Rangeley, Franklin County, Maine Genealogy

Brief History
''Not to be confused with mega-plantation Rangeley Plantation (T2 R1; T3 R1; T2 R2; and T3 R2) of which the town was earlier part. Nor to be confused with the nearby smaller modern plantation (T3 R1) of the same name.'' Rangeley is a town on the west central side of Franklin County (also known as Number 3 R2 Plantation). A place called Rangeley Plantation was first organized in 1840, but by 1845 it was part of a multi-township plantation called Plantations 2 and 3 R1 and 2 and 3 R2 formed from:


 * Township 2 R1 WBKP (now Sandy River Plantation)
 * Township 3 R1 WBKP (now Rangeley Plantation)
 * Number 2 R2 WBKP Plantation (now Dallas Plantation)
 * Number 3 R2 WBKP Plantation (now Rangeley (Town))

but that long name was changed to Dallas Plantation in 1845, and changed back to Rangeley Plantation in 1852. In 1855 the Town of Rangeley (T3 R2) was set off from a portion of that plantation, and that town continues to today. The large multi-township plantations were abolished in 1859, and left-over Rangeley Plantation was split into its three remaining parts, including the modern, smaller Rangeley Plantation (T3 R1).

Additional data on Rangeley, 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 Rangeley, 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 Rangeley:

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Rangeley:


 * 1835-1838 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection - index and images

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

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


 * 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 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 Rangeley 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.

Births

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1739-1900 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1795-1875 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Prior to 1892 (1910) 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
 * Prior to 1892 (1910) 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
 * Prior to 1892 (1910) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1960-1996 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index