Published census records a handy tool

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Most genealogists have spent hours peering at census records on fading microfilm. While the activity can be rewarding and interesting, it also can be tedious and certainly exhausting.

God bless the people who take the time to transcribe census records, making them so handy to use.

I recently found out that a friend at work had folks from St. Agatha, the same Aroostook County town where my husband’s Chamberlands and Chasses lived.

I brought in my copy of “Centenaire de St. Agatha, Maine 1899-1999,” and sure enough, my friend found her great-grandparents listed among the 213 families in the transcription of the 1900 census.

A few days later, I had occasion to use David Livingstone Swett’s “Census and Cemetery Records of Orrington, Penobscot County, Maine,” which includes the town’s census records for 1790-1900. Beginning in 1850, censuses listed every household member by name.

Special collections at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library in Orono and at the University of Maine at Presque Isle both have the St. Agatha book, and you’ll find Swett’s several books at Fogler, at the Maine State Library in Augusta, and at Bangor Public Library, among other places.

You may be familiar with the usual hours for Fogler’s special collections – 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Special collections recently added evening hours on Tuesday, staying open until 9 p.m. The rest of the library is open seven days a week when school is in session. For library hours, call 581-1664. For special collections hours, check with special collections staff at 581-1686.

Many kinds of books include census records. Here are a few I found mentioned on URSUS, the Web site for UM and a few other libraries:

. 1890 census, “1890 Maine Census Index of Civil War Veterans or Their Widows,” Bangor Public Library, Bangor Room; Fogler Library; University of Maine at Farmington; Maine State Library.

. Aroostook County surnames, “Aroostook County Census Records,” UMPI. Two loose-leaf notebooks comprise surnames from censuses 1830-1910. Aroostook County was incorporated in 1839.

. Bradford, “Twelfth Census of the United States: Bradford Town, 1900,” Bangor Public Library.

. Chester, “Population of Chester Plantation, Maine: Census of 1800, 1810,” Maine State Library.

. Eliot, “Eliot, York Co., Maine, Census, 1860,” Maine State Library.

. Frankfort, “Vital Records of Frankfort, Waldo County, Maine: Including Marriages, Military and Census Records up to and Including the Year 1941,” Maine State Library.

. New Brunswick, “Census Records of 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 for Kingston Parish, Kings County, New Brunswick,” UMPI and Fogler Library.

. New Brunswick, “Census Records, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881: Saint Mary’s, York County, New Brunswick,” UMPI and Fogler Library.

. New Brunswick, “Recensement 1851 Census: Comte de Victoria ( Incluant l’actuel comte de Madawaska), Province du Nouveau-Brunswick = Victoria County (Including the actual Madawaska County), University of Maine at Fort Kent’s Acadian Archives. These books by Jean-Guy Poitras also cover 1861, 1871 and 1881. He also did similar books for 1891 and 1901.

. New Brunswick, “An Index to Irish Immigrants in the New Brunswick Census of 1851,” Fogler Library.

. New Brunswick, “Recensement 1881, Comte Gloucester, Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada = 1881 Census, Gloucester County, Canada,” Fogler Library.

. New Brunswick, “New Brunswick Census of 1871, Restigouche County,” Fogler Library.

. New Brunswick, “The New Brunswick Census of 1851: Saint John County,” UMPI, Fogler Library.

. New Brunswick, “The Fredericton Census of 1871,” UMPI, Fogler Library, Maine State Library.

. New Brunswick, “The New Brunswick Census of 1851: Westmorland County,” UMPI, Fogler Library, Maine State Library.

. New Brunswick, “The New Brunswick Census of 1851: Albert County,” UMPI, Fogler Library, Maine State Library.

. Waterville, “Waterville Maine Census of 1890,” Bangor Public Library, Fogler Library, Maine State Library. Taconnett Falls Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society transcribed these records from the census at the Waterville Public Library.

If you know of census records that have been published for other towns, let me know and we’ll share that information in Family Ties.

3067. PINKHAM. Eliza Pinkham, who was wife of Richard Pinkham and former wife of Thomas Frances, d. Dec. 19, 1901, at age 105 years, 11 months and 20 days. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Milbridge, according to Maine Old Cemetery Association records. Did she and Thomas Frances have any children? Where would we look? Harold and Deborah Nelson, 14 Hill Ave., Newport, ME 04953; or e-mail harrydeb@gwi.net.

Send queries with Maine connections to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail familyti@bangordailynews.net. Full name and address of sender is required even if e-mail is used.