Benson, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Rutland County

Benson

Town Information

Description

Benson, Vermont at Wikipedia

The town was chartered on May 5, 1780. The name of the town was given in honor of Hon. Egbert Benson one of New York's most dedicated Revolutionary patriots. The town of Benson lies in the northwest part of the Rutland County, and is bounded on the north by Orwell; east by Sudbury, Hubbardton and Castleton; south by Fairhaven and Westhaven, and west by Lake Champlain. Benson Landing is a small hamlet located on the shore of Lake Champlain in Benson.  It grew out of the lake commerce which assumed great importance immediately after the opening of the Champlain Canal in 1823. The 2010 census shows that the population was 1,056.

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

Benson Town Clerk

The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office.

Benson VT Town Clerk
2760 Stage Road
PO Box 163
Benson, VT 05731
Phone: (802) 537-2611
Email: townclerk@benson-vt.com

Vital Records

• FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records (searchable and browse only 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 Benson. For location of cemeteries, see Cemteries of Vermont, Rutland County, website at this link.

• Carter Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Fair View Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Old Benson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Temple Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.

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

1. United Church of Benson
2793 Stage Rd.
Fair Haven, VT 05743
Phone: (802) 537-2455

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

City Directories

• FamilySearch Catalog
• Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

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

Local Histories

House With A Past, Erik Barnouw, Vermont Historical Society, Montpelier, Vermont 1992 - a digital copy of this book can be viewed online.

Benson town history, with a biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, can be found in the book: History of Rutland County by Henry Perry Smith, 1886, and viewed online.

Maps

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

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

• 1854 Rutland County, Benson map

Military

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

• 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 Benson town records available online:

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Benson Town Clerks Office. These include:

• Records of births and deaths, 1744-1890
  
• Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1995; indexes to births 1857-1994, marriages 1794-1995
  
• Town proceedings, v. 1-3, 1788-1863
• Land records, 1786-1945; index to land records, 1787-1951
  
• Land records, 1850-1898
  

Probate Records

The probate district for Benson is Fair Haven.
Fair Haven Probate Court
3 North Park Place
Fair Haven, VT 05743
(802) 265-3380

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

• 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

Public Library of Benson
2750 Stage Road
P.O. Box 163
Benson, VT 05731
Phone: (802) 537-4181
E-Mail: library@benson-vt.com

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

• Rutland Vermont FamilySearch Center
• South Royalton Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
• The Rutland Historical Society - an affiliate library

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FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.