Bickford family genealogy collection

Collection

Identifier: Coll. 4310

Staff Only

Scope and Content note

This collection documents Mahlon Bickford's research into the Bickford family genealogy, much of which was used to publish the Bickford newsletter. Contents include correspondence, notes, family trees, vital and property records, legal documents, newsletters, news clippings, photographs, negatives, posters, and a ledger. The collection includes biographical and genealogical information on individuals, families, and geographical groups, as well as correspondence and notes reflecting the research process, collaborations with members of the extended family, and the production of the newsletter.

Dates

Creation: 1782 - 2024
Creation: Majority of material found within 1988 - 2024

Creator

Bickford, Mahlon (Donor, Person)

Access

Unrestricted

Copyright

Access to collections at Maine Historical Society is not an authorization to publish. Rights and reproduction requests may be submitted in writing to the MHS Image Services Coordinator or Research & Administrative Librarian, subject to format.

Biographical note

Mahlon Bickford published the inaugural issue of the Bickford newsletter in August 1989. Published quarterly, the newsletter is a genealogical and biographical record of the Bickford family. Articles feature stories of individuals and family lines, based on the extensive research of Mahlon Bickford, with contributions and queries from family members around the world. The newsletter both reports on and is a venue for crowdsourcing new data and details on the family’s ancestors and activities.

Mahlon Bickford grew up in Maine. He attended American University in Washington, D.C. He worked at the CIA, the National Archives, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and was an educator in Waterville, Me. An experienced genealogist, in 1989, Mahlon Bickford began publishing the Bickford newsletter, a "genealogical, biographical, historical and social journal dedicated to documenting and preserving the heritage of the Bickford family and their descendants." Phyllis V. Meyer (1914-1996) of Pittsfield, Me., was an early newsletter collaborator and associate editor; her correspondence with Mahlon Bickford between 1989 and 1996 is included in this collection.

Extent

17 Linear Feet (37 boxes + 1 volume, 1 oversize folder)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series.

1. Genealogical research, 1782-2024
2. Publications and correspondence, 1863-2024

Provenance

Gift of Mahlon Bickford, September 3, 2024 (acc. no. 2024.137).

Processing note

Material arrived well-organized, housed in binders and folders in clearly labeled boxes. Material was removed from binders and original folders and rehoused in archival folders and boxes. Original order within folders was retained, and titles retained whenever present. Like material was grouped together by the archivist, and folders arranged alphabetically or chronologically within groups whenever possible; this arrangement was imposed by the archivist.

News clippings were photocopied, and originals were not retained. Digital files on CD were migrated to the MHS server and are available upon request; original media was retained. Published works and museum objects were separated for processing and housing.