Sheldon, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Franklin County

Sheldon

Town Information

Description

Sheldon, Vermont at Wikipedia

Sheldon was chartered on August 18,1763.  Sheldon was originally named Hungerford for the chief grantee, Samuel Hungerford, a Connecticut resident. Sometime after the town was granted, a man named Field bought Hungerford's interest, and also acquired some of the other grantees' shares in the town. He in turn sold to Colonel Elisha Sheldon of Salisbury, Connecticut, a veteran of one of the Connecticut line regiments during the Revolutionary War.

A railroad stop named Olmstead Falls became known for the recuperative powers of "the waters" of what were known as the Missisquoi Springs in that part of town. In 1884, Olmstead Falls became Sheldon Springs in a move probably designed to draw attention to the town as a resort area. After the largest hotel in town was destroyed by fire (set by a disgruntled employee) the village declined as a tourist spot, but the name remains.    

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

Sheldon Town Clerk

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

Sheldon Town Clerk
1640 Main Street
P.O. Box 66
Sheldon, VT 05483
Phone: (802) 933-2524
Email: tc@sheldonvt.com

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 major cemeteries in present-day Sheldon Town. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Franklin County, website at this link.  

• East Sheldon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Missisquoi Valley Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• North Sheldon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Rice Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Saint Anthonys Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Sheldon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Sheldon Poor Farm Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Webster Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  

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

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

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

The following are online land records for the town of Sheldon:

• 1600s-1900s Vermont Land Records, Early to 1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($),
• Vermont Land and Property

Sheldon, Vermont, Land Records, 1852-1900, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Local Histories

The history of St. Albans, Vt : civil, religious, biographical and statistical, by L.L. Dutcher with valuable contributions from James Davis ... [et al.]. And The history of Sheldon, Vt. / by H.R. Whitney, George B. Tolman and A.H. Bailey (1872) - view a digital copy of this book online.

Maps

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

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

• 1871 map of Sheldon Town and Sheldon, Sheldon East, Junction Town

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

St. Albans Messenger
Vermont Online Historical 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 Sheldon town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1799-2000, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Sheldon Town Clerk's Office. These include: Town and vital records of Sheldon, Vermont, 1798-Sept. 2000, and Deeds, 1794-1852.

Probate Records

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

Franklin Probate Division
17 Church St.
St. Albans, VT 05478
Phone: (802) 524-7948

• 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

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1860-1910, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

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

Sheldon Public Library
1640 Main Street
Sheldon, Vermont 05483
Phone: (802) 933-2524

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

• Essex Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Plattsburgh New York FamilySearch Center
• Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
• Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

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