Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Bennington, Vermont at Wikipedia

In January of 1749 New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth chartered Bennington, the first town grant in Vermont.

Bennington was the first settlement in Vermont, west of the Green Mountains. In June, 1761, the first settlers, about twenty people, came from Massachusetts. In 1800 there were no more than twenty houses in what later became the Village of Bennington.

In 1777, Bennington had a large store of supplies that the English felt they should come to Bennington and remove, to satisfy their own needs. General Stark and the Green Mountain Boys successfully fought off the English, keeping the stores in Bennington. To commemorate this victory the Bennington Battle Monument was erected, and dedicated by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891.

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

Bennington Town Clerk
The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office. Bennington Town Clerk 205 South Street Bennington, VT 05201 Phone: (802) 442-1043 Website: http://www.benningtonvt.org/townclerk/index.html

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 Bennington. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Bennington County, website at this link.


 * Bennington Hebrew Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Bennington Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Bushnell-Barney Cemetery aka Barney Cemetery, Bushnell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Hinsdillville Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Kingsley Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * New Catholic Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Bennington Cemetery (aka Old First Church Cemetery, Old First Congregational Church Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Catholic Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Park Lawn Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Rice Cemetery (aka Alfred Winslow Farm Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Vermont Veterns Home Cemetery- inscriptons at Find A Grave site.
 * White Chapel Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Bennington 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 Bennington, 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 Bennington:

1. Jehovah's Witness   393 Gore Rd    Bennington, VT 05201    Phone: (802) 442-8648

2. Old First Church   1 Monument Circle    Bennington, Vermont 05201    Phone: (802) 447-1223    Email : office@oldfirst.comcastbiz.net    Website

3. Sacred Heart Saint Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church   238 West Main Street    Bennington, VT 05201    Phone (802) 442-3141   Website

4. Second Congregational Church   115 Hillside St    Bennington, VT 05201    Phone: (802) 442-2559    Website

5. Seventh Day Adventist Church   404 Houghton Ln    Bennington, VT 05201    (802) 442-4579    Facebook    Website

6. St. Peters Episcopal Church - 1834-1871 Marriage Records   200 Pleasant Street    Bennington, VT 05201    Phone: (802) 442-2911    Facebook    Website

City Directories

 * 1896-1897 Bennington, Vermont 1896 - 97 Directory
 * 1901 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1908-1952 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Bennington at Ancestry - index and images ($),some years may be missing
 * 1908-1960 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Bennington at Ancestry - index and images ($),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 The FamilySearch Library Catalog has several microfilms of Bennington Directories.
 * Various Dates Vermont City Directories in Vermont Repositories.

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.

The Battle of Bennington

The Local History of Bennington, 1860-1883, by Abby Maria Hemenway, is available online.

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


 * 1856 Bennington map

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 Bennington town records available online:

, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images) How to Use this Collection.

The Bennington Town Clerk has downloadable Early Town Records and Genealogical Records (Births 1763 to 1850, Deaths 1763 to 1850, Marriages - Brides 1763 to 1850, and Marriages - Grooms 1763 to 1850).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Bennington Town Clerks Office. These include Town and vital records, 1741-1930; with some deeds, 1741-1809.

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

In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Bennington:
 * 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

Libraries
Bennington Free Library 101 Silver Street Bennington, VT 05201 Phone: (802) 442-9051 Email: webmaster@bfli.org Website: http://benningtonfreelibrary.org/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

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

Societies
Bennington Historical Society 75 Main St, Bennington, VT ‎05201 Phone: (802) 447-1571 Email: bhs@benningtonmuseum.org Website: http://www.benningtonmuseum.org/bennington-historical-society.html