Rochester, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Rochester was chartered: July 30, 1781 by the Independent Republic of Vermont. Rochester has the largest amount of land in Windsor County, with over 36,000 acres.

When the ill-starred town of Philadelphia was divided up among its neighbors, Rochester and Goshen got Philadelphia Peak, a 3,168-foot-high giant that sits astride their mutual boundary. The name of the mountain is the only thing left as a reminder that Vermont once had a town named to honor the birthplace of the US Constitution.

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


 * Bingo Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Little Hollow Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Hollow Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Oliver Reynolds Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Tupper Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Woodlawn Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Rochester Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windsor 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 Rochester, 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 Rochester:

1. Federated Church of Rochester   15 N Main St.    Rochester, VT 05767    Phone: (802) 767-3012

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Rochester Historical Society 22 South Main Street Rochester, VT 05767 Telephone: (802) 767-4453 E-mail: admin@rochesterhistorical.org Website: http://www.rochesterhistorical.org/ Rochester Public Library P.O. Box 256 Rochester, Vermont 05767 Phone: (802) 767-3927 Email: rochester@vals.state.vt.us Website: http://www.rochestervtpubliclibrary.com/

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

Map of modern Rochester.

Newspapers
The Herald of Randolph

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

The probate district for Rochester is Hartford. Hartford Probate Court 62 Pleasant Street PO Box 275 Woodstock, VT 05091 Phone: (802) 457-1503

Town Histories
History of the town of Rochester, Vt, by Wendall Wales Williams - Find this book in a library.

Rochester, Vermont: its history, 1780-1975, with illustrations and maps, by the Rochester Town History Committee - 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 Rochester town records available online:

Digital images of Rochester Town records 1903-1997 are available online at FamilySearch.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Rochester Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records, 1784-1907, Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1751-1997; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, and Town records, 1782-1920.

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

Rochester Town Clerk P.O. Box 238 Rochester, VT 05767 Phone: (80) 767-3631 Email: rochestertown@comcast.net Website: http://www.rochestervermont.org/

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