Wells, York County, Maine Genealogy

Description
Wells, Maine at Wikipedia

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Adjacent Towns
York Co.:  Lebanon | Newfield | Sanford | Shapleigh | Carroll Co.:  Wakefield | Strafford Co.:  Milton

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Wells Town Clerk
Town of Wells Town Clerk 208 Sanford Road Wells, ME 04090 Phone: (207) 646-2882 Email:[mailto:jkeyes@wellstown.org jkeyes@wellstown.org] Wells Website

Births

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1701-1899 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1737-1841 Wells, ME: Vital Records, 1737-1841 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
 * 1739-1900 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1916-1917 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1942-1956 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Marriages

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1701-1899 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1737-1841 Wells, ME: Vital Records, 1737-1841 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
 * 1771-1907 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1916-1917 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Deaths

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1701-1899 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1737-1841 Wells, ME: Vital Records, 1737-1841 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
 * 1841-1910 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1916-1917 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1960-1996 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Town Reports
The town of Wells kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when Wells 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.)

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries

 * Wells Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * York County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

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 Wells, 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 Wells:
 * 1734-1907 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1735-2006 (*) Allen County Public Library at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Maine Church Records

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Wells:
 * 1642-1737 (*) John T. Hull, Book with Digital Images at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1642-1905 (*) Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog index & images
 * 1733-1800 (*) by Benjamin Lake Noyes at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1824-1861 (*) Manuscript on Film; Maine Land Office at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1824-1964 (*) Manuscript on Digital Images; Maine State Archives at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * 1825-1874 (*) Maine Land Agent; Maine State Archives at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1832-1853 (*) Maine Land Agent at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1835-1838 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1841-1884 (*) Maine Land Agent; Maine State Archives at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Maine Land and Property

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

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Wells at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Maine at Old-Maps.com
 * Wells at FamilySearch Places
 * Wells at Google Maps
 * Wells at Maine.gov
 * Wells at Mapcarta
 * Maine Maps State Page

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Maine Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Maine Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Maine Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Maine Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * 1784-2023 York County, Maine Newspaper Archive at York Public Library - index & images

Other 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 Wells town records available online:
 * 1701-1899 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Probate Records
In Maine, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Wells:
 * 1584-1999 Maine, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1640-1760 Maine: Early Wills and Deeds, 1640-1760 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
 * 1640-1760 (*) Compiled and Edited with Notes by William M. Sargent at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * 1690-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection - images
 * 1760-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * Maine Probate Records

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Exeter New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
 * Portland Maine FamilySearch Center
 * Wolfeboro New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
 * Kennebunk Free Library - an affiliate library
 * Scarborough Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Springvale Public Library - an affiliate library