Vermont Church Records

United States   Vermont    Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary greatly 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. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominantly of one nationality or ethnic group.

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Vermont were the Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist, and Roman Catholic churches. For a list of churches in Vermont, see John Gordon Melton’s National Directory of Churches, Synagogues and Other Houses of Worship in United States Church Records. The Family History Library has the records of some denominations in Vermont. Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. To locate these repositories, write to the following addresses:

Baptist
Bailey-Howe Library University of Vermont Burlington, VT 05405-0036 Phone: (802) 656-2020 Fax: (802) 656-4038

American Baptist Historical Society 1106 South Goodman Street Rochester, NY 14620 Phone: (716) 473-1740

For a history of the Baptist church, see:


 * Crocker, Henry. History of the Baptists in Vermont. Bellows Falls, Vermont: P. H. Gobie Press, 1913. Digital version: FamilySearch. Paper or film versions: (Family History Library .) Other libraries with this book (WorldCat). This book includes an index.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
Early church records, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for Vermont Wards and Branches can be found on film and are located at the LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

The film numbers, for each ward, can be locate through:


 * The Family History Library Catalog. Use the Place-names Search for the town where your ancestor lived. On the list of record types, click Church records to see a list of the records.
 * Jaussi, Laureen R., and Gloria D. Chaston. Register of Genealogical Society Call Numbers. 2 vols. Provo, Utah: Genealogy Tree, 1982. . These volumes contain the film numbers for many (but not all) membership and temple record films.

Congregational
Congregational Library 14 Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108 Phone: (617) 523-0470 Fax: (617) 523-0470

For a history of the Congregational churches in Vermont from 1762 to 1914, see:


 * Comstock, John Moore. The Congregational Churches of Vermont and Their Ministry, 1762–1914, Historical and Statistical. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Caledonian, 1915. Digital version: Internet Archive. Book and filmed versions:(Family History Library .)] This book includes historical information and is arranged by town.

Episcopal
Episcopal Diocesan Center 5 Rock Point Road Burlington, VT 05401-2735 Phone: (802) 863-3431 Fax: (802) 860-1562

For further information, see:


 * Historical Records Survey (Vermont). Inventory of Church Archives of Vermont, No.1, Diocese of Vermont, Protestant Episcopal. Montpelier, Vermont: The Survey, 1940. (Family History Library .) This book also includes a historical sketch of each parish or mission.

Methodist
Green Mountain College Library One College Circle Poultney, Vt 05764 Phone: (802) 287-8225 Fax: (802) 287-8222 (Attention Library)

Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic genealogical records are kept in each individual parish. For general information, or for the location and addresses of parishes, contact:

Diocese of Burlington 351 North Avenue Burlington, VT 05401 Phone: (802) 658-6110 Fax: (802) 658-0436

The diocese includes the counties of: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor

Assemblee des Eveques du Quebec 1225 St. Joseph Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec Canada H2J 1L7 Phone: (514) 274-4323

Universalist and Unitarian

 * MacDonald, Edith Fox. Rebellion in the Mountains: The Story of Universalism and Unitarianism in Vermont. Concord, New Hampshire: New Hampshire Vermont District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 1979. (Family History Library book ; film .) This book relates the history of these religions and their coming together. It shows societies in each county and lists the names, dates, and locations of the ministers’ churches, including the names of the laymen who were involved. It includes an index.

For more information, see United States Church Records.

More sources can be found looking for Church records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place-name Search under:


 * VERMONT, [COUNTY], [TOWN] — CHURCH RECORDS
 * VERMONT, [COUNTY] — CHURCH RECORDS
 * '''VERMONT — CHURCH RECORDS

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Vermont Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Vermont Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)