Saint Johnsbury, Caledonia County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
St. Johnsbury was originally granted in 1760 as part of the New Hampshire Grants and named Bessborough. It was rechartered on November 1, 1786 by the Vermont Legislature and named Dunmore. The town was officially organized in 1790 when it was then named St. Johnsbury. St. Johnsbury (sometimes locally known as "St. Jay") became the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont in 1856. The population was 7,603 at the 2010 census.

Historical Data

 * USGenWeb St. Johnsbury, Vermont
 * St. Johnsbury History and Heritage Center

Cemeteries

 * Saint Johnsbury Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * Caledonia County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

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


 * Goss Hollow Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Grove Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Mount Calvary Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Mount Pleasant Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Johnsbury Center (Old) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Johnsbury Center (New) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

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 Saint Johnsbury, 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 Saint Johnsbury:

First Congregational Church Records, 1809-1918 are available on microfilm at the Family History Center.

Universalist Society Church Records, 1825-1854 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

City Directories
St. Johnsbury directories: 1875, 1886, 1888, 1890, 1909, 1925, 1928, 1930, 1935, and 1939.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
St Johnsbury Athenaeum 1171 Main St. St Johnsbury, VT 05819 Phone: (802) 748-8291 Website: http://www.stjathenaeum.org/

St. Johnsbury History &amp; Heritage Center

Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.

Maps
The following are online maps of the town of Saint Johnsbury:

From Historic Map Works.com
 * 1875 map of St. Johnsbury
 * 1875 map of St. Johnsbury Town, part 1
 * 1875 map of St. Johnsbury Town, part 2
 * 1875 map of St. Johnsbury Town, part 3

Newspapers

 * Burlington Burlington Free Press
 * Barre-Montpelier The Times-Argus
 * The Caledonian Record

Military Records
Enrolled Militia Records, 1863-1865, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
 * 1861-1865 Soldiers' Record of the Town of St Johnsbury, Vermont in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865

Soldiers' record of the town of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, are available on microfilm at the Family History Center.

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

The probate district for St. Johnsbury is Caledonia

Caledonia Probate Division 1126 Main St, Ste 1 St Johnsbury, VT 05819 Phone: (802) 748-6605

Town Histories
Go to Archive.org to find published materials for this town.

The town of St. Johnsbury, Vt. : a review of one hundred twenty-five years to the anniversary pageant 1912, by Edward T. Fairbanks - view a digital copy of this book online.

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 Saint Johnsbury town records available online: Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1788 -2001, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the St. Johnsbury Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records, 1787-1930; index to land records, 1787-1993.

Town of St. Johnsbury Pomerleau Building 51 Depot Square, Suite 3 Phone: (802) 748-3926 Website: http://www.stjvt.com/

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.

Town Reports
The town of Saint Johnsbury kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when Saint Johnsbury kept town reports. (NOTE: Occasionally, these town reports missed vital statistic information from the end of the year. If you don't find your ancestor's vital information, check the following year's town report to see if your ancestor's information was recorded later.)