Maine Marriage, Death, Birth Records

Maine has the most uneven group of vital records in all of New England. The first settlements were dilatory in recording vital events as was the custom of other Massachusetts communities. Only five towns (Biddeford, Kittery, Kennebunkport, York, and Wells) have such seventeenth-century records. By the eighteenth century, over 200 towns picked up the habit and followed it reasonably well until Maine became a separate state in 1820. Following statehood, records were not consistently kept at first, but most towns have good marriage intentions and births. Few deaths are recorded in town records.

After 1864, state legislation required that town clerks forward births, deaths, and marriages to the secretary of state. There was never total compliance although all those which were sent before 1892 for about eighty towns are available at the Maine State Archives (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies).

By 1892, the State Board of Vital Statistics was established by the legislature as the depository for returns of vital events, and mandatory recording became a reality. Consequently, vital records after 1892 are available through that office (State House, Station #11, Augusta, Maine 04330). Maine State Archives also has the 1892–1955 birth, death, and marriage records on microfilm with a helpful bride's index from 1892 to the present and groom's index 1956–present. The death and marriage index from 1955–present is also available there, but not birth records which can only be obtained from the Office of Vital Records. The FHL has some of the microfilms after 1892, but they may not be as current as those at Maine State Archives since they are updated regularly from the Office of Vital Records files.

The New England Historic Geneological Society has microfilm copies of Maine pre-1892 vital records, some additional reels through 1955, and death records through 1970. The FHL has the microfilm copies of records before 1892 and some after 1892, but they are not as current as those at the Maine State Archives, which are updated regularly from the Office of Vital Records files.

A few of Maine's vital records have been published. A project undertaken by the Maine Historical Society issued all pre-1892 vital records for eighteen towns which included sources outside the town clerk's office—diaries, church records, newspapers, gravestone information, family records, Bibles, and private records. Transcripts of town records for York 1681–1891 were published serially in New England Historical and Genealogical Register from 1955–69.

Marriages for the early statehood period were sometimes recorded at the county level, as mandated by the legislature in 1828. Such records have not yet been fully assessed, although some are on microfilm at Maine State Archives. The most complete listing of available Maine vital records continues to be the updated Microfilm List of Maine Town and Census Records (1980) distributed by the Maine State Archives. Recently funded by a grant from the National Historic Records Commission, the Maine State Archives will be broadening its scope to survey all of Maine's town records. In the Town Resource section at the end of this chapter, details from the most recent update are included to guide the researcher in finding vital records.

 

Maine Office of Vital Records, Office of Vital Records, 221 State Street, Station 11, Augusta, ME 04333-0011. Check or money order should be made payable to Treasurer, State of Maine. Personal checks are accepted. To verify current fees, the telephone number is (207) 287-3181. You may obtain certified copies also via the Vital Chek Online Services

Event: Birth or Death; Cost of copy: Certified $10.00, Uncertified $6.00; Address: See Above
Remarks: State office has had records since 1892. Records for 1892-1922 are available at the Maine State Archives. For earlier records, write to the municipality where the event occurred. Additional copies of same record ordered at same time are $4.00 each.

Event: Marriage, Divorce, Cost of copy: $10.00; Address: See Above
Remarks: State office has had records since 1892. Records for 1892-1922 are available at the Maine State Archives. For earlier records, write to the municipality where the event occurred. Additional copies of same record ordered at same time are $4.00 each.

Click Here to Search Maine Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Below is a list of online resources for Maine Vital Records.

• Maine Marriages to 1875: This database is a collection of marriage records from various towns in Maine, covering the time period prior to 1875.
• Maine Marriages, 1892-1996: This database is an index to Maine marriages that occurred between 1892 and 1996.
• Search All U.S and Foriegn Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Search U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• Search Obituary Collection
• Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE