In recent years, members of the Brooksville Historical Society have been busy copying and compiling records into books that will surely be of interest to those with ancestors in that corner of Hancock County.

And Christmas seems a great time to share information on how to purchase these volumes:

1. “Vital Records Brooksville ME 1817-1912.” The original book of these records was lost. The society found a copy of them done by George H. Tapley in 1910, scanned the book and did an index of all births, marriages and deaths. $15 on 24-pound paper, or $25 on 32-pound, acid-free paper. $2.50 shipping.

2. “Marriage Records Brooksville ME 1847-1892,” the oldest book the town still has. The society made a bride’s index and a groom’s index. $15 on 24-pound paper, or $25 on 32-pound, acid-free paper. $2.50 shipping.

3. “Cemeteries of Brooksville ME Vol. I.” Mount Rest Cemetery is the largest of the town’s cemeteries, with more than 1,000 stones. “We did a plot of the cemetery, so each stone has a location that can be found from the plot,” said Faye Cosentino. “There is an index of all stones giving section, row and column where the stone is located. Each stone is documented exactly as written on the stone.” $15 on 24-pound paper, or $25 on 32-pound, acid-free paper. $2.50 shipping.

4. “Cemeteries of Brooksville ME Vol. II” contains the three cemeteries: Edgewood, Evergreen and Lakeview. These have the same plots and documentation as Vol. I. $15 on 24-pound paper, or $25 on 32-pound, acid-free paper. $2.50 shipping.

5. “Cemeteries of Brooksville ME Vol. III” contains 45 old cemeteries and burial places. “Because many of these sites are very difficult to locate, we did a GPS reading on all of them,” Cosentino said. There are photos of each site and stones that were found in 1939, when they were documented by Grace Lymburner. $15 on 24-pound paper, or $25 on 32-pound, acid-free paper. $2.50 shipping.

6. “Master Index All Cemeteries Gravestones” gives last name, first name, birth year if listed on stone, death year and name of cemetery where stone is located for every stone in Brooksville in 2004. $10, plus $2.50 shipping.

7. “Military Men & Women of Brooksville ME.” This book contains 580 military men and women who were born, lived at sometime in their lives, or buried in Brooksville. It includes 144 photos. Cosentino describes this book as “our finest creation yet.” The book covers the Revolutionary War to present-day military men and women, including two Medal of Honor recipients who were born in Brooksville. The book is available in three grades of paper and bindings: hardcover, $65; paperback, $45; or homemade book with plastic ring binding, $25. Add $3.50 shipping.

Make checks out to Brooksville Historical Society and send to BHS, 980 Coastal Road, Brooksville, ME 04617.

Milbridge, of course. That’s what I think of when anyone brings up the Strout family – but I didn’t know this:

Strouts were in the lighthouse service for 128 years, a century of that at Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth.

Now the Strout family has given some very important artifacts from lighthouse history to the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation in Wells. These items include:

. The brass lamp from Portland Head Light in 1886, when the Annie C. Maguire was wrecked on the rocks on Christmas Eve.

. The wooden replica of Portland Head Light constructed by Joseph W. Strout in the late 19th century. It was displayed on the roof of the keeper’s house until he left the job in 1928.

. A brass whale oil container made by John Strout for Portland Head Light.

Family members serving at Portland Head Light included Capt. Joshua Freeman Strout, 1869-1904 and Joseph W. Strout, 1877-1928.

Strouts also served at Spring Point Ledge Light in South Portland; Lighthouse Depot in Chelsea, Mass.; Portland Breakwater Light; and Halfway Rock Lighthouse in Casco Bay.

John A. Strout Jr. wrote a story for Lighthouse Digest in 1997, and Timothy Harrison has written “Portland Head Light, A Pictorial History through Time.”

The American Lighthouse Foundation Museum, located on U.S. Route 1 in Wells, is open seasonally. For information, call 646-0245 or visit the Web at www.lighthousefoundation.org

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