A view of Garland, Maine.

Garland GenWeb Penobscot County, Maine, United States of America

Garland, (182d town) was granted June 2, 1798 to Williams' College [No. 3, 5th Range.] It was settled in 1802, by Joseph Garland for who the town was named, and by Isaac Wheeler, and Josiah Bartlett. Hon. Levi Lincoln was one of the purchasing proprietors; and hence, the plantation was called Lincolntown. The lots were surveyed in 1805, by A. Strong. A church was first gathered here by Rev. John Sawyer. Post Office established in 1818. (MS. Let. of Abner Sanborn.)
Williamson, William D., The History of the State of Maine from Its First Discovery, A.D. 1602, to The Separation, A.D. 1820, Inclusive, Hallowell: Glazier, Masters & Co, 1832, p. 618.

Garland: Settled in 1802 by Mr. Garland, from whom named, and Isaac Wheeler and Josiah Bartlett. Incorporated, 182d town, February 16, 1811. Leading industries: Lumber and shingles. Population, 677; polls, 246; estate, $364,136.
Coe, Harrie B., ed., Maine: Resources, Attractions, and Its People. A History, New York: The Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1928, p. 896.

• All Garland, Maine vital records from before 1888 were destroyed in a fire.
• Garland vital records searches are charged at $6.00 per hour.
• Vital events from before the 1811 incorporation may have been recordedat the county seat, Bangor, under the name Lincolntown, Lincoln Settlement or Twp. 3, Range 5.
• Penobscot County was formed in 1816 from Hancock County.
• Maine was set apart from Massachusetts in 1820.
• Garland vital records have been microfilmed by the Utah Genealogical Society and are on file with the LDS Family History Library. Film number 0010830,Item #6. The card catalog entry states the records are 1858 - 1950 inclusive,but I suspect that is a typo and 1888 is the correct start date. The records were filmed in the 1950s.
• You can order this film from your nearest Family History Center or view it at one of the centers where it is on indefinite loan: Mesa, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; Caribou, Maine; Bangor, Maine and Spokane, Washington.
• Online Maine Vital Records Databases: Marriage Index 1892-1966 & Death Index 1960-1996

1810 | 1820 | 1830 | 1840 | 1850 | 1860 | 1870 | 1880 (West Garland) (Garland) | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930

• Census records after 1850 are also in the USGenWeb Archives.
• Transcribed from microfilm held by the LDS Family History Library and the National Archives.

• Garland's cemeteries were transcribed by the Maine Old Cemetery Association (MOCA) during the 1970s.
• Burnham Brook Cemetery, Maplewood [Came] Cemetery, Evergreen Cemetery, Greeley Cemetery, West Garland [Gordon] Cemetery, Hathaway Cemetery.

(1.) Oak, Lyndon, The History of Garland, Maine, Dover, Maine: Observer Publishing Co., 1912.

• "Maine Books Reviewed: History of Garland & Bowdoinham" printed inJohn Sprague's Journal of Maine History, published 1913:
"History of Garland, Maine by Lyndon Oak, recently issued from the Observer Press, Dover, Me. This is a book of 400 pages written by the late Lyndon Oak and has been prepared for the press by his son, Hon. John M. Oak of Bangor. It is an exhaustive and valuable history of the town of Garland, in Penobscot County, with a preface by Liston P. Evans with brief sketch of the author by Henry L. Oak. It isa book that all students and collectors of Maine history should have."
• Where To Find the The History of Garland, Maine by Lyndon Oak.

(2.) History of Penobscot County, Maine with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches, Cleveland: Williams, Chase & Co., 1882. (Garland: pp.352-358.)

• Topics: Notes of Geography, Land History, Colonization, Organization, Notes of Progress, Sundry Historic Notes, Officers in 1881, Biographical Notes, Surname List for the Biographical Notes

(3.) Ross, Leland and Frank B. Arnold, "Committee on History," OneHundred Years of Masonry: History of Penobscot Lodge No. 39, Free and Accepted Masons, Dexter, Maine, Dexter: Maine, Press of Eastern Gazette, 1922.

• History of this Masonic lodge from its foundation in Garland in 1822 to the centennial celebration in 1922. The membership of this lodge was derived from the Maine towns of Dexter, Exeter, Garland, Dover-Foxcroft, Parkman, Sangerville and other towns in the near vicinity. The history includes several biographies as well as occupational details, death and burial information for many of the members.
• Every-Name Index
  Does not include those names listed in the Appendix, pages 97 to 111.
• Provided by James A. Knowles, P. M., Secretary

(4.) "Those unable to pay their Direct Taxes for 1816: Garland, Maine," Bangor Weekly Register, July to August 1817.

(5.) "First Settlement of Garland," Bangor Historical Magazine,Volume 4, Issue 1-2, July 1888.

(6.) Garland Petition Signers (1847): Those For and Against the Repeal of "An Act to restrict the sale of intoxicating drinks."

(7.) Burns, James, Folklore collection, originating from Dexter, New Sharon, and Garland, Maine, 1965. 64 pages.

• Produced for a comparative literature class at the University of Maine.Includes anecdotes and humorous tales, witch tales, legends, stories about George Magoon and Wilbur Day, poachers, and other stories.
• "Garland is an extremely poor area with no industry. The people eke out a living on their meager farms or in the woods. There are a few apple orchards that provide the meagerest of subsistence to their owners. The population ranges around 400 persons of English descent. The town was settled in the 1790s by people of English descent from New Hampshire. The town was once a booming community of some five industries before a rash of fires, caused by arsonists, drove the companies elsewhere." (Page 4)
• Available at the Maine Folklife Center, Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History, Orono, Maine.

(8.) Aroostook War: Historical Sketch and Roster of CommissionedOfficers and Enlisted Men, Called into Service for the Protection of the Northeastern Frontier of Maine, from February to May, 1839, Augusta: Kennebec Journal Print, 1904.

• Muster Roll for the Garland, Maine Troop

(9.) List of Pensioners on the Roll, 1883. List of military pensioners commissioned by the U.S. Congress. Includes name, cause, pension number, amount, etc.

(10.) Truncated newspaper article about the forgotten silver mine of Garland, Maine.

(11.) List of postmasters and officers-in-charge of the Garland, Maine post office from 1819 to present.

(12.) World War II honor roll of Garland, Maine men and women who served in the war or participated in the war effort. From a photograph of a sign outside the Lyndon Oak Memorial Library in Garland, Maine, provided by Marilyn Sue Libby Moore and Fran Jones Libby.

• Postcard of Garland Street View
• Postcard of Knight Store and Post Office
• Postcard of France and Lord Store

• 1859 Maps of Garland and West Garland
• Garland in 1859 (736K)
• West Garland in 1859 (412K)
• 1875 Historical Map of Garland
• Big (1012K)
• 1895 Atlas: Penobscot County, Maine
• 1935 USGS Map of Garland, Maine
• Garland Lots & Ranges (440K)