Chelsea, Orange County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
The town of Chelsea was chartered on August 4, 1781 by the Vermont State Legislature and was settled in 1784. The town was originally named Turnersburgh. A Town Meeting in 1788 found most of the residents wanting to change the name to Brookline. Not having elected a representative yet, they entrusted Seth Austin (neighboring Tunbridge's representative) to tell the legislature the name they wanted. Nobody is really sure what happened, but by the time the legislative vote was finished, the name had been switched to Chelsea.

A unique feature of Chelsea is the two commons, or greens, as they were called in the early history of the town. Chelsea is located near the center of Orange County and in 1795, it was designated as the seat of the county government, thus becoming the "Shire Town."

Cemeteries
The following is a list of major cemeteries in present-day Chelsea. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Orange County, website at this link.


 * Blaisdell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Highland Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Lincoln Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Chelsea Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Riverside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Wiggins Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Chelsea VT Cemetery map.


 * Chelsea Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * Orange 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 Chelsea, 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 Chelsea:

Congregational Church Records, 1781-1898 - available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Historical Data
Historical Chelsea Photos

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Chelsea Public Library 296 VT Rte. 110 Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-2188 Website: http://www.chelsealibrary.com/

Chelsea Historical Society Mailing Address: 274 East Randolph Road Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4447

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

Plat map of Chelsea, Vermont traced from proprietors pla,, August 1945 - available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

1877 map of Chelsea

Newspapers
The Herald of Randolph

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

The probate district for Chelsea is Orange. Orange Probate Court 5 Court St Chelsea VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4610

Town Histories

 * A History of Chelsea, Vermont, 1784-1984, Chelsea Historical Society - find this book in a library.
 * Chelsea centennial : proceedings of the centennial celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the settlement of Chelsea, Vermont, together with the Orange County Veteran Soldier's reunion. September 4, 1884 - view this book online.
 * Chelsea : the origin of Chelsea, Vermont, and a record of its institutions and individuals - view this book online.

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 Chelsea town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1761-1997, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Chelsea Town Clerk's Office. These include Land records, 1784-1878.

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

Chelsea Town Clerk P.O. Box 266 296 VT Rte. 110 Chelsea, VT 05038 Phone: (802) 685-4460 Email: town.clerk@chelseavt.us Website: http://www.chelseavt.org/

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