Topsham, Orange County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Orange County

Topsham

Town Information

Description

Topsham, Vermont at Wikipedia

Topsham was granted its charter on August 15, 1763. The town consists of three villages; East Topsham, Waits River and West Topsham.  The population was 1,173 at the 2010 US Census.   

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

Topsham Town Clerk

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

Topsham Town Clerk
6 Harts Rd.
Topsham, VT 05076
Phone: (802) 439-5505
Email: topsham@tops-tele.com
Website: https://www.townoftopshamvt.org/

Vital Records

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

Births

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

Town Reports

The town of Topsham kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when Topsham kept town reports. (NOTE: Occasionally, these town reports missed vital statistic information from the end of the year. If you don't find your ancestor's vital information, check the following year's town report to see if your ancestor's information was recorded later.)

1935 1936 1939 1949

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 Topsham. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Orange County, website at this link.  

• Currier Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• East Topsham Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Fellows Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Mills Family Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Old West Topsham Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Roundtop Schoolhouse Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Waits River Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• West Topsham Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Zion Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  

• Topsham Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Orange 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 Topsham, 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 Topsham:

• 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

• 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

Sketches of the town of Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, 1929, Frank H Craig - find this book in a library.  Digital version of this book is available at Ancestry.com. ($)

Maps

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

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

• 1877 map of Topsham Villages
  

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

• 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 Topsham town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1771-1982, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

Topsham Land Records, 1882-1905, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Topsham Town Clerk's Office. These include Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1998; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1775-1998, Deeds, 1794-1849; index to deeds, 1794-1860, and Land records, 1784-1794, 1819-1927; index, 1841-1946.

Probate Records

The probate district for Topsham is Orange.
Orange Probate Court
5 Court St
Chelsea VT 05038
Phone: (802) 685-4610

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

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

Societies

Topsham Historical Society
PO Box 64
East Topsham, VT 05076
Phone: (802) 439-6339
Contact: Bill Hodge, President

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FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.