Charleston, Orleans County, Vermont Genealogy

Town Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The town of Charleston was granted on November 10, 1780 by the Vermont Legislature. The town was originaly named Navy by the Commodore Abraham Whipple of Rhode Island, who was the first named grantee. None of the original grantees ever resided in the town.

In 1825 the town's name was changed by the Vermont legislature from Navy to Charleston. The town contains three unincorporated villages: Charleston, East Charleston and West Charleston. ^[1]

Parent Towns[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Adjacent Towns[edit | edit source]

Town Records[edit | edit source]

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

Charleston Town Clerk[edit | edit source]

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

Charleston Town Clerk’s Office
5063 Vt. Rte. 105
West Charleston, VT 05872
Phone: (802) 895-2814
Email: townofcharlestonvt@comcast.net
Website: http://www.charlestonvt.org/

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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

Births[edit | edit source]

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

Marriages[edit | edit source]

Deaths[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Town Reports[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

For more County and State resources see:

Biographies[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

The following is a list of major cemeteries in present-day Charleston. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Orleans County, website at this link.

Buck Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Crawford Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Hillside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
West Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.

Charleston Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
Charleston Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
Orleans County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
Orleans County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census[edit | edit source]

Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Church Records[edit | edit source]

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 Charleston, 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 Charleston:

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

City Directories[edit | edit source]

1884 Charleston Town Directory
1916-1959 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Charlestown 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[edit | edit source]

Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Land Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

History of the town of Charleston, Vermont (Navy, 1803-1825), by Esther B. Hamilton (1955) - view a digital copy of this book online.

Maps[edit | edit source]

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

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

1878 map of Charleston, and Charleston Town East.

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military[edit | edit source]

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783[edit | edit source]

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

Civil War, 1861-1865[edit | edit source]

For more Civil War Military Records see:

World War I, 1917-1918[edit | edit source]

For more World War I Military Records see:

World War II, 1941-1945[edit | edit source]

For more World War II Military Records see:

Enrolled Militia (Charleston, Vermont), 1862-1866, records are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

The Newport Daily Express
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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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 Charleston town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1806 -1999, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Charleston Town Clerk's Office. These include Vital records of Charleston, Vermont, 1803-1999, Land records (Charleston, Vermont); index to records, 1806-1905, 1841-1910, and Land records, 1806-1849.

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

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

Orleans Probate Division
247 Main Street
Newport, VT · 05855
Phone: (802) 334-3305

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[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Museums[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries[edit | edit source]

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