The town of Orono just finished its bicentennial year, and a fine one it was, with all kinds of celebrations. It’s worth reviewing some of the town’s early families and their roots: John Marsh and Samuel White were born in Mendon, Mass. Capt. David Reed… Read More
Was Enoch Lander mining for gold in Benicia, Calif., when in 1854 he wrote to “my dear little Frank,” his daughter Frances Phoebe? Could be, but I think he was quite entertaining as a writer: googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
Those of us with roots in the province of New Brunswick certainly knew who Daniel F. Johnson was. His name was synonymous with the priceless resource, “New Brunswick Vital Statistics from Newspapers,” published over several years by the New Brunswick Genealogical Society. Countless times I… Read More
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… Read More
I was fascinated by Ed Payne’s article in the November issue of The Maine Genealogist, “From Maine to Mississippi: The Odyssey of Civil War Veteran Llewellyn M. Maddocks.” Descended from Henry Maddocks, who came from Wales to Watertown, Mass., in the 1600s, Llewellyn is of… Read More
Alfred Hart, I figured, may never even have left the state of Maine during his brief Civil War service. He enlisted for nine months on Sept. 10, 1862, and was discharged on Nov. 23 that same year. Probably not much point in seeking out his… Read More
In terms of Pilgrims, we often think not so much of all 102 passengers on board the Mayflower in 1620, but of the male Pilgrims who “left issue:” John Alden, Isaac Allerton, John Billington, William Bradford, William Brewster, Peter Browne, James Chilton, Francis Cooke, Edward… Read More
Just getting started on your family history? Wishing you had a brief primer to help make sure you’re touching all the bases? Take a look at “Tracing Your Family History,” available on Bangor Public Library’s special collections page. Go to www.bpl.lib.me.us/spcoll/Tracing.htm googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
Trenton, Ticonderoga, the surrender of Burgoyne – when it comes to the Revolutionary War, Elisha Bisbee certainly did his part. General George Washington himself signed his promotion to lieutenant. Bisbee, who had enlisted from Pembroke, Mass., later moved to the Maine town of Sumner and,… Read More
I think Joe Anderson is the bee’s knees, and not just because as Joseph C. Anderson II he edits the Maine Genealogical Society’s quarterly, the Maine Genealogist; and the “Maine Families in 1790” series, which just came out with its ninth book. As a speaker,… Read More
How time flies when you’re having fun. And there was plenty of fun at the 30th anniversary conference of the Maine Genealogical Society on Oct. 14 in Portland. President Nancy Battick, conference chairman Dale Mower and their many helpers did a splendid job, and I’m sure each one… Read More
It’s easy to get fixated on our surname line – the male ancestors linked to the last name we grew up with. But let’s not overlook the ladies. The late Marjorie Marsh Quigg of Bangor was a genealogist who really appreciated her female ancestors and… Read More
When the 1880 census became available – indexed for the whole country – I was sure all my long-lost forebears would be found. First I bought the CDs, then I searched again when the census arrived online at www.familysearch.org – a tremendous resource. But when… Read More
Sure I knew where Nana and Granddad were buried – in Clinton. I’d been there 30 years ago when great-uncle Harry died. Driving home from Augusta one Saturday afternoon seemed the perfect time to “stop by” Clinton and look for the graves. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
Blanchard is just up Pond Road from where I lived in Abbot in my teen years. My sister and I sometimes used to get on Zelda Richards’ bus when she went up through to pick up the Blanchard kids, rather than wait for her to come back down… Read More
Chief Orono was the great-grandson of Chief Madockawando. And, he was of both Penobscot and French nobility. I’ll remember those points with the help of “Naming Places the Penobscot Way,” a four-page insert you will find in the Sept. 23-24 edition of the Bangor Daily… Read More
Carolyn Kelley of Oakland has asked us to tell readers that a new chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is forming in Caribou, and she invites prospective members to attend a lineage research workshop at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Caribou Parks and Recreation… Read More
Three hundred years ago, there were, indeed, slaves in Maine and free blacks in Maine. William Black, formerly known as Black Will, had been both, having been granted his freedom by John Shapleigh in 1701. By then, William had already been a landowner of some… Read More
Paris, Merrill, Bradbury, Yale, Stoddard and Field. These were the middle names of six of the children of Isaac and Hannah (Bradbury) Sturtevant of Sumner. Bradbury was obviously a family name, but what about the others? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Benjamin Ellingwood came first. Benjamin Merrill was second, but returned to North Yarmouth. That makes my Deacon Lemuel Comins the third settler, but the second “permanent pioneer” in the Androscoggin County town of Greene. My Comins and Cummings ancestors – two lines back to Lemuel… Read More
I spent a couple of hours recently on one of those Web sites that wants to sell personal information on you, me and everyone else on planet Earth. I didn’t spend a penny, but let’s look at what’s to be found on the free part… Read More
Someone who lives in Minnesota and looks a lot like my younger son was asking how to organize information to share at a family reunion. Should you take along your notebook of pedigree charts? Sure, but keep in mind that the volume which has taken… Read More
It has been 17 years since I visited the library at the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution headquarters in Washington – and it was worth the wait. Not that I came home with great gobs of new information on my ancestors. I didn’t,… Read More
“Touring Through Time” is one of the best ideas possible. Eleven historical societies and museums on the Blue Hill peninsula have scheduled activities for this weekend, giving visitors the opportunity to learn more about the early settlers. The open house event will be held 10… Read More
David Clark has 30 years’ experience in “Tombstone Rubbings,” which will be his topic at 10 a.m. during the summer meeting of the Maine Old Cemetery Association, set for Saturday, July 29, at the Readfield Historical Society, Route 17, Readfield Depot. MOCA holds great meetings,… Read More
Visit the displays, take in a workshop and, by all means, mine the knowledge of a variety of family history experts on Saturday in Ellsworth. Free. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
The Washington County Genealogical Society holds its meetings around the county so that lots of people have an opportunity to attend. Participants include researchers from neighboring Charlotte County, New Brunswick, as well. But even if a trip Down East is too much of a hike,… Read More
Ever watch those limber young ladies who do back-flips on a 4-inch-wide balance beam during gymnastics meets? The genealogical equivalent of that Olympic sport, I would suggest, is being constantly aware of the patterns that show up in our family history, from names that repeat… Read More
The city of Bangor has a very nice Web site at www.bgrme.org. Of great interest to genealogists is the database of interments for Pine Grove Cemetery on Hammond Street Extension, Oak Grove Cemetery on Finson Road and Maple Grove Cemetery at the intersection of Pushaw and Church roads. Read More
Perhaps you’ve found some of your forebears on the Web site maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.familysearch.org. Since the site includes families transcribed from the 1880 census for the whole country, most Mainers can find some relative or other there. Read More
Samuel Pomroy of Hermon was supposedly 44 years of age when he joined up in 1862 to serve in the Civil War. He was discharged three years later, at which time his age was listed as – 44. Hmmmmm. A photo of Pomroy is included… Read More
It’s a mystery, which may never be solved fully, but with patience we find clues. For so many years, a dramatic oil painting of a stormy night in Scotland, waves crashing on the rocks, hung in my parents’ home. From childhood, I made it clear that this was… Read More
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… Read More
Years ago, one of my faithful genealogical correspondents was Maine Supreme Court Justice David A. Nichols of Lincolnville. Justice Nichols, who is no longer with us, gave a talk on resources in northern New England 20 years ago for the Essex Society of Genealogists. (Essex… Read More
A few weeks ago, I talked about some of the online databases available to members of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Let’s not overlook the society’s publications, including the popular magazine New England Ancestors. I always find something useful in the New England Online… Read More
We all have our favorite genealogy sites on the Web, but how do you find out what’s out there? It’s certainly not as simple as going into a library and browsing the stacks – an activity I highly recommend. Many researchers visit Cyndi’s List, which… Read More
On the Web site of the Maine Old Cemetery Association, there is a most interesting link – to American Concrete Industries of Auburn and Bangor. Perhaps you can guess why the link is there. As a manufacturer of cemetery vaults, among other items, the company… Read More
Clara Pendleton Blanchard, one of the Searsport Pendletons, had six children in the 19th century – three of them born at sea. John Battick describes Blanchard’s spouse, William H. Blanchard, as “husband, ship captain – and midwife.” In fact, Blanchard was known for his delivery… Read More
So is the Internet the best thing that ever happened to genealogy – or the worst? Neither. Computers and the World Wide Web certainly have changed research habits for most of us. I subscribe to one paid database because it offers the opportunity to view… Read More
I’ll say it again. I love Le Forum, the publication of Le Centre Franco-Americain at the University of Maine. It’s not just for those who speak and read French. The magazine is a tremendous resource for those who want to increase their understanding of Franco-American… Read More
The Maine Genealogical Society turns 30 this year, and quite a celebration is being planned. Dale Mower of Bangor is lining up some wonderful speakers, so do plan to attend the anniversary conference on Saturday, Oct. 14, at Verrillo’s in Portland. Joseph Crook Anderson II… Read More
You may have seen volumes of the New England Historic and Genealogical Register in a variety of libraries, including the Bangor Public Library and the Maine State Library in Augusta. As a way to introduce potential members to the wealth of information available, New England… Read More
Have you checked Pope’s Pioneers? In talking about early settlers of New England, you may hear this question. It refers to two books by genealogist Charles Henry Pope: . “The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623 to 1660: A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records… Read More
Canada is one big country, and the thought of seeking out ancestors there can be a bit daunting. You might start by printing off a brochure on “Tracing Your Ancestors in Canada,” from the Web site of the Library and Archives Canada at www.collectionscanada.ca/genealogy. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
You learn something new every day. A recent query from dear friend and former Family Ties columnist Connee Jellison, printed below, sent me scurrying to Stanley Bearce Attwood’s “Length and Breadth of Maine” to pin down Bloxton Meadow. In my lifetime in Maine, I’d never… Read More
So far, I can’t get beyond Daniel Eldridge of Clinton to his forebears who may well be from Cape Cod, Mass. I’m guessing he would be at least a cousin, if not a descendant, of Elisha Eldredg, buried in Duck Creek Cemetery in Wellfleet. I’ve… Read More
Keep an eye on an outfit called SmallTownPapers from Seattle, Wash. The business offers archiving services for newspapers that may be too small to do their own archiving. And what’s of interest to genealogists is that we can access what they have online free at… Read More
Every few years I have to mention “Redcoats at Castine,” the book read to my sixth-grade class in Sangerville by our teacher, Alice Littlefield Mossler. Though the Penobscot Expedition was not a successful one for the rebels, it remains a fascinating part of the Revolutionary War. Read More
Ed Rice has long believed that Indian Island’s Lou Sockalexis, for whom the Cleveland Indians were named, was the first American Indian to play major league baseball. A fine account of Sockalexis’ life and heritage are found in Rice’s “Baseball’s First Indian – Louis Sockalexis: Penobscot Legend, Cleveland… Read More
God bless those people who take on the important task of writing town histories. The Corinth Historical Society is busy researching and writing the history of Corinth, a job which has not been done since 1883, James Wilson tell us. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
When you’re looking for Pilgrims – and their descendants and cousins – don’t stop at Plymouth. Keep in mind nearby Massachusetts communities such as Pembroke, Bridgewater, Marshfield – and Duxbury. And didn’t I love finding Pilgrim Isaac Allerton’s name on the first page of Dorothy… Read More
Oregon, Washington, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin. The January issue of The Pine Cone and Tassel could be called “Where They Went.” Meaning Mainers, of course. Many of us are aware the Washburns of Livermore sent several family members to Minnesota, but I’d be hard-pressed to think… Read More
Do you suppose the Ellsworth Public Library has Muriel Sampson Johnson’s “Early Families of Gouldsboro?” Indeed it does, and you don’t have to call the library to find out. Go to the Web site at www.ellsworth.lib.me.us, and click on “Online Catalog.” Enter any keywords you… Read More
Howard Mayo has several questions relating to the granite quarry in Frankfort. The first of them is, who were True Sanborn and Daniel Robertson of Frankfort in 1850? “‘The History of Mt. Waldo, Frankfort, Maine’ by Ernestine ‘Pat’ Lewis provides early history up to 1838… Read More
Let’s look at the early generations of one line of Bangor’s Bragg family. . Thomas Bragg, 1690-1754, and Mary (Fiske). googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
Studying the black population of Bangor as it changed over several decades, Dr. Maureen Elgersman Lee found that more of the local blacks came here from Canada than from the South. Elgersman Lee will present a lecture about the black community in Bangor in its… Read More
A year ago, when the New England Society of Newspaper Editors decided to present the Yankee Quill journalism award posthumously to Benjamin Edes, Boston printer and one of the Sons of Liberty, the association wasn’t able to locate any of Benjamin’s descendants. On Nov. 10,… Read More
We can get so focused on the neighborhood, town or city of our ancestors that sometimes we overlook counties as resources. I plugged in “Big Hollow” and “Greene County” in a search engine while looking for some of my New York state forebears and came… Read More
George Marsh didn’t come over on the Mayflower – he settled in 1635 at Hingham, Mass. But in writing “The Ancestry of Donald Webster Marsh,” author Jeffrey Davis Marsh also traced lines to Mayflower passengers William Brewster, John Howland, Edward Tilley and Richard Warren. The… Read More
When you hit a brick wall searching for your ancestors, it’s good to have someone experienced to ask what you might do next. You may well find that someone who knows what to try at meetings of local genealogical societies, many of which in this state are affiliated… Read More
How often have we organized our research around a carefully scheduled trip to look at pre-1892 town records on microfilm at the Maine State Archives in Augusta? If your ancestors are from Hancock County and you’d rather travel to Ellsworth, you’re in luck. “Thanks to… Read More
Benjamin Walton would probably be very surprised that anyone cares where he’s buried or what he did while he was alive. But people came to Milo’s Evergreen Cemetery from miles around on Oct. 13 to “mark” the grave of the Revolutionary War veteran. They heard… Read More
Fifty-eight genes. That’s the scientific estimate of how many genes I share through one of my connections with Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, who served during Abraham Lincoln’s first term. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
I had such a wonderful time at last Saturday’s “Roots to Success,” the meeting of the Maine Genealogical Society in Fairfield. Nancy Battick, Dale Mower and the rest of the organizers did a great job giving researchers a variety of choices for workshops. I could… Read More
Members of the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society came up with several good questions last week during a talk on figuring out cousins. Here’s a real-life question posed by one of those attending: If two brothers marry women who are first cousins to each other, how are their children related?… Read More
Does your heart go pit-a-pat when you see an old sheet of paper with faded ink, in that careful penmanship that denotes “long ago?” I found such a document recently, a deed to “the south half” of lot number “Fordy Eight according to survey and… Read More
To find out who someone was, it’s helpful to know where they were – and when. Beverly Nickerson believes that Job Billington, who served in the War of 1812 from Wiscasset, and later moved to Wayne and then Dedham, was the son of Ichabod and… Read More
After 28 years as a genealogist, I’m still amazed at how much gets by me. What’s the first thing you do once you obtain a vital record – a certified copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
Organizers of “Roots to Success,” the Maine Genealogy Society state conference on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, set up this year’s program according to requests from last year’s participants. Preregister by Sept. 24 to get the best rate. 9:30 a.m. Read More
Home for a Bluebird” came down from the wall last week. With my aunt gone, I took down the painting of the little girl with blonde curls that had belonged to her for more than seven decades. “Mary Alice Moore 4 years” was written on… Read More
Hannah Weston Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, of Machias will honor the men and women of Chandler’s River “for their courageous support of the American cause in the War for Independence, 1775-1783.” Descendants and all those interested in the history of that area are… Read More
Four hundred seventy years ago last Monday, the Angel Gabriel was shipwrecked in a hurricane off Pemaquid. Most of its passengers survived, with the result that thousands of us can count one or more of them as our ancestors: Andrews, Capt. Robert, ship’s master. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
I like to photograph honor rolls and other monuments with lists of names. My dad and his brothers are on the Honor Roll in Abbot for their war service, and state memorials in Bangor list those killed in the Korean War and Vietnam. The Wilson… Read More
It’s here! The 1911 census for Canada is online. You have to search by geographic district – not by name – but it is a wonderful resource. Go to the Library and Archives Canada Web site at www.collectionscanada.ca. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
What do you call it when you look at vital records or church records and it’s obvious that some are missing? You could say that “the register is very bitty,” according to English genealogist Paul Brewer. I noticed this phrase on Jeff Linscott’s Web site… Read More
Years ago, I took four young boys to Indian Island to see the gravestone marked with crossed bats, indicating the resting place of Louis Sockalexis, the Penobscot who played major league baseball and inspired the name of the Cleveland Indians. He was the son of… Read More
You never know where or how you’ll make a connection that will expand your genealogical horizons. Some 18 years ago, a recruiter for the Maine Air National Guard lined up my first plane ride ever on a KC-135E Stratotanker – a very nice way to… Read More
It’s free and it’s in Ellsworth, so take advantage of the Hancock County Genealogical Society’s annual fair, set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 16, in the Family History Center at the LDS Church on Beechland Road. Several workshops are scheduled, according to society President… Read More
Just starting out in genealogy? Still think of yourself as a beginner when it comes to family trees? Then get on the Acorn Track. We’re talking about a series of four presentations scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 8, at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield during… Read More
Wouldn’t it be fun to take a tour of Civil War graves in the Dover cemetery? Historian Lou Stevens will give tours at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2, as part of Civil War Day in Dover-Foxcroft. You can meet him in the… Read More
Call them brick walls, call them dead ends. We all have those ancestors of whom it can be said, “Nothing further is known.” Let’s suppose you had a Dorcas Mitchell somewhere in Maine in the 1830s. You find several Dorcas Mitchells, but not the right one. Where did… Read More
Le Forum, published by Le Centre Franco-Americain at the University of Maine, has switched its format from newspaper to magazine-style – and I like it very much. The winter 2005 issue contains articles from several states. I particularly enjoyed “Growing Up French and Not Knowing… Read More
The Taconnet Falls Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society will hold its second annual genealogy fair – free – 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the chapter’s library at 10 Lithgow St., Winslow, and at the Congregational church next door. (The church is accessible… Read More
This Memorial Day, I thought I’d share some excerpts from my dad’s separation documents and personnel records from serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. If you are a veteran, or a deceased veteran’s next of kin, the National Personnel Records Center in… Read More
Alice Beal wrote to suggest I check out the Web site for the Milbridge Historical Society – and what a good idea it was. The group has a fine site at www.milbridgehistoricalsociety.org; that should be easy to remember. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
It’s always fun to hear what’s new at Ellsworth Public Library. You may know the library as home to a great collection of local and family history, including the holdings of the Hancock County Genealogical Society. Charlene Clemons writes from the library that patrons are… Read More
A reader wanted to know about my Moore family, so here’s a bit about a few Moore clans in Maine. Keep in mind that Moore is the ninth most common surname in the United States, so there are lots of us. In 1977, I started… Read More
It’s time to sign up for the fourth annual Genealogy Conference and Craft Fair, set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Williams Elementary School in Oakland. The event is sponsored by Silence Howard Hayden Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Registration, vendors and… Read More
Nancy and Jonathan Perkins of Castine certainly paid tribute to history when they named their children in the first part of the 19th century. Among their offspring were Marquis De Lafayette Perkins, Thomas Jefferson Perkins and Benjamin Franklin Perkins. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
For more than 25 years, I presumed that Mary “Gram” Jenks, my great-great-great grandmother, had been widowed a second time before she became the first women’s police matron in Rhode Island in 1893. In the little book she published a decade later, “Behind the Bars,”… Read More
Think you’re up-to-date on royal genealogy? Well, there’s more to it than those lines back to Edward I, William the Conqueror and St. Margaret of Scotland. It turns out that Camilla (Shand) Parker Bowles, who married Prince Charles on Saturday, has roots that are not… Read More
If I say “Attwood is back,” genealogists will know just what I mean. Stanley Bearce Attwood’s “The Length and Breadth of Maine” is a priceless resource, now in reprint by the University of Maine Press in association with the Maine Genealogical Society. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
The Maine Genealogical Society has a renovated Web site that I’m sure will interest you. To check it out, visit www.rootsweb.com/~megs googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
Good for the Maine Genealogical Society for publishing “Family Records of Sumner, Maine” in the February issue of The Maine Genealogist, available at some libraries. Originally known as West Butterfield, the Oxford County town was incorporated June 13, 1798. These records are not “contemporary” –… Read More
With St. Patrick’s Day coming right up, I couldn’t have guessed what the most common Irish name is. Turns out it’s Murphy, according to the 1890 Matheson report. Kelly is No. 2, O’Sullivan is third, O’Reilly is 11th, Kennedy is 16th, Murray is 18th, McLoughlin… Read More
In September 1692, Matthew Cary of Boston wrote his wife of seven years, Elizabeth, who remained in London, that he longed for her “dear company.” No wonder Elizabeth was irritated when her husband up and married Mary Sylvester less than a year later in Bristol,… Read More
In 1747, an epidemic of measles hit Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. In 1793, Philadelphia experienced one of the worst epidemics of yellow fever. These are included in a list compiled by Cherri Melton Flinn, “Historical Epidemics of the Last 300 Years.” googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
It is one of the all-time greatest genealogical frustrations: finding your female ancestors. So it is wonderful that the Maine Historical Society plans a workshop on that topic 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 19, at the society, 489 Congress St., Portland. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
It’s always good news to find out that more cemetery records are available online. The January issue of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society points out that a database of Old Town cemetery records through Dec. 31, 2002, is available on the Old Town Public Library… Read More
I thought possibly that Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, might have been born an Eddy, and thus a cousin of mine as a descendant of William Eddye, an Anglican priest of Cranbrook, England. It turns out she was an Eddy by marriage,… Read More