Berkshire, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Berkshire, Vermont at Wikipedia

Berkshire was chartered on June 22, 1781 by the Vermont Legislature. Berkshire was one of six towns (the others being Enosburgh, Montgomery, Richford, Wyllis [now Jay] and Westfield) authorized by the legislature in the spring of 1780. It contains the unincorporated village of East Berkshire. The population of Berkshire at the 2010 US Census was 1,692.

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

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

Berkshire Town Clerk 4454 Watertower Road Bershire, VT 05450 Phone: (802) 933-2335 Email: townclerk@berkshirevt.com

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 Berkshire Town. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Franklin County, website at this link.


 * Berkshire Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Berkshire Episcopal Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Berkshire Congregational Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Berkshire Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Berkshire Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Franklin 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 Berkshire, 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 Berkshire:


 * Calvary Episcopal Church (Bershire, Vermont) Records, 1826-1832, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church (West Berkshire, Vermont) Records, 1851-1890, are available on microfilm at the Family History 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
The following are online land records for the town of Berkshire:
 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

Berkshire, Vermont Land Records, 1852-1908, can be found online at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Local Histories

 * History of Berkshire (VT), by Garnet L Harvey and the Berkshire Historical Society (1994) - find this book in a library.
 * Berkshire bygones, by Marjorie C Roberts (198-) - find this book in a library.

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


 * 1871 map of Berkshire

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


 * 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 Berkshire town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1800 -2000, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Berkshire Town Clerk's Office. These include [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1188428 Vital records of Berkshire, Vermont, 1850-Mar. 2000; indexes, ca. 1785-Aug.? 2000], and Deeds, 1794-1852; index to deeds, 1789-1950.

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

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

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1796-1921 are available on 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

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
Bershire Historical Society