Genealogy Resources

The Brick Store Museum The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk maintains genealogical file folders on families historically associated with the Kennebunks region and is available for appointment based research and research inquiries.

Maine State Library Genealogy Resources Resources and research tips available through the Maine State Library.

Maine Historical Society Maine's statewide historical society holding vast collections, many of which are available online.

Brown Library Genealogy Resources The Brown Library is the Maine Historical Society's research library with a collection of over 100,000 printed books and pamphlets, and two million manuscript pages from the 15th to the 21st centuries. Research guidance and information on materials available can be found on their website.

Maine Memory Network Maine Historical Society's digital museum containing digital exhibits and access to thousands of digital images and artifacts.

Maine Genealogy and History A Maine genealogy and history page that is a part of USGENWEB and contains directories to state genealogical resources.

Maine Land Records:

Maine Registers of Deeds Association Many land and deed records can be searched at county Registries of Deeds. The Maine Registers of Deeds Association maintains a directory to the 17 Registries in Maine. Note that search capacities vary county to county and online platforms are not uniform. The York County Registry of Deeds, for example, requires users to create a free account for any online searching, while the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds does not.

Maine Vital Records:

Vital records (birth, marriage, divorce, death) in Maine may be found in a few different locations. A majority of records (1892 - present) may be obtained from the Department of Health and Human Services' Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) office. Individual municipalities also maintain some vital records for their town or city. Additionally, The Maine State Archives maintains some vital records pre-dating 1892. Links are below.

DRVS Vital Records The DRVS website contains information on what vital records the office maintains and how to obtain copies. Note that Maine is a closed records state. This means that vital records are not considered open to the public until a certain length of time has passed. Birth records less than 75 years old, marriage records and fetal death records less than 50 years old, and death records less than 25 years old are unavailable to the public. Details on who may access closed records and how to access older records that are open to the public may be found here.

Maine State Archives Vital Records The Maine State Archives maintains some vital records pre-dating 1892 and can issue non-certified copies of their records.

If you know the town where a vital record may be recorded, you may contact that municipality's town office to inquire about searching and copies. Local municipality links are below.

Kennebunk Town Clerk
Kennebunkport Town Clerk
Arundel Town Clerk
Wells Town Clerk
 

National and International Resources:

Ancestry (Library Edition) A popular search platform that searches across records collections including census records, vital records, immigration records, and some international collections. Access to Ancestry Library Edition is free using KFL's in-house computers.

MyHeritage An internationally diverse collection with over a billion genealogical records and photographs. Free access to MyHeritage Library Edition may be gained through the Digital Maine Library. Note that access to all Digital Maine Library database requires using a Maine based ISP. Out of state access will not be allowed. Access to MyHeritage (non Library Edition) may require a paid account.

Family Search A global collection of billions of genealogical records and indices compiled and made accessible by the Church of Latter-Day Saints.

National Archives Resources for Genealogists Research tips and access to collections of census, military, immigration, naturalization, and land records and more.