Bethel, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Bethel, Vermont at Wikipedia

On December 29, 1777, an association was formed at Hanover, New Hampshire for the purpose of making a "settlement on White River and its branches," and in March, 1778, they petitioned the legislature of Vermont for the grant of a township to be called Bethel. This petition met with success and a grant was made on March 18, 1778 and the township charter was issued on December 23, 1779.

The town received its name based on the story of Jacob in the book of Genesis 28:11-22. The group of original settlers camped at the mouth of the Gilead River and used stones for pillows. They recounted the story of Jacob who also used stones as pillows and decided to name the town Bethel as Jacob did in the book of Genesis.

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

Bethel Town Clerk
Bethel Town Clerk 134 South Main St. Bethel, Vermont 05032 Phone: (802) 234-9722 E-Mail: betheltownclerk@comcast.net Website: http://www.bethelvt.govoffice3.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Town-of-Bethel-Vermont/152244938197111

Vital Records

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

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Bethel. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Windsor County, website at this link.
 * Bethel Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windsor County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places
 * Bethel Vermont cemetery records, 1792-1919 approx., are on microfilm at the Family History Library
 * Cherry Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Bethel Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Fairview Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Gilead Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Lympus Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Christ Church (Old Church) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

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 Bethel, 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 Bethel:


 * Christ Church (Bethel, Vermont) - records of the church and society, 1821-1947, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
 * Records of the Rev. S. A. Parker, containing records of marriage and funerals at which he officiated, 1857-1901, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Land Records

 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories

 * Bethel, the early years : a collection of photographs with annotated text by Irene Cushing and Irene Stafford - Find this book in a library.
 * The illustrated historical souvenir of Bethel, Vermont : containing a brief history of the early settlement of the town, the schools, churches, medical and legal professions, old families, business and manufacturing interests, together with portraits and biographies of the citizens, past and presen by Fred G. Cox - this book is available online free of charge.

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Bethel at FamilySearch Places
 * Bethel at Google Maps
 * Bethel at Mapcarta
 * Boundary Map of Bethel at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
 * Town of Bethel at Vermont.org
 * Vermont Maps State Page


 * 1869 map of Bethel

Military
Some Records are 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

 * The Herald of Randolph Valley News

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: The following are Bethel town records available online:


 * Digital images of Bethel Town records, 1790-1997, are available online at FamilySearch.
 * The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Bethel Town Clerk's Office. These include Town records, 1782-1886, Land records, 1779-1897, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1769-1997.

Probate Records
The probate district for Bethel is Hartford. Hartford Probate Court 62 Pleasant Street PO Box 275 Woodstock, VT 05091 Phone: (802) 457-1503
 * 1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Vermont Probate Records

Libraries
Bethel Public Library 106 Main St. Bethel, VT 05032 Phone: (802) 234-9107

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Concord New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Lebanon New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Rutland Vermont Family History Center
 * South Royalton Vermont Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Meredith Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thornton Public Library - New Hampshire - an affiliate library

Societies
Bethel Historical Society 318 Main Street PO Box 25 Bethel, VT 05032 Phone: (802) 234-5064 Website: http://bethelvermont.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethel-Historical-Society/203035726375597