Chelsea, Orange County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Chelsea, Vermont at Wikipedia

The town of Chelsea was chartered on August 4, 1781 by the Vermont State Legislature and was settled in 1784. The town was originally named Turnersburgh. A Town Meeting in 1788 found most of the residents wanting to change the name to Brookline. Not having elected a representative yet, they entrusted Seth Austin (neighboring Tunbridge's representative) to tell the legislature the name they wanted. Nobody is really sure what happened, but by the time the legislative vote was finished, the name had been switched to Chelsea.

A unique feature of Chelsea is the two commons, or greens, as they were called in the early history of the town. Chelsea is located near the center of Orange County and in 1795, it was designated as the seat of the county government, thus becoming the "Shire Town."

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

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

Chelsea Town Clerk P.O. Box 266 296 VT Rte. 110 Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4460 Email: town.clerk@chelseavt.us Website: http://www.chelseavt.org/

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 Chelsea. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Orange County, website at this link.


 * Blaisdell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Highland Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Lincoln Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Chelsea Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Riverside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Wiggins Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Chelsea VT Cemetery map.


 * Chelsea Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * Orange 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 Chelsea, 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 Chelsea:

Congregational Church Records, 1781-1898 - available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.


 * 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

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
Historical Chelsea Photos


 * A History of Chelsea, Vermont, 1784-1984, Chelsea Historical Society - find this book in a library.
 * Chelsea centennial : proceedings of the centennial celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Chelsea, Vermont, together with the Orange County Veteran Soldier's reunion. September 4, 1884 - view this book online.
 * Chelsea : the origin of Chelsea, Vermont, and a record of its institutions and individuals - view this book online.

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


 * Plat map of Chelsea, Vermont traced from proprietors pla,, August 1945 - available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.
 * 1877 map of Chelsea

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
 * 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 Chelsea town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1761-1997, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Chelsea Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records, 1784-1878.

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

The probate district for Chelsea is Orange. Orange Probate Court 5 Court St Chelsea VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4610
 * 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
Chelsea Public Library 296 VT Rte. 110 Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-2188 Website: http://www.chelsealibrary.com/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

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

Societies
Chelsea Historical Society Mailing Address: 274 East Randolph Road Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4447