Maine was a territory of Massachusetts until 1820 when the Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. New Hampshire separated for the Massachusetts Bay Colony in January 1680 and became the Royal Colony of New Hampshire. France first claimed Vermont as part of New France in 1666.The area between New Hampshire and New York (Vermont), was claimed by both colonies. On January 15, 1777 it became the Republic of New Connecticut but on July 8th of the same year, the name was changed to Vermont after the French term for Green Mountains (Les Vertes Monts). The Republic lasted until it became the 14th state in 1791. Yes, the boundaries did bounce around, but were settled when the U.S. Census began to list place of birth. The confusion probably lies with the person themselves, as boundaries weren't strictly adhered to in those times. Many a person born in Canada would merely cross the border into the U.S. and take up residence - when questioned by the census taker, they would say they were born in the U.S. - with no real way of proving they weren't, they were taken at their word. Another caveat to consider - many census takers misspelled names and such, so the error may lie in the document itself. I have found this to be true on several occasions over the years. Mac