Somerset County, Maine Genealogy
Guide to Somerset County, Maine ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Somerset County, Maine | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Maine, United States Genealogy | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | March 1, 1809 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Skowhegan |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Somerset County Courthouse Court Street Skowhegan, ME 04976 Phone: 207.474.9861 Somerset County Website |
Description[edit | edit source]
Somerset County was named for Somerset County, England. The county is located in the north-central area of the state.[1]
Somerset County, Maine Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Marriage | Court | Land | Probate | Census | ||
| 1892 | 1800s | 1892 | 1809 | 1804 | 1809 | 1790 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
- Clerk Courts have some marriage records from 1800’s and proabte records from 1809.[3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
1809 - Created 1 March 1809 from Kennebec County.[3]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Parts of Somerset County were set off to:
- 1838 - Franklin County 20 March 1838.[3]
- 1838 - Piscataquis County 23 March 1838.[3]
- 1844 - Part of Aroostook County 12 March 1844.[3]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Neighboring Counties
Aroostook | Piscataquis | Penobscot | Waldo | Kennebec | Franklin | Quebec counties: Beauce | Bellechasse | Dorchester | Frontenac
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this census area:[4]
| Towns | ||
|
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| Villages | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Unorganized territories | ||
Townships listed from southeast to northwest within their group. BKP=Bingham's Kennebec Purchase; EKR=East of the Kennebec River NBKP=North of Bingham's Kennebec Purchase; Twp=Township; WELS=West of the Easterly Line of the State; WKR=West of the Kennebec River. For further details see Maine Townships.
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|
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Plantations[5]
Brighton Plantation | Dennistown | Highland Plantation | Pleasant Ridge Plantation | The Forks Plantation | West Forks
Extinct Towns and Plantations[6][7][8]
Bigelow Plantation | Bloomfield | Brighton | Carrying Place Plantation | Concord | Dead River Plantation | Dearborn | Flagstaff Plantation | Lexington | Long Pond Plantation | Mayfield
Resources[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| USGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| USGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Maine Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- 1620-2014 - Maine, Tombstone Inscriptions, Surname Index, 1620-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1676-1918 - Maine, Veterans Cemetery Records, 1676-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1718-2014 Maine, U.S., Tombstone Inscriptions, Surname Index, 1718-2014 at Ancestry.com - index ($)
- 1780-1990 Maine, U.S., Faylene Hutton Cemetery Collection, 1780-1990 at Ancestry.com - index and images ($)
- 1780-1999 - Maine, J. Gary Nichols Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1810 | 12,910 | — |
| 1820 | 21,787 | 68.8% |
| 1830 | 35,787 | 64.3% |
| 1840 | 33,912 | −5.2% |
| 1850 | 35,581 | 4.9% |
| 1860 | 36,753 | 3.3% |
| 1870 | 34,611 | −5.8% |
| 1880 | 32,333 | −6.6% |
| 1890 | 32,627 | 0.9% |
| 1900 | 33,849 | 3.7% |
| 1910 | 36,301 | 7.2% |
| 1920 | 37,171 | 2.4% |
| 1930 | 39,111 | 5.2% |
| 1940 | 38,245 | −2.2% |
| 1950 | 39,785 | 4.0% |
| 1960 | 39,749 | −0.1% |
| 1970 | 40,597 | 2.1% |
| 1980 | 45,028 | 10.9% |
| 1990 | 49,767 | 10.5% |
| 2000 | 50,888 | 2.3% |
| 2010 | 52,228 | 2.6% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church[edit | edit source]
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. For general information about Maine denominations, view the Maine Church Records wiki page.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court[edit | edit source]
- 1718-1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1837 - 1965 - Maine & Massachusetts Case Files of Deceased and Deserted Seamen 1837-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Land[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See Maine Land and Property for additional information about early Maine land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse and where records are currently housed.
- 1718-1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1807-1830 Records of settlers on the Bingham Purchase lands, 1807-1830 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1809-1901 Deeds, 1809-1901 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1809-1910 Index 1809-1910E at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1835-1838 Maine Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications, 1835-1838 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection - index and images
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for Somerset County, Maine Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Maine Local Histories.
- History of the Old Towns, Norridgewock and Canaan : Comprising Norridgewock, Canaan, Starks, Skowhegan and Bloomfield. 1849. By J.W. Hanson. Boston, Massachusetts : J.W. Hanson. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- The Kennebec Valley. 1887. By Seth Harding Whitney. Augusta, Maine. : Sprague, Burleigh & Flynt. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Maps[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
for more resources
Military[edit | edit source]
- 1676 - 1918 - Maine, Veterans Cemetery Records, 1676-1918 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1718 - 1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
- 1835 - 1838 - Maine Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications 1835-1838 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Somerset County, Maine Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Somerset County, Maine Genealogy:
Online Records
- 1962 - 1865 - Maine, Civil War Enlistment Papers, 1862-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
World War I[edit | edit source]
- 1914-1950 - Maine, State Archives, World War I (WWI) Grave Cards, 1914-1950 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1917-1919 - Maine, World War I Draft Registration Index, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Naturalization[edit | edit source]
- 1718-1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1918-1991 - Maine, United States Naturalization Records, 1918-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Maine Newspaper Archive Indexes Free; Digital Page Images $ (GenealogyBank $) Twenty-two early Maine 18th and 19th century newspapers, 1785-1898 online. Indexes (free); digital images ($). These newspapers are from Augusta, Bangor, Belfast, Brunswick, Castine, Eastport, Falmouth, Hallowell, Kennebunk, Portland, Saco and Wiscasset.
- 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
Finding More Maine Newspapers[edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Somerset County, Maine Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Somerset County, Maine Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
- Maine Newspaper Project at DigitalMaine Repository
Probate[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1584-1999 Maine, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999 at Ancestry ($) — index and images
- 1760-1979 Maine, County Probate Records, 1760-1979 at FamilySearch.org - How to use this collection - images
- 1809-1915 Maine, Somerset County, Probate Estate Files, 1809-1915 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, images
- 1809-2005 Maine, Somerset County, card catalog of probate records, 1809-2005 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1810-1916 Probate records (Somerset County, Maine), 1810-1916 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Maine tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the records.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
In Maine, 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. For more information, see the Wiki page for the town and the Wiki page, Maine Vital Records.
- 1589-1966 - Maine, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1670 - 1921 - Maine Vital Records, 1670-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1833-1890 Records, 1833-1890 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1892-1966 Maine Marriages, 1892 - 1966 at MyHeritage - index ($)
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Maine Genealogy Somerset County
Website
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- The Somerset County MEGenWeb Project, an member of The MEGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Somerset County
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Somerset County (backup site)
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Somerset County
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Somerset County, Maine" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_County,_Maine."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Somerset County, Maine. Page 304-305 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 275.
- ↑ 3.03.13.23.33.4 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 305. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Somerset County, Maine," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_County,_Maine, accessed 30 July 2019.
- ↑ For further details see Maine Plantations.
- ↑ Before an extinct town was discontinued, it created official town records of interest to genealogists. For preservation these records were usually turned over to a nearby functioning town in the same county.
- ↑ Michael J. Leclerc, Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, 5th ed. (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012), 115. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 974 D27g 2012.
- ↑ Maine Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration, Counties, Cities, Towns, and Plantations of Maine: a Handbook of Incorporations, Dissolutions, and Boundary Changes (Portland, Maine: The Survey, 1940), pages for Bigelow, Brighton, Carrying Place, Dead River, Flagstaff, Lexington, Long Pond, and Mayfield. A digital version is available via a link in the FamilySearch Catalog.
