Coventry, Orleans County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
The town of Coventry was chartered on November 4, 1780 by the Vermont Legislature and remained uninhabited, and virtually inaccessible, until 1800. In March of 1800, Samuel Cobb and his son Tisdale, along with their families, became Coventry’s first settlers. It was throughout the year of 1803 that Coventry organized as a town. The first school was organized, with classes being taught in Samuel Cobb’s corn barn. Small business also began to operate in 1803.

The population at the 2010 US Census was 1086.

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


 * Coventry Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Coventry Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Day Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Coventry Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Orleans 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 Coventry, 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 Coventry:

Records of the Congregational Society of Coventry, Vermont 1874-1931, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

City Directories
1883-1884 Coventry Business Directory

Historical Data
Inventory of the town, village and city archives of Vermont, no. 10, Orleans County, vol. V, Town of Coventry, Coventry Fire District no. 1 - view this document online.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.

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

1878 map of Coventry and Coventry Falls Town

Newspapers
The Newport Daily Express

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

Orleans Probate Division 247 Main Street Newport, VT · 05855 Phone: (802) 334-3305

Town Histories

 * A history of Coventry, Orleans County, Vermont, by Pliny H. White (1859) - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * Bits and pieces of Coventry's history, by the Coventry Bicentennial Committee (1977) - find this book in a library.

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 Coventry town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1928 -2001, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Coventry Town Clerk's Office. These include [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1194214 Vital records of Coventry, Vermont, 1872-Jan. 2001].

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

Coventry Town Clerk 168 Main St. Coventry, VT 05825 Phone: (802) 754-2288 Email: covtc@hotmail.com

Vital Records
FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.