Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Bennington County

Bennington

Town Information

Description

Bennington, Vermont at Wikipedia

In January of 1749 New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth chartered Bennington, the first town grant in Vermont.

Bennington was the first settlement in Vermont, west of the Green Mountains. In June, 1761, the first settlers, about twenty people, came from Massachusetts. In 1800 there were no more than twenty houses in what later became the Village of Bennington.

In 1777, Bennington had a large store of supplies that the English felt they should come to Bennington and remove, to satisfy their own needs. General Stark and the Green Mountain Boys successfully fought off the English, keeping the stores in Bennington. To commemorate this victory the Bennington Battle Monument was erected, and dedicated by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891.

Populated Places

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

Town Records

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

Bennington Town Clerk

The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office.
Bennington Town Clerk
205 South Street
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 442-1043
Website: http://www.benningtonvt.org/townclerk/index.html

Vital Records

FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.

Births

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

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 Bennington. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Bennington County, website at this link.

• Bennington Hebrew Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Bennington Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Bushnell-Barney Cemetery aka Barney Cemetery, Bushnell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Hinsdillville Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Kingsley Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• New Catholic Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Old Bennington Cemetery (aka Old First Church Cemetery , Old First Congregational Church Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Old Catholic Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Park Lawn Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Rice Cemetery (aka Alfred Winslow Farm Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Vermont Veterns Home Cemetery- inscriptons at Find a Grave site.
  
• White Chapel Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  

• Bennington Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Bennington Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Bennington County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Bennington 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 Bennington, 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 Bennington:

1. Jehovah's Witness
393 Gore Rd
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 442-8648

2. Old First Church
1 Monument Circle
Bennington, Vermont 05201
Phone: (802) 447-1223
Email : office@oldfirst.comcastbiz.net
Website

3. Sacred Heart Saint Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church
238 West Main Street
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone (802) 442-3141
Website

4. Second Congregational Church
115 Hillside St
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 442-2559
Website

5. Seventh Day Adventist Church
404 Houghton Ln
Bennington, VT 05201
(802) 442-4579
Facebook
Website

6. St. Peters Episcopal Church - 1834-1871 Marriage Records
200 Pleasant Street
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 442-2911
Facebook
Website

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

City Directories

• 1896-1897 Bennington, Vermont 1896 - 97 Directory
• 1901 Bennington directory : embracing the residents of the villages of Bennington, North Bennington, and Bennington Center and a directory of business industries, churches, societies and streets(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
• 1908-1952 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Bennington at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• 1908-1960 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Bennington at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing
• Various Dates The FamilySearch Library Catalog has several microfilms of Bennington Directories.
• Various Dates Vermont City Directories in Vermont Repositories.

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

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
• 1782-1832 Miscellaneous County Records, 1782-1832 (Includes Land Records0(*) Bennington County (Vermont). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
• Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories

The Vermont Historical Gazetteer is a 5 volume set of historical information by Abby Maria Hemenway with Volume I published in 1867 and Volume V completed in 1891 after her death. Also available online in PDF format at this link.

The Battle of Bennington

The Local History of Bennington, 1860-1883, by Abby Maria Hemenway, is available online.

Maps

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

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

• 1856 Bennington map

Military

Searchable by Town Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
• United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
• United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
• United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

Bennington Banner Newspaper

• 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 Bennington town records available online:

Vermont, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images) How to Use this Collection.

The Bennington Town Clerk has downloadable Early Town Records and Genealogical Records (Births 1763 to 1850, Deaths 1763 to 1850, Marriages - Brides 1763 to 1850, and Marriages - Grooms 1763 to 1850).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Bennington Town Clerks Office. These include Town and vital records, 1741-1930; with some deeds, 1741-1809.

Probate Records

The probate district for Bennington is Bennington.
Bennington Probate Division
207 South St.
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 447-2705

In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Bennington:

• 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

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

Research Facilities

Libraries

Bennington Free Library
101 Silver Street
Bennington, VT 05201
Phone: (802) 442-9051
Email: webmaster@bfli.org
Website: http://benningtonfreelibrary.org/

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

• Albany New York FamilySearch Center
• Bennington Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
• Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies

Bennington Historical Society
75 Main St,
Bennington, VT ‎05201
Phone: (802) 447-1571
Email: bhs@benningtonmuseum.org
Website: http://www.benningtonmuseum.org/bennington-historical-society.html

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