‘Biographical Review’ series a useful tool

It wasn’t intended as genealogy, but take a look at the first paragraph of an entry about my great-great-grandfather that provided me with a good deal of family information when I began my research more than 25 years ago:

“Sumner R. Bennett, a prosperous farmer of Abbot, Piscataquis County, was born in Guilford, this county, October 11, 1822, son of David and Lucy (Clark) Bennett. His grandfather, Isaac Bennett, who was in early life a seafaring man and a resident of New Gloucester, Me., settled in Guilford as a pioneer, and cleared a farm, upon which he resided for the rest of his life.”

The entry goes on to list David and Lucy’s children who grew to maturity: David H., Sumner R., John, George H., Lucy, Martha and Louisa.

It also names Sumner’s wife, Roxana (Briggs), and their children who survived infancy: “Mary, who died at the age of 14 years; Emma, who died at the age of 22; Charles, who married Allura Draper, daughter of Jerome and Rhoda (Patten) Draper, of Monson, and died at the age of 39; Frank P., who married Lula Weymouth, resides in the State of Washington, and has one son, Ernest; Eugene S., a resident of the same State; and Walter S., who resides in Abbot.”

The information appears to be accurate, no doubt because it was written while Sumner was still alive, so it’s not an obituary. It was published in “Biographical Review, Vol. XXIX: Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook Counties, Maine,” by Biographical Review Publishing Co., 1898.

According to URSUS, the online database for University of Maine, Bangor Public and Maine State libraries at http://130.111.64.3, this volume is available in the Bangor Room at Bangor Public Library, Special Collections at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library in Orono, University of Maine at Farmington and Maine State Library in Augusta. From URSUS, I checked InfoNet, and found it also listed at Hartland Public Library, Blue Hill Public Library and Special Collections at Colby College. No doubt there are other libraries which have it, as well.

Might your family be included in this book? You also could check “Biographical Review” books for:

. Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Waldo Counties, Maine.

. Oxford and Franklin Counties, Maine.

. Cumberland County, Maine.

. York County, Maine.

At Fogler Library, the microforms department also has microfiche of “Biographical Review” sketches for New Brunswick, edited by I. Allen Jack; for Nova Scotia, edited by Harry Piers; and for First Presbyterian Church in Toronto and Knox Church, 1820-1890, compiled by Henry M. Parsons.

To check hours for Fogler Library, call 581-1664. With the spring semester recently over, you’ll find summer a convenient time to visit the University of Maine campus.

The third annual Taconnett Genealogy Fair, sponsored by Taconnett Falls Chapter, Maine Genealogical Society, will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at the Taconnett Library, 10 Lithgow St., and at the Congregational Church next door in Winslow. The event is free and a wonderful opportunity to look over the library’s holdings.

. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Taconnett members available for one-on-one assistance to those new to genealogical research.

. 11 a.m. Cheryl Willis Patten, session on PERSI to help you locate periodical articles.

Also on hand: Bob Chenard and Franco-American Genealogy Society; Janice Gower, Woolwich area; Thelma Brooks, New Brunswick research; Maine Genealogical Society and chapter representatives; Roland Rhodes, Rhodes family genealogist; representatives of lineage societies such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and Mayflower; info on Scandinavian research; Maine Old Cemetery Association.

Buy lunch there or bring your own. For information, call 873-5590.

The Bangor Museum and Center for History will present a “Gravestone Rubbing Class” once a month at Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor.

The first class will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 27, and later classes are scheduled for the second Saturday of each month.

The fee is $10 for BMCH members, $15 for nonmembers, materials included. Meet at the Superintendent’s Lodge inside the State Street entrance. Class size is limited, so call 942-1910 to reserve your space.

The Aroostook County Genealogical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. today at the Lions Building, 111 High St., Caribou. Kenny Keaton will give a program on preparing Adobe documents.

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

familyti@bangordailynews.net.