Bangor Maine Family History Center

The Bangor Family History Center serves Bangor, Maine, and surrounding areas, and is open to the public with no admission charge.

Center Contacts and Hours
Location Map:


 * Location Map

Address:


 * 639 Grandview Ave Bangor ME United States.
 * The Family History Center is located on the right side in the back wing of the building.
 * The words Family History Center are posted above the wing where the entrance is located.
 * Please ring the buzzer (to the left of the door) for access.


 * Language:English

Phone:


 * (207) 942-7677, press 2 for the Family History Center when prompted

E-mail:


 * ME_Bangor@ldsmail.net

Open Hours:


 * Tuesday:10:00am-2:00pm and 6:00pm-8:00pm
 * Wednesday:10:00am-2:00pm and 6:00pm-8:00pm
 * Thursday:10:00am-2:00pm and 6:00pm-8:00pm
 * Saturday:10:00am-2:00pm

Holiday Schedule:

Closed snow-days (at least when Bangor schools are closed), holidays and holiday weekends, General Conference weekends (1st Saturday in April and October).

Class Schedule

 * Saturday, April 25, 2015 - 9 am - 3 pm - 2015 Bangor Family History Fair featuring video presentations from the RootsTech Conference held February 11-14, 2015 in Salt Lake City plus live classes. During the first hour, we will hear James Shupe play his fiddle and tell ancestor stories. His presentation in April, 2014, was very enjoyable and we expect it will be in April, 2015, as well. This event will be free (as are all our events); however, you will need to provide your own lunch and snacks. Please register at Signup so that we will know how many to expect and so that we can communicate with you.
 * Bangor Family History Fair Classes at 10:15 - 11:15 am Tracing Your British and Irish Roots with FindMyPast (RootsTech video) - Elaine Collins This presentation will introduce the key resources you need to get started with tracing your British and Irish ancestry, including censuses, civil registration, parish records, and census substitutes, as well as exploring the wealth of rarer and exclusive sources.
 * Preserving Our Memories – Using My Family Booklet and FamilySearch.org - Rheanna Dow This class is for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are just starting their family history.
 * The Write Stuff. Leaving a Recorded Legacy; Personal Histories, Journals, Diaries, and Letters (RootsTech video) - Valerie Elkins Discover technology that makes leaving a legacy easier. Learn about apps and software to preserve your thoughts, stories, and memories. Still love paper? Find new ways for the old-fashioned pen and paper that gives you the best of both worlds.
 * Finding the Living among the Dead: Using the Internet to Find Your Living Cousins Letters (RootsTech video) - Amy Archibald The missing link in your family history may be one phone call or email away. We will explore clues available in family trees, obituaries, online tools, and the resources available to identify your cousin’s contact information. Discover your living cousins online.
 * Why Libraries Still Matter in Family History Research - Elizabeth Stevens Today, with so much genealogical information available online, it’s no wonder some people think that libraries are obsolete. However, much of the materials that libraries house are not available online, or may be accessed easily for free unlike similar information posted online through costly websites. You may ask, “Why should I spend time in libraries and archives?” Come to this class to learn the answer to this question.
 * Personal History Triage: How to Tell the Best Ten Stories of Your Life Letters (RootsTech video) - Alison Taylor When writing a personal history, we struggle with questions such as: Where do I start? How much do I include? How do I handle sensitive issues? Learn a step-by-step method to make writing a personal history easier and more fun.
 * Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - 6 pm - monthly meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society.
 * Wednesday, September 16, 2015 - 6 pm - monthly meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society.
 * Wednesday, October 21, 2015 - 6 pm - Monthly meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society.


 * Check out the online FamilySearch Research Courses at Link


 * Please email suggestions/requests for specific classes in Bangor.

Staff Training Meetings

 * One on one as requested by the Staff Member.

Collections

 * FamilySearch Catalog: This center has the ability to order any of the films and fiche available through the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * Books, over 1,430 microfilms, and over 580 fiche sets, primarily for Maine and other New England states. A smattering of books regarding other states. Some Canadian, British, and German films and books. 

Databases and Software

 * FHC Portal This center has access to the Family History Center Portal page which gives free access in the center to premium family history software and websites that generally charge for subscriptions.
 * Currently, these websites include 19th Century British Library Newspaper Digital Archive, Access Newspaper Archive, Alexander Street Press - The American Civil War, Ancestry.com, ArkivDigital Online, Find My Past, Fold3 (formerly Footnote), Legacy Stories, Paper Trail, and World Vital Records.

Hardware and Equipment

 * 7 computers and 3 printers (one of the printers can copy to a pdf or jpg file)
 * 4 microfilm readers, equipped with monopods for mounting a digital camera to take pictures of film images (Note: Patrons may use their own camera or the FHC camera)
 * 1 digital camera and Kingston card reader to transfer images (Note: Patrons should bring a USB or thumb drive to receive the images)
 * 4 microfiche readers 

Staff Research Specialties
(Include sections for any other services your center provides. Add additional sections for those services. See the Mesa and Logan FHC pages for examples.)

Resources in the Local Area

 * Bangor Public Library: Link


 * Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono: Link


 * Penobscot Maritime Museum, Searsport: Link


 * Maine State Archives, Augusta: Link


 * Maine State Library, Augusta: Link


 * Maine State Museum, Augusta: Link

Links

 * Online Film Ordering: Link


 * Online Catalog for the University of Maine System Libraries, Bangor Public Library, Maine State Library, and Maine State Archives is called URSUS, which is available at Link


 * FamilySearch Research Wiki article for Maine: Maine Genealogy

Volunteer at the Center

 * We appreciate everyone who comes to help.


 * Please email (see above for our email address) if you are interested in helping.