Strafford, Orange County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Strafford was granted its charter on August 12, 1761. The first known permanent settlers in Strafford arrived about 1767, establishing what is now called the “Old City” settlement. The discovery of copperas and copper ore at Strafford in the 1790s led to the creation of the Elizabeth Mine Company and the Vermont Mineral Company. During the last period of its operation the Elizabeth Mine was the largest in New England.

Town Histories
The town house : being the first volume of a projected series of occasional writings on the history of the town of Strafford, Vermont, by Gwenda Smith, 1992 - find this book in a library.

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

Probate Records
The probate district for Strafford is Orange. Orange Probate Court 5 Court St Chelsea VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4610

Maps
1877 map of Strafford

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


 * Clough Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Evergreen Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Gove Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Kibling Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old City Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Robinson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Strafford Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Town Records.
Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1903-1998, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

Strafford Land Records, 1850-1902, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Strafford Town Clerk's Office. These include Town and vital records, 1779-1905, Deeds, 1784-1850, and Proprietors records, 1761-1831.

Strafford Town Clerk Physical address: 227 Justin Morrill Highway Mailing address: P.O. Box 27 Strafford, VT 05072 Phone: (802) 765-4411 Email: townclerk@straffordvt.org Website: http://www.townofstraffordvt.com/

Newspapers
The Herald of Randolph

Valley News

Libraries and Historical Societies
Morrill Memorial &amp; Harris Library 220 Justin Morrill Highway PO Box 110 Strafford, VT 05072 Phone: (802) 765-4037 Email:strafford@vals.state.vt.us Website: http://www.straffordlibrary.org/

Strafford Historical Society P.O. Box 100 Strafford, VT 05072 Phone: (802) 765-4379 Website: http://www.straffordvt.org/straffordhistory/straffordhistoricalsociety