Derby, Orleans County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
The town of Derby was granted on October 29, 1779 by the Vermont Legislature. It was not until 1788 that Derby was actually chartered. The document was back-dated to when the grant was made by the Legislature. The town of Derby includes four unincorporated villages: Beebe Plain, Clyde Pond, Lake Salem and North Derby; and two incorporated villages: Derby Center and Derby Line. The Town of Derby encompasses the largest area in Orleans County.

Just south of Derby, Gatesborough had been granted but the fees were never paid, so the town was sold and chartered as Salem. The Legislature eventually agreed with the town of Derby's complaint that some 6,000 acres of Salem overlapped Derby, in addition to which part of Salem was under the waters of Lake Memphremagog. Salem's proprietors were refunded a portion of the purchase price, but the town never developed into a viable entity. Part of it was annexed to Newport in 1816 (now part of Newport city); the remainder went to Derby in 1880, resulting in Derby's unusual size and shape.

The population at the 2010 US Census was 4,621.

Historical Data

 * Inventory of the town, village and city archives of Vermont, no. 10, Orleans County, town of Derby, villages of Derby, Derby Line - view this document online.
 * Inventory of the town, village and city archives of Vermont, town of Salem, 1781-1880 : supplement to no. 10, Orleans County, vol. VII, town of Derby - view this document online.

Town Histories

 * Derby : from Hemenway's Historical gazetteer of Vermont - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * History of Derby, by Cecile B Hay and Mildred B Hay (1998) - find this book in a library.

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

Probate Records
Orleans Probate Division 247 Main Street Newport, VT · 05855 Phone: (802) 334-3305

City Directories
Derby Town directories for 1884.

West Derby Town directories: 1896-1897 and 1916.

Maps
1878 map of Derby

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


 * Chase-Cowles Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Derby Cemter Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Derby Line Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Kelsey-Morrill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Pine Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Edwards Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Salem Derby Cemetery - inscriptons at Find A Grave site.
 * Salem Lake Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Town Records
Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1857-1995, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Derby Town Clerk's Office. These include Vital records of Derby, Vermont, 1827-April 2001; indexes, 1794-April 2001, Index to vital records, 1790-1905, Land records, 1790-1921; with general index, and Deeds, 1820-1852.

Derby Town Clerk 124 Main St. Derby, VT 05829 Phone: (802) 766-4906 Email: derbytownclerk@derbyvt.org Website: http://derbyvt.org/

Newspapers
The Newport Daily Express

Libraries and Historical Societies
Dailey Memorial Library 101 Jr High Dr. Derby, VT 05829 Phone: (802) 766-5063 Email: derby@vals.state.vt.us Website: http://daileymemoriallibrary.org/

Derby Historical Society PO Box 357 Derby, VT 05829 Phone: (802) 766-5324 Email: bill@gardyne-vermont.com Derby Historical Society Website

Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.