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Maine, 1743-1891 Marriage Index
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About the Data
This data set contains information
on approximately 230,000 individuals who were married between 1743 and 1891 in
select Maine counties. Fully indexed, it is a valuable resource because it brings
together previously uncollected marriage records and gives you easy access to
information that you would otherwise have to obtain from local sources. Information
was collected from the following Maine counties and time periods:
- Androscoggin (1789-1898)
- Cumberland (1709-1901)
- Franklin (1784-1879)
- Hancock (1788-1875)
- Kennebec (1742-1893)
- Knox (1835-1888)
- Lincoln (1756-1829)
- Penobscot (1794-1889)
- Piscataquis (1801-1892)
- Sagadahoc (1688-1917)
- Somerset (1822-1863)
- Waldo (1774-1892)
- Washington (1772-1891)
- York (1714-1891)
Maine became the 23rd state
in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise. Until that time, Maine was part
of Massachusetts and followed Massachusetts's customs for recording of vital
records. While recording of vital records was sporadic in the seventeenth century
(only 5 towns — Biddeford, Kittery, Kennebunkport, York and Wells —
hold records), by the eighteenth century more than 200 towns were maintaining
vital records. In 1828, the state legislature mandated that marriages be recorded
at the county level. The information found in these local records is often not
as detailed as more modern records. After 1864, town clerks were required to
forward vital records to the secretary of state and, in 1892, systematic registration
of births, deaths, and marriages began on a state-wide basis. These records
are available at the Maine State Archives. It should be noted, however, that
until registration began on a statewide level in 1892, there was not total compliance
with vital records registration requests from the state.
More About this Data
Set
This data set was produced
in collaboration with two separate researchers — Liahona Research and Maryann
Flaherty. The type of information, and the format in which they collected it,
varies depending on the source of record. The information you can learn is described
in more details below.
Name — In some records, you will find three question marks in place
of the given name or surname. This indicates that the name was not listed on
the original record. You may also find question marks in place of missing letters.
A question mark after a name indicates that the name spelling was unclear. You
may also occasionally find the same record listed in the index under two different
name spellings. Please note that not all unusual and uncertain names were noted
by question marks, so always be sure to check under various spellings if you
are having trouble locating a name.
Spouse — This field lists the name of the individual's spouse.
Marriage date — This date is usually the marriage date. When no
marriage date was available in the records, the date of the license application
or the date that the license was issued was substituted.
The dates listed for each entry is most often a couple's marriage date. However,
when no marriage date was given, the date of the license was substituted. Occasionally,
a marriage may be listed more than once in this data set. This is to provide
you with as much information as possible about a marriage. When two listings
are available for a couple, it is most likely because one listing notes the
filing of a marriage application while the other notes the actual marriage license.
County — This is a county where the marriage was recorded.
Town/Church — This is the town or church in which the marriage took
place.
Location of records — This tells you where you can find more information
about the wedding or a copy of the original record. It could be a Maine State
Archive Microfilm roll number or a Family History Library microfilm roll number.
The original record may provide you with more complete information, such as
the name of the couple's parents, the couple's ages, the name of the person
who performed the ceremony, and physical descriptions of the bride and groom.
How
to Make the Most of this Data Set
Before 1892, vital records
were kept sporadically at the local level. Most of these early records contain
much less detail than more recent records; for example, they rarely list parents'
names or the bride's or groom's birthplace. You can use the information in this
data set to locate the actual marriage record. By doing so, you may be able
to learn the following information about the bride and groom:
- Ages
- Places of birth
- Places of residence
- Groom's occupation
- Wedding location
- Wedding date
- Whether the bride and
groom were widowed or single
- Parents' names
- Name of the minister
who would perform the ceremony
Many of these early marriage
records have been preserved on microfilm by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and are kept by the Family History Library. Family History Library (FHL)
materials that are on microfilm can be borrowed through any of the local Family
History Centers. It is important to note that, while microfilm can be borrowed
from your local Family History Library, books are usually not loaned out. If the
Family History Library reference number is not seven numbers, the marriage record
was referenced in a book. While you can usually look up your ancestor in the book
at the Library, it may not be available on microfilm for loan.
Microfilm copies of early marriage records (and all records collected since statewide
registration began in 1892,) can also be found at the Maine State Archives. The
Maine State Archives also has the originals of these records for those who need
certified copies.
Maine State Archives
84 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333- 0084
Telephone 207-287-5790
If you wish to order the original microfilm records from the Maine State Archives
you should note the following:
- The original microfilm
for Washington County did not include page numbers. However, to help you locate
the record in the original film, numbers were assigned to each page in this
data set.
- The Maine State Archives
maintains two versions of Volume 1 marriage records for York County (one is
handwritten and the other is typed). Both volumes contain the same information.
The page numbers referenced by this data set are from the handwritten (presumably
original) volume. While both volumes are included on the microfilm roll at
the Archives, the typed volume is presented first. To reach the handwritten
records referenced by this data set, you should turn through the first set
of typed records.
- The records found at
the Maine State Archives are catalogued by volume. Please note that the Kennebec
County records listed as appearing in Volume 2 in this data set are not identified
as appearing in Volume 2 at the Archives. The first set of microfilm roll
images are catalogued without an identifiable volume number. The chronology
of the records on the microfilm rolls, however, identify them as being part
of Volume 2. In addition, records for Kennebec County are listed as being
found on Volume 4 and Volume 6 in the Maine State Archives. The records contained
within these volumes are chronological and no information has been skipped
even though none of the information is listed as being on Volume 5.
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