Maine, U.S., Death Index, 1960-1997

This database is an index to death records for the state of Maine for the years 1960 to 1997. In addition to providing the name of the deceased, the index also provides the date and place of death, the age at time of death, and the death certificate number. Information found in this index should provide you with enough information to order a death certificate. Requests for certified copies of all vital records after 1922 can be sent to: State Board of Vital Statistics, 221 State Street, 11 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333. More information about ordering death certificates and other vital records is available at the Maine Department of Human Services website, the department from which this index was obtained.

Death records are usually a good source of genealogical information. Modern death certificates have not been standardized throughout the United States; but, like birth certificates, most of them contain the same types of information. Most death certificates include the deceased's name, sex, race, date of death, age at the time of death, place of death, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, name of spouse, Social Security number, occupation, residence, father's name, mother's name, cause of death, and place of burial. However, always remember that death records are only as accurate as the knowledge of the person who provided the information. Be sure to find out who the informant was and what kind of relationship he had with your deceased ancestor to determine how well he would have known your relative. Many informants are unaware of the name of parents or are unsure about dates and places of birth. Always try to find additional information about parents and dates and places of birth whenever possible.

Taken from Chapter 3: Research in Birth, Death, and Cemetery Records, The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy by Johni Cerny; edited by Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Incorporated, 1997).

Vital records in Maine were inconsistent before 1892. However, many towns did keep some 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 that were sent before 1892 for about 80 towns are available at the Maine State Archives.

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. The Main State Archives presently holds the original 1892-1922 birth, death, and marriage records. Certified copies of records for that time period are obtained there. The archives also has the 1922-55 birth, death, and marriage records on microfilm with a helpful bride's index from 1892 to the present; groom's index, 1956-present; and death index, 1955-present.

Taken from Maine, Ancestry's Red Book by Alice Eichholz, edited by Alice Eichholz. (Salt Lake City, UT: Ancestry Incorporated, 1992).