Somerset, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Somerset was chartered on September 9, 1761 by Benning Wentworth. The town of Somerset acquired some residents fairly early in its history and had over 300 people in 1850. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5. Somerset never had a village or any real center of population. In 1937 the Vermont Legislature disenfranchised Somerset, making it an official wilderness. The town has no local government and the town's affairs are handled by a state-appointed supervisor.

Cemeteries

 * Somerset Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * Windham 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 Somerset, 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 Somerset:

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

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

1869 map of Somerset

Cemeteries

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


 * Somerset Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Newspapers
Brattleboro Reformer

Bennington Banner

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

The probate district for Somerset is Marlboro. Marlboro Probate Court 80 Flat St. Suite 104 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Phone: (802) 257-2898

Town Histories
Somerset celebrating 250 years, by Keagan Harsha - WCAX News, May 2011.

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 Somerset town records available online:

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Somerset Town Clerk's Office. These include Index to birth, death and marriage records (1766-1913) and marriage, birth and death records (1787-1970), Index to land records (1795-1885) and land records (1857-1885, 1889-1906, and Deeds, 1795-1857.

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.