Waitsfield, Washington County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Waitsfield was created by Vermont charter on February 25, 1782. It was granted to militia Generals Benjamin Wait and Roger Enos and others, and named for Wait. The primary villages in the town are Waitsfield and Irasville.

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


 * Common Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Irasville Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Wait Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Watisfield Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Waitsfield Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Washington 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 Waitsfield, 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 Waitsfield:

Records of the Congregational Church in Waitsfield, 1796-1876, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Joslin Memorial Library 4391 Main St. Waitsfield, VT 05673 Phone:(802) 496-4205 Website: http://www.joslinmemoriallibrary.com/

Waitsfield Historical Society PO Box 816 Waitsfield, VT 05673 Website: http://www.waitsfieldhistoricalsociety.com/

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

1873 map of Fayston and Waitsfield, Irasville

Newspapers
Burlington Free Press

The Barre Montpelier Times-Argus

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

The probate district for Waitsfield is Washington. Washington District Probate Court 10 Elm St. #3 Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: (802) 828-3405

Town Histories

 * Historical address delivered August 7, 1889, at the centennial celebration : commemorating the first settlement of the town of Waitsfield, Vermont, by General Benjamin Wait - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * History of the town of Waitsfield : incl. an engraving of Bethany Church at Montpelier, and papers from Marshfield and Middlesex (1882) - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * History of the Town of Waitsfield1782-1908, with Family Genealogies, by Matt Bushnell Jones (1909).

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 Waitsfield town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital Records, 1918 -1988, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images)

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Waitsfield Town Clerk's Office. These include:


 * A book of records for births, deaths, and marriages for the town of Waitsfield, ca. 1780-1856
 * Deaths as occurred in Waitsfield, Vt. since 1872, 1872-1910
 * Record of marriage certificates, 1852-1876
 * Records of births, deaths, and marriages, 1868-1911; index to births, deaths, and marriages, 1857-1908
 * Records of births, v. 1-5, 1903-1929; card index to births, 1903-1997
 * Records of deaths, 1909-1997
 * Records of marriages, v. 1-7, 1905-1941
 * Deeds, 1795-1856.

Waitsfield Town Office 9 Bridge Street Waitsfield, VT 05673 Phone: (802) 496-2218 Website: http://www.waitsfieldvt.us/clerk/

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.