Searsburg, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Searsburg was chartered on February 23, 1781, by Thomas Chittenden, governor of Vermont, but was not surveyed or allotted until about the year 1800.

From about the year 1800 to about 1830, no titles of land seems to have passed from the original proprietors. Occasionally during this period a man moved into town, but the inclemency of the seasons and the uninviting nature of the land seems to have induced an early removal from the area.

The Searsburg turnpike, leading from Wilmington to Bennington, was begun in 1830, and for the next four years the population of the town seems to have increased quite rapidly. The population was 96 at the 2000 census.

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


 * Crosier Cemetery (Farrington Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Cutler Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Earnes Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Cemetery records of the town of Searsburg, Vermont, 1832- 1869 - microfilm of original records at the Family History Library.


 * Searsburg 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 Searsburg, 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 Searsburg:

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 Searsburg:

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

1856 map of Searsburg

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 Searsburg:

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

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 Searsburg town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005, can be found on FamilySerach (browse only images) at this link.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Searsburg Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1820-1899; index to land records, 1820-1977, and Vermont, Bennington County, Searsburg, land records, 1900-1913.

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

Searsburg Town Clerk Mailing Address: P.O. Box 157 Wilmington, VT 05363 Physical Address: 18 Town Garage Road Searsburg, VT 05363 Phone: (802) 464-8081 Email: josiekil@yahoo.com

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