Shapleigh, York County, Maine Genealogy

Brief History
Additional data on Shapleigh, 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 Shapleigh, 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 Shapleigh:

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Shapleigh:
 * 1835-1838 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection - index and images

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

Probate Records
In Maine, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Shapleigh:
 * 1584-1999 Maine, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
 * 1690-1917 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection - images
 * 1760-1979 at FamilySearch.org - How to use this collection - images

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

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 Shapleigh town records available online:
 * 1775-1823 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1785-1896 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Town Clerk
The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office. Town of Shapleigh Town Clerk 22 Back Road Shapleigh, ME 04076 Phone: (207) 636-2839, Ext. 415 Email:[mailto:townclerk@shapleigh.net townclerk@shapleigh.net] Shapleigh Website

Vital Records
The town of Shapleigh kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when Shapleigh 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.)

Births

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1739-1900 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1785-1896 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
 * 1785-1896 at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Deaths

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1785-1896 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1841-1910 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1960-1996 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index