On Line Genealogy Page
Cushing, MaineA Fishing and Farming Community
Well Off the Beaten Path
History
In 1789, a group of small settlements on the west bank of the St. Georges
River was incorporated and named after Lt. Gov. Thomas Cushing of
Massachusetts. It was not until 1816 that Maine seceded from Massachusetts
and 1820 that it was admitted to the Union. Prior to 1789, the area on
both sides of the river had been known as the Lower Plantation of St.
Georges. The present villages of St. George separated from Cushing in 1803,
Cushing retaining the West side of the St. George River .
A 1605 inscription on a rock suggests the date of the first European
exploration of the area and was probably left by a crew member of the
Captain George Weymouth expedition. 1998 and 1999 excavations have
confirmed settlement by an English trader about 1634. He was soon driven
out by the French, however, who retained control until 1654. Little is
known about settlement until the mid 1700's, when scattered traders,
fishermen and farmers began to acccept offers of land. Problems with the
Indians and the French made life difficult and slowed developed from what
it otherwise might have been. There are said to have been only about 30
settlers in 1743, but by 1820 there were 600 occupying 75 residences.
Today, the Town remains almost entirely residential, with a population of
about 1300, one K through four school, one fire station and one store.
Twenty-three burial sites have been identified and 1163 burials indexed
from 1750 to 1996 by the Cushing Historical Society.
Features
The town lies on a north-south peninsular between Friendship and St. George.
It is entered via Wadsworth Street, south off Route One in Thomaston.
It is on the west bank of the St. George River and includes Gay's Island
and Crotch Island. It contains anchorages in Pleasant Point Harbor, often
referred to as "The Gut," and in Maple Juice Cove.
Other features are Broad and Hyler Coves, and McCarthy, Bradford,
Bailey and Montgomery Points.
Sources
- For photocopies of local Births, Marriages and Deaths
send $1. and a SASE to the
Town Clerk's Office, 505 Pleasant Point Rd., Cushing, Maine
04841
- Maine State Office of Vital Records is no longer offering free Vital Records look ups or $7. copies or $15. certified copies of it's birth, marriage and death certificates. Instead a non-certified copy is available for $25. and a certified copy for $60. An on line lookup is available during a 7 day trial period after which a year of look ups is available for $39. A credit card is required. If you cancel before the 7 days are up there is no charge.
Ancestry.com offers to get a certificate for you and adds a charge of 32.45 to the $60. Maine charges, or $92.45!
Maine State Archives OverviewMaine State Archives is still offering free Vital Records look ups or $7. copies or $15. certified copies of it's birth, marriage and death certificates. Mail to Maine State archives, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333
For births, 1892 to 1922:Maine State Archive Births, or write Maine State Archive, LMA building, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333_0084, 207-287-5795, Hrs Mon-Fri 8:00-11:30 & 12:30-4:00, $7. copies or $15. certified.
For Marriages, 1892 to 1996 (except 1967 -1976):
Maine State Archive Marriages, or writeMaine State Archives, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333_0084. , 207-287-5795, Hrs Mon-Fri 800-11:30 & 12:30-4:00, $7. copies or $15. certified.
For Deaths, 1960 to 2007:
Maine State Archives Deaths or write Maine State Archives, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333_0084. , 207-287-5795, Hrs Mon-Fri 800-11:30 12:30 & 4:00, $7. copies or $15. certified.
For Deaths, 1923-1959: These are only available through the Maine State Office of Vital Records, 11 State House Station, 244 Water St., Augusta, ME 04333_0084. 888-664-9491, Hrs Mon-Fri 8-11:30 12:30-4, $25. a copy or $60. certified . A 3 yr. search. Check to Treasurer o the State of Maine and a long SASE
For Deaths, 1892 to 1922: No on line search. For a 5 year search, write Maine State Archives, 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333_0084. 207-287-5795, Hrs Mon-Fri 8-11:30 12:30-4, $7. copies or $15. certified.
For information on Probate Records send $1. and a SASE to the Probate Court. Request a photocopy of the 'Petition for Distribution or Administration' or 'Account of Administration' , (whichever is available), for the deceased individual. (Addresses below)
- For 1636-1760 write York County Probate Court, Box 339, Alfred, ME 04002-0399
Fax 207-594-0446 Phone 207-324-1574 Hours 8:30-4:30 Eastern
For 1761-1860 write Lincoln County Probate Court, Box 249, Wiscasset, ME 04578
Fax 207-882-4061 Phone 207-882-7431 or 207-882-7515 Hours 8-4 Eastern
For 1860-present write Knox County Probate Court, 62 Union St., Rockland, ME 04841
Fax 207-594-0446 Phone 207-594-0422 Hours 8-4 Eastern
For information on Deeds of Land send $1. and a SASE to the Registrar of Deeds. Request a photocopy of the record for that individual.
- For 1636-1760 write York County Registrar of Deeds, Box 339, Alfred, ME 04002-0399
Fax 207-324-2886 Phone 207-324-1574 Hours 8:30-4:30 Eastern
For 1761-1860 write Lincoln County Registrar of Deeds, 32 High St., Box 249, Wiscasset, ME 04578
Fax 207-882-4061 Phone 207-882-7431 or 207-882-7515 Hours 8-4 Eastern
For 1860-present write Knox County Registrar of Deeds, 62 Union St., Rockland, ME 04841
Fax 207-594-0446 Phone 207-594-0422 Hours 8-4 Eastern
The Estelle Saastamoinen Memorial LibraryTownhouse Rd.,
Box 231, Cushing
Telephone: 207-372-8961
Hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Cushing Community LibraryThe Library is a volunteer activity, established in its current form in 1998.
It serves adults and children from an expansive new location in the Community Center.
Telephone: 354-8860 or 354-0992
Hours are Monday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Wednesday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
and Saturday 10:00 AM to 12:00
Thanks to Chester Knowles and the Cushing Historical
Society,
the Cushing Cemetary and Burial Grounds Surname Index
is now on line in the USGenWeb Archives
- The Camden Area History Center has been renamed the Edward J. Walsh History Center, Heather Bilodeau, Director, and has been relocated to new quarters at the Camden Public Library. It is located on the 2nd Floor,
55 Main Street, Camden, ME 04843 and is open Monday-Saturday 9:30-4:00 and Tuesday evenings until 8:00. The phone is 207-236-3440.
- Go to Camden Library, then click on 'History Center', then 'Search Our Collection' on the left hand side. This will take you to the interactive searchable database. Type in any search word (for example "Babb") and it will pop up all items associated with that term.
Volunteers With Books

To request a lookup from any of
the references, click on the address of the owner and ask them politely.
Please make your requests as specific as possible.
Reference |
Author |
Owner/Email |
Many resources, including her own extensive research. |
. |
Marie Sprague
|
Cushing, formerly Lower St. George: 'Records of Lower St.
George, 1605-1897' |
transcribed by Ruth J. Aiken, 1987 |
Marie Sprague
|
'Settlers & Soldiers of Cushing, Maine Before 1760 & Their
Descendants', surname index |
. |
Chester Knowles
|
'Saltwater Farm' |
Luthera Burton Dawson, 1993 |
George Hoyt
Joseph Carr
|
Census Records |
. |
Ann Davis
|
'Rockland Courier Gazette',1897 to present plus an earlier paper from 1861
|
Microfilm. Births, Marriages and Deaths |
Rockland Public Library, 86 Union St. Rockland ME 04841 SASE + $1. |
'Vital Records Published in Rockland, Maine, Prior to 1892',
The Rockland Courier Gazette's Births, Marriages and Deaths 1846 to 1892 |
Charles Candage |
Malcolm Jackson |
'Thomaston Recorder, of Thomaston, Me. The newspaper's
marriages and deaths from 1837-1846, indexed |
Steven Sullivan |
Malcolm Jackson
|
'Maine Families in 1790'Vol. 1-6, one generation back and one
forward |
ed. by Gray and Anderson |
Mary J. Coombs
|
'Maine and NH Families' |
Walter Goodwin Davis |
Mary J. Coombs
|
| |