Most genealogists would rather have a root canal (or as one told me, give birth in a store window) than spend an afternoon at the Registry of Deeds tracking metes and bounds. But deeds are so much more than how many paces beyond the “stump” to go before hitting the boundary of the family’s land. They can establish family ties and provide dates of death and sometimes details not to be found in other sources.

The following birth was recorded recently at Mayo Regional Hospital:

The Church of Latter-Day Saints has announced that huge changes are about to happen with their genealogical microfilm collections and the way they can be viewed by researchers.

The following births were recorded recently at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft:

In my last column, I discussed the difficulties that can arise when a genealogist must make an ethical decision whether to reveal material that might embarrass or hurt someone else.

Recent births at Mayo Regional Hospital

Genealogists have an unwritten code of ethics. While we should seek the truth about our family lines without flinching, we also have an implicit obligation to respect others’ privacy and not cause deliberate hurt needlessly by revealing secrets.

Chris Clukey, certified audiologist of Dover Audiology, spoke about age-related hearing loss at the Abbott Memorial Library's Skeleton Crew meeting in Dexter earlier in the month.

The following births were recorded recently at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft:

A genealogist ‘s best friend is a good librarian. And while many of us automatically head to larger libraries such as the Maine State Library when we think of researching, there are valuable resources for the family researchers in smaller, local libraries in the town where your ancestors lived. The guide to these treasures is the local librarian.

One of the most heartbreaking things I did was to deny an adopted man the names of his birth parents.

Births at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft.

As part of Better Speech and Hearing Month, certified audiologist Chris Clukey, MA, CCC-A, of Dover Audiology, will speak about age-related hearing loss, its causes and treatments, as well as other kinds of hearing loss experienced by older adults, at the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter on Thursday, May 11 at 1 p.m.

Caring for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or another dementia is a daunting, overwhelming endeavor. Caregivers need help to learn how dementia is affecting their loved one’s behavior. They need strategies for communication and knowledge about challenging behavior management. Caregiving can lead to loneliness and depression. The Eastern Area Agency on Aging is sponsoring the popular SAVVY Caregiver training in Brownville, Corinna and Greenville beginning in May. The six-week SAVVY trainings are a total of 12 hours during May, June and July.

In life, it has been said, “If you find one or two good friends to depend on you are lucky.” The trials we face, sometimes can be self imposed, yet others we have no control over. In November 2016, I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. This story is less about that and more about the bonds of childhood friendships from Dover-Foxcroft.

Most genealogists know that historic newspapers can help in their research.

If you struggle to get to enough to eat, you should know about this.

Photo courtesy of Kirk Kimball NEW SCHOLARSHIP AT PCSS HONORS BENEFACTOR’S HERO — “I wanted to give back to the community of Guilford,” said Kirk Kimball.