Colchester, Chittenden County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Colchester was chartered on June 7, 1763. Colchester was first settled by Ira and Ethan Allen and their cousin, Remember Baker. Ira Allen was the first Town Clerk. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census making Colchester the fourth-largest town in Vermont by population.

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


 * Champlain Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Colchester Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Fanny Allen Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Fort Ethan Allen Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Holy Cross Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Mallett's Bay Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Merrill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Methodist Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Munson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Stephen's Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Colchester Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Chittenden 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 Colchester, 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 Colchester:

Historical Data
Vintage Photos

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Burnham Memorial Library 898 Main Street (Rte. 2A) Colchester, VT 05446 Phone: (802) 264-5660 Website: http://colchestervt.gov/Library/

Colchester Historical Society

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

1869 map of Colechester

Military Records
Colchester Vermont Enrolled Militia records, 1863-1867 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Newspapers
Burlington Free Press

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

The probate district for Colchester is Chittenden. Chittenden District Probate Court 175 Main St. PO Box 511 Burlington VT 05402 Phone: (802) 651-1518

Town Histories

 * History of the town of Colchester, Ruth Wright Paulsen (1963) - find this book in a library.
 * Colchester Center : the evolution of a village, Kenneth A Degree; Colchester Historical Society (1998) - find this book in a library.
 * Look around Colchester and Milton, Vermont, Lilian Baker Carlisle; Christopher W Closs; Chittenden County Historical Society.; et al (1975) - 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 Colchester town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1795-2001, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Colchester Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records and deeds, 1774-1912; indexes, 1763-1922.

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

Colchester Town Clerk 781 Blakely Rd. PO Box 55 Colchester, VT 05446 Phone: (802) 264-5520 Website: http://colchestervt.gov/TownClerk/townClerkHome.shtml

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