Maine Vital Records

Birth, Death, and Marriage Records Before 1892
Vital records are kept by town clerks or selectmen. Although some towns have existed since the 1650s, most vital records date from about 1700. The vital statistics are often arranged by family.

Although the original vital records are kept by the town clerks, copies of most of the existing pre-1892 vital records are at the Maine State Archives (see "Archives and Libraries" section of this outline). The Family History Library also has an extensive collection of Maine town vital records. An example of one of the many Maine collections is:

Noyes, Benjamin Lake. Vital Records Copied from Town, Church, &amp; Cemetery Records in Various Towns and Counties of Maine Along the Atlantic Seaboard. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971, 1972. (FHL film 873738 items 1-2.) This source organizes names alphabetically by locality. It includes histories of some areas; people's birth, marriage and death dates; and names of spouses and children.

The Family History Library and the Maine State Archives also have an index to pre-1892 vital records for 80 towns. The index includes birth, delayed birth, marriage, and death records.

Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. ''Index to Vital Records Prior to 1892 of. . . 80 Towns''. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1953. (FHL films 009743-883.) These records of births (including delayed births), deaths, and marriages are arranged alphabetically by surname and then chronologically by year within each surname.

Maine State Archives. ''Delayed Returns for Births. Deaths, and Marriages, 1670?-1891''. [N.p., 197-]. (On 109 FHL films starting at 1002375.) The records are arranged alphabetically by surname and then chronologically, earliest date through 1891. Some records are out of order.

Many of the births and marriages recorded in the town records have been extracted and are listed in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. Some vital records have been published in genealogical periodicals.

Birth, Death, and Marriage Records Since 1892
State registration of vital statistics began in 1892. You can obtain copies of these records by writing to:

Department of Human Services Office of Vital Statistics State House, Station #11 Augusta, ME 04330 Telephone: 207-287-3184 Internet: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/bohodr/ovrpage.htm

For indexes of birth, marriage, and death records for the years 1892 to 1922 (marriage records extend to 1953), see:

Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records, 1892-1907. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. (FHL films 9884-10067.) Births, marriages, and deaths are arranged alphabetically by surname and then chronologically by year within each surname.

Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records 1908-1922. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. (FHL films 10068-215.) Records are arranged alphabetically by surname.

Maine. Division of Vital Statistics. Index to Vital Records: Bride's Index to Marriages, 1895-1953. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. (FHL films 010261-371.) This index includes names of brides, names of grooms, and marriage data.

To access Maine vital records, use the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog under MAINE, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - VITAL RECORDS.

Most of the available pre-1700 marriage records of New England have been published in Clarence A. Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700. (See Massachusetts Research Outline for more information.)

Divorce Records
Divorce proceedings prior to 1892 can be found in the court records at the Maine State Archives. The Archives also has an index to divorce cases between 1892 and 1969.

Since January 1892 copies of divorce records have been filed with the office of vital statistics (see address above). Original records are in the office of the clerk of the district court where the divorce was granted. The Family History Library does not have copies of these divorce records.

Web Sites
http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/faq.htm