Middlesex, Washington County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Middlesex was chartered on June 8, 1763. Middlesex took its boundaries from Waterbury, which had been granted the day before. Worcester, which was granted on the same day as Middlesex, took its boundaries from Middlesex. For that reason it has always been assumed this town was named for its location between the other two.

The town's history relates that in the late 1800's Middlesex still had a large bear population, as attested to by the story of a farmer and his wife who went out to find what had killed one of their sheep. The farmer spotted a bear and killed it; then his wife called out that she could see another. The farmer killed that bear, too, and they started back home, only to find the one they had been looking for, a third bear eating a sheep. If that was a sample of the bear population in Middlesex it is easy to see why one section of town was for years known as Beartown. It is claimed that another section was such a miserable place to live that it was called merely Skunks Misery.

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


 * Carr Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Chatterton Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Middlesex Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Middlesex Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Branch Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Card file of cemetery lots, 1785-1870, is available on microfilm from the Family History Library.


 * Middlesex Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Washington 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 Middlesex, 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 Middlesex:

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Middlesex Historical Society 5 Church Street Middlesex, VT 05602 Email: pwiley3@gmail.com Phone: (802) 272-8074 Website: http://middlesexvermont.org/middlesex-historical-society/

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

1873 map of Middlesex

Newspapers
Burlington Free Press

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

The probate district for Middlesex is Washington. Washington District Probate Court 10 Elm St. #3 Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: (802) 828-3405

Town Histories

 * Middlesex in the making: history and memories of a small Vermont town, Sarah Seidman; Patricia Wiley; Middlesex Historical Society (2006) - find this book in a library.
 * History of the town of Waitsfield : incl. an engraving of Bethany Church at Montpelier, and papers from Marshfield and Middlesex, Perrin B. Fisk (1882) - a digital copy of this book is available online.

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 Middlesex town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1790 -1858, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Middlesex Clerk's Office. These include Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1997, Deeds, 1788-1884 and Town records, 1825-1832, 1847-1914.

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

Middlesex Town Clerk 5 Church Street Middlesex, VT 05602 Phone: 802-223-5915 E-mail middlesxtwnclrk@comcast.net Website: http://middlesexvermont.org/

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