Norwich, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
The town of Norwich was established on July 4, 1761. The first settlers reached the area in 1763 and the first town meeting occurred in April 1768. The town was named after Norwich, Connecticut, the state from which the first settlers originated. In the original charter, the name was spelled "Norwhich", but the additional 'h' was dropped shortly after the town was chartered.

In 1819, Alden Partridge, a former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, founded the private "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy" in Norwich. Within six years, the school enrollment reached 500 cadets. The school was moved back to Middletown, Connecticut, in 1825, but returned in 1835 with a charter from the U.S. Congress to found another military academy, which remained in Norwich until 1866 when it burned to the ground. The school then relocated to Northfield, Vermont, where it exists today as Norwich University.

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


 * Beaver Meadows Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site
 * Fairview Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Four Corners Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Hillside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Hogback Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Meeting House Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * New Boston Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Parkhurst Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Podunk - Newton Cemtery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Rogers - Hartshorn Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Union Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Waterman Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Norwich Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Windsor 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 Norwich, 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 Norwich:

Congregational Church of Christ records, 1792-1853, are available on microfilm. Church records include minutes of meetings, list of members, covenants, confession of faith, births, baptisms, deaths, and marriages.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Norwich Historical Society 277 Main Street P. O. Box 1680 Norwich, VT 05055 Phone: (802) 649-0124 Email: info@norwichhistory.org Website: http://norwichvthistoricalsociety.org/

Norwich Public Library PO Box 290 368 Main St. Norwich, VT 05055 Phone: (802) 649-1184 Website: http://www.norwichlibrary.org/

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

1869 map of Norwich

Newspapers
The Vermont Standard

Rutland Herald Newspaper

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

The probate district for Norwich is Hartford. Hartford Probate Court 62 Pleasant Street PO Box 275 Woodstock, VT 05091 Phone: (802) 457-1503

Town Histories
A history of Norwich, Vermont (1905), by M. E. Goddard, and Henry V. Partridge - this book is available free of charge online.

Norwich University, 1819-1911: her history, her graduates, her roll of honor, by William Arba Ellis - this book can be viewed online free of charge.

Norwich, Vermont: A History (2011), by the Norwich Historical Society - Available at the Norwich Historical Society. 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 Norwich town records available online:

Digital images of Norwich Town records, 1761-1996, are available online at FamilySearch.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Norwich Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records, 1761-1908; general index to land records, 1761-1884, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1996.

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

Norwich Town Clerk 300 Main St. Norwich, VT 05055 Phone: (802) 649-1419 Email: Clerk@norwich.vt.us Website: http://norwich.vt.us/

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