Essex County, Vermont Genealogy

Guide to Essex County, Vermont ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The County was named for the county of Essex in England. The County is located in the northeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Essex County Courthouse 81 Main Street Essex Junction, VT 05452-3209 Phone: 802-676-3910 Fax: 802-676-3463 Essex County Website County Clerk has birth and death records from 1884, marriage and burial records, a few divorce records, court records from 1800 and land records from 1762. Probate Judge has probate records from 1800.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Extinct Towns


 * Bradleyvale
 * Norfolk
 * Wenlock

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Local Histories

 * Jeffrey, William H. Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties. East Burke, Vermont, The Historical Publishing Company, 1904. Internet Archive.
 * Child, Hamilton Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887. Caledonia County, Vermont, Syracuse Journal Company, Printers and Binders, 1887. Google Books.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Newspapers
The following historical newspapers cover Essex County.
 * Essex County Herald, (Guildhall, Vermont) 1873-1964, Essex County Herald Association. Dates of publication: 1873-1963. Published weekly.
 * The Caledonian (St. Johnsbury, Vermont) 1837-1867, A.G. Chadwick. Dates of publication:1837-1867. Published weekly.
 * St. Johnsbury Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vermont) 1867-1919. C.M. Stone &amp; Co. Dates of publication:1867-1919. Published weekly.

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1749-1999 Vermont Wills and Probate Records 1749-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Town Records

 * 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Birth

 * 1732-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1760-1954 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1760-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1765-1908 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Marriage

 * 1732-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1760-1954 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1760-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1791-1974 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Death

 * 1732-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1760-1954 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1760-2008 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1850-2005 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1871-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index

Family History Centers

 * Essex Vermont Family History Center
 * Montpelier Vermont Family History Center
 * Newport Vermont Family History Center
 * Randolph New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Societies

 * Bakersfield Historical Society Bakersfield, VT 05441 Phone: 802-827-3042
 * Canaan Historical Society 27 Park Street Canaan, VT 05903 Phone: 802-266-3989
 * Concord Historical Society PO Box 301 Concord, VT 05824-0301 Phone: 802-695-3330
 * Island Pond Historical Society PO Box 408 Island Pond, VT 05846 Phone: 802-723-4345
 * Lunenburg Historical Society PO Box 195 Lunenburg, VT 05906 802-274-6836 Website

Websites

 * The Essex County VTGenWeb Project, an member of The VTGenWeb Project
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.