Bakersfield, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Bakersfield was chartered on January 25, 1791 by the Vermont Legislature.

Known for some years even in state records as "Bakersfield alias Knoultons Gore", the town had originally been granted to Luke Knowlton (Knoulton) of Newfane and sold in 1798 or 1799 to Joseph Baker of Westboro, Massachusetts. Baker had acquired title to the entire 10,000 acre town for £500. Several changes have taken place to bring the town to its current size, including the addition of parts of Fairfield and the former Smithfield in 1792, the entirety of Knights Gore in 1795, and Averys Gore in 1963.

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


 * Cook Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Maple Grove Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Georges Catholic Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Bakersfield Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * 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 Bakersfield, 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 Bakersfield:

St. Mark's Episcopal Church Register, 1894-1952, is available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

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

Bakersfield, Vermont Land Records, 1849-1946, can be found online at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Libraries and Historical Societies
H F Brigham Library 104 Main St. PO Box 5 Bakersfield, VT 05441 Phone: (802) 827-4414 Website: http://hfbrighamlibrary.wordpress.com/

Bakersfield Historical Society

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

1871 map of Bakersfield and Bakersfield Town

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 Bakersfield:

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).

Town Histories
Bakersfield, Vermont : the way it was, the way it is, by Elsie C Wells (1976) - 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 Bakersfield town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1792 -2000, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Bakersfield Town Clerk's Office. These include Vital records of Bakersfield, Vermont, 1792-May 2000, and Deeds, 1792-1849.

Bakersfield Town Clerk 40 East Bakersfield Road P.O. Box 203 Bakersfield, VT 05441 Phone: (802) 827-4495 Email: townclerk_bakersfield@comcast.net

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.