Genealogy starting guide for New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine records
Start with the town where the person lived at the time. Most early records are kept at the town level; probate and deeds depend on the state. Each item below links to the official page it came from. Last verified 2026-10-17.
A simple order of work
- Write down names, places and approximate dates you already know. Do not send sensitive details to anyone you do not need to.
- Identify the town (and, for Maine and New Hampshire, the county) for each event.
- Check free online indexes first (see each state below), then ask the town clerk or archive for copies.
- Use the genealogy letter template to ask for a copy, and ask about fees and access rules for records of that age.
- Record the source of every fact you find.
Vital records (births, marriages, deaths)
Rules differ widely by state. Maine and New Hampshire restrict newer records; Vermont does not restrict access.
New Hampshire
NH vital records are restricted by statute to people with a "direct and tangible interest". Older records are open to genealogical research; the Secretary of State's Access page says births more than 100 years old and deaths, marriages and divorces more than 50 years old are public domain, while its FAQ page says births before 1911 and deaths, marriages and divorces before 1961. The two pages differ, so confirm the current cutoff with the Division.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Access to Vital Records · last verified 2026-10-17The Genealogical Research Center is at 9 Ratification Way, Concord; the FAQ lists hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, with volunteer genealogists available.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Vital Records FAQs · last verified 2026-10-17A search costs $15, which includes the first certified copy if a record is found; additional copies are $10 each. Mail requests: the FAQ says allow 20 business days from receipt.
Source: NH Secretary of State: Vital Records FAQs · last verified 2026-10-17
Vermont
Vermont law places no restrictions on public access to vital records (18 V.S.A. § 5002, per the State Archives). Copies of some records from 1760 to 2008 are on FamilySearch (free) and Ancestry.com (free for Vermont residents after location verification); these cannot be used for legal purposes and do not reflect corrections made after 2008.
Source: Vermont State Archives: Vital Records · last verified 2026-10-17A current searchable index of 1909-and-later birth and death records is provided by the Department of Health. Early vital records requests go to town clerks; the State Archives says it cannot respond to requests for town records.
Source: Vermont State Archives: Vital Records · last verified 2026-10-17
Maine
Maine began preserving vital records January 1, 1892. The state office holds 1892 to present; earlier records may be at the municipality where the event happened or at the Maine State Archives. Records before 1820 are held in Massachusetts.
Source: Maine CDC: Register as a Genealogist · last verified 2026-10-17After 75 years from birth, 25 years from death and 50 years from marriage, anyone may get noncertified copies; records created before 1892 are open without restriction.
Source: 22 M.R.S. § 2706 · last verified 2026-10-17Registered genealogists can get a researcher card: $50 registration fee, proof of membership in a genealogical society, up to 3 noncertified copies per week, and access to the online index portal.
Source: Maine CDC: Register as a Genealogist · last verified 2026-10-17
Deeds and land records
Land records show who owned property and often name spouses, heirs and neighbors. Where they are kept differs by state.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has ten county registries of deeds: Belknap, Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford and Sullivan. See the registry table for the address, phone and hours each office lists.
Source: NHDeeds.org: Other NH Registry Contacts List · last verified 2026-10-17A registry's how-to page says records are indexed by the name of the people to a transaction; if only the property location is known, contact the town or city office where the property is located to learn the owner.
Source: NHDeeds.org Belknap how-to index · last verified 2026-10-17
Vermont
In Vermont, all land records are recorded and preserved at the local level, primarily in the office of the clerk of the town where the property is located.
Source: Vermont State Archives: Local Government Records · last verified 2026-10-17A clerks' association publishes a table of Vermont towns whose land records can be searched online, with start dates and the system used. See the Vermont land-records table.
Source: Vermont Municipal Clerks' & Treasurers' Association: Vermont Land Records Online · last verified 2026-10-17
Maine
The Maine Registers of Deeds Association runs a statewide web portal that links to all 17 county registries (Aroostook has a North and a South registry).
Source: Maine Registers of Deeds Association: statewide portal · last verified 2026-10-17On all Maine registry websites there is no charge for the first 400 pages per calendar year, then $0.50 per page; you may need to create a login. A standard registry copy is $1.00 per page.
Source: Maine Registers of Deeds Association: Fees · last verified 2026-10-17Registry records are indexed by name; a limited number of registries can search by address, so check with the county.
Source: Maine Registers of Deeds Association: Searching · last verified 2026-10-17
Probate (wills and estates)
Probate files can list heirs and relationships. The court that holds them differs by state and era.
New Hampshire
The NH Judicial Branch has a form (NHJB-2941-P) used by the public to request a records search for the Probate Division.
Source: NH Judicial Branch: Probate Estate Administration Records Research and Payment Form (NHJB-2941-P) · last verified 2026-10-17
Vermont
Before 2011 Vermont had as many as twenty probate districts, each with its own court and index; no single index covers all districts. The State Archives holds microfilm of record books from every district up to 1850, plus original records from some courts for later years.
Source: Vermont State Archives: Probate Court Records · last verified 2026-10-17Adoption records for adoptees under 99 years old, records of relinquishment of parental rights, and some mental health records within probate files are exempt from public inspection.
Source: Vermont State Archives: Probate Court Records · last verified 2026-10-17
Maine
Maine Probate Courts are located in every county and administered at the county-government level; they manage their own records, so contact the appropriate Probate Court.
Source: Maine Judicial Branch: Court Records · last verified 2026-10-17
Town reports
Annual town reports can list officials, town business and sometimes vital events or tax lists.
New Hampshire
The State Library holds a collection of town and city reports for every New Hampshire municipality, dating in most cases to the late 1800s, plus county reports; they are available online through a project with the UNH Scholars' Repository. Towns must send copies under RSA 201-A:18.
Source: NH State Library: Town, City & County Reports · last verified 2026-10-17
Vermont
The State Archives page lists municipal reports for 2003-2006 and 2014 to present as digital. For earlier years, check town offices, libraries and local historical societies (not yet verified here).
Source: Vermont State Archives: Local Government Records (municipal reports) · last verified 2026-10-17
Maine
DigitalMaine has digitized annual town report collections for a number of Maine towns (for example Falmouth, Scarborough and Cumberland). Coverage varies by town; search the site by town name.
Source: DigitalMaine (Maine State Library) town report collections · last verified 2026-10-17
Cemeteries
Not verified yet. The Vermont State Archives says some town clerk volumes on microfilm may include cemetery records (Source: Vermont State Archives: Local Government Records · last verified 2026-10-17). A verified cemetery section will be added after checking official sources in each state.
Not covered yet
Church records, military records, census indexes, newspapers and individual town websites are not covered.