Bethel, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
On December 29, 1777, an association was formed at Hanover, New Hampshire for the purpose of making a "settlement on White River and its branches," and in March, 1778, they petitioned the legislature of Vermont for the grant of a township to be called Bethel. This petition met with success and a grant was made on March 18, 1778 and the township charter was issued on December 23, 1779.

The town received its name based on the story of Jacob in the book of Genesis 28:11-22. The group of original settlers camped at the mouth of the Gilead River and used stones for pillows. They recounted the story of Jacob who also used stones as pillows and decided to name the town Bethel as Jacob did in the book of Genesis.

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


 * Cherry Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Bethel Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Fairview Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Gilead Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Lympus Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Christ Church (Old Church) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Bethel Vermont cemetery records, 1792-1919 approx., are on microfilm at the Family History Library.


 * Bethel Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windsor 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 Bethel, 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 Bethel:


 * Christ Church (Bethel, Vermont) - records of the church and society, 1821-1947, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
 * Records of the Rev. S. A. Parker, containing records of marriage and funerals at which he officiated, 1857-1901, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Bethel Historical Society 318 Main Street PO Box 25 Bethel, VT 05032 Phone: (802) 234-5064 Website: http://bethelvermont.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethel-Historical-Society/203035726375597

Bethel Public Library 106 Main St. Bethel, VT 05032 Phone: (802) 234-9107

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

1869 map of Bethel

Newspapers
The Herald of Randolph Valley News

Probate Records
The probate district for Bethel is Hartford. Hartford Probate Court 62 Pleasant Street PO Box 275 Woodstock, VT 05091 Phone: (802) 457-1503 In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Bethel:

Town Histories
Bethel, the early years : a collection of photographs with annotated text by Irene Cushing and Irene Stafford - Find this book in a library.

The illustrated historical souvenir of Bethel, Vermont : containing a brief history of the early settlement of the town, the schools, churches, medical and legal professions, old families, business and manufacturing interests, together with portraits and biographies of the citizens, past and presen by Fred G. Cox - this book is available online free of charge.

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 Bethel town records available online:

Digital images of Bethel Town records, 1790-1997, are available online at FamilySearch.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Bethel Town Clerk's Office. These include Town records, 1782-1886, Land records, 1779-1897, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1769-1997.

Bethel Town Clerk 134 South Main St. Bethel, Vermont 05032 Phone: (802) 234-9722 E-Mail: betheltownclerk@comcast.net Website: http://www.bethelvt.govoffice3.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Town-of-Bethel-Vermont/152244938197111

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.