Free Online Maine City Directories

City and business directories are available online from all over the U.S. and are what I consider another important set of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

This activity of presenting links is a collaborative effort between The Ancestor Hunt and Miriam Robbins, who for years has made available the Online Historical Directories website, which presents links to directories of all types that are available online, including free collections as well as those available only via subscription. I wish to thank Miriam for her help in launching this category of records at The Ancestor Hunt.

So, what kinds of directories are available to the researcher?  Naturally city and business directories, but also telephone directories, and alumni, farm, lodge, rural, and social directories.

What can you find in these records? How about:

• Full names, including middle names
• Spouse name
• Occupation
• Widows, working women, and adult children at home.
• Maps
• Businesses (and index to advertisers).
• Addresses and maps of churches, schools, funeral homes, cemeteries, post offices, courts, hospitals, benevolent associations, newspapers.
• Whether a woman is a widow (including name of husband).
• List of marriages and deaths of previous year.
• Death date.
• etc.

Here are a few good primers on the benefits of searching historical city and other directories:​

• FamilySearch – United States Directories
• How to Use City Directories In Your Genealogy Research 
• What’s In A City Directory? (a 10 article series about City Directories)

And here are various places where you can find other city directories online: 

• Where to Find City Directories Online

Note: Some of the links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage, please make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.

(Updated September 2021)

Links to these free collections are presented initially with statewide collections, followed in alphabetical order by city or county. Generally, the publishing company is included in the reference to the collection, along with the collection title, and the date(s) of the directory:

Statewide

• A Gazetteer of the state of Maine, 1881
• Directory of Maine pioneer ancestors
• Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1910
• Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1914
• Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1950
• Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1952
• Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1956
• Directory of the Manufacturing Industries of Maine, 1958
• Maine Business Directory, Union Publishing Company, 1893
• Maine Industries 1939
• Maine Register or state year-book and legislative manual, 1888
• Maine Register, for the year 1855
• New England Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1916 (Part 1)
• New England Business Directory, Sampson & Murdock, 1918 (Part 1)
• The Maine Register, and Business Directory, 1856
• The Maine state Directory and gazetteer, 1893

Albion

• The Town Register : Sidney, Vassalboro, China, Albion, 1908

Androscoggin County

• The Androscoggin County Directory, 1906-07
• The Androscoggin County Directory, 1910-11
• The Androscoggin County Directory, 1914-15
• The Androscoggin County Directory, 1918-19

Appleton

• Appleton Business Directory, unknown, 1951
• Appleton Register, 1903
• Appleton Register, 1903
• Appleton Register, 1903
• Appleton Register, 1951
• Appleton Register, 1972
• Appleton Town Directory, Pease, 1903

Augusta

• Directory of the inhabitants, institutions, manufacturing establishments … in the cities of Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner for 1882.​

Bangor

• Bangor and Brewer City and Penobscot County Directories, Smith, 1859-60
• Bangor, Maine, City Directory, 1919
•  
• The Bangor City Directory – 1864-1865

Belfast

• The Belfast & Camden Directory : 1890
• The Belfast Register 1907

Biddeford

• 1849 Saco and Biddeford Directory
• Biddeford and Saco Directory 1913

Bridgton

• 1929-1930 Directory of Bridgton, Casco, Harrison, Naples and Raymond
• The Bridgton Town Register, 1905

Brunswick

• 1910 Resident and business directory of the town of Brunswick and Topsham village Maine,

Camden

• Resident And Business Directory Of Camden And Rockport, 1902-03

Casco

• 1929-1930 Directory of Bridgton, Casco, Harrison, Naples and Raymond

Casco Bay

• Casco Bay, Maine, Directory, 1902-03

China

• The Town Register : Sidney, Vassalboro, China, Albion, 1908

East Somerset County

• East Somerset County Register, 1911-1912

Ellsworth

• The City of Ellsworth Register, 1908 : with Surry and Bluehill

Exeter

• The Town Register : Exeter, Hampton, 1908

Farmington

• Farmington Town Register, 1903

Harrison

• 1929-1930 Directory of Bridgton, Casco, Harrison, Naples and Raymond

Kennebec County

• Resident and business directory of Kennebec County, Maine, including cities of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell and Waterville, 1905-06
• Resident and business directory of Kennebec County, Maine, including cities of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell and Waterville, 1915-16

Lewiston

• Bates College bulletin. Alumnus issue, 1954
• Lewiston, Maine, City Directory, 1872
• Lewiston, Maine, City Directory, 1891
• Lewiston, Maine, City Directory, 1893-94

Lewiston and Auburn

• Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory in the cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1872
• Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory in the cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1891
• Greenough, Jones & Co.’s Directory in the cities of Lewiston & Auburn, 1893-1894

Lincolnville

• The Town Register : Lincolnville, Northport, Belmont, Morrill, Searsmont and Waldo, 1907

Meredith

• The Town Register : Meredith, Tilton, Gilmanton, Sanbornton, Gilford, Belmont, New Hampton, 1908

Mt. Vernon

• The Mt. Vernon and Readfield Register, 1908

Naples

• 1929-1930 Directory of Bridgton, Casco, Harrison, Naples and Raymond

Orono

• Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1912
• Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1914
• Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1933
• Alumni Directory of the University of Maine, 1938

Oxford County

• Oxford County County Directory, Turner, 1906

Portland

• Directory of Portland – 1940
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1905
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1906
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1907
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1908
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1910
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1911
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1912 pt. 2
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1912, pt. 1
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1914
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1921
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1940
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1942
• Directory of Portland : including the City of South Portland and the Town of Cape Elizabeth, 1953
• Directory of Portland and vicinity : complete street Directory 1900
• Directory of the City of Portland : and of the Towns of Cape Elizabeth, Deering, Westbrook and Falmouth 1882
• Gorham State College Alumni Directory  1879-1969
• Polk Portland, Maine, City Directory, 1912
• Portland City Directory, Beckett, 1850-1
• Portland City Directory, Beckett, 1850-1
• Portland City Directory, Polk, 1957
• Portland City Directory, Polk, 1959
• Portland City Directory, Polk, 1962
• Portland City Directory, Portland Directory Company, 1912
• Portland City Directory, Portland Directory Company, 1912
• Portland, Maine, Directory and reference book, 1858-59
• The Portland Directory and Register – 1823
• The Portland Directory, for the year … – 1841
• The Portland reference book and City Directory for … – 1850-1851
• The Portland Reference Book and City Directory, 1850-51

Raymond

• 1929-1930 Directory of Bridgton, Casco, Harrison, Naples and Raymond

Rockport

• Resident And Business Directory Of Camden And Rockport, 1902-03

Saco

• 1849 Saco and Biddeford Directory
• Biddeford and Saco Directory 1913
• The Saco Register : with Old Orchard, 1906

Sanford

• Sanford resident and Business Directory – 1893

Sidney

• The Town Register : Sidney, Vassalboro, China, Albion, 1908

St. George

• St. George chronicles, with the names and ages of the inhabitants, 1892
• St. George chronicles:  with names, ages and dates of birth, a complete Business Directory, 1932

Vassalboro

• The Town Register : Sidney, Vassalboro, China, Albion, 1908

Warren

• Warren,  census, history, statistics, Business Directory, 1888

Waterford

• The Town Register : Waterford, Albany, Greenwood, E. Stoneham

Waterville

• Colby College, Address book of officers and graduates, 1905
• Manning’s Waterville, Skowhegan, Fairfield, Oakland and Winslow, Maine, Directory – 1931

Westbrook

• Westbrook City Directory – 1908
• Westbrook City Directory – 1909-1910

​Yarmouth​

• The Yarmouth Register, 1904