UM Web site helpful in census search

I can tell you about the Piscataquis County town of Guilford. It was settled in 1806, and because the sesquicentennial was celebrated when I was in high school, the town must have been incorporated in 1816 – two years after Sangerville.

Now, if Piscataquis didn’t become a county until 1838, where were Guilford and Sangerville in the censuses of 1820 and 1830?

I’d have to guess Somerset County, but I’d be wrong. Monson was in Somerset County, but Guilford and Sangerville were in Penobscot County.

Many of us have been confronted with such dilemmas while using census records. Did you know that Camden was in four counties over the years – Hancock, Lincoln, Waldo and Knox?

The whereabouts of some towns can be solved by referring to Stanley Bearce Attwood’s “The Length and Breadth of Maine,” which is found in many libraries and some stores that specialize in old books. Attwood gets high marks for listing the name changes of the towns.

Now we can add a wonderful source available on the Internet – Fogler Library’s Maine Census Data Population Totals at www.library.umaine.edu/census.

The material covers 1790-1990, and data for 2000 will be added.

These are not transcriptions of censuses, emphasized Frank Wihbey, head of government documents and microforms at the library at the University of Maine.

But the information is a wonderful key, and using it can be invaluable preparation before you set off on your research.

I looked up both Guilford and Sangerville – and Camden – and found for myself which years they turned up where in the censuses.

Could they be right? I printed out the 1820 and 1900 maps showing the state’s counties, put one behind the other, held them up to the light, and what do you know. Guilford and Sangerville really were in Penobscot County then. There’s also a 1790 map showing how the state then was divided into five counties.

If you happen to be using the census records at the Orono campus and get stuck looking for a town, you can use one of Fogler’s computers to check this Web site.

Several people deserve credit for the work that went into the Web site. Much of the compilation was done by Dawn Lacadie, a staff member at Fogler until 1995.

Fogler Library has Maine censuses for 1790-1920, book indexes for 1790-1850 and 1870, and Soundex indexes for 1880, 1900 and 1920. It also has censuses for some other states and Canadian provinces.

By the way, add Bangor Public Library to the libraries that have the two-volume index for Maine’s 1870 census.

Here’s an update on the Maine State Archives, which closed its search room after recent water damage in another part of the archives. The search room will be closed until at least May 15. We will let you know when the archives reopens to the public.

The Maine State Library remains open, including evening hours Tuesday through Thursday.

We also can continue to check marriage indexes for 1892-1966 and 1976-1996, and the death index for 1960-1996, on the archives Web site at www.state.me.us/sos/arc. Click on genealogy.

And, as we mentioned recently, town records on microfilm are available at the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Bangor’s center on Grandview Avenue is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. They have census records, as well.

Also, transcriptions of the 1900 census for the Aroostook County town of New Sweden may be seen at the New Sweden Historical Society and at the University of Maine at Presque Isle library. The items were presented by Ed Holden, former teacher in the area and now genealogist at the New Hampshire State Library in Concord.

3087. AUSTIN. Would like to find picture of my great-great-grandmother, Ruhama Austin, b. about 1820, d. 1915, buried Edgewood Cemetery, West Brooksville. She was wife of William Austin. Will reimburse cost of photo upon request. D.M. Redman, 18 First St., No. 4, Bangor, ME 04401.

3088. KIMBALL-ADAMS. Looking for information on Lydia (Adams) Kimball, b. 1783, Hallowell; md. Robert Kimball. Lydia d. May 8, 1860. She and Robert are buried in the Mohawk Cemetery in Howland. Shirley Powers, 32939 Merrill Road, Leesburg, FL 34788; or e-mail shirlpp29@lcia.com.

3089. SMITH-WAKEFIELD. Seeking background of Solomon Smith, 1811-1882, of Levant and Kenduskeag area. Presumably born in England, arrived here at age 8. Married Joan or Joanna Wakefield of Gardiner. Children: Susan; Harriet; Roxanna or Rosanna; Lawson, my great-grandfather; Leonard; and perhaps Francis. Carl D. Smith, 210 Smith Road, Corinna, ME 04928; or e-mail csmith@somtel.com.

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