Westminster, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Westminster is one of Vermont’s oldest and most historic towns, Westminster was the first township granted in Vermont, named Township No.1 in 1736. On Nov. 9, 1752, the Province of New Hampshire incorporated it as Westminster.

The Town of Westminster has been first in many events, including: - First State Bank established in 1807. - First Printing Office established in Vermont by Spooner &amp; Green in 1778. - First newspaper in Vermont, “The Vermont Gazette” or “Green Mt. Postboy.”

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Westminster. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Windham County, website at this link.


 * Gilson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Westminster Cemetery (aka Old East Parish Cemetery, Westminster Cemetery Old) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Sacred Heart Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Charles Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Parish, NW Bemis Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Westminster New Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Westminster West Cemetery (aka West Parish Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Headstones and epitaphs in Westminster, Vermont, compiled by Bertha Miller Collins, edited by Alice Caggiano - available from the Westminster Historical Society.

"Old Cemeteries of Westminster, Windham Co., Vermont," compiled by Rachel V. Duffalo - available from the Westminster Historical Society.


 * Westminster Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windham 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 Westminster, 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 Westminster:

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Westminster Historical Society P.O. Box 2 3651 U.S. Route 5 Westminster, Vermont, 05158 Website: http://www.westminstervthistory.org/

Butterfield Library 3435 U.S. 5, Westminster, VT 05158 Phone: (802) 722-4891

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

1869 map of Westminster

Newspapers
Brattleboro Reformer

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

The probate district for Westminster is Westminster. Westminster Probate Court PO Box 47 Bellows Falls, VT 05101 Phone: (802) 463-3019

Town Histories
History of Westminster, 1791-1981, by M. Elizabeth Minard Simonds (1983) - find this book in a library.

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 Westminster town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1763-1997, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Westminster Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records, 1736-1909; index to land records, 1736-1911, Town records, 1752-1876, and Births 1857-1930, marriages 1857-1950, deaths 1857-2001, and indexes 1857-1903.

Westminster Town Clerk 3651 U.S. Route 5 PO Box 147 Westminster, VT 05158 Phone: (802) 722-4091 Website: http://www.westminstervt.org/

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

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