Richford, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Richford was chartered on August 21, 1780 by the Vermont Legislature. Richford was one of several towns (others being Berkshire, Enosburgh, Montgomery, Wyllis (now Jay) and Westfield) granted by the fledgling Republic of Vermont as a means of raising money to support her troops (the Continental Congress had refused to help). At £8 each, the proprietors of the new town, mostly Connecticut residents, provided £480 towards the Revolution (over $27 Million in today's dollars).

Neither in England nor in New England is there another Richford after which this Vermont town could have been named. It is thus presumed to be a "made" name, probably intended to convey an image of fertile lands which would be attractive to prospective buyers and settlers (early settlers, struggling to survive, often called it "Poorford"). There are, however, two other Richfords in the US, in New York and Wisconsin. By strange coincidence (there is no discernible connection), Richford, New York is adjacent to a town named Berkshire, as is this Vermont town.

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


 * All Saints Catholic Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Richford Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Hillside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Richford Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * South Richford Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Troy Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Richford Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Franklin 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 Richford, 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 Richford:

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

Richford, Vermont, Land Records, 1854-1907, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Libraries and Historical Societies
Arvin A Brown Library 88 Main St. Richford, VT 05476 Phone:(802) 848-3313 Email: arvinabrown@gmail.com Website: http://aabrown.org/

Richford Historical Society

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

1871 map of Richford and Richford Town

Newspapers
St. Albans Messenger

Vermont Online Historical Newspapers

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

Franklin Probate Division 17 Church St. St. Albans, VT 05478 Phone: (802) 524-7948

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1860-1910, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Town Histories
Richford, Vermont, frontier town : the first hundred and fifty years, by Jack C Salisbury (1987) - 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 Richford town records available online:


 * Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1799-2000, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).
 * Richford, Vermont Town Death Certificates and Burial Permits, 2000-2006, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).
 * The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Richford Town Clerk's Office. These include: Vital records of Richford, Vermont, 1857-June 2000 (including 1804-1841 for Powell family only); a pre-1870 cemetery transcription; and card index to vital records, ca. 1800-June 2000, Index to marriages, 1799-1913, and Deeds, 1800-1871; index to deeds, 1800-1900.

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

Richford Town Clerk 94 Main St. Richford, VT 05476 Phone: (802) 848-7751 Website: http://www.richfordvt.com/

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