Brighton, Essex County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Brighton, Vermont at Wikipedia

Brighton was chartered on August 13, 1781. Brlghton has had three names. It was originally granted by Vermont in 1780 to a group of Connecticut men as Gilead. Following the lapse of the Gilead grant, the town was bought by a different group, this time, the town was was named Random. Latter-day residents came to feel that the Random name did nothing to attract either settlers or business to their town, so the legislature changed the name to Brighton in 1832, when the town's population was just over 100. The population at the 2010 US Census was 1,222.

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

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

Brighton Town Office 49 Mill St. PO Box 377 Island Pond, VT 05846 Phone: (802) 723-4405 Website: http://www.islandpond.com/brighton.htm

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

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

 * Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at:.
 * Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at:.
 * The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at:.
 * Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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


 * Lakeside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * New Protestant Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Catholic Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Essex County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census

 * Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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 Brighton, 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 Brighton:
 * 1700s-1800s (*) Daughters of the American Revolution at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * Vermont Church Records

City Directories

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

Compiled Genealogies
Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.

Court Records

 * Judiciary of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Judiciary, Resources for Media at vermont.gov, ($) - click on Records Request
 * United States District Court for the District of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Court Records at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Land Records

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

Local Histories
History of Island Pond, Vermont.

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

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

 * Free Online Newspapers for Research at libraries.vermont.gov
 * List of Newspapers in Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Newspapers of Record at Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
 * Vermont Newspapers at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Obituaries

 * 1800s-current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 2003-2014 (*) NewsBank (Naples, Florida) at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Obituaries at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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 Brighton town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1915 -1967, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Brighton Town Clerk's Office. These include Vital records of Brighton, Vermont, 1856, 1866-2000, [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1195245 Town record book of Brighton, Vermont, 1832-1865, including vital records, 1809-ca. 1865], and Land records, 1832-1907.

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

The probate district for Brighton is Essex. Essex Probate Court Main St. Box 426 Island Pond, VT 05846 Phone: (802) 723-4770
 * 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

Tax Records

 * 1861-1866 (*) United States. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Taxation at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Libraries
Island Pond Public Library 49 Mill St. Island Pond, VT 05846 Phone: (802) 723-6134

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Essex Vermont Family History Center
 * Montpelier Vermont Family History Center
 * Newport Vermont Family History Center
 * Randolph New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Societies
Island Pond Historical Society Inc Island Pond, VT 05846 Phone: (802) 723-5983