Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Shaftsbury, Vermont at Wikipedia

The township of Shaftsbury was chartered by Benning Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire, on the l0th day of August, 1761, on the same day upon which the other towns of Dorset, Rupert and Glastenbury were similarly granted. The first meeting of the Proprietors of the Town of Shaftsbury was held in Bennington on March 9, 1762.

Many of the structures in Shaftsbury are original buildings. West on Church Street is the active Methodist Church built in the 1870's. Two miles north on Route 7A the Shaftsbury Historical Society Museum is housed in the oldest Baptist Church in Vermont, founded in 1768.

Farming was a mainstay for residents in Shaftsbury during the last century. In the 1800's, sheep farming and dairying were common. In 1880, there were 246 large and small farms. However, during the 1900's, farming declined, and today there are fewer than a half dozen working farms in town.

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

Shaftsbury Town Clerk
The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office.

Town of Shaftsbury 61 Buck Hill Rd Shaftsbury, VT 05262 Phone: (802) 442-4038 Website: http://www.shaftsbury.net/

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


 * Center Shatsbury Cemetery (aka Shaftsbury Center Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Elwell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Fuller Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Grandview Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Little Rhode Island Cemetery (aka Matteson Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Maple Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Millington Burial Ground - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Shaftsbury Village Cemetery (aka South Shaftsbury Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Waite Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Gravestone Records of Shaftsbury, 1908-1910, Levi H. Elwell, can be viewed online.


 * Shaftsbury Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Bennington 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 Shaftsbury, 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 Shaftsbury:

1. Shaftsbury United Methodist Church   127 Church St.    Shaftsbury, VT 05262    Phone: (802) 442-5893

2. Redeemer Lutheran Church   Vermont Hwy 67    Shaftsbury, VT 05262    Phone: (802) 442-8423


 * 1700s-1800s (*) Daughters of the American Revolution at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * Vermont Church Records

City Directories

 * 1908-1932 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images, some years may be missing
 * 1921-1952 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Shaftsbury at Ancestry - index and images ($), some years may be missing
 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing
 * Various Dates Vermont City Directories in Vermont Repositories some 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
 * 1782-1832 (*) Bennington County (Vermont). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories
The Vermont Historical Gazetteer is a 5 volume set of historical information by Abby Maria Hemenway with Volume I published in 1867 and Volume V completed in 1891 after her death. Also available online in PDF format at this link.

Ordinary heroes : the story of Shaftsbury : with a chapter on the Vermont ghost town of Glastenbury, Ruth Levin and Tyler Resch published by the Shaftsbury Historical Society. Book Committee, 1978 --Find a copy in a library.

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


 * 1856 map of Shaftsbury

Military
Searchable by Town Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers
Bennington Banner Newspaper
 * 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 Shaftsbury town records available online:

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Shaftsbury Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1765-1913; index to land records, 1765-1917, School records, 1824-1913, Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1765-1908, and Town records, 1718-1840.

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

The probate district for Shaftsbury is Bennington. Bennington Probate Division 207 South St. Bennington, VT 05201 Phone: (802) 447-2705
 * 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

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Albany New York FamilySearch Center
 * Bennington Vermont FamilySearch Center
 * Concord New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
 * Rutland Vermont FamilySearch Center
 * Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Shaftsbury Historical Society, Inc PO Box 401 Shaftsbury, VT 05262 Website: http://shaftsburyhistoricalsociety.org/ Genealogical Research: Annette Jenkins, (802) 442-8736