West Fairlee, Orange County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
The town of West Fairlee was chartered on February 25, 1797 by the Vermont Legislature and was organized on March 31, 1797.

West Fairlee had originally been a part of Fairlee for nearly 36 years. Geography, with the line of high hills running north and south through the middle of the original Fairlee, and in those days transportation would certainly be reasons for the division.

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


 * Bloodbrook Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Kidderhood Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Middle Brook Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Fairlee Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Fairlee Villiage Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * West Fairlee Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Orange 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 West Fairlee, 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 West Fairlee:

The West Fairlee Center Congregational Church History

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
West Fairlee Public Library 894 VT Rte 113 West Fairlee, Vermont, 05083 Phone: (802) 333-3502 Email: westfairleelibrary@hotmail.com Website: http://westfairleelibrary.wordpress.com/

West Fairlee Historical Society Community Building 894 VT Rte 113 Mailing Address: PO Box 163 West Fairlee, Vermont, 05083 Phone: (802) 333-4285 Email: rkbailey@sover.net

Maps
The following are online maps of the town of West Fairlee:

1877 map of West Fairlee and Fairlee

Newspapers
The Herald of Randolph

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

The probate district for West Fairlee is Orange. Orange Probate Court 5 Court St Chelsea VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4610

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 West Fairlee town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1777-1863, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

West Fairlee Land Records, 1892-1902, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the West Fairlee Town Clerk's Office. These include Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1856-1997; card index to births, marriages, deaths, 1900-1998, Deeds, 1797-1852; index to deeds, 1797-1939, and Land records, 1852-1896, land records index, 1901-1947; proprietor's records, 1761-1800.

West Fairlee Town Clerk 870 VT Rte 113 West Fairlee, Vermont 05083 Phone: (802) 333-9696 Email westfairleetc@hotmail.com Website: http://www.westfairleevt.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.