Somerset, Windham County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Somerset, Vermont at Wikipedia

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.

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Vital Records
FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

 * Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at:.
 * Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at:.
 * The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at:.
 * Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Cemeteries

 * Somerset Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * Windham County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census

 * Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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:

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Court Records

 * Judiciary of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Judiciary, Resources for Media at vermont.gov, ($) - click on Records Request
 * United States District Court for the District of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Court Records at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Land Records

 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

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

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Somerset at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
 * Somerset at FamilySearch Places
 * Somerset at Google Maps
 * Somerset at Mapcarta
 * Town of Somerset at Vermont.org
 * Vermont Maps State Page


 * 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.

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

 * Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865

 * Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918

 * Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945

 * Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * Free Online Newspapers for Research at libraries.vermont.gov
 * List of Newspapers in Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Newspapers of Record at Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
 * Vermont Newspapers at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Obituaries

 * 1800s-current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 2003-2014 (*) NewsBank (Naples, Florida) at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Obituaries at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Other 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.

Probate Records
The probate district for Somerset is Marlboro. Marlboro Probate Court 80 Flat St. Suite 104 Brattleboro, VT 05301 Phone: (802) 257-2898
 * 1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Vermont Probate Records

Tax Records

 * 1861-1866 (*) United States. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Taxation at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Albany New York Family History Center
 * Bennington Vermont Family History Center
 * Rutland Vermont Family History Center
 * American Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library
 * Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Griffin Free Public Library - an affiliate library
 * New York State Library and New York State Archives - an affiliate library