Hancock County, Maine Genealogy

Guide to Hancock County, Maine ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records. Maine Online Genealogy Records

Description
Hancock County was named for John Hancock. The county is located in the southeastern area of the state.

County Courthouse

 * Town clerks have birth, marriage and death records.
 * Clerk of the Superior Court has divorce and court records.
 * Probate office has probate records.
 * Register of Deeds has land records.
 * County Clerk has marriage records 1789-1891.

Parent County
1789 - Created 25 June 1789 from Lincoln County.

Boundary Changes

 * Two partitions:
 * 1816 - Penobscot County 15 February 1816.
 * 1827 - Waldo County 7 February 1827.

Record Loss
1933 - Hancock Hall, which housed the records for the City of Ellsworth, was destroyed by fire on May 7, 1933.

Places / Localities
==== Neighboring Counties ====

Knox | Waldo | Penobscot | Washington

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this census area:

Extinct Towns and Plantations:  |  |  |

Cemeteries

 * 1620-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1676-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1718-2014 Maine, U.S., Tombstone Inscriptions, Surname Index, 1718-2014 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
 * 1780-1990 Maine, U.S., Faylene Hutton Cemetery Collection, 1780-1990 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
 * 1780-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1825-1970 Hancock County, Maine, Cemetery Index, 1825-1970 at Ancestry.com $
 * (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Census Records

 * 1790 - 1790 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1800 - 1800 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1810 - 1810 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1820 - 1820 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1830 - 1830 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1840 - 1840 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1850 - 1850 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1850-1880 - Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880, Ancestry $
 * 1860 - 1860 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1870 - 1870 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1880 - 1880 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1890 - 1890 Veterans Schedules, Ancestry $
 * 1900 - 1900 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1910 - 1910 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1920 - 1920 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1930 - 1930 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $
 * 1940 - 1940 United States Federal Census, Ancestry $

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1718-1957 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1837 - 1965 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

History

 * A Survey of Hancock County, Maine. 1878. By Samuel Wasson. Augusta, Me. : Sprague, Owen & Nash.  Online at:  FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($);.

Land and Property

 * Hancock County Deeds
 * 1718-1957 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1763-1932 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1789-1827 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1791-1850 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1791-1861 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1791-1864 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1807-1830 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1835-1838 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection - index and images
 * 1861-1900 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1931-1944 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Maps

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * 1676 - 1918 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1718 - 1957 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

Revolutionary War

 * 1835 - 1838 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

Civil War

 * - 2nd Regiment, Maine Infantry, Company B.

Online Records
 * 1862-1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

World War I

 * 1914 - 1950 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

Naturalization

 * 1718-1957 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1918-1991 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)


 * Maine Newspaper Project at DigitalMaine Repository

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records


 * 1584-1999 Maine, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1760-1979 at FamilySearch.org - How to use this collection - images
 * 1790-1909 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1790-1909 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1790-1915 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1791-1899 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1791-1909 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1908-1981 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Vital Records

 * 1589-1966 - Maine, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1670-1921 - at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * 1800-1947 - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Swedish American Church Records, 1800-1947, Ancestry $
 * 1892-1966 Maine Marriages, 1892 - 1966 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Birth

 * 1715-1922 - Maine, Birth Records, 1715-1922, Ancestry $
 * 1899-1908 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1911 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1914-1915 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1917-1944 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Marriage

 * 1670-1921 - Maine, Marriage Index, 1670-1921, Ancestry $
 * 1713-1922 - Maine, Marriage Records, 1713-1922, Ancestry $
 * 1892-1996 - Maine, Marriage Index, 1892-1996, Ancestry $
 * 1897-1920 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1899-1908 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1899 to 1917 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1911 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1914-1915 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1917-1944 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Death

 * 1761-1922 - Maine, Death Records, 1761-1922, Ancestry $
 * 1899-1908 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1911 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1914-1915 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1917-1944 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1960-1997 - Maine, Death Index, 1960-1997, Ancestry $

Libraries, Archives, Museums
Abbe Museum "Inspiring New Learning About the Wabanaki Nations with Every Visit" Two Locations: 26 Mount Desert Street Bar Harbor, Maine 04609  Abbe at Sieur de Monts Spring Acadia National Park  (207) 288-3519

Family History Centers

 * Ellsworth Maine Family History Center

Societies - Genealogical, Historical, Lineage
Hancock County Genealogy Society Website Facebook

Hancock Maine Genealogy Website

Websites

 * The Hancock County MEGenWeb Project, an member of The MEGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Hancock County
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Hancock County (backup site)
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Hancock County
 * Hancock County, Maine History and Genealogy (Genealogy Trails)