ME: Individual County Chronologies

ANDROSCOGGIN created from CUMBERLAND, KENNEBEC, LINCOLN, and OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 60, sec. 1/p. 74)

ANDROSCOGGIN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Wales gained from town of Monmouth. (Me. Laws 1855, Priv., ch. 526/p. 588)

ANDROSCOGGIN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Wales gained from town of Litchfield. (Me. Laws 1856, Priv., ch. 592/p. 650)

ANDROSCOGGIN lost small area to CUMBERLAND when towns of Casco and Otisfield gained from town of Poland. (Me. Laws 1858, Priv., ch. 220/p. 185 and ch. 222/p. 187)

ANDROSCOGGIN lost small area to KENNEBEC when town of Wayne gained from town of Leeds. (Me. Laws 1859, Priv., ch. 344/p. 317)

ANDROSCOGGIN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Webster gained from town of Litchfield. (Me. Laws 1867, Priv., ch. 270/p. 226)

Boundary between ANDROSCOGGIN and CUMBERLAND was clarified when the boundary between the towns of Durham and Pownal was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1999, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 9/pp. 964-965)

AROOSTOOK created from PENOBSCOT and WASHINGTON. (Me. Pub. Acts 1839, ch. 395, sec. 1/p. 562)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing the northern limits of AROOSTOOK [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

AROOSTOOK gained from PENOBSCOT. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 15/p. 51)

AROOSTOOK gained from SOMERSET and exchanged with PISCATAQUIS. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

AROOSTOOK lost small area to WASHINGTON when town of Danforth gained from town of Weston. (Me. Laws 1885, Priv., ch. 499/p. 677)

AROOSTOOK gained from PENOBSCOT when Reed Plantation gained from Drew Plantation. (Me. Laws 1889, Priv., ch. 514/p. 874)

AROOSTOOK lost to PENOBSCOT when Drew Plantation gained from Reed Plantation. (Me. Laws 1903, Priv., ch. 364/p. 550)

CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct) created by New York to cover all of the Duke of York's grant between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine and Quebec, Canada. (Williamson, 1:421)

Massachusetts, relying on a new survey of its northern limit and responding to the Dutch capture of New York in August 1673, claimed some of the Duke of York's grant east of the Kennebec River in present Maine (including the Pemaquid settlement) and created an unnamed county that on 27 May 1675 was named DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct). This unnamed county overlapped part of CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct), but the Duke of York did not recognize the Massachusetts claim. (Mass. Recs., 5:16; Reid, Maine, 138; Williamson, 1:443)

Following the Treaty of Westminster (9 February 1673/1674) that ended the Anglo-Dutch war and restored New York to the English, King Charles II regranted to the Duke of York the territory he had granted on 12 March 1663/1664, including the area between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine and part of Quebec, Canada. Massachusetts's DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct) continued to operate for settlements in present Maine situated east of the Kennebec River, although they were within the formally defined area of jurisdiction of New York's CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct). (Parry, 13:136; Swindler, 4:282; Williamson, 1:446)

CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct) was apparently eliminated when war broke out between the Abnaki Indians and the English in present Maine. (Williamson, 1:446)

New York re-created CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct) to cover all of the Duke of York's grant in present Maine and Quebec, including the Pemaquid settlement governed since 1674 by Massachusetts. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 4/1:122)

CORNWALL (N.Y.) was eliminated when the area was incorporated into the Dominion of New England, a new province into which New York, New Jersey, and the New England colonies eventually were consolidated. (Barnes, 69; N.H. Early Laws, 1:144)

CUMBERLAND created by Massachusetts from YORK. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 4, ch. 7 [1760-1761], secs. 1, 2, 6/pp. 372-374)

CUMBERLAND was extended northward to the Atlantic watershed when King George III created the new royal province of Quebec, which was bounded on the south by the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. This implicitly set the northern limit of Maine. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1, 77; Shortt and Doughty, 119-120)

CUMBERLAND gained from YORK. (Mass. Acts 1786, ch. 18, sec. 1/p. 407)

CUMBERLAND gained from YORK, lost to KENNEBEC, and lost to creation of OXFORD. (Mass. Acts 1805, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 573-574)

CUMBERLAND became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and OXFORD was clarified [no change]. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 26/p. 28)

CUMBERLAND lost to OXFORD. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 47/p. 45)

CUMBERLAND gained small area from YORK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1824, ch. 276/p. 397)

CUMBERLAND gained small area from OXFORD when town of Sebago gained from town of Denmark. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 94/p. 159)

CUMBERLAND lost small area to OXFORD when town of Oxford gained from town of Otisfield. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 115/p. 194)

CUMBERLAND lost small area to YORK when town of Saco gained from town of Scarborough [location unknown, not mapped]. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 136, sec. 1/p. 330)

CUMBERLAND gained small area from OXFORD when town of Bridgton gained from town of Denmark. (Me. Laws 1842, Priv., ch. 16/p. 15)

CUMBERLAND lost small area to OXFORD when town of Hiram gained from town of Baldwin. (Me. Laws 1844, Priv., ch. 156/p. 194)

CUMBERLAND gained from OXFORD when town of Bridgton gained from towns of Fryeburg and Denmark. (Me. Laws 1847, Priv., ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 110-111)

CUMBERLAND lost to creation of ANDROSCOGGIN. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 60, sec. 1/p. 74)

CUMBERLAND gained small area from ANDROSCOGGIN when towns of Casco and Otisfield gained from town of Poland. (Me. Laws 1858, Priv., ch. 220/p. 185 and ch. 222/p. 187)

CUMBERLAND gained Ragged Island in Casco Bay from SAGADAHOC. (Me. Laws 1891, Priv., ch. 25/p. 25)

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and SAGADAHOC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1903, Priv., ch. 415/p. 628)

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and SAGADAHOC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1905, Priv., ch. 200/p. 231)

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and SAGADAHOC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1917, Priv., ch. 68/p. 501)

CUMBERLAND lost to OXFORD when the town of Otisfield was annexed to OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1977, priv. & spec., chs. 10, 83/pp. 1349-1351, 1475)

Legislature authorized SAGADAHOC to gain the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell from CUMBERLAND, dependent on local referendum to be held during the 1986 general election. Change did not take effect. (Me. Laws 1985, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 37/pp. 2076-2078)

Boundary between CUMBERLAND and ANDROSCOGGIN was clarified when the boundary between the towns of Pownal and Durham was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1999, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 9/pp. 964-965)

Massachusetts, relying on a new survey of its northern limit and responding to the Dutch capture of New York in August 1673, claimed some of the Duke of York's territory in present Maine and created DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct). County was unnamed until 27 May 1674. (Mass. Recs., 5:16; Reid, Maine, 138; Williamson, 1:443)

Following the Treaty of Westminster (9 February 1673/1674) that ended the Anglo-Dutch war and restored New York to the English, King Charles II regranted to the Duke of York the territory he had granted on 12 March 1663/1664, including the area between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine and part of Quebec, Canada. Massachusetts's DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct) continued to operate for settlements in present Maine situated east of the Kennebec River, although they were within the formally defined jurisdiction of New York's CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct). (Parry, 13:136; Swindler, 4:282; Williamson, 1:446)

DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct) was apparently eliminated when war broke out between the Abnaki Indians and the English in present Maine. (Williamson, 1:446)

FRANKLIN created from KENNEBEC, OXFORD, and SOMERSET. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 328, sec. 1/p. 476; Me. Gov. Proc. 2:99-100)

FRANKLIN lost small area to SOMERSET when town of Anson gained from town of New Vineyard. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 75/p. 100)

FRANKLIN gained from SOMERSET when town of New Sharon gained from town of Mercer. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 148/p. 349)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing the northern limits of FRANKLIN [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

FRANKLIN gained from KENNEBEC when town of Chesterville gained from town of Vienna. (Me. Laws 1847, Priv., ch. 93/p. 132)

Boundary between FRANKLIN and KENNEBEC was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 566/p. 567)

HANCOCK created by Massachusetts from LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1789, ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 25)

HANCOCK lost to LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1790, ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 81)

Boundary between HANCOCK and KENNEBEC was clarified [no change]. (Mass. Acts 1799, ch. 39, sec. 1/p. 275)

HANCOCK gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1811, ch. 36/p. 430)

HANCOCK gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 4/p. 7)

HANCOCK lost to SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1813, ch. 85/p. 157)

HANCOCK lost to creation of PENOBSCOT. (Mass. Acts 1816, ch. 121, sec. 1/p. 156)

HANCOCK lost to PENOBSCOT when town of Hampden gained from town of Frankfurt and town of Orrington gained from town of Buckstown (now Bucksport). (Mass. Acts 1816, ch. 13, sec. 1/p. 195 and ch. 14/p. 196)

HANCOCK became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

HANCOCK lost to creation of WALDO. (Me. Pub. Acts 1827, ch. 354, sec. 1/p. 1109 and ch. 362/p. 1125)

HANCOCK exchanged with WASHINGTON. (Me. Priv. Acts 1831, ch. 154/p. 247)

HANCOCK lost to PENOBSCOT. (Me. Priv. Acts 1835, ch. 559/p. 826)

HANCOCK lost North Haven Island and Vinalhaven Island to WALDO. (Me. Priv. Acts 1838, ch. 451/p. 552)

HANCOCK lost to PENOBSCOT when town of Lowell gained from Page's Mill Settlement. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 102/p. 296)

HANCOCK lost small area to PENOBSCOT when town of Brewer gained from towns of Bucksport and Dedham [change too small to map]. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 161/p. 357)

HANCOCK lost Matinicus Island to LINCOLN. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 118/p. 137)

Part of the boundary between HANCOCK and WASHINGTON was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

HANCOCK lost small area to PENOBSCOT when town of Orrington gained from town of Bucksport. (Me. Laws 1850, Priv., ch. 376, sec. 1/p. 519)

HANCOCK lost islands of Hacketash (now Ragged Island), Wooden Ball, Tenpound, No Man's Land, Two Bush, and Matinicus Rock to LINCOLN. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 578/p. 577)

HANCOCK lost to PENOBSCOT. (Me. Laws 1858, Priv., ch. 198/p. 170)

HANCOCK lost Isle au Haut to KNOX. (Me. Laws 1913, Priv., ch. 83/p. 425)

KENNEBEC created by Massachusetts from LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1799, ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 257)

Boundary between KENNEBEC and HANCOCK was clarified [no change]. (Mass. Acts 1799, ch. 39, sec. 1/p. 275)

KENNEBEC gained from CUMBERLAND. (Mass. Acts 1805, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 573-574)

KENNEBEC lost to OXFORD. (Mass. Acts 1808, ch. 97/p. 323)

KENNEBEC lost to creation of SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1809, ch. 62, sec. 1/p. 459)

Boundary between KENNEBEC and LINCOLN was redefined in part when the line between the towns of Gardiner and Litchfield was redefined [no change]. (Mass. Acts 1810, ch. 108/p. 194)

KENNEBEC lost to LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1811, ch. 61/p. 290)

KENNEBEC exchanged with LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 160/p. 309)

KENNEBEC gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1813, ch. 108/p. 179)

KENNEBEC lost to OXFORD. (Mass. Acts 1814, ch. 79/pp. 316-317)

KENNEBEC became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

KENNEBEC gained small area from OXFORD. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 35/p. 36)

KENNEBEC gained small area from LINCOLN. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 58/p. 58)

KENNEBEC gained from SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 76/p. 83)

KENNEBEC lost to creation of WALDO. (Me. Pub. Acts 1827, ch. 354, sec. 1/p. 1109 and ch. 362/p. 1125)

KENNEBEC gained small area from SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 71/p. 123)

KENNEBEC gained from LINCOLN. (Me. Priv. Acts 1835, ch. 553/p. 817)

KENNEBEC lost to creation of FRANKLIN. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 328, sec. 1/p. 476; Me. Gov. Proc. 2:99-100)

KENNEBEC lost to SOMERSET. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 27, sec. 1/p. 26)

KENNEBEC gained from LINCOLN. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 5, sec. 1/p. 5 and ch. 37/p. 39)

KENNEBEC gained from OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 97, sec. 1/p. 102)

KENNEBEC lost to FRANKLIN when town of Chesterville gained from town of Vienna. (Me. Laws 1847, Priv., ch. 93/p. 132)

KENNEBEC lost small area to SOMERSET when town of Canaan gained from town of Clinton. (Me. Laws 1849, Priv., ch. 234/p. 334)

KENNEBEC gained small area from SOMERSET when town of Clinton gained from town of Canaan. (Me. Laws 1850, Priv., ch. 351/p. 487)

Boundary between KENNEBEC and FRANKLIN was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 566/p. 567)

KENNEBEC lost small area to LINCOLN when town of Lewiston gained from town of Greene to accommodate local property owner [location unknown, not mapped]. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 617/p. 614)

KENNEBEC lost to creation of ANDROSCOGGIN. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 60, sec. 1/p. 74)

KENNEBEC lost small area to ANDROSCOGGIN when town of Wales gained from town of Monmouth. (Me. Laws 1855, Priv., ch. 526/p. 588)

KENNEBEC lost small area to ANDROSCOGGIN when town of Wales gained from town of Litchfield. (Me. Laws 1856, Priv., ch. 592/p. 650)

KENNEBEC gained small area from ANDROSCOGGIN when town of Wayne gained from town of Leeds. (Me. Laws 1859, Priv., ch. 344/p. 317)

KENNEBEC lost small area to ANDROSCOGGIN when town of Webster gained from town of Litchfield. (Me. Laws 1867, Priv., ch. 270/p. 226)

KENNEBEC lost small area to WALDO when town of Burnham gained from Clinton Gore Plantation. (Me. Laws 1873, Priv., ch. 384, sec. 1/p. 368)

KENNEBEC lost small area to SOMERSET when town of Fairfield gained from town of Benton [change too small to map]. (Me. Laws 1873, Priv., ch. 390, sec. 1/p. 378)

KENNEBEC lost small area to LINCOLN when town of Whitefield gained from town of Windsor. (Me. Laws 1907, Priv., ch. 96/p. 316)

Boundary between KENNEBEC and LINCOLN was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1993, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 15/p. 1095)

KNOX created from LINCOLN and WALDO. (Me. Laws 1860, Pub., ch. 146, sec. 1/p. 129)

KNOX gained Isle au Haut from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1913, Priv., ch. 83/p. 425)

LINCOLN created by Massachusetts from YORK. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 4, ch. 7 [1760-1761], secs. 1, 2, 6/pp. 372-374)

LINCOLN was extended northward to the Atlantic watershed when King George III created the new royal province of Quebec, which was bounded on the south by the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. This implicitly set the northern limit of Maine. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1, 77; Shortt and Doughty, 119-120)

LINCOLN lost to creation of HANCOCK and WASHINGTON. (Mass. Acts 1789, ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 25)

LINCOLN gained from HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1790, ch. 10, sec. 1/p. 81)

LINCOLN lost to creation of KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1799, ch. 23, sec. 1/p. 257)

Boundary between KENNEBEC and LINCOLN was redefined in part when line between the towns of Gardiner and Litchfield was redefined [no change]. (Mass. Acts 1810, ch. 108/p. 194)

LINCOLN gained from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1811, ch. 61/p. 290)

LINCOLN exchanged with KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 160/p. 309)

LINCOLN became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

LINCOLN lost small area to KENNEBEC. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 58/p. 58)

LINCOLN lost to creation of WALDO. (Me. Pub. Acts 1827, ch. 354, sec. 1/p. 1109 and ch. 362/p. 1125)

LINCOLN lost to KENNEBEC. (Me. Priv. Acts 1835, ch. 553/p. 817)

LINCOLN lost small area to WALDO when town of Camden gained from town of Warren. (Me. Priv. Acts 1836, ch. 17/p. 18)

LINCOLN lost to KENNEBEC. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 5, sec. 1/p. 5 and ch. 37/p. 39)

LINCOLN gained Matinicus Island from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 118/p. 137)

LINCOLN gained islands of Hacketash (now Ragged Island), Wooden Ball, Tenpound, No Man's Land, Two Bush, and Matinicus Rock from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 578/p. 577)

LINCOLN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Lewiston gained from town of Greene to accommodate local property owner [location unknown, not mapped]. (Me. Laws 1852, Priv., ch. 617/p. 614)

LINCOLN lost to creation of ANDROSCOGGIN. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 60, sec. 1/p. 74)

LINCOLN lost to creation of SAGADAHOC. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 82)

LINCOLN gained small area from WALDO when town of Washington gained from town of Palermo to accommodate local property owners. (Me. Laws 1854, Priv., ch. 327/pp. 336-337)

LINCOLN lost to creation of KNOX. (Me. Laws 1860, Pub., ch. 146, sec. 1/p. 129)

LINCOLN gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Whitefield gained from town of Windsor. (Me. Laws 1907, Priv., ch. 96/p. 316)

Legislature authorized LINCOLN to gain the town of Richmond from SAGADAHOC, dependent on local referendum to be held in November 1991. Change did not take effect. (Me. Laws 1991, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 52/pp. 856-857)

Boundary between LINCOLN and KENNEBEC was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1993, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 15/p. 1095)

Representatives of the Gorges family rejected Massachusetts's claim and resumed the government of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers). YORKSHIRE (now YORK) went into abeyance. (York County, 2:5)

Royal commissioners replaced Gorges's jurisdiction over Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) with a new government under direct authority of the crown. (Farnham, 7:308)

Massachusetts reasserted authority over all of Maine west of the Kennebec River, an area that had been put under royal government in June 1665. (Farnham, 7:317)

Massachusetts reasserted authority over all of Maine west of the Kennebec River, an area that had been put under royal government in June 1665. YORK (formerly called YORKSHIRE) was reinstated. (Farnham, 7:317)

Massachusetts, relying on a new survey of its northern limit and responding to the Dutch capture of New York in August 1673, claimed some of the Duke of York's grant east of the Kennebec River in present Maine (including the Pemaquid settlement) and created an unnamed county that on 27 May 1675 was named DEVONSHIRE (Mass., extinct). This unnamed county overlapped part of CORNWALL (N.Y., extinct), but the Duke of York did not recognize the Massachusetts claim. (Mass. Recs., 5:16; Reid, Maine, 138; Williamson, 1:443)

[15 March 1677/1678] Massachusetts purchased the proprietary rights granted in 1635 to Ferdinando Gorges, an attempt to legitimate the extension of its jurisdiction northeastward to the Kennebec River in present New Hampshire and Maine. (Farnham, 7:350)

[17 March 1679/1680] YORK eliminated when Massachusetts organized a new government for Maine (area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers) in accordance with terms of Ferdinando Gorges's 1635 grant. (Farnham, 7:356; Williamson, 1:556, 563)

England's Court of Chancery annulled the Massachusetts charter, technically putting Massachusetts and Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) directly under the authority of the crown. Actual transfer of authority occurred when the royal governor arrived 17 May 1686. (Farnham, 7:359; Van Zandt, 66)

The arrival of its first royal governor inaugurated the Dominion of New England, the new single province that King James II created (8 October 1685) by uniting King's Province (present southwestern Rhode Island), Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine (area between New Hampshire and the Kennebec River). (Farnham, 7:367; Hart, 1:573; N.H. Early Laws, 1:99; Williamson, 1:576)

Upon learning of the Glorious Revolution (replacement of King James II by King William III and Queen Mary II) in England, Bostonians imprisoned the royal governor and others, thereby ending the Dominion of New England. Massachusetts resumed self-government and attempted to re-establish its authority in southern Maine, but a new war between England and France left the area east of New Hampshire either in turmoil or under French control until the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697. (Craven, 224; Morris and Kelly, pl. 11)

King William III and Queen Mary II issued a new charter for the province of Massachusetts Bay. The new charter included the former colonies of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers), Acadia (now Nova Scotia), and all remaining territory of present Maine between Acadia and the Kennebec River. This legitimized Massachusetts's control of Maine. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 1, ch. 27 [1692-1693], sec. 1/p. 63; Swindler, 5:80)

King William III and Queen Mary II issued a new charter for the province of Massachusetts Bay. The new charter included the former colonies of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers), Acadia (now Nova Scotia), and all remaining territory of present Maine between Acadia and the Kennebec River. Northern limit was indefinite; map depicts non-county area of Massachusetts in present Maine. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 1, ch. 27 [1692-1693], sec. 1/p. 63; Swindler, 5:80)

YORK gained all Massachusetts territory between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine; non-county area of Massachusetts in Maine was eliminated. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 9, ch. 75 [1716-1717]/p. 485)

OXFORD created by Massachusetts from CUMBERLAND and YORK. (Mass. Acts 1805, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 573-574)

OXFORD gained from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1808, ch. 97/p. 323)

OXFORD gained from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1814, ch. 79/pp. 316-317)

OXFORD lost to SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1819, ch. 41, sec. 1/p. 71)

OXFORD became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

Boundary between OXFORD and CUMBERLAND was clarified [no change]. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 26/p. 28)

OXFORD lost small area to KENNEBEC. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 35/p. 36)

OXFORD gained from CUMBERLAND. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 47/p. 45)

OXFORD lost to SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1823, ch. 188/p. 269)

OXFORD lost small area to CUMBERLAND when town of Sebago gained from town of Denmark. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 94/p. 159)

OXFORD gained small area from CUMBERLAND when town of Oxford gained from town of Otisfield. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 115/p. 194)

OXFORD lost to creation of FRANKLIN. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 328, sec. 1/p. 476; Me. Gov. Proc. 2:99-100)

OXFORD lost small area to CUMBERLAND when town of Bridgton gained from town of Denmark. (Me. Laws 1842, Priv., ch. 16/p. 15)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing the northern limits of OXFORD [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

OXFORD lost to KENNEBEC. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 97, sec. 1/p. 102)

OXFORD gained small area from CUMBERLAND when town of Hiram gained from town of Baldwin. (Me. Laws 1844, Priv., ch. 156/p. 194)

OXFORD lost to CUMBERLAND when town of Bridgton gained from towns of Fryeburg and Denmark. (Me. Laws 1847, Priv., ch. 84, sec. 1/pp. 110-111)

OXFORD lost to creation of ANDROSCOGGIN. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 60, sec. 1/p. 74)

OXFORD gained from CUMBERLAND when the town of Otisfield was annexed to OXFORD. (Me. Laws 1977, priv. & spec., chs. 10, 83/pp. 1349-1351, 1475)

PENOBSCOT created by Massachusetts from HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1816, ch. 121, sec. 1/p. 156)

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK when town of Hampden gained from town of Frankfurt and town of Orrington gained from town of Buckstown (now Bucksport). (Mass. Acts 1816, ch. 13, sec. 1/p. 195 and ch. 14/p. 196)

PENOBSCOT gained from SOMERSET. (Mass. Acts 1817, ch. 15/p. 398)

PENOBSCOT became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

PENOBSCOT lost to creation of WALDO. (Me. Pub. Acts 1827, ch. 354, sec. 1/p. 1109 and ch. 362/p. 1125)

PENOBSCOT gained from WASHINGTON. (Me. Priv. Acts 1831, ch. 151, sec. 2/p. 244)

PENOBSCOT gained from SOMERSET. (Me. Priv. Acts 1833, ch. 314/p. 488)

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1835, ch. 559/p. 826)

PENOBSCOT lost to creation of PISCATAQUIS. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 353, sec. 1/p. 512)

PENOBSCOT lost to creation of AROOSTOOK. (Me. Pub. Acts 1839, ch. 395, sec. 1/p. 562)

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK when town of Lowell gained from Page's Mill Settlement. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 102/p. 296)

PENOBSCOT gained small area from HANCOCK when town of Brewer gained from towns of Bucksport and Dedham [change too small to map]. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 161/p. 357)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing the northern limits of PENOBSCOT [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

PENOBSCOT lost to AROOSTOOK. (Me. Laws 1843, Priv., ch. 15/p. 51)

PENOBSCOT exchanged with SOMERSET, placing county line along town boundaries. (Me. Laws 1844, Priv., ch. 148/p. 190)

PENOBSCOT gained from WASHINGTON and exchanged with PISCATAQUIS. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

PENOBSCOT gained small area from HANCOCK when town of Orrington gained from town of Bucksport. (Me. Laws 1850, Priv., ch. 376, sec. 1/p. 519)

PENOBSCOT gained from HANCOCK. (Me. Laws 1858, Priv., ch. 198/p. 170)

PENOBSCOT lost to AROOSTOOK when Reed Plantation gained from Drew Plantation. (Me. Laws 1889, Priv., ch. 514/p. 874)

PENOBSCOT gained from AROOSTOOK when Drew Plantation gained from Reed Plantation. (Me. Laws 1903, Priv., ch. 364/p. 550)

PISCATAQUIS created from SOMERSET and PENOBSCOT. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 353, sec. 1/p. 512)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing northern limits of PISCATAQUIS [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

PISCATAQUIS exchanged with AROOSTOOK and PENOBSCOT, lost to SOMERSET. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

Boundary between PISCATAQUIS and SOMERSET was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1883, Pub., ch. 210/p. 173)

PISCATAQUIS lost small area to SOMERSET when town of Cambridge gained from town of Wellington. (Me. Laws 1885, Priv., ch. 464/p. 634)

SAGADAHOC created from LINCOLN. (Me. Laws 1854, Pub., ch. 70, sec. 1/p. 82)

SAGADAHOC lost Ragged Island in Casco Bay to CUMBERLAND. (Me. Laws 1891, Priv., ch. 25/p. 25)

Boundary between SAGADAHOC and CUMBERLAND was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1903, Priv., ch. 415/p. 628)

Boundary between SAGADAHOC and CUMBERLAND was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1905, Priv., ch. 200/p. 231)

Boundary between SAGADAHOC and CUMBERLAND was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1917, Priv., ch. 68/p. 501)

Legislature authorized SAGADAHOC to gain the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell from CUMBERLAND, dependent on local referendum to be held during the 1986 general election. Change did not take effect. (Me. Laws 1985, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 37/pp. 2076-2078)

Legislature authorized LINCOLN to gain the town of Richmond from SAGADAHOC, dependent on local referendum to be held in November 1991. Change did not take effect. (Me. Laws 1991, 1st reg. sess., priv. & spec., ch. 52/pp. 856-857)

SOMERSET created by Massachusetts from KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1809, ch. 62, sec. 1/p. 459)

SOMERSET lost to HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1811, ch. 36/p. 430)

SOMERSET lost to HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 4/p. 7)

SOMERSET gained from HANCOCK. (Mass. Acts 1813, ch. 85/p. 157)

SOMERSET lost to KENNEBEC. (Mass. Acts 1813, ch. 108/p. 179)

SOMERSET lost to PENOBSCOT. (Mass. Acts 1817, ch. 15/p. 398)

SOMERSET gained from OXFORD. (Mass. Acts 1819, ch. 41, sec. 1/p. 71)

SOMERSET became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

SOMERSET lost to KENNEBEC. (Me. Priv. Acts 1821, ch. 76/p. 83)

SOMERSET gained from OXFORD. (Me. Priv. Acts 1823, ch. 188/p. 269)

SOMERSET lost small area to KENNEBEC. (Me. Priv. Acts 1830, ch. 71/p. 123)

SOMERSET lost to PENOBSCOT. (Me. Priv. Acts 1833, ch. 314/p. 488)

SOMERSET lost to creation of PISCATAQUIS. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 353, sec. 1/p. 512)

SOMERSET lost to creation of FRANKLIN. (Me. Pub. Acts 1838, ch. 328, sec. 1/p. 476; Me. Gov. Proc. 2:99-100)

SOMERSET gained from KENNEBEC. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 27, sec. 1/p. 26)

SOMERSET gained small area from FRANKLIN when town of Anson gained from town of New Vineyard. (Me. Laws 1840, ch. 75/p. 100)

SOMERSET lost to FRANKLIN when town of New Sharon gained from town of Mercer. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 148/p. 349)

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States settled the U.S.-Canadian boundary, fixing the northern limits of SOMERSET [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

SOMERSET exchanged with PENOBSCOT, placing county line along town boundaries. (Me. Laws 1844, Priv., ch. 148/p. 190)

SOMERSET gained from PISCATAQUIS, lost to AROOSTOOK. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

SOMERSET gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Canaan gained from town of Clinton. (Me. Laws 1849, Priv., ch. 234/p. 334)

SOMERSET lost small area to KENNEBEC when town of Clinton gained from town of Canaan. (Me. Laws 1850, Priv., ch. 351/p. 487)

SOMERSET gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Fairfield gained from town of Benton [change too small to map]. (Me. Laws 1873, Priv., ch. 390, sec. 1/p. 378)

Boundary between SOMERSET and PISCATAQUIS was redefined [no change]. (Me. Laws 1883, Pub., ch. 210/p. 173)

SOMERSET gained small area from PISCATAQUIS when town of Cambridge gained from town of Wellington. (Me. Laws 1885, Priv., ch. 464/p. 634)

WALDO created from HANCOCK, KENNEBEC, LINCOLN, and PENOBSCOT. (Me. Pub. Acts 1827, ch. 354, sec. 1/p. 1109 and ch. 362/p. 1125)

WALDO gained small area from LINCOLN when town of Camden gained from town of Warren. (Me. Priv. Acts 1836, ch. 17/p. 18)

WALDO gained North Haven Island and Vinalhaven Island from HANCOCK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1838, ch. 451/p. 552)

WALDO lost small area to LINCOLN when town of Washington gained from town of Palermo to accommodate local property owners. (Me. Laws 1854, Priv., ch. 327/pp. 336-337)

WALDO lost to creation of KNOX. (Me. Laws 1860, Pub., ch. 146, sec. 1/p. 129)

WALDO gained small area from KENNEBEC when town of Burnham gained from Clinton Gore Plantation. (Me. Laws 1873, Priv., ch. 384, sec. 1/p. 368)

WASHINGTON created by Massachusetts from LINCOLN. (Mass. Acts 1789, ch. 25, sec. 1/p. 25)

Under authority of the Treaty of Ghent (24 December 1814) commissioners from Great Britain and the United States agreed on the division of the islands in Passamaquoddy Bay. Moose, Dudley (now Treat), and Frederick (now Dudley) Islands were assigned to the U.S. and made part of WASHINGTON [not mapped]. (Paullin, 59)

WASHINGTON became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

WASHINGTON lost to PENOBSCOT. (Me. Priv. Acts 1831, ch. 151, sec. 2/p. 244)

WASHINGTON exchanged with HANCOCK. (Me. Priv. Acts 1831, ch. 154/p. 247)

WASHINGTON lost to creation of AROOSTOOK. (Me. Pub. Acts 1839, ch. 395, sec. 1/p. 562)

WASHINGTON lost to PENOBSCOT. Part of the boundary between WASHINGTON and HANCOCK was clarified [no change]. (Me. Laws 1844, Pub., ch. 99, secs. 1-5/pp. 92-94)

WASHINGTON gained small area from AROOSTOOK when town of Danforth gained from town of Weston. (Me. Laws 1885, Priv., ch. 499/p. 677)

Massachusetts created YORKSHIRE (now YORK) in Maine after southern Maine towns (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) acknowledged Massachusetts's jurisdiction over all territory within the new boundaries that it declared on 26 May 1652. Towns located farther north near Casco Bay gave their allegiance later, the last in 1658, practically eliminating the Province of Lygonia. Massachusetts claim conflicted with the 1635 grant of Maine to Ferdinando Gorges. (Farnham, 7:274, 288; Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 1:124; Reid, Maine, 21)

YORKSHIRE (now YORK) went into abeyance after representatives of the Gorges family rejected Massachusetts's claim and resumed government of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers). (York County, 2:5)

YORK (formerly called YORKSHIRE) was reinstated when Massachusetts reasserted authority over all of Maine west of the Kennebec River, an area that had been put under royal government in June 1665. (Farnham, 7:317)

YORK continued as a de facto county in present southwestern Maine after England's Committee for Trade and Plantations ruled that the 1639 proprietary grant of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers) to Ferdinando Gorges was valid and that Massachusetts had exceeded the intent of its charter by extending its jurisdiction more than three miles north of where the Merrimack River meets the Atlantic coast. (Farnham, 7:339)

[17 March 1679/1680] YORK eliminated when Massachusetts organized a new government for Maine (area between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers) in accordance with terms of Ferdinando Gorges's 1635 grant. (Farnham, 7:356; Williamson, 1:556, 563)

YORK was reinstated under the new Massachusetts charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II for the province of Massachusetts Bay. The new charter included the former colonies of Maine (area between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers), Acadia (now Nova Scotia), and all remaining territory of present Maine between Acadia and the Kennebec River. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 1, ch. 27 [1692-1693], sec. 1/p. 63; Swindler, 5:80)

YORK gained all Massachusetts territory between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers in present Maine. Northern limit was indefinite. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 9, ch. 75 [1716-1717]/p. 485)

YORK was redefined to cover all territory east of New Hampshire that was not specifically part of any other Massachusetts county [no change]. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 3, ch. 27 [1752-1753]/p. 656)

YORK lost to creation of CUMBERLAND and LINCOLN. (Mass. Col. Acts, vol. 4, ch. 7 [1760-1761], secs. 1, 2, 6/pp. 372-374)

YORK was extended northward to the Atlantic watershed when King George III created the new royal province of Quebec, which was bounded on the south by the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean. This implicitly set the northern limit of Maine. (Cappon, Petchenik, and Long, 1, 77; Shortt and Doughty, 119-120)

YORK lost to CUMBERLAND. (Mass. Acts 1786, ch. 18, sec. 1/p. 407)

YORK lost to CUMBERLAND, and lost to creation of OXFORD. (Mass. Acts 1805, ch. 24, secs. 1-2/pp. 573-574)

YORK became a county in the state of Maine when Maine was separated from Massachusetts and admitted to the Union. (U.S. Stat., vol. 3, ch. 19 [1820]/p. 544)

YORK lost small area to CUMBERLAND. (Me. Priv. Acts 1824, ch. 276/p. 397)

YORK gained small area from CUMBERLAND when town of Saco gained from town of Scarborough [location unknown, not mapped]. (Me. Laws 1841, ch. 136, sec. 1/p. 330)

Maine: Individual County Chronologies