Genealogy: Your local roots

The Maine State Library’s genealogy collection spans a large geographical area, primarily emphasizing Maine, with good coverage of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Other parts of New England are included as well, with some additional sources on northeastern states. We also have a growing collection of materials relating to Quebec Province and the Maritimes.

The Maine State Library subscribes to:

* Ancestry.com – access to thousands of vital records online – in-Library use only
* HeritageQuest – census data, local history articles, Revolutionary War records and more.

You will find a list of professional genealogists on the Library site, should you need help with research.

Genealogy Web Resources

* Starting Genealogy and Family History Research – Written by the National Archives and Records Administration, this site offers tips for people new to genealogical research. It lists good books for beginners and has links to articles about solving difficult research problems, obtaining records and genealogy societies.
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/about-research.html

* Beginning Genealogy – This site is sponsored by MyFamily.com, Inc. the parent company of Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, RootsWeb.com and other genealogical research tools. It offers online tutorials in genealogy for the beginner.
http://www.genealogy.com/uni-begin.html
* Treasure Maps – The How-To Genealogy Site – This site contains tutorials, guides, a monthly newsletter and links to resources such as hints on deciphering old handwriting.
http://www.amberskyline.com/treasuremaps

* Cyndi’s list of genealogy sites – This up-to-the-minute, award-winning site is one of the most popular on the Net. At present, more than 187,500 links provide access to countries of the world, organizations, ethnic groups, calendars, family names, heraldry, record groups, problem solving, etc.
http://www.CyndisList.com
* RootsWeb – RootsWeb claims to be the “oldest and largest free online community for genealogists.” The site has many interactive guides and research tools. The RootsWeb Surname List is a registry for more than one million surnames.
http://www.rootsweb.com/
* US GenWeb project – This page serves as an entryway into the massive GenWeb Project, whereby volunteers from all over the United States post web sites for their states and counties. This site explains the project in detail, and links directly to sites at the state level.
http://www.usgenweb.org/

* Ancestry.com – Ancestry’s free guest privileges include use of the Social Security Death Index and Ancestry World Tree. Membership provides access to PERSI and a rapidly expanding collection of land, census, immigration and vital records. The Maine State Library also has a paid subscription to Ancestry.com and is is available on all of our public computers.
http://www.ancestry.com
* Family Search – The Family Search Internet site opens the door to the vast genealogical resources of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Consult the Family History Library catalog, or run a name through the Ancestral File, the International Genealogical Index, Vital Records Index or Pedigree Resource File.
http://www.familysearch.org
* Genealogy Research Tools – This site offers tips, databases, free searches, helpful links and more to help you find your ancestors and surnames. This site can help the beginner and the experienced researcher.
http://www.geneasearch.com/tools.htm
* National Genealogical Society – With over 17,000 members, the NGS provides training, research assistance, news and other resources.
http://www.ngsgenealogy.org
* Ellis Island Records – Over 100 million Americans are estimated to have links to immigrant ancestors who passed through Ellis Island. This web site is the place to search passenger manifests for that elusive ancestor of family group.
http://www.ellisislandrecords.org

* Adoption Registry – This site is a good place to start looking for lost birth relatives. It includes a reunion registry.
http://www.adoptionregistry.com
* AfriGeneas – A comprehensive source for genealogical research into African ancestry, this site includes wills, inventories, census and Bible records and slavery documentation.
http://www.afrigeneas.com
* Holocaust Global Registry – This site provides a central place for anyone searching for Holocaust survivors, for survivors searching for family members or friends, and for child survivors looking for clues to their identities.
http://www.jewishgen.org
* Mayflower Society – This site is dedicated to the people who can (or would like to) trace their lineages back to the original Mayflower colonists. They provide information for verification of lineage claims as well as email links to their research library for assistance.
http://www.themayflowersociety.com
* The American Civil War Homepage – This site offers Civil War-related resources such as regimental rosters and histories and documentary records.
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war
* Canadian Genealogy and History Links – This site is a “listing of Genealogical and Historical Web sites from East to Western Sea.”
http://www.islandnet.com/%7Ejveinot/cghl/cghl.html
* Genuki: the UK and Ireland Genealogical Information Service – This site provides a collection of genealogical information pages for England , Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
http://www.genuki.org.uk/

* National Archives – The National Archives genealogy page offers beginner information such as what types of information for genealogists are available online. On their website one can access census, military, immigration, naturalization, and land records.
* Maine State Archives – The Maine State Archives site offers special tools for genealogical research such as a searchable death certificate index.
http://www.maine.gov/sos/arc/
* State of Maine/Local Government – Counties, Towns, Cities for contacts and historical information
http://www.maine.gov/local/
* Maine Vital Records – Order copies of records of life events from 1923 – present.
http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/bohodr/recorder.htm
* Social Security Death Index (SSDI) – Deaths reported in the United States from 1962 –
http://ssdi.genealogy.rootsweb.com/
* Maine Historical Society – One of the largest collections of genealogy and Family research material in Maine
www.mainehistory.org/gen_overview.shtml

– Courtesy of Maine.gov.