Maine Colonial Records

History
The first settlement in Maine occurred in 1607 by the British, although permanent settlements were not found until the 1620s. Maine was originally part of the Popham Colony and later part of the Plymouth Colony. In 1639, the Province and County of Maine were charted, and in 1658 The Province of Maine was formed and the County of Yorkshire. In 1664, part of Northern Maine was granted to the Duke of York and Cornwall County was formed. In 1677, the "Georges Rights" of Maine were purchased by Massachusetts, and Maine was generally called York County. In 1716, Maine became York County in Massachusetts, and later the district of Maine before becoming a state in 1820.

Statewide Records and Resources
Because all of Maine was previously part of Massachusetts, court records are available in both Maine and Massachusetts.
 * Province and Court Records of Maine, (Portland: Maine Historical Society, 1928-75, fiche, 6046855).
 * York Deeds [1642-1737], 18 Vols., (Portland: john T. Hull, 1887-1910, fiche 6056839).


 * Suffolk County, Massachusetts Court Files, 1629-1797 by Suffolk County Massachusetts Court, film 0909879. This collection contains records for Cumberland, Lincoln, Hancock, and Washington Counties in Maine, 1734-1797.

Town and Church Records
In most New England towns, colonial records were kept at the town level. In order to find these records, search at the town level. Many of these records are kept locally at the town clerk's office, at the county clerk, or at the State Archives.

Additional Reading

 * The Baxter Manuscript by James Phinney Baxter, (Portland: Maine Historical Society, 1889-1916, film 0599177).
 * Maine at Louisbourg in 1745 by Henry Sweetser Burrage, (Augusta: Burleigh and Flynt, 1910, film 1035530).
 * The Eastern Frontier: The Settlement of Northern new England, 1610-1763 by Charles E. Clark, (1970, reprint, Hanover, NH: university Press of New England, 1983).
 * Maine Genealogy: A Bibliographical Guide by John E. Frost, 2nd ed., (Portland: Maine Historical Society, 1985).
 * Maine Families in 1790 by Ruth Gray, (Camden, ME:Picton Press, 1988-1994).
 * Microfilm List: Maine Town Records and Maine Census Records by Maine State Archives, (n.p., 1965, film 1036379).
 * The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire 1623 to 1660: A Descriptive List Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns, Churches, Courts and Other Contemporary Sources by Charles Henry Pope, (1908, reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1965, fiche 6049825).
 * Public Record Repositories in Maine, (Augusta: Maine State Archives, 1986, film 1036235).
 * Pioneers on Maine Rivers with Lists to 1651 by Wilbur D. Spencer, (1930, reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1973, film 1307614).