Rochester, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Rochester, Vermont at Wikipedia

Rochester was chartered: July 30, 1781 by the Independent Republic of Vermont. Rochester has the largest amount of land in Windsor County, with over 36,000 acres.

When the ill-starred town of Philadelphia was divided up among its neighbors, Rochester and Goshen got Philadelphia Peak, a 3,168-foot-high giant that sits astride their mutual boundary. The name of the mountain is the only thing left as a reminder that Vermont once had a town named to honor the birthplace of the US Constitution.

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Rochester Town Clerk
Rochester Town Clerk P.O. Box 238 Rochester, VT 05767 Phone: (80) 767-3631 Email: rochestertown@comcast.net Website: http://www.rochestervermont.org/

Vital Records

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

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

 * Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at:.
 * Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at:.
 * The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at:.
 * Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Rochester. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Windsor County, website at this link.
 * Rochester Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windsor County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places


 * Bingo Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Little Hollow Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Hollow Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Oliver Reynolds Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Tupper Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Woodlawn Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Census

 * Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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 Rochester, 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 Rochester:
 * Federated Church of Rochester 15 N Main St. Rochester, VT 05767 Phone: (802) 767-3012

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Court Records

 * Judiciary of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Judiciary, Resources for Media at vermont.gov, ($) - click on Records Request
 * United States District Court for the District of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Court Records at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Land Records

 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories

 * History of the town of Rochester, Vt, by Wendall Wales Williams - Find this book in a library.
 * Rochester, Vermont: its history, 1780-1975, with illustrations and maps, by the Rochester Town History Committee - Find this book in a library.

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Rochester at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
 * Rochester at FamilySearch Places
 * Rochester at Google Maps
 * Rochester at Mapcarta
 * Town of Rochester at Vermont.org
 * Vermont Maps State Page


 * Map of modern Rochester

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * The Herald of Randolph
 * Free Online Newspapers for Research at libraries.vermont.gov
 * List of Newspapers in Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Newspapers of Record at Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
 * Vermont Newspapers at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Obituaries

 * 1800s-current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 2003-2014 (*) NewsBank (Naples, Florida) at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Obituaries at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Other 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 Rochester town records available online:
 * FamilySearch.
 * Land records, 1784-1907
 * Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1751-1997; indexes to births, marriages, deaths *Town records, 1782-1920

Probate Records

 * The probate district for Rochester is Hartford. Hartford Probate Court 62 Pleasant Street PO Box 275 Woodstock, VT 05091 Phone: (802) 457-1503
 * 1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Vermont Probate Records

Tax Records

 * 1861-1866 (*) United States. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Taxation at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Libraries

 * Rochester Public Library P.O. Box 256 Rochester, Vermont 05767 Phone: (802) 767-3927 Email: rochester@vals.state.vt.us Website: http://www.rochestervtpubliclibrary.com/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Concord New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Lebanon New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Rutland Vermont Family History Center
 * South Royalton Vermont Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Meredith Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thornton Public Library - New Hampshire - an affiliate library

Societies

 * Rochester Historical Society 22 South Main Street Rochester, VT 05767 Telephone: (802) 767-4453 E-mail: admin@rochesterhistorical.org Website: http://www.rochesterhistorical.org/