For a list of records which can be found in Maine towns, see:

Frost, John E. Guide to Maine Vital Records in Transcript. Typescript, 1963. (FHL book 974.1 V23f; computer number 461567.) This source is arranged alphabetically by town.

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 the “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, & Cemetery Records in Various Towns and Counties of Maine Along the Atlantic Seaboard. Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971, 1972. (FHL film 873738 items 1-2; computer number 125544.) 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: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1953. (FHL films 009743-883; computer number 70976.) 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; computer number 303938.) 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 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