Dorset, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Dorset was chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth on Aug. 20, 1761.

The country's first commercial marble quarry was opened in South Dorset by Isaac Underhill in 1785 on the land of Reuben Bloomer. Over the next 130 years, two dozen or more quarries located on the slopes of Dorset Mountain and Mt. Aeolus were quarried.

It was in 1775 and 1776, that this town hosted the vitally important Dorset Conventions which set the stage for the creation of the Republic and later the state of Vermont.

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


 * Curtis Cemetery- inscriptios at Find A Grave site.
 * East Dorset Cemetery (aka South Village Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Maple Hill Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Morse Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Dorset Cemetery (aka Whitney Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Jeromes Catholic Church Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Dorset Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * 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 Dorset, 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 Dorset:

1. St Jerome Parish   398 Bonnet St    East Dorset, VT 05253    Phone: (802) 362-1380

2. United Church of Dorset   143 Church St    Dorset, VT 05251    Phone: (802) 867-2260

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.

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Dorset Village Library P. O. Box 38 Route 30 &amp; Church St Dorset, VT 05251 Phone: (802) 867-5774 E-mail: dorsetlibrary@aol.com Website: http://www.dorsetlibraryinfo.org/

Dorset Historical Society PO Box 52 Route 30 at Kent Hill Road Dorset, VT 05251 Phone: (802) 867-0331 E-mail: info@dorsetvthistory.org Website: http://www.dorsetvthistory.org/index.php

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

1856 Dorset map

Newspapers
Bennington Banner Newspaper

The Manchester Journal

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

Town Histories
History of the Dorset Inn

Dorset VT Marble History

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 Dorset town records available online:

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Dorset Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1764-1906; index to land records, 1764-1939, [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/665009 Town records, vols. A, C, 1-3, 1734-1949], and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1856-1994; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1734-1994.

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 Dorset PO Box 715 112 Mad Tom Road East Dorset, VT 05253 Phone: (802) 362 4571 Email: dorsetclerk@gmail.com Website: http://www.dorsetvt.org/clerk.php

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