Vermont Probate Records

United States   Vermont   Probate Records

History

Probate records of Vermont are kept by probate courts. The records include wills, inventories, estates, guardianships, name changes, adoptions, and relinquishments. There are 14 counties and 18 probate districts in Vermont. The four southern counties (Bennington, Rutland, Windham, and Windsor) have two probate courts each. You can obtain copies of the records by contacting the clerk of the appropriate probate district.

Adoption cases over 99 years old are open to the public.

Record Synopsis

Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Various types of records are created throughout the probate process. These may include, wills, bonds, petitions, accounts, inventories, administrations, orders, decrees, and distributions. These documents are extremely valuable to genealogists and should not be neglected. In many instances, they are the only known source of relevant information such as the decedent’s date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their places of residence. They may also include information about adoption or guardianship of minor children and dependents. For further information about probate records and the probate process see United States Probate Records.

Major Repositories

Local

• Vermont Courthouses. For current address and telephone information for Vermont probate district courts, visit the "Vermont Probate Court" page at http://www.vermontjudiciary.org/GTC/probate/default.aspx.

• General Services and Records Center

Regional

• The New England Historic Genealogical Society located in the heart of downtown Boston, Massachusetts has pre-1850 Vermont probate records available on microfilm.

National

• The Family History Library located in Salt Lake City, Utah has pre-1850 Vermont probate records available on microfilm. For collection details see the Family History Library Catalog. Use the "Place Search" option to search for a specific Vermont county. Then look for the topics labeled "Probate Records" or "Guardianship."

Statewide Record Collections

• "Vermont Probate Files, 1791-1919," database, FamilySearch; (http://familysearch.org), from County Probate Courts in Vermont. Digital images of originals housed in the County Probate Courts in Vermont. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah; Contains index and images of probate estate files. Currently only the counties of Chittenden and Essex are available. Additional counties will be added later.

Resources

• Bartley, Scott Andrew. "A Guide to Genealogical Research in Vermont." New England Ancestors, Summer 2007.

• Bartley, Scott Andrew. "Vermont Probate Records." [Online Article]. AmericanAncestors.org. 11 April 2003. http://www.americanancestors.org/vermont-probate-records/: 2010. Available only to members of American Ancestors.

• Eichholz, Alice. Collecting Vermont Ancestors. Montpelier, Vermont: New Trails, 1986.

• Melnyk, Marcia D. Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research, 4th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999; Contains addresses of the Vermont probate district courts.

• Vermont Research Outline. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department, 1998, 2001.

Websites

• Vermont Probate Districts. In VTGenWeb [database online]. N.p., 12 August 1999 [cited 25 August 1999]. Available at www.rootsweb.com/~vtgenweb/probate.htm. This site lists the counties, brief county history sketches, each probate district with its address, telephone number, and office hours.