Unity Historical Society site offers cemetery data

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In your town of heritage, might there be a historical society that has posted genealogical information on the Web?

If you had ancestors in Unity, the answer is yes.

A newsletter I get by e-mail from New England Historic Genealogical Society contained Valerie Boudrault’s “Spotlight: Unity Historical Society, Maine.”

Ignore the first sentence which locates Unity as “about 30 miles southwest of the state capital of Bangor.”

The rest of the article prompted me to hop on over to the Unity Historical Society’s Web site at www.unitymaine.org/orgs/uhs.

First I clicked on “Cemetery Data,” which offered the opportunity to pick one of eight cemeteries. Instead, I decided to access the information using surname. I don’t believe I have anyone buried in Unity, so I entered “Vickery,” then clicked on James B. Vickery III, well-known teacher and historian.

I found him, 1917-1997, in the plot with his parents, James B. Jr., 1872-1960, and Annie (Stewart) Vickery, 1880-1933, plus three other children: Eric A. 1907-1991; Everett S., May 23, 1903-March 27, 1986; and Ethel M., July 4, 1906-June 21, 1991.

The plot is listed as Row 8A, cemetery Pond II.

The Web site also has centennial photos and lists of first settlers and war veterans of Unity.

Membership in the historical society is $5 a year, $50 life membership, sent to Unity Historical Society, P.O. Box 4, Unity, ME 04988. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday, April-October.

For information on NEHGS’ e-mail newsletter, go to www.newenglandancestors.org, then click on “Publications” and then “enews.”

Speaking of historical societies, keep in mind that their newsletters on paper often contain tidbits of interest to genealogists at large.

The April issue of the Corinth Historical Society Newsletter suggests checking out some of the Registry of Deeds sites for some Maine counties.

Penobscot County has a site at www.penobscotdeeds.com

You can’t print out what you find, because the county would like you to order a copy, but you can look at what’s online.

Land records, including mortgages and liens, go back to only 1967 at this point.

But land plans go back to 1814.

I entered the surname Hayford, as in Hayford Park, and found a 1906 map for a land plan at the corner of Hammond and Franklin streets.

The county jail is there, of course, but the 3rd District Court building hadn’t been constructed yet. In its place I found structures such as “C.T. Phillips Livery Stable,” “G.W. Brown Sales Stable” and the notation nearby, “proposed library lot.” On the Franklin Street side were “Goodwin Blacksmith Shop,” “Moriarty Barrel Mfg.” and “White Blacksmith Shop.” How about that?

Hancock County can be found at www.registryofdeeds.com.

Androscoggin County is at www.androscoggindeeds.com.

Not all counties have a Web site, but you can link to many of them through the Hancock County site.

This issue of the Corinth newsletter, by the way, includes a nice article on the 1811 petition to become a town, submitted to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Other features include “Memories of Alice Dow Cookson” and “Memories of Donald Clark.”

The next meeting of the Washington County Genealogical Society will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 17, in the Genealogy Room of the Calais Free Library. Program for the day will be a discussion and viewing of the growing collection of research materials available in the library.

Organized in 1992, the Washington County Genealogical Society has as its purpose to collect, exchange and preserve related documents and information, and to promote and encourage interest and scholarship in genealogy and family history in Washington County.

Membership in WCGS is open to anyone interested in learning more about their family genealogy and history, especially in Washington County and neighboring Charlotte County, New Brunswick. Meetings are held 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 information, contact president Frances Raye at 853-6630, or secretary Valdine Atwood at 255-4432.

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