Maine Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States Maine  Maine Genealogy

What Is in the Collection?
Name index and images of birth, marriage and death returns acquired from the State Board of Health, Division of Vital Statistics and the state archives. Records are organized alphabetically, then chronologically within a name. The collection is divided into three parts, Vital Records Prior to 1892, 80 towns, Vital Records, 1892-1907, and Delayed returns for births, deaths, and marriages, 1670-1891. At present only the 1892-1907 collection has been indexed.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information is usually found in these records:
 * Name
 * Event date
 * Event location
 * Names of parents
 * Gender
 * Name of bride
 * Name of groom
 * Cause of death
 * Name of spouse

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the individual
 * Approximate date and/or location of the event

View the Images
You will be able to search this collection once it is published.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

For more tips about searching online collections see the online article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

What Do I Do Next?
Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. Look at the actual image of the record, if you can, to verify the information and to find additional information.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land, probate and immigration records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in censuses. Witnesses were often family members.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.
 * Church Records were kept years before counties began keeping records. They are a good source for finding ancestors before 1900.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing this Collection

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 * Record (or Index) Citation:


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