Genealogical Resources in Special Collections & Archives

This series contains biographical files of graduates and non-graduates of Bowdoin College. Beginning with the Class of 1806, the files may include letters, clippings, and other information that describes Brunswick life and the area.

Biographical files of graduates and nongraduates of the Medical School of Maine (1820-1920). Files may include information on individual's life and career. Files may also include correspondence and/or clippings.

Published alumni directory, 1912-1999. Earlier versions of the alumni directory appeared under the title "General Catalogue of Bowdoin College" or some variant of the same.

Contains material on both undergraduate and alumni activities of the class such as Ivy Day, Class Day, class suppers, oratory exhibitions and prize declamations, commencement, commencement parts, reunions, and undergraduate and alumni publications. There are also silhouettes, class photograph albums with images of students, faculty, and campus views, dance cards, student account books, autograph albums, diaries, letters and scrapbooks often containing photographs, memorabilia, and news clippings collected by the creator.

Provides encyclopedic biographical sketches of Bowdoin presidents and graduates for most of the nineteenth century, along with engraved portraits of many. See pp. 92-97 for a discussion of Bowdoin College's architectural history. Also available online.

Provides a complete and comprehensive biographical record of all of Bowdoin’s students, faculty, and administrative officers from the founding of the College in 1794 through 1950.

An update to the 1794-1950 general catalogue, this edition goes through 1975 and updates corrections from the previous version.

Nehemiah Cleaveland (1796-1877) graduated from Bowdoin in 1813 and held a number of educational positions, including tutor of Latin and Greek at Bowdoin from 1817 to 1820, and as principal of Dummer Academy from 1821 to 1839. Cleaveland spent several years collecting material and reminiscences of Bowdoin alumni to produce his "History of Bowdoin College with Biographical Sketches of its Graduates, from 1806 to 1879, Inclusive," which was published posthumously in 1882. The Nehemiah Cleaveland collection contains his correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, and Bowdoin alumni, as well as his notebooks.

Published obituaries for Bowdoin College and Medical School of Maine alumni, 1890-1922. Later obituaries appear in the Bowdoin College Bulletin.