Two years ago, Picton Press came out with “Vital Records of Bangor, Maine Volume 1: Birth Records,” compiled by Michelle Thomas.

How fortunate we are that the Bangor genealogist stuck with the project and completed “Vital Records of Bangor, Maine Volume 2: Death Records,” also published by Picton.

At 299 pages, this is an equally fine book, again with the every-name index that is so important. Included in the volume are records from several sources:

. City of Bangor death records, copied from microfilm of original handwritten records.

. St. John’s Episcopal Church, deaths and burials, originals.

. First United Methodist Church, death records, originals.

. Columbia Street Baptist Church, death records, originals.

. First Congregational Church, deaths from membership records.

. Hammond Street Congregational Church, deaths from membership records, 1833-1873.

Where a death record used initials rather than first names, Michelle checked census records in hopes of finding a complete name.

“To maintain the integrity of this work, I accepted no doubt whatsoever,” she wrote. “If I was not certain I had the correct person, it was left out.”

Some entries were checked against Volume 1 and-or with “Marriage Returns of Penobscot County.”

Bangor’s marriages are included in the Penobscot County book, so there’s no need for a Volume 3 to the series.

To obtain Volume 2, check bookstores or mail $42.50 plus $4 postage and handling ($2 each for additional volumes purchased at the same time) to Picton Press, P.O. Box 250, Rockport, ME 04856-0250. Maine residents must include 5 percent sales tax.

Secure online ordering is available at www.pictonpress.org. Or, you may use Visa or MasterCard to place a phone order at 236-6565.

In particular, you will notice that death records from Hammond Street Congregational Church include not only maiden names, if known, but place of origin. Here are a couple of examples:

. George Washington Brown; native of Concord, Mass.; died Jan. 18, 1850; age 50; Deacon 1833 to 1850.

. Miranda (Hammond) Rice; native of Newton, Mass.; died Dec. 2, 1834; age 45; wife of C. Rice.

Anyone who has ever copied over even the smallest amount of vital records knows what time-consuming, painstaking work it is. Bravo to Michelle and to all the authors who have done vital records books for Picton and other publishers.

The Aroostook County Genealogical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, in the Caribou Room at Caribou Public Library. The program will be a tour of the library and what’s available for genealogists.

For queries or donation of materials, contact ACGS, P.O. Box 142, Caribou, ME 04736-0142.

If you can’t get to meetings of the Washington County Genealogical Society, you would do well to join the society in order to get the newsletter Weirs & Woods.

The winter issue includes minutes of the October and November meetings, with information on who’s researching what families, as well as other resource information.

Send $10 to WCGS in care of Gwen Lujan, 1 Spear Ave., Eastport, ME 04631.

3251. MELVIN-MCGREEVY. Seeking any information on my relatives who lived in Bangor: Edward Robert Melvin, b. 1869, Bangor, to Benjiman F. and Ann Maria (Simpson) Melvin. He md. Maud J. McGreevy, b. 1869, Bangor, to Daniel and Emma (Howard) McGreevy. Edward and Maud moved to Everett, Mass. Also, Benjiman F. Melvin, b. July 13, 1820, probably in Unity, to Benjiman and Margaret Melvin. He d. July 5, 1901, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery. Wife was Ann Maria Simpson, b. 1836, d. Sept. 3, 1913, buried Mt. Hope Cemetery. Gary Melvin, 2901 Bostonian Drive, Rossmoor, CA 90720-4444; e-mail gmelvin@socal.rr.com.

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