York County, Maine Genealogy
Guide to York County, Maine ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
York County, Maine | |
Map | |
![]() Location in the state of Maine, United States Genealogy | |
Facts | |
Founded | June 25, 1789 |
---|---|
County Seat | Alfred |
Courthouse | |
Address | York County Courthouse 45 Kennebank Road; Alfred, ME 04002 Phone: 207.324.1571 York County Website |
Contents
- 1 Description
- 2 York County, Maine Record Dates
- 3 County Courthouse
- 4 History
- 5 Places / Localities
- 6 Resources
- 6.1 Biography
- 6.2 Cemeteries
- 6.3 Census
- 6.4 Church Records
- 6.5 Court Records
- 6.6 Emigration and Immigration
- 6.7 Peroidicals
- 6.8 Genealogy
- 6.9 Local Histories
- 6.10 Land and Property
- 6.11 Maps
- 6.12 Military Records
- 6.13 Geographical
- 6.14 Naturalization
- 6.15 Newspapers
- 6.16 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 6.17 Obituaries - Indexes
- 6.18 Probate Records
- 6.19 Taxation
- 6.20 Vital Records
- 6.21 Gazetteers
- 7 Societies and Libraries
- 8 Websites
- 9 References
Description[edit | edit source]
York County was named for York, England. The county is located in the southwestern area of the state.[1]
York County, Maine Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
1892 | 1892 | 1637 | 1636 | 1636 | 1637 | 1790 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
- Town Clerks have birth, marriage, death and burial records.
- Clerk Court has divorce and court records.
- 1637 - Register of Probate has death and probate records from 1637.
- 1636 - Register of Deeds has land records from 1636. [3]
History[edit | edit source]
Parent County[edit | edit source]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
Neighboring Counties
Cumberland | Oxford | New Hampshire: Carroll | Rockingham | Strafford
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:[6]
Cities | ||
Towns | ||
Unincorporated communities | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Extinct towns and plantations
Resources[edit | edit source]
Biography[edit | edit source]
- Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of York County, Maine
- History of York County, Maine : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers
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 | ||
ME Interment | ||
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
- 1780-1999 - Maine, J. Gary Nichols Cemetery Collection, ca. 1780-1999 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Census[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1790 | 29,078 | — |
1800 | 37,896 | 30.3% |
1810 | 41,877 | 10.5% |
1820 | 46,283 | 10.5% |
1830 | 51,722 | 11.8% |
1840 | 54,034 | 4.5% |
1850 | 60,098 | 11.2% |
1860 | 62,107 | 3.3% |
1870 | 60,174 | −3.1% |
1880 | 62,257 | 3.5% |
1890 | 62,829 | 0.9% |
1900 | 64,885 | 3.3% |
1910 | 68,526 | 5.6% |
1920 | 70,696 | 3.2% |
1930 | 72,934 | 3.2% |
1940 | 82,550 | 13.2% |
1950 | 93,541 | 13.3% |
1960 | 99,402 | 6.3% |
1970 | 111,576 | 12.2% |
1980 | 139,666 | 25.2% |
1990 | 164,587 | 17.8% |
2000 | 186,742 | 13.5% |
2010 | 197,131 | 5.6% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
- 1860 - Index to the York County, Maine 1860 census
- 1850, 1860, 1879 - York County, Maine, mortality schedules, U.S. census 1850, 1860, 1870
- 1904 - Transcription - only Kennebunkport
Church Records[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.
- 1827-1884 - The Maine conference Methodist Episcopal Chirch Copy of record of persons baptized, marriages solemnized, and funerals attended by the late Isaac Lord, Jr., [i.e. Church] from 1827 to 1884; also data regarding the Lord and Curtis families [1778-1924]
- 1784-1831 - Marriages (1784-1831) in Hollis, Lyman, Kennebunkport and adjoining towns of York County, Me.
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
- 1636-1852 - Maine, York County, record of the courts, 1636-1852.
- 1695-1800 - Maine, York County, Court of Common Pleas, 1695-1800.
- 1718-1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- 1798-1929 - Maine, York County, Supreme Judical Court records, 1798-1929.
- 1913-1918 - Maine, York County, Supreme Judical Court, equity records, 1913-1918.
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
Peroidicals[edit | edit source]
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
- Joseph Carlile of York, Maine (York and Lincoln County descendants) and the antiquity of the Carlyle name.
- 1623-1775 - Piscataqua Pioneers : Register of members and ancestors, 1623-1775
- 1623-1775 and 1905-1981 - Piscataqua pioneers, 1623-1775 : register of members and ancestors 1905 - 1981
- 1872 - A report of the proceedings at the celebration of the first centennial anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Buxton, Maine, held at Buxton, Aug. 14, 1872 : being a full account of the exercises of the day
- FHL Collection
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Local histories are available for York 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 York County, Maine. 1880. By W.W. Clayton. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Everts & Peck. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive; At various libraries (WorldCat).
- The Isles of Shoals : an Historical Sketch. 1873. By John Scribner Jenness. New York, New York : Hurd and Houghton. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Hathitrust, Internet Archive, Google Books; At various libraries (WorldCat).
Land and Property[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.
- 1642-1904 Deeds, 1642-1904 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1647-1905 index to deeds, 1647-1905 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1718-1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection - index and images
- 1733-1800 Abstracts from the unpublished deeds of York County, Maine, volumes 19-39, 1733-1800 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1856 York County, Maine land ownership map, 1856 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Maps[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

for more resources
Military Records[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
- Capt. Johnson Moulton's Company, the first to leave the District of Maine in the Revolution.
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in York 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 York County, Maine Genealogy:
- - 1st Regiment, Maine Cavalry
- - 5th Regiment, Maine Infantry , Companies B and C.
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
Geographical[edit | edit source]
- Maine place names: and the peopling of it's towns: York.
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]
Union and Journal (Biddeford) 1854-1870
Finding More Maine Newspapers[edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as York County, Maine Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a York County, Maine Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Places Search).
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1904-1955 - Naturalization records (York County, Maine), 1904-1955.
- 1718-1957 - Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957, at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
Obituaries - Indexes[edit | edit source]
- 1798-1806 - Index to death notices, Jenks's Portland Gazette, 1798-1806.
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
- 1584–1999 - Maine Wills and Probate Records 1584-1999 at Ancestry.com $
- 1687-1900 - Probate records, index to probate records, 1687-1900
- 1687-1938 - Probate records, Probate records, 1687-1938;
- 1690-1917 - Maine, York County, Probate Estate Files, 1690-1917 at Ancestry.com $
- 1690-1917 - Estate files, ca. 1690-1917
- 1690-1917 Maine, York County, Probate Estate Files, 1690-1917 at FamilySearch - How to use this collection, images
- 1760-1979 Maine, County Probate Records, 1760-1979 at FamilySearch.org - How to use this collection, images
- 1801-1858 - York County, Maine, will abstracts, 1801-1858
- 1843-1868 - Probate bonds, 1843-1868
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
- 1743-1891 Maine, 1743-1891 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1771-1794 York County, Maine, marriage returns, 1771-1794 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- 1818-1881 Baptismal, marriage and funeral records of Rev. Albert Cole (1818-1881) of Cornish, Maine at FamilySearch Catalog — images
- Prior to 1892 Marriage returns of York County, Maine : prior to 1892 at FamilySearch Catalog — images
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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 Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- The York County MEGenWeb Project, an member of The MEGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for York County
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for York County (backup site)
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for York County
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "York County, Maine" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_County,_Maine."
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), York 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.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), York County, Maine page 305, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ referer=brief_results Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 181. [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ referer=brief_results Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 181. [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "York County, Maine," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_County,_Maine, accessed 20 March 2020.