In May 1835, Ivory R. Hatch of Wells had a problem with the town.

Wells selectmen wanted to build a road across several privately owned properties, including 72 rods — about 1,188 feet — of Hatch’s land. 

Hatch wasn’t happy with the compensation the town offered him. So he hired an attorney, J. Dane, to appeal to the York County Commissioners. The matter was recorded in the minutes of the commissioners’ court that May. The records don’t say how much Hatch was offered or what the commissioners ultimately decided.

Soon, however, the public may have an easier way to find this type of information, including the small disputes and everyday business that shaped York County generations ago.

York County is beginning a project that could eventually put hundreds of thousands of pages of its historical records online, allowing researchers, genealogists and the merely curious to explore the county’s past from home.

The first records expected to become available will be accounts of the York County Commissioners’ proceedings, with the online collection expected to launch in spring or summer 2027.

Hatch’s 1835 road dispute is just the kind of story buried in those records.

“There were lots of road complaints,” said Andrew O’Neill, York County’s records management specialist.

In the early 1800s, roads were relatively scarce. The commissioners’ court handled business that included ordering roads built, soliciting bids for work and issuing bonds for civil servants and the sheriff.

The commissioners also examined the county payroll and voted to pay workers.

Some of the responsibilities have changed over nearly two centuries. Others remain familiar.

Today, county commissioners still approve warrants — essentially authorizing payment of county bills — and award contracts for everything from construction projects to vehicles for sheriff’s deputies.

York County dates to 1636, and its records stretch across centuries of local government and community life.

Some records are held by the Maine State Archives. Thousands more remain in York County.

O’Neill estimates that the York County Commissioners’ records alone number between 300,000 and 500,000 documents.

The county began looking more closely at its old records in 2022, when commissioners hired Lilly Archival of Blue Hill to conduct a preliminary review.

“What is remarkable is the continuous series of records, between what you have in Alfred on the shelves, and the state archives,” Lilly Archival owner Paige Lilly told commissioners in a report following that review. “Overall, the preservation status of the physical materials is very sound.”

On Aug. 5, the five-member Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Just Appraised Inc., a California company that uses artificial intelligence to analyze scanned documents.

The goal is to create an online collection in which people can view a scan of an original document along with a summary of its contents. The collection will be accessible through the York County government website.

The AI technology currently produces results that are about 80% to 85% accurate, according to O’Neill, although he said the company believes accuracy could reach 90% with York County’s records.

Before the documents can be analyzed, each one has to be carefully prepared.

The handwritten records were folded three times and eventually stored in bundles inside small metal containers. Many are very fragile, with faded ink and handwriting that can be difficult to decipher.

O’Neill unfolds the documents page by page, humidifies them, flattens them and then scans them.

He estimates he can prepare and scan about 300 documents a day.

The scans will be sent to Just Appraised while the original documents will remain with York County for preservation.

O’Neill has already worked through more than 2,500 documents since joining the county a couple of years ago, deciphering handwriting and determining what the records contain.

Commissioners first discussed the project following a presentation by O’Neill in May.

“This is really fascinating, and it makes history come alive,” Commissioner Justin Chenette said.

Commissioner Richard Clark called it a good plan.

O’Neill said the resulting online collection is expected to be user-friendly.

“There’s a long way to go, but we are excited about the prospect,” he said.

The first year of the contract will cost about $88,000, with the five-year agreement totaling about $454,000. The county expects about 45,000 documents a year to be preserved digitally.

County Manager Greg Zinser told commissioners before their Aug. 5 vote that the money had already been set aside for preservation and would have no tax impact. The county maintains a fund for preservation efforts supported by user fees.

As for Hatch and his disputed piece of road in Wells, the answer may still be waiting in the records.

O’Neill said a decision on Hatch’s appeal could have been made during the commissioners’ October 1835 session or at the following May session.

This story is based on material contributed by Tammy Wells.