The Alien Registration database on Digital Maine, the online library of Maine community and government archives, may delight some family historians who have been trying to figure out where their Canadian ancestors disappeared, especially those from New Brunswick and Quebec, during the first half of the 20th century.
Following a proclamation from Governor Lewis Barrows, all adult non-citizens (alien residents) of Maine had to register with their local towns in June 1940.
Tens of thousands of people registered, and the registration forms have been digitized and recently made available by the Maine State Library.
According to James Myall in his blog, Parlez-Vous American?, in the Bangor Daily News, “Of the 35,000 foreign nationals registered in Maine, the vast majority were Canadians . . . New Brunswickers actually comprised the bulk of these, followed by Québécois(es). These 35,000 adults represented 4% of the state’s population in 1940.”
Brits, Germans, Finns, and Lithuanians are also among the alien residents. I found a weaver from Lancashire, England and a retiree from Glasgow, Scotland.
Top half of a Maine Alien Registration form completed by Albert Albert, born in 1888 in New Brunswick. Source: Digital Maine, Alien Registrations Collection.
People registering provided their date and place of birth, occupation, education, town of residence, number of children, number of years in US and Maine, employer’s name and address, and whether or not they could speak, read and write English. They also had to state if they had applied for citizenship and military service.
A search for Leblanc, a popular Acadian name in New Brunswick, uncovered an Alex Leblanc who was a self-employed painter contractor, born June 28, 1885 in St. Mary, New Brunswick. He arrived in Maine in 1906. In 1916, his first US citizenship papers were issued, but never completed.
When looking at a registration form, remember to take note of the witness’ signature. In a few cases, it appears a relative may have signed.
To search the collection, visit the Alien Registration Collections page where you can browse or search five categories. I recommend starting with Registrations. Click on the link and conduct your search from there. Registration Cards is a much smaller collection, and according to Mr. Myall, the cards were created by officials largely to monitor German and Russian speakers and suspected communists.
You can also look at how many people with a certain surname, such as Leblanc, registered in a town, such as Madawaska. (Enter Leblanc Madawaska in the Search box in the left margin.) You may discover relatives living in the same town.
