Williamstown, Orange County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Williamstown, Vermont at Wikipedia

Williamstowm was granted its charter on August 9, 1781 by the Vermont State Legislature. Among the early landowners was Elijah Paine who served as Williamstown's first moderator and Representative to the General Assembly, eventually becoming a Vermont Supreme Court Justice, a U.S. Senator from Vermont and a Judge of the U.S. District Court.

The inventor Thomas Davenport, born in Williamstown in 1802, trained as a blacksmith's apprentice before moving to Brandon. He there developed the world's first electric motor which he patented in 1837.

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 The following are Williamstown town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1770-1967, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Williamstown Town Clerk's Office. These include Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1770-1997, and Land records, 1782-1880, 1783-1857.

Williamstown Town Clerk
Town Clerk PO Box 646 2470 VT RT 14 Williamstown, VT 05679 Phone: (802) 433-5455 Email: clerk@williamstownvt.org Website: http://www.williamstownvt.org/

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 major cemeteries in present-day Williamstown. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Orange County, website at this link.


 * East Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Flint Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Williamstown Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Williamstown Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * Orange 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 Williamstown, 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 Williamstown:


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

City Directories

 * 1891-1898 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images, some years may be missing
 * 1930 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1931 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Williamstown 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

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

Local Histories
A history of Williamstown, Vermont, 1781-1991, Williamstown Historical Society - find this book in a library.

Williamstown my own : the history of Williamstown, Vermont, 1781-2012, Williamstown Historical Society - find this book in a library.

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


 * 1877 map of Williamstown

Military
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

 * The Herald of Randolph
 * Valley News
 * 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:

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

The probate district for Williamstown is Orange. Orange Probate Court 5 Court St Chelsea VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4610
 * 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
Ainsworth Public Library P.O. Box 236 Williamstown, VT 05679 Phone: (802) 433-5887 Email: library@williamstownvt.org Website: http://ainsworthpubliclibrary.wordpress.com/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Lebanon New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Montpelier Vermont Family History Center
 * South Royalton Vermont Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Meredith Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thornton Public Library - New Hampshire - an affiliate library

Societies
The Williamstown Historical Society Main Street P.O. Box 338 - Route 14 Williamstown, Vermont 05679 Wbsite: http://www.williamstownvt.org/histsoc.html