7943
 

Carmel - Simpson Memorial Library
8 Plymouth Road
Carmel, ME 44190
Phone: (207) 848-7145

Charleston Public Library
Main Road
Charleston, ME 44229
Phone: (207) 285-3680

Corinna - Stewart Free Library
8 Levi Stewart Drive
Corinna, ME 49289
Phone: (207) 278-2454
Website

Corinth - Atkins Memorial Library
360 Main Street
Corinth, ME 44273
Phone: (207) 285-7226

Dexter - Abbott Memorial Library
1 Church Street
Dexter, ME 49301
Phone: (207) 924-7292

East Millinocket Public Library
53 Main Street
East Millinocket, ME 44301
Phone: (207) 746-3554
 

Enfield - Cole Memorial Library
789 Hammett Road
Enfield, ME 44934
Phone: (207) 732-4270

Garland - Lyndon Oak Memorial Library
Main Road
Garland, ME 49399

Glenburn Library
991 Hudson Road
Glenburn, ME 44011
Phone: (207) 942-9897

Hampden - Edythe Dyer Community Library
269 Main Road North
Hampden, ME 44441
Phone: (207) 862-3550 

Howland - Thomas Free Library
8 Main Street
Howland, ME 44480

Lincoln Memorial Library
21 West Broadway
Lincoln, ME 44571
Phone: (207) 794-2765
 

Mattawamkeag Public Library
Main Street
Mattawamkeag, ME 44590
Phone: (207) 736-7013

Millinocket Memorial Library
5 Maine Avenue
Millinocket, ME 44621
Phone: (207) 723-7020
 

Newport Public Library
145 Main Street
Newport, ME 49531
Phone: (207) 368-5074

Old Town Public Library
46 Middle Street
Old Town, ME 44681
Phone: (207) 827-3972
 

Orono Public Library
16 Goodridge Drive
Orono, ME 44734
Phone: (207) 866-5060
 

Orrington Public Library
15 School Street
Orrington, ME 44743
Phone: (207) 825-4938
 

Patten - Veterans Memorial Library
30 Main Street
Patten, ME 47650
Phone: (207) 528-2164

Stetson Public Library
70 Village Road
Stetson, ME 44880
Phone: (207) 296-2020

Kenduskeag - Case Memorial Library
911 Stetson Road
Kenduskeag, ME 44500
Phone: (207) 884-8598 

Levant Heritage Library
3519 Union Street
Levant, ME 44560
Phone: (207) 884-8988

Holdings at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT
• History of Penobscot County, Maine : with illustrations and biographical sketches, 1826-1882
• Miscellaneous cemeteries [of Maine] - Microfilm of typescript (24 leaves). Contains records from Drew Cemetery in Drew Plantation in Penobscot County.
• Some cemeteries near Bangor, Maine. Includes indexes, presented by Frances Dighton Williams Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution, Bangor, Maine, March 1942, Maine, Penobscot - Cemeteries
• Census 1860, 1870, 1880 Deer Isle & Isle au Haut, etc., Maine Noyes, Benjamin Lake, 1870-1945, Microfilm of mss. (typescripts, photocopies of manuscripts, 279 leaves). Contains census records for Bangor and Orrington, 1810; Deer Isle & Isle au Haut, 1860; Deer Isle, Penobscot Bay islands, selected families of Vinalhaven, North Haven, and Matinicus Island, 1870; Deer Isle, Isle au Haut and Stonington, 1880.
• Census of the Penobscot tribe of Indians : as compiled by the tribal comittee on February 11, 1971, at Indian Island, Maine Penobscot Nation. Tribal Committee, Includes births, marriages, deaths, and a census for the year 1971. Cover title: Penobscot Indian Nation, Indian Island , Maine, February 11, 1971.
• Bangor (Maine) city directories, Microfilm of original records held by various libraries and societies. 17 microfiches ; 9 microfilm reels ; 11 x 15 cm. ; 35 mm.
• Directory of Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Old Town, Orono and Veazie : combining five separate and distinct directories. Portland, Maine : Fred. L. Tower Co., 1930
• Records from Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, Maine : family records Daughters of the American Revolution. Frances Dighton Williams Chapter (Bangor, Maine), Includes indexes. Microfilm of typescript in the D.A.R. Library, Washington, D.C. 208 leaves. Contains genealogies of Benjamin Atherton, Humphrey Bradstrret, Capt. William Gerrish, and Isaiah Gould Mayo.
• Days before yesterday in Springfield, Maine, 1834-1984, Leona Frances Brown and Frances Webster, Centennial celebrations, etc., includes index.
• History of Penobscot County, Maine : with illustrations and biographical sketches, 1826-1882, Microfilm of original published: Cleveland, Ohio : Williams, Chase & Company, 1882. 922 p., [87] leaves of plates : ill., maps, ports.
• The Mattanawcook observer : a magazine of local history and genealogy for Lincoln, Maine, and surrounding towns.
• Deeds 1814-1860 ; indexes 1814-1859 -- Penobscot County (Maine) Penobscot County (Maine).

Register of Deeds
• Penobscot County, Maine land ownership map, 1859 Library of Congress. Geography and Map Division
• The old maps of southern Penobscot County, Maine in 1875, "These pages contain 85 maps of southern Penobscot County as it was in 1875, as compiled by Comstock & Cline, New York."
• Naturalization records (Penobscot County, Maine), 1834-1958 Maine. Supreme Judicial Court (Penobscot County)
• Abstracts of Penobscot County, Maine probate records, 1816-1866 : including abstracts of probate records from Hancock County 1790-1816, relating to that part of Hancock County set off as Penobscot County in 1816 Gray, Ruth
• Probate records 1816-1893; index 1816-1866 Maine. Probate Court (Penobscot County)
• Marriages of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Old Town, Maine, 1860-1960 : including 1836-1892 Franco-American marriages recorded in the civil registers of Bangor, Bradley, Brewer, Old Town, and Orono, and the death records of St. Joseph to 1946 Chenard, Robert E.
• Record of marriages in Penobscot County, Maine, 1827-1888
• Marriage returns of Penobscot County, Maine : prior to 1892, edited by Ruth Gray
• Maine, 1743-1891 "Contains information of approximately 230,000 individuals who were married between 1709 and 1917 in select Maine counties.... The date range for this title was chosen to reflect the range in which most marriages fall. Some marriages included on this CD occurred before the dates listed, and some occurred after those dates. Information was collected from the following Maine counties and time periods: Androscoggin (1789-1898), Cumberland (1709-1901), Franklin (1784-1879), Hancock, (1788-1875), Kennebec (1742-1893), Knox (1835-1888), Lincoln (1756, 1818-1829), Penobscot (1794-1889), Piscataquis (1801-1892), Sagadahoc (1688-1917), Somerset (1822-1863), Waldo (1774-1892), Washington (1772-1891), York (1714-1891). For each listed individual, you can generally obtain the ... individual's name, his or her spouse's name, the marriage date, and the county where the marriage was recorded" -- From back of case.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Libraries

Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Penobscot County, Maine" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penobscot_County,_Maine."
  2. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Penobscot County, Maine. Page 304-305 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 275.
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 305. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists, 181.
  5. ↑ Bangor, ME Library Fire, Apr 1911 http://www3.gendisasters.com/maine/20367/bangor-me-fire-apr-1911-destroyed-bangor-library
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Penobscot County, Maine," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penobscot_County,_Maine, accessed 22 July 2019.
  7. ↑ For further details see Maine Plantations
  8. ↑ Before an extinct town (or plantation) was discontinued, it created official town records of interest to genealogists. For preservation these records were usually turned over to a nearby functioning town in the same county.
  9. ↑ Michael J. Leclerc, Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, 5th ed. (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012), 109. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974 D27g 2012.
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