The Maine Bolstridges are by far the largest  and most extensively researched group in the United States but their origins are somewhat a mystery. I believe that the most common origin quoted for James Bolstridge and Amelia, i.e. Bristol England, is incorrect. I have searched intensively in that area but there is no evidence of Bolstridges in the Bristol Area at all. Various web sources quote the family of James Bolstridge and Amelia Smith as being the source of the Bolstridges of Maine but I cannot as yet confirm the accuracy of this information. The 1850 Us census does list two of their sons, Frederick and Ebenezer, in the Portage Lake area of Maine shortly after this area was settled. Their progeny appear to be the source of the large number of Bolstridges in this area.