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Step-by-Step Vermont Research, 1850-1910



Step-by-Step Vermont Research, 1850-1910
1. Contact living relatives.
2. Online census records.
3. Death records, obituary and cemetery records online.
4. Births and marriages online.
5. Military records online.
6: Look for church records online.
7. Wills and probate.
8. Immigration and naturalization records online.
9. Land records online.
10. Printed local histories or biographies online.
11. Historical or genealogical societies.
12: Use other FamilySearch tools.
13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Vermont.
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Some online records have restrictions, due to contractual agreements, allowing them to be used only at FamilySearch Centers or FamilySearch Affiliate Library. This pop-up warning has links to lists of addresses of the many affiliate libraries that are available throughout the world.

Subscription websites such as Ancestry.com, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage and many others offer complimentary service at these affiliate libraries and at most local libraries.

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Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.

Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?

In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :

What documents should be collected or copied?

Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

  • Announcements of births, weddings,
    and anniversaries
  • Baby and wedding books
  • Certificates
  • Deeds, and property records
  • Family Bibles
  • Family reunion notices and records
  • Fraternal or society records
  • Insurance policies
  • Journals and diaries
  • Letters and cards
  • Licenses (business, marriage,
    fishing, driving)
  • Naturalization documents
  • Newspaper clippings and obituaries
  • Medical records
  • Military service and pension documents
  • Occupational awards
  • Passports
  • Personal histories and biographies
  • Photograph albums
  • Printed Notices and Announcements
  • Programs (graduation, award ceremonies, funerals)
  • School records
  • Scrapbooks
  • Wills and trusts


Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.

  • A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
  • For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
  • Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
  • Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.


Example of a census record.

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Look for ancestors in as many censuses as possible. Use the clues from each census for hints where to find families in both earlier and later census records.

For more information, see Vermont Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.

When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.

  • Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.
  • The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.
  • The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.
  • Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.


Example of a death index entry.

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Example of a Social Security Death Index entry:

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Example of a Social Security Application and Claims Index Entry:

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Example of a FindAGrave cemetery record.

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Example of an obituary index entry.

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Gather information from as many death related records as possible.



Death Indexes

Writing for Full Death Certificates

The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc).
In the states of New England, records were created and maintained by town clerks. Most are online but can be viewed in person or requested by mail.

U.S. Social Security Records

  • The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
  • The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
  • You can search these records online at
  • If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituaries

Cemeteries

For more information, see Vermont Obituaries and Vermont Cemeteries.

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Study any new information in these records for clues leading to more census searches.

Step 4: Search for birth and marriage records online.

Vital records were first kept in Vermont from the earliest permanent settlement, about 1760.

Example of a county birth index entry.

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Example of an indexed county marriage entry.

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Online Records


Births


Marriages


Vital Records

Town Clerk Records

Vital records were first kept in Vermont from the earliest permanent settlement, about 1760. All original records are maintained by the town or city and can be viewed at the town or city clerk’s office. The present vital registration law was enacted in 1857. This statute required that all vital events be recorded in the town where they occurred. A centralized registration system was established in 1919.

The central registration of birth, marriage, death, and divorce records have been divided into the responsibilities of two state agencies. For vital records from 1760 to 5 years ago, use:


For Vital Records for the 5 most recent years, contact:

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in Vermont, see How to Find Vermont Birth Records, How to Find Vermont Marriage Records, and How to Find Vermont Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.

There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information.

Example of a World War I draft card.

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Example of a World War II draft card.

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Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.



For more information and additional collections, see Vermont Military Records.

Step 6: Look for church records online.

Church records function as vital records.

  • An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
  • Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
  • Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.

Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.

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Search for church records that can provide additional birth, marriage, and death information.


FamilySearch

Lutheran

Methodist

Presbyterian


Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

  • County probate records include probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
  • In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
  • Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.


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Search these indexes and images for probate records.



Probate Information in County Wiki Articles

Each Vermont county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: Vermont Counties

For more information, see Vermont Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.

The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.


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Look for immigrant ancestors in shipping lists and citizenship sources.



Vermont Immigration Records

Vermont Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

For more information, see Vermont Emigration and Immigration and Vermont Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: Search land records online.

These records will give the

  • names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
  • previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
  • the date they obtained the land,
  • the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.

They can contain clues to

  • family members who shared ownership of the land,
  • sold or gave land to a child, or
  • officially witnessed the sale.
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Search for any ancestor's land records.



  • 1688-1786 New York Land Patents 1688-1786: Covering Land Now Included in the State of Vermont (Not Including Military Patents) by Vermont Secretary of State and Mary Greene Nye. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1749-1764 The New Hampshire Grants Being Transcripts of the Charters of Townships : and Minor Grants of Lands Made by the Provincial Government of New Hampshire, Within the Present Boundaries of the State of Vermont From 1749 to 1764; Volume XXVI, Town Charters, Volume III, by Batchellor, Albert Stillman. Concord, New Hampshire : Edward N. Pearson, 1895. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1778-1787 State Papers of Vermont; Volume 8, General Petitions, 1778-1787, by Vermont Secretary of State and Edward A. Hoyt. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1952. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1778-1811 Petitions for Grants of Land, 1778-1811, by Nye, Mary Greene. Montpelier, Vermont: Rawson C. Myrick, Secretary of State, 1939. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1779-1846 Charters Granted by the State of Vermont, V. 1-2, 1779-1846(*) Vermont Governor and Council at FamilySearch Catalog — images
  • 1788-1792 State Papers of Vermont; Volume 9, General Petitions 1788-1792, by Vermont Secretary of State and Edward A. Hoyt. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1955. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1793-1796 State Papers of Vermont; Volume 10, General Petitions 1793-1796, by Vermont Secretary of State and Allen Soule. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1958. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1797-1799 State Papers of Vermont; Volume 11, General Petitions 1797-1799, by Vermont Secretary of State and Allen Soule. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1962. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • 1850-1900 Vermont Land Records, Early to 1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($)
  • Charters Granted by the State of Vermont : Being Transcripts of Early Charters of Townships and Smaller Tracts of Land Granted by the State of Vermont... by Vermont Office of Secretary of State, Franklin H. Dewart and Hiram Augustus Huse. Bellows Falls, Vermont: P.H. Gobie Press Inc., 1922. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • Index to the Papers of the Surveyors-General, by Vermont, Office of Secretary of State and Surveyor-General. Rutland, Vermont: The Tuttle Company, 1918. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library
  • Lotting Plans, Vermont State Archives and Records Administration at Vermont Secretary of State — index & images
  • Massachusetts Land Grants in Vermont, by Denio, Herbert Williams and Colonial Society of Massachusetts. Cambridge, Massachusetts: John Wilson and Son, University Press, 1920. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; FamilySearch Catalog
  • Sequestration, Confiscation and Sale of Estates, by Nye, Mary Greene. Montpelier, Vermont: Secretary of State, 1941. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library; FamilySearch Catalog
  • State Papers of Vermont, Vermont State Archives and Records Administration at Vermont Secretary of State


For more information, see Vermont Land and Property and United States Land and Property.

Step 10: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.

Local Histories

  • Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
  • Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: Vermont; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

  • Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
  • In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
  • A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections

These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.

  • 1894 Vermont Men, 1894 at Ancestry — index ($)
  • American Biographical Library at Ancestry — index ($)
  • County and Town Histories, Vermont at LearnWebSkills — index & images
  • Encyclopedia, Vermont Biography; A Series of Authentic Biographical Sketches of the Representative Men of Vermont and Sons of Vermont in Other States, by Dodge, Prentiss C. Burlington, Vermont: Ullery Publishing Company, 1912. Online at: HathiTrust
  • Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont, by Carleton, Hiram. New York and Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1903. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust
  • One Thousand Men, by Kent, Dorman B.E. n.p.: Vermont Historical Society, 1915. Online at: HathiTrust
  • The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine, Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military, by Hemenway, Abby Maria. Burlington, Vt: Miss A. M. Hemenway, 1867-1891. Online at: Vol. 1 - HathiTrust; Vol. 2 - HathiTrust; Vol. 3 - HathiTrust; Vol. 4 - HathiTrust; Vol. 5 - HathiTrust
  • Vermont Biographies Project at Rockville Mama — index

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.

  • Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
  • Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
  • Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
  • Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
  • Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Vermont society.png

Step 12: Use other FamilySearch tools.

Historical Images

Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.


Vermont Online Genealogy Records

Search any other online records listed in Vermont Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the Vermont Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.


Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in Vermont.

This article focused more on Vermont state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in Vermont. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.

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