Welcome!

Researching history (either your own family history or the history of a place, time, or people) can be a lot of work...and a lot of fun, too! Our library is home to many resources for history and genealogy researchers interested in the Biddeford-Saco area, northern York County and coastal Maine.  

Our friendly Reference Staff  are available to answer questions and get you oriented to our collections and materials. If you are doing a complex project, telephone or email us a few days before your visit and we can do a resource search ahead of time. This can be especially helpful if the library happens to be very busy when you come, or if you are visiting from out of town and are on a tight schedule.

• Union & Journal/Biddeford Weekly Journal (1877-1930)

• Biddeford Daily Journal (1884-1959)

• Biddeford-Saco Journal (1959-1977)

• Journal Tribune (1977-Current)

• La Justice (1896-1950)

• Biddeford/Saco/Old Orchard Beach Courier (1989-Current)

• York County Atlas (1872)

• Early Biddeford (1835-1840) [facsimile]

• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Paper (1885, 1891, 1896, 1901, 1906, 1912, 1922)

• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Electronic (1867-1970)

• Biddeford Vital Statistics Prior to 1856

• Biddeford Births (1800-1891)

• Baptisms at Notre Dame de Lourdes Parish, Saco (1928-1985)

• Biddeford Marriages (1854-1891)

• Marriages at St. Andre's Church, Biddeford (1899-1995)

• Marriages at St. Joseph's Church, Biddeford (1870-1995)

• Marriages at St. Mary's Church, Biddeford (1850-1989)

• Marriages at St. Margaret's Church, Old Orchard Beach (1921-1985)

• Biddeford Returns of Death (1814-1898)

• Biddeford Obituaries (from the Journal newspapers) (1884-Current)

• La Justice Obituaries (1896-1950)

• Biddeford/Saco/Old Orchard Beach Courier Obituaries (2002-2006)

• Maine Cemetery Inscriptions-York County

• St. Joseph Cemetery Records (1870-1990)

• Biddeford Cemetery Records (Woodlawn, Greenwood, & Others) (1700-1998)

• Biddeford-Saco City Directories (1849-1987)

• Biddeford Area Phonebooks (1942-Current)

• York Deeds [York County, Maine] (1640-1737)

• United States Census (Microfilm) (1800-1930)

• United States Passenger & Immigration Lists Index

• Biddeford Area Biographical Resource

• General Subject Vertical File (including clippings/stories of and about Biddeford and area)

• Photograph Collections *some image access available online at the Maine Memory Network

• Postcard Collections

• "The Pepperell Sheet" Newsletters (1939-1948)

General Historical Research Tips

• Maine did not become independent of Massachusetts until 1820 - if you are doing research prior to this period, remember to include Massachusetts resources in your "to read" list!

• Keep a list (bibliography) of resources which you have consulted for your research - including the name of the institution at which you found the resource(s). Make sure to include this information with the notes you took, as well. This is especially helpful for those doing large, long-term projects.

• Use the catalog! Do a "subject" search using <Biddeford (Me.)-Genealogy> or <Biddeford (Me.)-History> to pull up many of the print resources that we have here. Open up your search to other institutions, too-you may be surprised to find someone just up the road has what you are looking for!