Chester, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Chester, Vermont at Wikipedia


 * Chester was chartered by Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire. There were three charters issued: one on Feb. 22, 1754 to the town of Flamstead, the second one was issued on Nov. 3, 1761 to the town of "New Flamstead," and the third charter issued by the Gov. of New York on July 14, 1766 to the town of "Chester."


 * The "Stone Village" section of town consists of 30 dwellings erected by two brothers from 1834 through the 1850s. The builders used rock quarried from Mount Flamstead as the construction stone. The mountain is the only feature that retains any reference to the town's first chartered name.

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

Chester Town Clerk
Town of Chester P. O Box 370 Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-2173 Website: Chester Government Office

Vital Records

 * The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Chester Town Clerk's Office. These include *Town records and land records, 1763-1903; indexes to vital records and deeds, 1763-1960*Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1996; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1763-1995
 * FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.

Town Reports
The town of Chester kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when Chester kept town reports. (NOTE: Occasionally, these town reports missed vital statistic information from the end of the year. If you don't find your ancestor's vital information, check the following year's town report to see if your ancestor's information was recorded later.)

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 cemeteries in present-day Chester. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Windsor County, website at this link.
 * Chester Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windsor County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places
 * Brookside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Pleasant View Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Poplar Grove Cemetery (aka Popple Dungeon Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Simsbury Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Smokeshire Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Deeds to cemetery lots, 1869-1924 (Chester, Vermont) are on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.

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

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 Chester:
 * To see the churches in Chester, visit.
 * Congregational Church of Chester 469 Main Street Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-3382
 * First Baptist Church 162 Main Street Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-2638
 * First Universalist Unitarian Parish 21 North Street Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-3257
 * St. Joseph's Church   148 South Main Street Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-2610
 * St. Luke's Episcopal Church   313 Main Street Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-6000

City Directories

 * 1916-1959 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Chester at Ancestry - index & images, ($),some years may be missing
 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images, ($) some towns and years may be missing

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

 * Go to Archive.org to find published materials for this town.
 * The source: Popple Dungeon, Vermont, the settlement, farms and genealogy of a small community in Vermont, by Virginia Blake Clark, 1922 - view digital version at FamilySearch.

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


 * 1869 map of Chester

Military Records
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:
 * Records of enrolled militia, 1863, are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.
 * 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

 * Rutland Herald Newspaper
 * 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 Chester town records available online:


 * Digital images of Chester Town records, 1790-1996, are available online at FamilySearch.

Probate Records

 * The probate district for Chester is Windsor. Windsor Probate Court PO Box 402 (Cota Fuel Bdg) N. Springfield, VT 05150 Phone: (802) 886-2284
 * 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
Whiting Library 117 Main Street Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-2277 Email: whitinglibrary@yahoo.com Website: Whiting Library Wordpress

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
Chester Historical Society, Inc. P. O. Box 118 Chester, VT 05143 Phone: (802) 875-5459 Email: knotz69@gmail.com Website: Chester Gov Office Index