Penobscot, Hancock County, Maine Genealogy

Guide to Penobscot, Hancock ancestry, family history, and genealogy: parish register transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Brief History
Penobscot was first organized from Township Number 3 East of Penobscot River, Livermore Survey (T3 EPR LS) (also known as Township Number 3 West of Union River) as Majorbigwaduce Plantation (also known as Magorbigwaduce, aka Magabagwaduce, aka Maja Bagadoose) prior to 1787. In 1787 this plantation was incorporated as the Town of Penobscot. Penobscot is a town and former plantation on the southwest side of Hancock County on the eastern shore of the Penobscot River and surrounding the headwaters of the Bagaduce River. It was settled in the 1760s by British subjects from west of the Penobscot River. It is named for the Native Americans who were there when European settlement began (first in Castine in 1613).

Town boundary changes: Penobscot set off land to form Castine in 1796; and more land to the same in 1817, 1839, and 1927. Penobscot set off land to form Brooksville in 1817. Land was also set off to Surry in 1843. Parts of Surry and Blue Hill were annexed in 1845; and part of Sedgwick was annexed in 1857.

Additional data on Penobscot, 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 Penobscot, 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 Penobscot:

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


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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Local genealogy may be accessed at http://sites.rootsweb.com/~mecpenob/ and http://www.penobscot-maine.com/genealogy.

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

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


 * 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 Penobscot town records available online:


 * 1732-1940 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 Penobscot Town Clerk 1 Southern Bay Road Penobscot, ME 04476 Phone: (207)326-4364 Penobscot Website

Births

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1732-1940 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1739-1900 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index

Marriages

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1732-1940 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1771-1907 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index

Deaths

 * 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index and images
 * 1732-1940 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1841-1910 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index
 * 1960-1996 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index