Don’t we love looking at old city directories? One of my favorite entries is from Bangor’s 1875-1876 directory, listing former Vice President Hannibal Hamlin as “minister plenipotentiary to Spain.” What an elegant description.

I have used city directories from many Maine communities at the Bangor Public Library’s Bangor Room, and at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library.

It turns out the University of Maine has added even more city directories to its collection thanks to microfilm, we have now heard from Deborah V. Rollins, reference librarian for social sciences and humanities at Fogler Library.

Locations covered include:

. Androscoggin County

. Augusta

. Bangor

. Bar Harbor

. Bath

. Biddeford-Saco

. Brunswick

. Casco Bay

. Eliot-York

. Falmouth

. Gardiner

. Gorham

. Hallowell

. Houlton

. Kennebec County

. Lewiston-Auburn

. Oxford County

. Portland

. Rockland

. Sanford-Springvale

. Waterville

. Westbrook

. Windham

“Publication dates vary for each location, but the collection as a whole ranges from the 1860s to the 1930s,” she wrote.

Rollins, who gave a very interesting talk on resources at Fogler during the October 2000 meeting of the Maine Genealogical Society in Ellsworth, points out that city directories often include addresses, names of city and county officers, heads of families, firms and names of those doing business in the city, occupations and a street directory.

On another topic, it was wonderful to hear from Rollins an example of rescuing old records – and sharing them. She recently added some records for Old Town names to Rootsweb’s user-contributed databases. The names were taken from a handwritten church society record book she found in a local shop.

“The date range was 1849-1861, and the society was variously named the Universalist Samaritan Society, the Universalist Social Industrial Circle, the Milford and Old Town Universalist Ladies and Gentlemen’s Reunion, and the Universalist Sewing Society,” Rollins wrote.

To use this resource, go to http://userdb.rootsweb.com/churchrecords (rather than vital records). Then click on “Maine,” and then on “Penobscot County.”

I couldn’t think of a particular surname I needed to find, so I chose “Smith.” That brought up a whole list of Smiths who belonged to the society in Old Town, including Amelia, Asa, Carrie, Frances, Mrs. J.L., Joseph and Maria Smith, among others.

It was nice to hear from Philip Dunn that three historic covered bridges were recognized by the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers during the organization’s Jan. 17 meeting in Waterville. The speaker for the meeting was Joseph Conwill of the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges.

The structures noted were the Robyville Bridge in Corinth (1876), the Watson Settlement Bridge in Littleton (1911) and Hemlock Bridge in Fryeburg (1857). Robyville is a Long Truss, Watson a Howe Truss, and Hemlock a Paddleford Truss.

“The three bridges were chosen because they represent the oldest example of that truss type used in construction here in Maine,” Dunn explained.

Those of us who have lived in Maine a long time sometimes take these beautiful structures for granted.

Low’s Bridge in Sangerville, adjacent to the “Dover Road,” had “always been there” in my memory until it was destroyed in a flood in 1987. Also known as Lowe’s Bridge, it had been built in 1857.

Rebuilt in 1990, it was listed as one of nine covered bridges in the state in 1994, the others being the first three mentioned plus Bennett Bridge in Lincoln Plantation (1901), Sunday River Bridge in Newry (1872), Porter Bridge in Porter and Parsonsfield (1876), Lovejoy Bridge in South Andover (1868) and Babb’s Bridge in South Windham (1843).

According to the Maine Almanac and Book of Lists, the longest covered bridge in the state was the Bangor-Brewer bridge spanning 1,792 feet across the Penobscot River.

The Maine Department of Transportation has a nice Web site on covered bridges, Dunn said. It is www.state.me.us/mdot/maint op/covered/splash.html.

The site offers pictures of the covered bridges – including both the new and old Low’s Bridge.

3166. PLUMMER-EATON. Seeking parents, ancestors of Rebecca Plummer, b. 1798 in Jefferson, md. John Plummer of Whitefield. Marriage intention filed Sept. 29, 1820, certificate given Oct. 14, 1828. Why so long between intentions and certificate? Children of John and Rebecca: Albert Hutchins Plummer (born in Argyle?), d. 1871; William Plummer, b. 1822, Jefferson, md. Caroline Eaton of Athens, Somerset County; Caroline Plummer, b. 1826, Jefferson, md. 1st a Crosby, possibly md. 2nd a Crosby, as well; Abial Plummer, b. 1829, (Jefferson?). Also interested in Caroline Eaton’s line. Danny W. Howard, DECF Box 428, Machiasport, ME 04655.

Send queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send e-mail to familyti@bangordailynews.net.