Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
The township of Shaftsbury was chartered by Benning Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire, on the l0th day of August, 1761, on the same day upon which the other towns of Dorset, Rupert and Glastenbury were similarly granted. The first meeting of the Proprietors of the Town of Shaftsbury was held in Bennington on March 9, 1762.

Many of the structures in Shaftsbury are original buildings. West on Church Street is the active Methodist Church built in the 1870's. Two miles north on Route 7A the Shaftsbury Historical Society Museum is housed in the oldest Baptist Church in Vermont, founded in 1768.

Farming was a mainstay for residents in Shaftsbury during the last century. In the 1800's, sheep farming and dairying were common. In 1880, there were 246 large and small farms. However, during the 1900's, farming declined, and today there are fewer than a half dozen working farms in town.

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Shaftsbury. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Bennington County, website at this link.


 * Center Shatsbury Cemetery (aka Shaftsbury Center Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Elwell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Fuller Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Grandview Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Little Rhode Island Cemetery (aka Matteson Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Maple Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Millington Burial Ground - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Shaftsbury Village Cemetery (aka South Shaftsbury Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Waite Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Gravestone Records of Shaftsbury, 1908-1910, Levi H. Elwell, can be viewed online.


 * Shaftsbury Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Bennington 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 Shaftsbury, 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 Shaftsbury:

1. Shaftsbury United Methodist Church   127 Church St.    Shaftsbury, VT 05262    Phone: (802) 442-5893

2. Redeemer Lutheran Church   Vermont Hwy 67    Shaftsbury, VT 05262    Phone: (802) 442-8423

City Directories
The Family History Library has microfilm of 1908 through 1932 Shaftsbury City Directories

Vermont City Directories in Vermont Repositories.

Historical Data
The Vermont Historical Gazetteer is a 5 volume set of historical information by Abby Maria Hemenway with Volume I published in 1867 and Volume V completed in 1891 after her death. Also available online in PDF format at this link.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Shaftsbury Historical Society, Inc PO Box 401 Shaftsbury, VT 05262 Website: http://shaftsburyhistoricalsociety.org/ Genealogical Research: Annette Jenkins, (802) 442-8736

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

1856 map of Shaftsbury

Newspapers
Bennington Banner Newspaper

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

The probate district for Shaftsbury is Bennington. Bennington Probate Division 207 South St. Bennington, VT 05201 Phone: (802) 447-2705

Town Histories
Ordinary heroes : the story of Shaftsbury : with a chapter on the Vermont ghost town of Glastenbury, Ruth Levin and Tyler Resch published by the Shaftsbury Historical Society. Book Committee, 1978 --Find a copy 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 Shaftsbury town records available online:

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Shaftsbury Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1765-1913; index to land records, 1765-1917, School records, 1824-1913, Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1765-1908, and Town records, 1718-1840.

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

Town of Shaftsbury 61 Buck Hill Rd Shaftsbury, VT 05262 Phone: (802) 442-4038 Website: http://www.shaftsbury.net/

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