Westminster, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

Town Information

Description

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.” ^[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

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 ($)

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 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

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

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

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

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

School 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

Websites

Research Facilities

Libraries

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

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

Societies

References

↑ Brief History of Westminster, VT - Westminster Historical Society - http://www.westminstervthistory.org/
↑ History of the Town of Westminster, VT http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vermont/WindhamWestminster.html

[1] Brief History of Westminster, VT - Westminster Historical Society - http://www.westminstervthistory.org/

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

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