Westminster, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Windham County

Westminster

Town Information

Description

Westminster, Vermont at Wikipedia

Westminster is one of Vermont’s oldest and most historic towns, Westminster was the first township granted in Vermont, named Township No.1 in 1736.  On Nov. 9, 1752, the Province of New Hampshire incorporated it as Westminster.

The Town of Westminster has been first in many events, including:
- First State Bank established in 1807.
- First Printing Office established in Vermont by Spooner & Green in 1778.
- First newspaper in Vermont, “The Vermont Gazette” or “Green Mt. Postboy.”  

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

Westminster Town Clerk

Westminster Town Clerk
3651 U.S. Route 5
PO Box 147
Westminster, VT 05158
Phone: (802) 722-4091
Website: http://www.westminstervt.org/

Vital Records

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

• Gilson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Old Westminster Cemetery (aka Old East Parish Cemetery, Westminster Cemetery Old) - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Sacred Heart Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Saint Charles Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• West Parish, NW Bemis Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Westminster New Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Westminster West Cemetery (aka West Parish Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Headstones and epitaphs in Westminster, Vermont, compiled by Bertha Miller Collins, edited by Alice Caggiano - available from the Westminster Historical Society.
  
• "Old Cemeteries of Westminster, Windham Co., Vermont," compiled by Rachel V. Duffalo - available from the Westminster Historical Society.
• Westminster Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Westminster Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• 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 Westminster, 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 Westminster:

City Directories

• 1916-1939 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Westminster 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

Local Histories

• History of Westminster, 1791-1981, by M. Elizabeth Minard Simonds (1983) - find this book in a library.
  

Maps

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

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

• 1869 map of Westminster

Military

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

• 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)

The following are Westminster town records available online:

• Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1763-1997, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).
• [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/55602 Land records, 1736-1909; index to land records, 1736-1911
• Town records, 1752-1876
• Births 1857-1930, marriages 1857-1950, deaths 1857-2001, and indexes 1857-1903

Probate Records

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

The probate district for Westminster 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

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

Archives

Westminster Historical Society
P.O. Box 2
3651 U.S. Route 5
Westminster, Vermont, 05158
Website: http://www.westminstervthistory.org/

Libraries

Butterfield Library
3435 U.S. 5,
Westminster, VT 05158
Phone: (802) 722-4891

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
• Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
• Greenfield Public Library - Massachusetts - an affiliate library
• Rockingham Free Public Library - an affiliate library

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