Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Somerset County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Newspapers
- Democratic Clarion (Skowhegan, Me.)1841-1857
- Eaton School Journal (Norridgewock, Me.)1878-1???
- Fairfield Chronicle (Fairfield, Me.)1872-18??
- Fairfield Free Press (Fairfield, Me.)1938-????
- Fairfield Woodpecker (Kendalls Mills Me.)1867-????
- Farmer and Mechanic (Skowhegan, Me.)1855-18??
- Harmony Tribute (Harmony, Me.)1944-1946
- Mann's Family Physician and Weekly American Miscellany (South Norridgewock, Me.)1848-1???
- Skowhegan Sentinel, and Somerset Democratic Republican (Milburn, Me.)1831-184?
- Somerset Farmer (Skowhegan, Me.)1861-1865
- Somerset Journal (Norridgewock, Me.)1823-1842
- Somerset Spectator (North Anson, Me.)1852-1856
- Somerset Telegraph (Skowhegan, Me.)1857-1861
- The Fairfield Journal (Fairfield, Me.)1879-1925
- The Independent-Reporter (Skowhegan, Maine)1909-1955
- The Independent-Reporter (Skowhegan, Me.)1909-1955
- The Madison Bulletin (Madison, Me.)1883-19??
- The People's Press (Norridgewock, Me.)1841-18??
- The People's Press (Skowhegan [Me.])1845-1854
- The Pittsfield Advertiser (Pittsfield, Me.)1882-1967
- The Republican Clarion (Skowhegan, Me.)1857-1868
- The Review (Skowhegan, Me.)1888-1???
- The Skowhegan Advertiser (Skowhegan, Me.)1854-1???
- The Somerset Reporter (Skowhegan, Me.)1868-1909
- The Workingman and People's Press (Norridgewock, Me.)1843-1845
- Union Advocate (North Anson, Me.)1856-1909
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected newspaper titles cataloged by the Library of Congress with explicit county geography. Priority is given to titles beginning by 1950; up to five later titles are included where no earlier dated title is listed for that county. Dates describe publication history, not the issues available at a library. Multiple format records with the same title, place and dates are grouped. The catalog may describe paper, microfilm or online resources. Open ends and the word Current reflect the catalog description; confirm present availability and exact holdings with the libraries listed on the linked record.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Somerset County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the town clerk, the county registry of deeds and the probate court, and any online record search the county offers.
- The town clerk
Births, marriages and deaths, kept by each town.
- The county registry of deeds
Deeds and other land records (some counties have two registry districts).
- The probate court
Wills and estates, one court in each county.
- The Maine State Archives
In Augusta: state vital records, court records and land records.
- Maine State Archivesfree
The state archives in Augusta, with vital records, court and land records and military records.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "Maine, Somerset" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Kennebec County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Kennebec County
Later formed partly from Somerset County: Franklin County, Piscataquis County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1809, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
In Maine, look for births, marriages and deaths in the town where the event happened. Statewide registration began in 1892, and the town records often go back much further. Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820.