WW&F Railway Museum Discussion > Whimsical Weirdness and Foolery

Am I a Maine Native?

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Russ Nelson:
I was adopted. My birth mother was born and raised in Madison ME. I have Maine relatives in Madison going back four generations, where my great-great-grandfather moved from Denmark.

My question is whether "Maineness" penetrates the adoption process? Am I a Maine Native by birth?

Ed Lecuyer:
Maine-ness is determined by two factors:
1. Use of the 207 area code (and more importantly, always omitting the area code when transcribing a phone number of a Mainer.)
2. Being able to comprehend and properly utilize Maine style wit, wordplay, and humor; while distinguishing it from outright sarcasm.

James Patten:
One of humorist (and Maine native) Tim Sample's monologs addresses this: basically, if you were born in Maine, you are a Mainer.  Doesn't matter if you were born in Maine and then left the state after 1 day never to return, you would be considered a Mainer.  On the flip side, if you were NOT born in Maine, but spent the remainder of your life here, you are "from away". 

By Tim's reckoning, Harry Percival Jr. (who was actually born in Florida) was not a Mainer.  But you would never have been able to tell.

Benjamin Richards:
On a slightly tangent topic, I have just recently read a transcription of a fascinating lecture regarding the construction of the "Downeast" persona over the past 2 centuries by folks "from away", how that persona essentially does not exist in reality, and how "Bert and I" is mostly nothing but slightly Maine-colored "just-so" stories. When I get home I will edit this with the name of the lecturer's name and the title of the lecture.

--- Quote from: Ed Lecuyer on May 02, 2023, 09:59:51 AM ---1. Use of the 207 area code (and more importantly, always omitting the area code when transcribing a phone number of a Mainer.)

--- End quote ---
We are really in for it, then, as 207 is approaching full capacity. Mandatory 10-digit overlay dialing is not gonna go over well. I've been through it once already in PA.

Bill Piche:
My favorite tall tale for this one was this one:

A man whose family was from Fryeburg, ME was born over in North Conway, NH. He lived his whole life (90+ years) in Maine, never once setting foot in another state. When he died his obituary stated "He was almost a Mainer."

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