Townshend, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

Town Information

Description

Townshend was chartered on June 20, 1753 by Benning Wentworth. Like all New England communities the early settlers spent their time and lives farming less than ideal soils and terrain. In the late 1700’s manufacturing, retail, and hospitality related concerns began to appear and flourish. Scott Bridge, located in Townshend, is the longest covered bridge in Vermont. ^[1]^[2]

Parent Towns

Populated Places

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

Boundary Changes

Adjacent Towns

Town Records

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

Townshend Town Clerk

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

Town Clerk
PO Box 223
2006 Route 30
Townshend, VT 05353
Phone: 802-365-7300
Email: townshendtownclerk@gmail.com
Website

Vital Records

Births

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

Marriages

Deaths

Divorce

Town Reports

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 Townshend. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Windham County, website at this link.

ActonCemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Fisher Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Howe Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Maple Grove Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Oakwood Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Round Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Sanderson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Taft Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Twitchell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Wiswell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Townshend Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
Windham 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.

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

To see the churches in Townshend, 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 Townshend:

City Directories

Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Compiled Genealogies

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

Immigration

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

A Stitch in Time (Townshend, Vermont 1753-2003), by Castle Freeman - find this book in a library. Buy this book from the Townshend Historical Society.
Townshend, the way it was 'till now--1979 - find this book in a library.
Collections relating to the history and inhabitants of the town of Townshend, Vermont, by James H Phelps - find this book in a library.
Historical Townshend Photos

Maps

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

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

1869 map of Townshend

Migration

Military

Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

Newspapers

The Manchester Journal
Brattleboro Reformer
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)

Townshend Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1780-1996 at FamilySearch (browse only images).
Proprietors records, 1753-1801
Records of marriages, births and deaths, 1857-1881; indexes of birth, death and marriage, 1857-1945
Land records and deeds, 1780-1906; index, 1753-1945

Probate Records

The probate district for Townshend is Westminster.
Westminster Probate Court
PO Box 47
Bellows Falls, VT 05101
Phone: (802) 463-3019

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

Tax Records

Websites

Research Facilities

Libraries

Townshend Public Library
1971 VT Rte 30
PO Box 252
Townshend, VT 05353
Phone: 802-365-4039
Email: info@townshendlibrary.org
Website: Townshend Public Library

Museums

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
American Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
Griffin Free Public Library - an affiliate library
New York State Library and New York State Archives - an affiliate library

Societies

References

↑ About Townshend, VT - Virtual Vermont - http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/townshend.html#about
↑ History of the Town of Townshend, VT, http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vermont/WindhamTownshend.html

[1] About Townshend, VT - Virtual Vermont - http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/townshend.html#about

[2] History of the Town of Townshend, VT, http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vermont/WindhamTownshend.html

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