Addison County, Vermont Genealogy
Guide to Addison County, Vermont ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Addison County, Vermont | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Vermont, United States Genealogy | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | October 18, 1785 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Middlebury |
| Courthouse | |
 | |
| Address | Addison County Courthouse 5 Court Street, Middlebury, VT 05753-1405 Phone: 802-388-7741 Addison County Website |
Description[edit | edit source]
The County is located in the center area of the state. [1]
Addison County, Vermont Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Marriage | Court | Land | Probate | Census | ||
| at town creation | at town creation | at town creation | 1797 | 1774 | 1852 | 1790 |
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Town Clerks have birth, marriage, death and burial records. County Clerk has divorce and birth certificates records from 1797. Probate Judge has probate records.[3]
Towns Organized By 1800:
Addison 1761
Bridport 1761
Cornwall 1761
Ferrisburgh 1762
Leicester 1761
Lincoln 1780
Middlebury 1761
Monkton 1762
New Haven 1761
Orwell 1763
Panton 1761
Ripton 1781
Salisbury 1761
Shoreham 1761
Starksboro 1780
Vergennes 1788
Waltham 1796
Weybridge 1761
Whiting 1763[3]
Local government. Internally, Vermont consists of nine cities, 254 towns and several unincorporated gores, governed by guidelines set by the state statutes and constitution. Towns govern themselves by Town Meeting. The governing power is found in the City Councils in cities.
There are three types of incorporated municipalities in Vermont, towns, cities and villages. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government. Cities are independent of and equivalent to towns. Villages are included in towns but assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries, usually water, sewage and sometimes local roads. Incorporated villages are not found in any of the other New England states.
Like most of New England, there is slight provision for autonomous county government. Counties and shire towns (like county seats) are merely convenient repositories for various government services such as County and State Courts, with several elected officers such as a State's Attorney, Sheriff, and High Bailiff. All county services are directly funded by the State of Vermont.
Quick Facts[edit | edit source]
Parent Counties[edit | edit source]
18 October 1785: from Rutland and Orange Counties.[3]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
For animated maps illustrating Vermont County boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Vermont County Boundary Maps" (1764-1895) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
1852 Fire in the courthouse burned the probate records for Addison district (not New Haven) in February 1852. Only fragments remain of Addison Probate District records before 1852.
For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
- Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill at 24-7 Family History Circle.
- When the Records are Gone. By Arlene Eakle at Arlene Eakle's Tennessee Blog.
- Burned Counties Research in the FamilySearch Research Wiki.
Places / Localities[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[4]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
Resources[edit | edit source]
Archives and Libraries[edit | edit source]
- Allen County Public Library, better known as ACPL, in Fort Wayne, Indiana has an extensive collection for this county..
- Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, has extensive collection of vital records and history for this county.
Biography[edit | edit source]
- Gazetteer and business directory of Addison County, Vt., for 1881-82, Includes a history of the county with biographical sketches. FamilySearch Catalog
- History of Addison County, Vermont: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers WorldCat 2737473 ▲ WorldCat 498755776 ▲ FamilySearch Catalog
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| VTGenWeb | WorldCat | BillionGraves |
| VTTombstone Project | FamilySearch Places | |
| VTInterment | ||
| VTGravestones | ||
| BillionGraves | ||
| See Vermont Cemeteries for more information. | ||
- List of Cemeteries in Addison County
- The McLellan collection of Vermont cemetery inscriptions. Contains inscriptions from cemeteries in Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties. FamilySearch Catalog
- Random Acts VT Cemetery Records Research Guide
Census[edit | edit source]
Federal[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 6,420 | — |
| 1800 | 13,417 | 109.0% |
| 1810 | 19,998 | 49.0% |
| 1820 | 20,469 | 2.4% |
| 1830 | 24,940 | 21.8% |
| 1840 | 23,583 | −5.4% |
| 1850 | 26,549 | 12.6% |
| 1860 | 24,010 | −9.6% |
| 1870 | 23,484 | −2.2% |
| 1880 | 24,173 | 2.9% |
| 1890 | 22,277 | −7.8% |
| 1900 | 21,912 | −1.6% |
| 1910 | 20,010 | −8.7% |
| 1920 | 18,666 | −6.7% |
| 1930 | 17,952 | −3.8% |
| 1940 | 17,944 | −0.0% |
| 1950 | 19,442 | 8.3% |
| 1960 | 20,076 | 3.3% |
| 1970 | 24,266 | 20.9% |
| 1980 | 29,406 | 21.2% |
| 1990 | 32,953 | 12.1% |
| 2000 | 35,974 | 9.2% |
| 2010 | 36,821 | 2.4% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1850 federal census of Addison County, Vermont WorldCat 18370190 ▲ FamilySearch Catalog
- Population schedules of the 7th census of the United States, 1850, Vermont WorldCat 180936649
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
History[edit | edit source]
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
There are 22 towns and one city in Addison County each with its own government. For information on tax information and licenses contact the individual town offices. Town clerks are responsible for the record keeping of deeds land records, notes and liens, mortgages, property transfers, voter registration, vital statistics and licenses. Addison County Chamber of Commerce's Government Information
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
Military History and Records[edit | edit source]
Civil War[edit | edit source]
- 1861 - 1867 Vermont, Enrolled Militia Records, 1861-1867 at FamilySearch — index and images — How to Use this Collection
Regiments and Companies:
- - 2nd Regiment, Vermont Infantry
- - 5th Regiment, Vermont Infantry, Companies B and F
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1749 - 1999 Vermont Wills and Probate Records 1749-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
- 1800 - 1921 Vermont Probate Files 1800-1921 at FamilySearch — images — How to Use this Collection
Probate records are kept at town level, rather than county level.
- 1845 - 1915 Addison County and District Probate Files, 1845-1915, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).
Taxation[edit | edit source]
Town Records[edit | edit source]
- 1850-2005 - Vermont, Town Records, 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — index and images — How to Use this Collection
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
There are 22 towns and one city in Addison County each with its own government. For information on tax information and licenses contact the individual town offices. Town clerks are responsible for the record keeping of deeds land records, notes and liens, mortgages, property transfers, voter registration, vital statistics and licenses. Addison County Chamber of Commerce's Government Information
- 1732 - 2005 Vermont, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005 at FamilySearch — index and images — How to Use this Collection
- 1850 - 2005 Vermont, Town Records, 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — index and images — How to Use this Collection
See also How to order Vermont Vital Records, order electronically online or download an application at Vermont Department of Health
Societies, Libraries and Museums[edit | edit source]
See also a List of Vermont Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
Historical Societies[edit | edit source]
Addison Town Historical Society
3968 VT Route 22A
Addison, VT 05491
Telephone: 802-759-2380
Bridport Historical Society
3177 Crown Point Road
Bridport, VT 05734
Telephone: 802-758-2654
E-mail:msunderland@gmavt.net
Cornwall Historical Society
c/o Town Hall
2629 VT Route 30
Cornwall, VT 05753
Telephone: 802-462-2003
East Middlebury Historical Society
PO Box 2
East Middlebury, VT 05740
Bristol Historical Society
Howden Hall Community Center
19 West Street
Bristol, VT 05443
Telephone: 802-453-3439
E-mail:lscoffin@gmavt.net
Ferrisburgh Historical Society
6 Little Chicago Road
Ferrisburgh, Vt
Telephone: 802-425-4505
Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History
1 Park Street
Middlebury, VT 05753
Telephone: 802-388-2117
E-mail:info@henrysheldonmuseum.org
Website
Lincoln Historical Society
18th Century Farmhouse & 19th Century Barn Museum
88 Quaker Street
Lincoln, VT 05443
Telephone: 802-453-2807
E-mail:menzer01@aol.com
Monkton Museum & Historical Society
280 Monkton Ridge
North Ferrisburgh, VT, 05473
Telephone: 802-482-2277
E-mail:monktonmhs@gmail.com
New Haven Historical Society
89 North Street
New Haven, VT 05472
Telephone: 802-453-3947
Orwell Historical Society
Orwell Free Library
Main Street
VT Route 73
PO Box 85
Orwell, VT 05760
Telephone: 802-948-2049
Salisbury Historical Society
Town Hall
Maple Street
PO Box 40
Salisbury, VT 05769
E-mail:barrywhitney@myfairpoint.net
Shoreham Historical Society
Stone Schoolhouse Museum
VT Route 22A
91 Doolittle Road
Shoreham, VT 05770
Telephone: 802-897-2572
E-mail:gdbirdsall@yahoo.com
Website
Facebook
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History 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 family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
Websites[edit | edit source]
- Addison County, VT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
- Vermont Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
- Linkpendium
- The Addison County VTGenWeb Project, part of The VTGenWeb Project
- USGenWeb Archives
- USGenWeb Archives backup site
- FamilySearch Catalog
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Addison, Vermont" in https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Addison_County,_Vermont_Genealogy accessed 5 Dec 2018
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Addison County, Vermont . Page 698-699 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 686-687.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 698. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Addison_ County,_Vermont," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_County,_Vermont accessed 24 October 2019.
