Athens, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

Town Information

Description

Athens was chartered on May 3, 1780. Spelled Athans in its charter, the present spelling seems to have been adopted quite early. The town was organized and the first meeting held March 4, 1781. The only real village has always been known as Athens, and for a time (1827-1907) actually had a Post Office. The area in the southern part of the town is almost entirely uninhabited. ^[1]^[2]

Parent Towns

Populated Places

Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities,
Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Boundary Changes

Adjacent Towns

Town Records

In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Athens Town Clerk

Vital Records

Births

1909-Onward Vermont, Births at MyHeritage — index ($)

Marriages

Deaths

Divorce

Town Reports

Resources

For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. 1-2.
Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1-6.
The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. 1-4.
Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Cemeteries

The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Athens. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Windham County, website at this link.

Athens Valley Cemetery (aka Valley Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
West Athens Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Tombstone records from Athens Valley and Athens West cemeteries are on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.

Athen Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
Athen Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
Windham County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census

Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Church Records

Historically, the largest religious groups in Vermont were the Congregational, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches. For general information about Vermont denominations, view the New Hampshire Church Records wiki page.

To see the churches in Athens, visit.

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. The following are church records available online for the town of Athens:

1700s-1800s Vermont Miscellaneous Records (Includes Vermont Church Records)(*) Daughters of the American Revolution at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
Vermont Church Records

City Directories

1916-1924 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Athens at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Compiled Genealogies

Court Records

Judiciary of Vermont at Wikipedia
Vermont Judiciary, Resources for Media at vermont.gov ($) - click on Records Request
United States District Court for the District of Vermont at Wikipedia
Vermont Court Records at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Immigration

Land Records

1600s-1900s Vermont Land Records, Early to 1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($),
Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories

History of Athens, Vermont : with genealogies, 1779-1960 by Lora M. Wyman (1963) - Find this book in a library.

Maps

This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps

Athens at FamilySearch Places
Athens at Google Maps
Athens at Mapcarta
Boundary Map of Athens at HomeTownLocator
McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
Town of Athens at Vermont.org
Vermont Maps State Page

1869 map of Athens

Migration

Military

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

Newspapers

Free Online Newspapers for Research at libraries.vermont.gov
List of Newspapers in Vermont at Wikipedia
Newspapers of Record at Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
Vermont Newspapers at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Obituaries

1800s-current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index & images ($)
1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
2003-2014 Vermont Obituaries, 2003-2014(*) NewsBank (Naples, Florida) at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
Vermont Obituaries at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Other Town Records

In Vermont, most records are kept at the town level and generally began being kept at the founding of the town. These records may include the following:

Births
Marriages
Deaths
Burials
Cemetery records
Appointments
Earmarks
Estrays (stray animals)
Freemens' oaths (men eligible to vote)
Land records
Mortgages
Name changes
Care of the poor
School records
Surveys
Tax lists
Town meeting minutes
Voter registrations
Warning outs (of town)

The following are Athens town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1732-2002, can be found on FamilySerach (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Athens Town Clerk's Office. These include:

Probate Records

The probate district for Athens is Westminster.
Westminster Probate Court
PO Box 47
Bellows Falls, VT 05101-0047
Phone: (802) 463-3019
In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Athens:

1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
1800-1921 Vermont Probate Files, 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
Vermont Probate Records

School Records

Tax Records

1861-1866 Internal revenue assessment lists for Vermont, 1861-1866(*) United States. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
Vermont Taxation at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Websites

Research Facilities

Libraries

Museums

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Bennington Vermont FamilySearch Center
Rutland Vermont FamilySearch Center
Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
Rockingham Free Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies

References

↑ About Athens, VT - http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/athens.html#about
↑ History of the Town of Athens, VT, http://usgenwebsites.org/VTGenWeb/Windham-Co-VT.htm#ATHENS

[1] About Athens, VT - http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/athens.html#about

[2] History of the Town of Athens, VT, http://usgenwebsites.org/VTGenWeb/Windham-Co-VT.htm#ATHENS

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