Bowdoin, Sagadahoc County, Maine Genealogy

Brief History
Additional data on Bowdoin, Maine can be found in  WikiPedia: the Free Encyclopedia .

Church Records
Historically, the largest religious groups in Maine were the Congregational, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches. For general information about Maine denominations, view the Maine Church Records wiki page. To see the churches in Bowdoin, visit FamilySearch Places. Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. The following are church records available online for the town of Bowdoin

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Bowdoin:
 * 1835-1838 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection - index and images

Maps
The following are online maps of the town of Bowdoin:

Probate Records
In Maine, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Bowdoin:
 * 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

Town Histories
Go to Archive.org to find published materials for this town.

Town Records
In Maine, most records are kept at the town level and generally began being kept at the founding of the town. These records may include the following: The following are Bowdoin town records available online:

Town Clerk
The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office. Bowdoin Town Clerk 23 Cornish Drive Bowdoin, ME 04287 Telephone: (207)353-6949 Fax: (207)353-9126 E-mail:[mailto:townclerkbowdoinme@comcast.net townclerkbowdoinme@comcast.net] Website

Vital Records
The town of Bowdoin kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when Bowdoin kept town reports. (NOTE: Occasionally, these town reports missed vital statistic information from the end of the year. If you don't find your ancestor's vital information, check the following year's town report to see if your ancestor's information was recorded later.)

Births

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1739-1900 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1856-1891 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * to 1892 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Marriages

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1771-1907 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1856-1891 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * to 1892 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Deaths

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1841-1910 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1856-1891 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1960-1996 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * to 1892 at FamilySearch Catalog — images