Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Bennington County

Manchester

Town Information

Description

Manchester, Vermont at Wikipedia

Manchester is a town in, and one of two shire towns of, Bennington County, Vermont. The town was chartered on Aug. 11, 1761 and organized in March of 1766. Within the township of Manchester are three villages; Manchester, Manchester Center and Manchester Depot.

From 1850 into the 1920s, Manchester entered its resort phase. The natural beauty of the area and its relative lack of development drew tourists. Franklin Orvis opened Manchester’s most famous hotel, the Equinox, in 1853, which became the centerpiece of Manchester's tourist industry.

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

Manchester Town Clerk

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

Manchester Town Clerk
6039 Main Street
Manchester Center, VT 05255)
Phone: (802) 362-1313, option 1
Website: http://www.manchester-vt.gov/content/town-clerks-office

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

• Dellwood Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Factory Point Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Oreb Taylor Family Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Roberts Homestead Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.

• Manchester Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• 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 Manchester, 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 Manchester:

1. Christ Our Savior Parish
398 Bonnet St.
Manchester Center, VT 05255
Phone: (802) 362-1380

2. First Congregational Church
3624 Main St.
Manchester, VT 05254
Phone: (802) 362-2709

3. Northshire Baptist Fellowship
5769 Main St.
Manchester Center, VT 05255
Phone: (802) 362-1988

4. St John's Chapel
3512 Main St.
Manchester Center, VT 05255
Phone: 802) 362-0884

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

City Directories

• 1877 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Manchester at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• 1877 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Manchester at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

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.

Equinox House history

Manchester, Vermont: A Pleasant Land Among the Mountains. Locate this book in a library.

Maps

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

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

• 1856 Manchester 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

The Manchester Journal

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 Manchester town records available online:

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Manchester Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1761-1901; general index to land records, 1761-1950, Records of births, marriages, deaths, 1857-1995, Town records, v. 1, 1831-1919, and Card index to vital statistics in the early land and town records books.

Probate Records

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

• 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

Digital images of Vermont, Bennington County, Manchester District, probate records, 1779-1935 are available at Vermont, Bennington County, Manchester District Estate Files, 1779-1935.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of Probate records (Manchester District, Vermont), 1779-1914.

The probate district for Manchester is Manchester.
Manchester Probate Court
P.O. Box 446, Manchester, VT 05846
Phone: (802) 362-1410

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

Mark Skinner Library
48 West Rd
Manchester, VT 05254
Phone:(802) 362-2607
Email: info@MarkSkinnerLibrary.org
Website: http://markskinnerlibrary.org/home/

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
• Rutland Historical Society - an affiliate library

Societies

Manchester Historical Society
Mark Skinner Library
48 West Road, Manchester, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 363, Manchester, VT 05254
Email: judyannh@together.net
Phone: (802) 362-3708
Contact: Judith Harwood, Curator