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. 

Description
The County was named for John Hancock. The County has Ellsworth as its seat and the County was created June 25, 1789. The County is located in the southeast 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 — index
 * 1676-1918 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1780-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Court Records

 * 1718-1957 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1837 - 1965 - at FamilySearch - images

Land and Property

 * Hancock County Deeds
 * 1718-1957 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Military Records

 * 1676 - 1918 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1718 - 1957 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Revolutionary War

 * 1835 - 1838 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

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

Online Records
 * 1862-1865 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War I

 * 1914 - 1950 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Naturalization

 * 1718-1957 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1918-1991 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Records


 * 1584 – 1999 Maine Wills and Probate Records 1584-1999 at Ancestry.com — images and index $

Vital Records

 * 1589-1966 - Maine, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1670 - 1921 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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

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