Vermont State Archives

United States   Vermont    Vermont State Archives

Contact Information Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) Secretary of State Office 1078 U.S. Rte. 2, Middlesex Montpelier, VT 05633-7701 E-mail: archives@sec.state.vt.us, Telephone: 802-828-2308

Information for Researchers First time researchers need to fill out a registration form to research at the archives. The Reference Room hours are 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Tuesday–Friday.

Review the Reference Room Guidelines before your first visit.

Finding Aids Browse the online databases, published guides, and indexes to locate and learn how to use collections at the Vermont State Archives. See Find Records. Before you visit the archives, spend some time becoming familiar with the collections listed in these databases and guides.

You may discover collections that document your ancestor that you may have not thought of using before. For example, the Archival Records Database listed on the Find Records page above is an index of records available in the Vermont State Archives. If you wanted to locate the Vermont State Hospital Record collection, enter "hospital" in the keyword search field. Among the search results you will find Vermont State Hospital Patient records, 1891 - 1969.

Record Collections

Some of the Vermont State Archive collections most used in family history research are highlighted below. To learn more, see Genealogy and Family History.

Vital Records Vermont does not restrict access to vital records. All vital records in the state registry are accessible online. See Informational Copies to find out how to access birth, marriage and death records online.

Probate Court Records You may learn about your ancestor among wills, estate settlements, guardianship records, or other types of probate records. See a complete list of probate records in the archives: Vermont Probate Records.

Military Records Finding aids for Vermonters who served in wars from Revolutionary War to World War II can be found here. To document ancestors who served in the military after 1919, contact the National Archives.

Naturalization Records that were generated during the process of your ancestor becoming a US citizen might be found at the county court, state archives, National Archives, or United States Citizen and Immigration Services depending on the year of naturalization. Many family historians skip documenting a naturalized ancestor to search for them on ship manifests. Use census records to determine if and when your ancestor became a citizen. Learn how to research naturalizations that are held at the Vermont State Archives here.