Bristol, Addison County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Originally chartered on June 26, 1762, the town was named Pocock. The town was renamed Bristol in 1789, generally believed to be after Bristol, Rhode Island. The population was 3,894 at the 2010 census.

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


 * Briggs Hill Cemtery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Greenwood Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Mount Saint Joseph Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Varney Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Bristol, Vermont Cemetery Records, 1801-1905, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. and some family history centers. Call ahead for availability.


 * Bristol Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Addison 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 Bristol, 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 Bristol:

Bristol Federated Church History

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Bristol Historical Society 19 West Street Bristol, VT 05443 Phone: (802) 453-3439 Website: http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/10021

Lawrence Memorial Library 40 North Street Bristol, Vermont Phone: (802) 453-2366 Website: http://www.lawrencelibrary.net/

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

1871 Bristol Township map

Newspapers
Burlington Free Press

Rutland Herald

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

The probate district for Bristol is Addison. Addison Probate Court 7 Mahady Court Middlebury, VT 05753 Phone: (802) 388-2612

Town Histories

 * History of Bristol, Vermont (1762-1940), by Carrie K Harvey and Clara M Kellogg (1941) - find this book in a library.
 * History of Bristol, Vermont, 1762-1980, by Kenneth W Dike (1981) - find this book in a library.
 * Bristol, Vermont : the early history, by Harvey Munsill (1979) - 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 Bristol town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1868-1981, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Bristol Town Clerk's Office. These include Deeds, 1785-1851, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1868-1999; indexes to births, deaths, marriages, 1856-1999.

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

Bristol Town Clerk 1 South St. PO Box 249 Bristol, VT 05443 Phone: (802) 453-2410 Website: http://www.bristolvt.org/

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