Vermont Court Records

Names of Vermont residents may be found in civil court records of actions such as disputes over property or settlement of estates. Criminal court records have information of those involved in confrontations, thefts, or destruction of property. These records may give a person’s age, residence, occupation, and family relationships. Friends and neighbors may have given depositions as witnesses.

The following are major Vermont courts that kept records of genealogical value:

1777– present : Superior or county courts have county-wide jurisdiction over major civil and criminal cases.

1786– present : Justice courts had county-wide jurisdiction over civil and criminal cases. As other courts were created, jurisdiction of the justice courts was reduced to minor civil cases.

1800s– present : District courts have county-wide jurisdiction over minor civil and criminal cases.

The records of these courts are available at the county courthouses. The Public Records Division at Montpelier has county court and supreme court records for Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Washington, and Windsor counties from 1782 to 1834. The University of Vermont has some Windsor County documents for 1759 to 1852.

Genealogy.com lists the addresses, phone numbers, and other contact details for county courts.

See United States Wiki article which has links to more detailed information on court records. Refer to United States Probate Records and United States Naturalization and Citizenship for information about those specific court records.

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of only a few court records. They can be found in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search under:

VERMONT, [COUNTY]- COURT RECORDS

VERMONT, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- COURT RECORDS