Richford, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Richford, Vermont at Wikipedia

Richford was chartered on August 21, 1780 by the Vermont Legislature. Richford was one of several towns (others being Berkshire, Enosburgh, Montgomery, Wyllis (now Jay) and Westfield) granted by the fledgling Republic of Vermont as a means of raising money to support her troops (the Continental Congress had refused to help). At £8 each, the proprietors of the new town, mostly Connecticut residents, provided £480 towards the Revolution (over $27 Million in today's dollars).

Neither in England nor in New England is there another Richford after which this Vermont town could have been named. It is thus presumed to be a "made" name, probably intended to convey an image of fertile lands which would be attractive to prospective buyers and settlers (early settlers, struggling to survive, often called it "Poorford"). There are, however, two other Richfords in the US, in New York and Wisconsin. By strange coincidence (there is no discernible connection), Richford, New York is adjacent to a town named Berkshire, as is this Vermont 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

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

Richford Town Clerk 94 Main St. Richford, VT 05476 Phone: (802) 848-7751 Website: http://www.richfordvt.com/

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

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

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


 * All Saints Catholic Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Richford Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Hillside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Richford Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * South Richford Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Troy Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Richford Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Franklin 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 Richford, 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 Richford:
 * 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 and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Richford:
 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

Richford, Vermont, Land Records, 1854-1907, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Local Histories
Richford, Vermont, frontier town : the first hundred and fifty years, by Jack C Salisbury (1987) - find this book in a library.

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


 * 1871 map of Richford and Richford Town

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
St. Albans Messenger Vermont Online Historical Newspapers

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

Franklin Probate Division 17 Church St. St. Albans, VT 05478 Phone: (802) 524-7948

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1860-1910, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).
 * 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

Libraries
Arvin A Brown Library 88 Main St. Richford, VT 05476 Phone:(802) 848-3313 Email: arvinabrown@gmail.com Website: http://aabrown.org/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

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

Societies
Richford Historical Society