PLEASE READ THE INTRODUCTIONS FOR CLARIFICATION OF ENTRIES
This data was abstracted from the original records by a volunteer. There may be errors so please always consult the original document before recording the data as fact.
INTRODUCTION: Manuscript Collection 4 in the Maine Historical Society, Portland, Maine, is a collection of voter's registrations in Portland starting in November 1891. Each volume is for a different ward in the city of Portland, its Island Wards, and Deering, which was absorbed into Portland in February 1899. The 11 oversized volumes covering the years 1891–1902 transcribed here are in poor condition and photocopying has been prohibited.
CLARIFYING ENTRIES: The entries were transcribed into the books from information supplied by the man registering to vote, and the data given was as he believed it to be. When looking for a name, consider that some people dropped letters, changed spellings, and even lost the "Mac", "Mc", or "O" in front of their names. Every effort was made by the transcriptionist to capture the proper name when the handwriting was in question.
The transcriptionist also took the liberty of expanding on the many and varied abbreviations entered in the record, such as the names of businesses, streets and locations. The Portland City Directories were consulted to determine that the abbreviations were properly expanded. There were a few entries that appeared more creative than accurate, and had to be left in abbreviated form as no one could determine their purpose.
COLUMNS IN ORIGINAL FORMAT: The original book opened to display sixteen columns across two large pages. Columns three through sixteen have been combined into one column to make the database printer–friendly. The original columns are as follows:
- 1. Date of Registration: actual date of entry
- 2. Name: Surname with first name and middle initial. Because several members of the same family often lived in the same house or apartment, they can be located by comparing other entries of the same surname.
- 3. Street: street of residence
- 4. Number: house number
- 5. Occupation: job title
- 6. Place of Occupation: this often the address of work location, but may give name of business
- 7. Place of Birth: in early entries this is just the state, but later entries have town name included.
- 8. Date of Birth: most records give full birth date, but some didn't know the month or day. A few didn't even know the year and it is indicated that the person declares he of a certain age at the time of registration.
- 9. How long a resident of Portland: many who declare they born in Portland only give a residency of a few months. This could be because the had left the area and returned, or the question posed to them might have been about how long they were in their current address.
- 10. Have you ever voted in Portland: most entries have "yes" indicated and this not transcribed. It is noted on the record when they report they have NOT voted in Portland.
- 11–12. Married: yes or no indicated. It is also noted here if the wife has died, separated or divorced. These entries noted, but unless wife's address given as different from husband, this information not repeated.
- 13–15. Naturalized: those foreign born have to register their naturalization to vote, and this entry gives the city, court, and date of naturalization.
- 16. Remarks: this column has random information on some entries. One mark is the "Red line". This indicates a person died. If he died in 1902-1905, some entries give the date. Also in this column are remarks such as "son of..." when a person naturalized under father's papers.
COLUMNS ON THE TRANSCRIBED PAGE:
- Date of Registration
- Name
- Contents of columns 3–16
- Ward number – this information can be used as a starting place when looking for them on the 1900 census in Portland
- Volume number
