Maine Gazetteers

Maine Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder

Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Biography Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Collections Periodicals Plantations Probate Records Taxation Town Records Townships Vital Records Voter Records

Maine Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Family History Centers

Moderator

Beverly Repouille

United States

U.S. Gazetteers

Maine

Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers

• FamilySearch Places
• Digital Main Repository
• Gazetteer of the State of Maine George J Varney. Gazetteer of the State of Maine. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
• Counties, Cities, Towns, and Plantations of Maine : a Handbook of Incorporations, Dissolutions, and Boundary Changes Historical Records Survey. Counties, Cities, Towns, and Plantations of Maine : a Handbook of Incorporations, Dissolutions, and Boundary Changes. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
• Standard geographic code for Maine counties and minor civil divisions : July 1, 1971 Maine State Planning Commission. Standard Geographic Code for Maine counties and Minor Civil Divisions : July 1, 1971. Digital Publisher FamilySearch International
• The Maine State Directory and Gazetteer for... : a complete list of the business in each city and town in the state The Maine State Directory and Gazetteer for 1893 : a complete list of the business in each city and town in the state. Methuen, Mass. : Union Publishing Co. 1893
• The New England gazetteer : containing descriptions of all the states, counties and towns in New England John Hayward. The New England Gazetteer; containing descriptions of all the states, counties and towns in New England. Concord, N.H., I. S. Boyd and W. White; 1839

Print Only Gazetteers

• The Length and Breadth of Maine Stanley Bearce Attwood. The Length and Breadth of Maine. Orono, Maine : University of Maine, 1977, c1974
• Maine Geographic List : Alphabetical Finding List U.S., Office of Geographic Research, Geographic Names List. Maine Geographic List : Alphabetical Finding List. Reston, Virginia : U.S. Geological Survey, 1985
• A gazetteer of the state of Maine : with numerous illustrations George J Varney. A Gazetteer of the State of Maine : with Numerous Illustrations. Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, Inc., c1991
• Maine Arrow Guide Fred. L. Tower Co. Maine Arrow Guide. Portland, Maine : Fred. L. Tower Companies, [1939]
• Maine towns and counties : what was what, where and when Michael J Dennis. Maine Towns and Counties : What was What, Where and When. 1981
• Native American place names of Maine, New Hampshire, & Vermont Douglas-Lithgow, Robert Alexander. Native American Place Names of Maine, New Hampshire, & Vermont. Bedford, Massachusetts : Applewood Books, 2001
• Maine Place Names and the Peopling of its Towns Ava Harriet Chadbourne. Maine Place Names and the Peopling of its Towns. Portland, Maine : Bond Wheelwright Co., c.1955

Why Use Gazetteers

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a state with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:

• Different religious denominations
• Schools, colleges, and universities
• Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
• The population size.
• Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
• Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
• Longitude and latitude.
• Distances and direction from other from cities.
• Schools, colleges, and universities.
• Denominations and number of churches.
• Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)