Trace Your Roots

Dig Into Your Own History With These Local Resources

BY NANCY BATTICK

Terms such as pedigree charts, twice-removed cousins, and the thought of researching online may send some people into panics. If you live in Greater Bangor, you can relax, because there are some wonderful resources at your fingertips, and they are all free.

Gather Known Info

First, start by gathering all the information you know about your family: names, dates, places. This will help provide clues for further research. You can add family “stories,” but take them with a large grain of salt until proven. A relative swore we descended from Nathan Hale, but since he never married nor sired known children, it’s just a myth. Don’t try to link to a famous person; just begin with yourself.

Ask The Experts

Start your quest at the Bangor Public Library. On the second floor, you’ll find an extensive genealogy department staffed by expert genealogists. The staff will assist you in any way they can and point you in the right directions. If you’re unsure how to operate a computer, the library staff can help you learn. Ancestry Library is free online, and the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s American Ancestors website is also available. On these you can access censuses, town and county vital records, draft records, and numerous other databases.

The library also has a great selection of city directories, cemetery records, family histories, some Bangor church records, Penobscot County records, yearbooks, and a wide selection of genealogical publications. The Bangor Public Library can also tap into catalogs for other research libraries in Maine through the University of Maine System (URSUS).

If Bangor doesn’t have it in their collection, they may be able to help you find out where a record is housed or sometimes a book may be obtained through interlibrary loan. This is a tremendous resource for would-be family genealogists and historians.

A few blocks away, the Bangor Maine FamilySearch

Center is on Grandview Avenue. This resource is courtesy of the LDS Church and is staffed by volunteers. The center is not open every day, and it’s always wise to call ahead to be sure they aren’t closed because of weather or illnesses. The center offers an extensive microfiche and microfilm collection, books primarily covering Maine and the New England states, and access to databases including Findmypast, Fold3.com, MyHeritage, Ancestry.com, and many others to aid you in searching for your family records. They also offer re source courses. You can call the center at (207) 947-7677.

There are also other sources in Greater Bangor, including the Fogler Library at the University of Maine and the Bangor Historical Society to name but a few. The Penobscot County Genealogical Society offers free programs, and they meet in-person or over video conferencing from the Bangor Public Library. Often talking to other genealogists will be of great help, especially if they’ve been researching for years. You might even meet cousins you didn’t know you had.

One Step At A Time

Don’t feel overwhelmed. We all began our research with tiny baby steps. Don’t be discouraged if you can’t immediately trace family back to 1600. It takes time. Also, beware of the thousands of online trees submitted by other researchers. Don’t trust blindly. It’s much better to take your time and enjoy the journey of finding your roots, as Professor Henry Louis Gates said. Good luck, have fun, and I wish you all the best in your genealogical journey.

Nancy Battick is a past president of the Maine Genealogical Society, and has been researching, teaching, and writing about genealogy for more than 30 years. She writes a twice-monthly genealogy column called The Family Discoverer, which can be found at TheCounty.me website, FiddleheadFocus.com, and in The Piscataquis Observer, The Star Herald, the Houlton Pioneer Times, the Aroostook Republican, and the St. John Valley Times.