Maine Vital Records

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U.S. Vital Records

Maine

Vital Records

Vital Records Reference Dates Maine's vital records start the following years: Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Town: abt 1600s State: 1892

Maine Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Online

Births

• 1670-1921 Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1715-1922 Maine Birth Records, 1715-1922 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1739-1900 Maine Births and Christenings, 1739-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Marriages

• Pre 1700 US New England Marriages Prior to 1700 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1600s-1900s US Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
• 1670-1921 Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1670-1921 Maine Marriage Index, 1670-1921 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1713-1922 Maine Marriage Records, 1713-1922 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1771-1907 Maine Marriages, 1771-1907 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1849-1870 Maine: Marriages and Marriage Intentions, 1849-1870 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
• 1892-2009 Maine Marriage Records, 1892-1966, 1977-2009 at Maine Genealogy — index ($)
• 1892-1996 Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1966, 1977-1996 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1892-1996 Maine Marriage Index, 1892-1996 at Ancestry — index ($); Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1977-Onward Maine, Marriages at MyHeritage — index ($)
• Maine Marriages and Marriage Intentions at American Ancestors — index ($)

Deaths

• 1670-1921 Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1695-1954 US French Catholic Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1695-1954 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1761-1922 Maine Death Records, 1761-1922 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
• 1841-1910 Maine Deaths and Burials, 1841-1910 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
• 1892-1996 Maine Marriages Index, 1892-1966, 1977-1996 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
• 1935-2014 US Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1936-2007 US Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1956-2009 Maine Death Records 1956-2009 at Maine Genealogy — index
• 1960-1996 Maine Death Index, 1960-1996 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: MyHeritage($)
• 1960-1997 Maine Death Index, 1960-1997 at Ancestry — index ($); Also at: RootsWeb($)
• 1962-2014 US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

City & County Databases

• 1748-1875 Maine Compiled Marriages for Belfast, Hallowell and Pittsdon, 1748-1875 at Ancestry — index ($)

Divorce

• 1798-1891 Maine Divorce Records, 1798-1891 at Ancestry — index ($)
• 1799-1908 Maine Divorce Records, 1799-1908 at Maine Genealogy — index
• 1892-1963 Maine Divorces at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Maine Vital Records Office

• Maine Office of Vital Records
• Order Maine Certificates online

Birth, Marriage, and Death Records

Before 1892

Vital records are 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. Vital records prior to 1892 are (by law in effect as of September 2011) open to the public; anyone may purchase a copy. [NOTE: See the article "Accessing Vital Records in Maine" on the Maine Genealogical Society website for complete information.]

Although the original vital records are kept by the town clerks, copies of some of the existing pre-1892 vital records are at the Maine State Archives. The FamilySearch Library also has an extensive collection of Maine town vital records, including:

• Noyes, Benjamin Lake. Vital Records Copied from Town, Church, & Cemetery Records in Various Towns and Counties of Maine Along the Atlantic Seaboard. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971, 1972. This source organizes names alphabetically by locality. It includes histories of some areas; people's birth, marriage and death dates; and names of spouses and children. FS Library film 873738 items 1-2
• Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Andover, Massachusetts : Northeast Document Conservation Center, [1983?]. Most of the pre-1700 New England marriages collected from printed and manuscript records in the New England Historic Genealogical Society. FS Library films 929494-929500

The FamilySearch Library and the Maine State Archives also have an index to pre-1892 vital records for 80 towns. The index includes birth, delayed birth, marriage, and death records.

• Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records Prior to 1892 of . . . 80 Towns. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1953. These records of births (including delayed births), deaths, and marriages are arranged alphabetically by surname and then chronologically by year within each surname. FS Library films 009743-883
• Maine State Archives. Delayed Returns for Births. Deaths, and Marriages, 1670-1891. [N.p., 197-]. The records are arranged alphabetically by surname and then chronologically, earliest date through 1891. Some records are out of order. FS Library films starting at 1002375

Many of the births and marriages recorded in the town records have been extracted and are listed in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) at the FamilySearch Library and FamilySearch Centers. Some vital records have been published in genealogical periodicals.

After 1892

State registration of vital statistics began in 1892. Birth records are closed for 75 years; marriage records, marriage applications/bonds, records of domestic partnerships, and records of fetal deaths are closed for 50 years; death records are closed for 25 years.

See the article "Accessing Vital Records in Maine" in the Maine Genealogical Society website for complete information on who has access to which records, and how (if you meet the criteria for access) and where to order copies. Rules for implementing the new law accessing vital records (which took effect in September 2011) are not yet (July 2012) complete. The aforementioned article lists alternative sources for vital records.

For indexes of birth, marriage, and death records see:

• Maine State Archives - marriage index 1892-1967, 1977-1996; death index 1960 to three years ago
• Maine Death Records & Indexes (deathindexes.com)

• Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records, 1892-1907. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. Births, marriages, and deaths are arranged alphabetically by surname and then chronologically by year within each surname. FS Library films 9884-10067

• Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records 1908-1922. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. Records are arranged alphabetically by surname. FS Library films 10068-215

• Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records: Bride's Index to Marriages, 1895-1953. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. This index includes names of brides, names of grooms, and marriage data. FS Library films 010261-371

Gretna Greens. When an eloping Maine couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like Elkton, Cecil, Maryland, or Prince William County, VA, or in towns just across the Canadian border.

Cause of Death

• Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Divorce Records

Original records are in the office of the clerk of the district court where the divorce was granted. Divorce proceedings prior to 1892 can be found in the court records at the Maine State Archives. For certified abstracts of divorce decrees since 1892 contact:

Office of Vital Records
244 Water Street, SHS #11
Augusta, Maine 04333-0011
Telephone: 207-287-3181

Substitute Records

These links will take you to wiki pages describing alternate sources for birth, marriage and death records.

• Church Records: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death.

• Cemetery Records: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information. These records may also reveal family relationships.

• Census Records: Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine approximate time of death when the individual disappear from the census. This is a good place to begin a search.

• Newspapers: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.

• Obituaries: Obituaries found in newspapers can list the age of the deceased, birth date and place, death date and place, and names of living relatives and their residences.

• Periodicals: Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals which may contain abstracted early birth, marriage and death information.

• Military Records: Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information. In addition, soldiers' homes records can include this same information.

• Probate Records: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.

• History: Local histories, family histories, and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage, and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the FamilySearch Catalog.

Tips

• Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record. The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
• If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to record births, marriages and deaths.
• Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 100 years may be unavailable to anyone except a direct relative.
• Search for Vital Records in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place-name Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Maine to locate records filed by the state and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by the county

References

"Accessing Vital Records in Maine" by Helen A. Shaw, CG, on the Maine Genealogical Society website.

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