Berkshire, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Berkshire was chartered on June 22, 1781 by the Vermont Legislature. Berkshire was one of six towns (the others being Enosburgh, Montgomery, Richford, Wyllis [now Jay] and Westfield) authorized by the legislature in the spring of 1780. It contains the unincorporated village of East Berkshire. The population of Berkshire at the 2010 US Census was 1,692.

Cemeteries
The following is a list of major cemeteries in present-day Berkshire Town. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Franklin County, website at this link.


 * Berkshire Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Berkshire Episcopal Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Berkshire Congregational Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Berkshire Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Berkshire Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Franklin County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

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. To see the churches in Berkshire, 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 Berkshire:


 * Calvary Episcopal Church (Bershire, Vermont) Records, 1826-1832, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church (West Berkshire, Vermont) Records, 1851-1890, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Berkshire:

Berkshire, Vermont Land Records, 1852-1908, can be found online at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Libraries and Historical Societies
Bershire Historical Society

Maps
The following are online maps of the town of Berkshire:

1871 map of Berkshire

Newspapers
St. Albans Messenger

Vermont Online Historical Newspapers

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

Franklin Probate Division 17 Church St. St. Albans, VT 05478 Phone: (802) 524-7948

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1796-1921 are available on FamilySearch (browse only images).

Town Histories

 * History of Berkshire (VT), by Garnet L Harvey and the Berkshire Historical Society (1994) - find this book in a library.
 * Berkshire bygones, by Marjorie C Roberts (198-) - find this book in a library.

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: The following are Berkshire town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1800 -2000, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Berkshire Town Clerk's Office. These include [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1188428 Vital records of Berkshire, Vermont, 1850-Mar. 2000; indexes, ca. 1785-Aug.? 2000], and Deeds, 1794-1852; index to deeds, 1789-1950.

Berkshire Town Clerk 4454 Watertower Road Bershire, VT 05450 Phone: (802) 933-2335 Email: townclerk@berkshirevt.com

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

Vital Records
FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.