Day 39

A great day. Barbara introduced me to the Maine Library in Augusta. We spent 3 hours searching through town records. Barbara would search the stacks. I would write and copy like crazy. We found lots of baptismal and marriage records to support our lineage. We also found some detailed maps of early Portland which will be instrumental in pinpointing where ancestors owned property in the area. Besides Tukeys, we found Sweetsers, one Crie, a number of Richardsons in Sydney (but not the right ones), and too many Dodges to count (but we don't know if they are correct either).

A quick quiche lunch at Slades (yum) and we went back to the same facility which also houses the Maine Archives. I think this office will be key for locating and getting copies of records for the four Tukey sons who were in the Revolutionary War (as well as those for Sweetsers and Cushings).

Also housed in the building is the Maine Museum. This is a wonderful 4-story effort that covers every aspect of Maine life from the aboriginal Indians through 1950s America. Very well done and a most reasonable admission of $2. Can't beat it. By this time it was 5pm and Barbara whisked me off to see various spots in Augusta and along the way home - forts, stockades, old dams, old factories. The towns are working hard to refurbish buildings and create shops, condos, and outdoor spaces. It was also wonderful to see how clean the rivers were particularly after long time factory pollution from earlier in the century. Home finally about 7pm. We have taken care of housekeeping chores and are about to crash. More tomorrow!