I’m always amazed by the people who find the time not only to do genealogy, but to write or compile books that add to our resources on Maine history. The books Marlene A. Groves has written, compiled or edited include family histories, indexes, church records and vital records.

Some of the books are still in print and available through Picton Press in Rockport. The Web site is www.pictonpress.com. The books include:

. “Vital Records of Islesboro, Maine,” $54.50. No. 1480.

. “Vital Records of Lisbon, Maine prior to 1892,” $39.95. No. 1562.

. Vital Records of Rockland, Maine,” $69.50. No. 1965.

. “Records of Rockland Congregational Church 1838-1945,” $52.50. No. 2021.

. “Vital Records of St. George, Maine,” $49.50. No. 2051.

. “Vital Records of South Thomaston, Maine,” $54.50. No. 2000.

. “Vital Records of Thomaston, Maine,” $69.50. No. 2015.

You also will find Picton Press books in local bookstores.

Other books by Groves, which you will find in some libraries, include:

. “Genealogy and History of the Descendants of John Clarke: Of Wenham, Mass., and Exeter.”

. “Hinckleys of Maine: The Ancestry and Descendants of Samuel Hinckley of Brunswick, Maine.”

. “Malbon Genealogy: Ancestors and Descendants of Daniel Malbon of Montbeliard (France) and Pownalborough.” Pownalborough became the current-day Wiscasset.

Marlene said she’ll be working next on vital records books for both Warren and Friendship, two separate projects.

Great work, Marlene.

We’ve all got one thing or another worth taking care of for the next generation, and some of us are involved with organizations such as historical societies. So the topic of preservation is always timely.

If this is a subject that piques your interest, do come to the next meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society. At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, Bill Cook, local history librarian at Bangor Public Library, will give a talk on preservation in the Lecture Hall of the library.

The Mid-Coast Genealogy Group will hold its last meeting of the year at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the LDS Church on Old County Road in Rockport. The speaker will be Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Shettleworth has had 80 of the original stereo views taken during the 1870s by J. Henry Allen of South Thomaston made into slides for an illustrated lecture about the local photographer’s work of picturing Victorian life in midcoast Maine.

Allen was active as a photographer in South Thomaston from 1874 to 1882. These photographs provide a revealing record of how the area appeared in the years following the Civil War. As always, the public is welcome. Contact Marlene A. Groves at 594-4293 for more information.

A meeting of the Washington County Genealogical Society will be held at 1 p.m. (U.S. EDT) Saturday, Oct. 18, at the St. Croix Public Library in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

Organized in 1992, the society collects, exchanges and preserves related documents and information. The society also promotes and encourages interest and scholarship in genealogy and family history in Washington County.

Membership is open to anyone interested in learning more about their family genealogy and history, especially in Washington County and neighboring Charlotte County, New Brunswick. The group meets on the third Saturday of the month from March to November, with the exception of July and August. Dues are $10 per year. Members receive a quarterly newsletter, “Weirs & Woods,” which features free queries, information and the exchange of genealogical material.

For further information contact President Frances Raye at 853-6630, secretary Valdine Atwood at 255-4432; or Gwen Lujan at 853-0717.

Allen J. Voisine, secretary of the Aroostook County Genealogical Society, tells us the next meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in the Caribou Room, Caribou Public Library. The topic will be “Basics on How to Start Your Genealogy” by Dennis J. Prue.

For some unknown reason, I listed the date as Oct. 13 last week, so please note the correct date is Oct. 14.

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