Included on this page is a list of links and books which might be of interest to people researching either Limington history or the genealogy of Limington residents. Certainly feel free to reach out to us if you are having difficulties. There are people who have done this who may be able to assist. In addition the society has many physical records that may be relevant.
Books
Robert Taylor was a town resident that compiled an extraordinary amount of material regarding Limington history The historical society has some of his material for sale see https://www.limingtonhistory.org/donate-for-sale/.
“Maine in the Making of the Nation”, Ring, Elizabeth, Picton Press 1966. This book looks at the part Maine played in the development of the nation. It stems from a collection of family letters found in the attic of Limington native Arthur McArthur and other documents from town. https://mainehistorystore.com/maininmakofn.html
Davis Memorial Library
Limington has the Davis Memorial Library which also has resources available. Notable from a history point of view is the Robert Taylor Collection https://davismemoriallibrary.com/?page_id=2133. In addition they sell copies of his book “Early Families of Limington, Maine” which is an invaluable resource for researching early Limington families. They also have other history related material avaiable for viewing.
Family Genealogy Books
There are many books written on specific family genealogies. Some of these are available online so start with an internet search based on your family surname.
A couple of books are worth mentioning because they are very relevant to early Limington families. First since a large number of the original settling families did so because they had direct connection to Francis Small who first acquired the deed for the “Ossipee Tract”. Francis Small was a very early figure in Maine and as such has a long lineage that is recorded in “Descendants of Edward Small of New England, and the allied families, with tracings of English Ancestry”, Underhill, Lora Altine Woodbury, 1910, Cambridge, printed by the Riverside Press. A 3 volume set. Edward was Francis’ father.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Descendants_of_Edward_Small_of_New_Engla/pIhRAAAAMAAJ?hl=en
Another book of interest is “Saco Valley settlements and families: historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional and legendary”, Ridlon, Gideon Tibbitts, Portland Maine, published by the author 1895. https://archive.org/details/cu31924028809619
Of course there are many online sites that focus on genealogy a search for genealogy websites will keep the rest of your day busy.
Maps
There are basically 3 old maps of Limington.
1) The layout of the original 100 acre tracts done prior to when the town was settled. This is in the Robert Taylor history book.
2) An 1856 map https://maineanencyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/York-County-1856.jpg
3) An 1872 map https://digitalmaine.com/atlas_york_1872/68/ see also the insert for Limington village on https://digitalmaine.com/atlas_york_1872/77/
4) Maine Lidar map. Lidar is a laser high resolution way of mapping topography. This is useful because it can show old unused roads and stonewall boundaries besides just being cool https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b40a0b5283244a18907b9dea05769fb7
York County Registry of Deeds
Limington is in York County. Tracing of land titles can be done online through the Registry of Deeds https://www.yorkcountymaine.gov/registry-of-deeds
You have to create a free account to access the information. Once inside you can search for the record book and page and then search in that book.
Newspapers
Increasingly searchable archived newspapers from the region are available. Some require a subscription to read online though they maybe available in a public library or at the Maine Historical Society. These two do not require a subscription at this time.
Biddeford newspapers http://biddeford.advantage-preservation.com/
Sanford/Springvale http://springvale.advantage-preservation.com/
Cemeteries
If you are looking for the burial plot of a relative the first place to start is the website https://www.findagrave.com/. Limington has dozens of old cemeteries. Many are on private property and only contain a few people. The state has rules regarding visitation and we need to also help respect the present landowners rights as well. If you believe you have a relative buried in one of these contact us. First we may be able to supply you more information but it also allows us to enrich our knowledge of our earlier citizens.
Other resources
Many towns have their own historical society that may have information concerning your family before it came to Limington. Again searching online for those towns can connect you to more information.
Here are a few nearby society websites:
Cornish https://www.cornishme.com/historical-society/
Limerick http://www.limerickmainehistorical.org/
Standish https://sites.google.com/view/standishhistoricalsociety/home
Parsonsfield, Porter http://parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org/
Windham https://www.windhamhistorical.org/https://www.windhamhistorical.org/
Buxton, Hollis https://www.buxtonhollishistorical.org/
I include these because many early residents came from these areas
Scarborough https://scarboroughhistoricalsociety.org/
Kittery http://www.kitterymuseum.com/
Berwick https://www.oldberwick.org/home.html
And of course this is an important resource
Maine Historical Society https://www.mainehistory.org/
Facebook
The Limington Historical Society maintains a Facebook page that often has interesting stories related. https://www.facebook.com/limingtonhistoricalsociety/