Bridgewater, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Windsor County

Bridgewater

Town Information

Description

Bridgewater, Vermont at Wikipedia

Bridgewater was chartered on July 10, 1761. The town was organized and the first town meeting held on March 30, 1785.

Bridgewater was a well named town even before any bridges were built. Records show that in 1879 there were 73 bridges over ten feet in length.

These bridges were covered to protect the floor of the bridge from the effects of the weather. When the winter snow arrived and wagon wheels had to be changed to runners, it was then necessary to pay someone to “snow” the bridges for easy passage.

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

Bridgewater Town Clerk

Bridgewater Town Clerk
7335 U.S. 4
Bridgewater, VT 05034
Phone: (802) 672-3334
Email: twnbridg@comcast.net
Website: http://www.bridgewater.vt.gov/

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

• Bridgewater Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Bridgewater Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Windsor County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Windsor County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

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

• Angell (Bridgewater Hollow) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Baker Hill (Bridgewater Center) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Bridgewater Hill Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Kellogg (Kellogg-Bassett) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Mendall Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Mount Pleasant Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• North Bridgewater Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Topliff Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Bridgewater cemetery pages where you will find cemetery information and inscriptions courtesy of the Bridgewater Historical Society - http://www.bridgewaterhistory.org/cemeteries/

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.

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

To see the churches in Bridgewater, 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 Bridgewater:

• Bethany Mennonite Church
  169 Rte 100A
  Bridgewater Cors, VT 05035
  Phone: (802) 672-3488
  
• Bridgewater Congregational Church
  7213 Rte. 4
  PO Box 4
  Bridgewater, VT
  Phone: (802) 672-5211
  

City Directories

• 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

• Bridgewater, Vermont, 1779-1976, by Gladys S Adams and Thomas E Adams (2005) - Find this book in a library.
  

Maps

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

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

• 1869 map of Bridgewater Town, Bridgewater Center, Bridgewater Corners
• 1869 map of Bridgewater

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

• Rutland Herald 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 Bridgewater town records available online:

• Digital images of Bridgewater Town records, 1773-1869, are available online at FamilySearch.
• The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Bridgewater Town Clerk's Office. These include Deeds, 1781-1894; index, 1781-1898and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1868-1997; indexes to births, deaths, marriages, 1773-1997.
  

Probate Records

The probate district for Bridgewater is Hartford.
Hartford Probate Court
62 Pleasant Street
PO Box 275
Woodstock, VT 05091
Phone: (802) 457-1503

• 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

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

• Lebanon New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
• Rutland Vermont FamilySearch Center
• South Royalton Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
• Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
• Meredith Public Library - an affiliate library
• Thornton Public Library - New Hampshire - an affiliate library

Societies

Bridgewater Historical Society, Inc
PO Box 98
12 North Bridgewater Road
Bridgewater, Vermont 05034
Phone: (802) 672-3745
Email: bridgewaterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
Website: http://www.bridgewaterhistory.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BridgewaterHistoricalSociety

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