Vermont Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
The records in this collection are for the years 1760 to 1870 and 1909 to1954.

How to Use the Record
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following: • The county where the birth, marriage, or death occurred. • The name of the person at the time of marriage. • The approximate date the event occurred. • The place the event occurred. • The name of the individual or individuals such as the names of the bride and groom, the infant, or the deceased.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example: • Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information. • Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names. • Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records. • Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records. • Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records. • Use the parent’s birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family. • The name of the officiator may be a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. • Use a marriage number to identify previous marriages. • The name of the undertaker or mortuary could lead you to funeral and cemetery records which often include the names and residences of other family members. • Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom, this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. • Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify. • When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Keep in mind: • The information in marriage records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant. • Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1900. • There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following: • Check for variant spellings of the surnames. • Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known. • Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. • Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Record Description
The records are handwritten on preprinted pages which have been bound into volumes. The collection consists of vital records (births, marriages, and deaths), cemetery records, and burial and removal permits. They are arranged by town, then by record type, then by date. The content and completeness of the records varies by town.

Record Content
The following important biographical facts may be found in the birth records: • Child’s name • Child’s sex • Birth date • Birth place • Registration date • Race • Parent’s names • Parent’s residence • Father’s occupation • Parent’s birth places

The following important biographical facts may be found in the marriage records: • Full name of bride and groom • Marriage date • Marriage place • Residence of bride and groom • Age of bride and groom • Groom’s occupation • Birth place of bride and groom • Parents of bride and groom • What number of marriage for bride and groom • Officiator

The following important biographical facts may be found in the death records: • Name of deceased • Death date • Death place • Age in days, months, and years • Marital status • Cause of death • Occupation • Birth place • Name of parents • Social Security number • Birth date • Military service • Surviving spouse • Race • Education • Residence • Parent’s names • Informant’s names • Informant’s residence The following important biographical facts may be found in the burial or removal records: • Name of person certificate is issued to • County • City or town • Death date • Name of deceased • Age of deceased • Cause of death • Medical attendant • Purposed date of burial or removal • Purposed place of burial or removal • Undertaker • Undertaker’s address • Name and title of person issuing permit • Permit date

Record History
Vital record keeping began with the earliest permanent settlement, about 1760. All original records are maintained by the town or city. The present vital registration law was enacted in 1857. This statute required all vital events be recorded in the town where they occurred. A centralized registration system was established in 1919 and copies of the town vital records was sent to the state.

This collection consists of three sets of vital record card transcriptions and certificates. All three sets are arranged in alphabetical order.

Why this Record Was Created
These records were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests.

Record Reliability
These records are generally reliable but can vary depending on the knowledge of the informant..

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Related Wiki Articles
Vermont Vital Records

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
It is recommended that you cite the sources of information as you search genealogical records. Citing sources will allow you to avoid duplicate searches later and share your sources with other researchers. A citation with specific details about the source document should allow yourself or others to easily find the source document at a later time. You should cite all sources searched, whether new information is found, to avoid duplicating searches without findings.

Suggested Format

A suggested format for citations created to document information found in FamilySearch Record Search is: Collection title, digital images, from FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: date accessed or downloaded), items of interest. Items of Interest May Include • Name of the person mentioned in the document • File, folder or jacket number • Locality • Record type • Page number • Line number • Date of entry • Digital identification number • Film number You are Invited to Add Source Citations for a Record in This Collection Below: (Normal text, bolded) Please add sample citations to this article following the format guidelines listed above. Examples • United States. Bureau of the Census. 12th census, 1900, digital images, From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: September 29, 2006), Arizona Territory, Maricopa, Township 1, East Gila, Salt River Base and Meridian; sheet 9B, line 71 • Mexico, Distrito Federal, Catholic Church Records, 1886-1933, digital images, from FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org: April 22, 2010), Baptism of Adolfo Fernandez Jimenez, 1 Feb. 1910, San Pedro Apóstol, Cuahimalpa, Distrito Federal, Mexico, film number 0227023

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Style Guide
For guidelines to use in creating wiki articles that describe collections of images and indexes produced by FamilySearch, see: FamilySearch Wiki:Guidelines for FamilySearch Collections pages

Sources of Information for This Collection
Vermont. Public Records Division. Vital Records, 1760-1954. Digital images of originals housed in the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration, Middlesex, Vermont.

How to Cite Your Sources
For instructions on citing specific records or images within this collection.

A full bibliographic record is available in the Family History Library Catalog.