Sheldon, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Sheldon was chartered on August 18,1763. Sheldon was originally named Hungerford for the chief grantee, Samuel Hungerford, a Connecticut resident. Sometime after the town was granted, a man named Field bought Hungerford's interest, and also acquired some of the other grantees' shares in the town. He in turn sold to Colonel Elisha Sheldon of Salisbury, Connecticut, a veteran of one of the Connecticut line regiments during the Revolutionary War.

A railroad stop named Olmstead Falls became known for the recuperative powers of "the waters" of what were known as the Missisquoi Springs in that part of town. In 1884, Olmstead Falls became Sheldon Springs in a move probably designed to draw attention to the town as a resort area. After the largest hotel in town was destroyed by fire (set by a disgruntled employee) the village declined as a tourist spot, but the name remains.

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


 * East Sheldon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Grace Episcopal Church Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Missisquoi Valley Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Sheldon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Rice Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Anthonys Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Sheldon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Sheldon Poor Farm Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Webster Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Sheldon Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Franklin 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 Sheldon, 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 Sheldon:

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

Sheldon, Vermont, Land Records, 1852-1900, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Libraries and Historical Societies
Sheldon Public Library 1640 Main Street Sheldon, Vermont 05483 Phone: (802) 933-2524

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

1871 map of Sheldon Town and Sheldon, Sheldon East, Junction Town

Newspapers
St. Albans Messenger

Vermont Online Historical Newspapers

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

Franklin Probate Division 17 Church St. St. Albans, VT 05478 Phone: (802) 524-7948

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1860-1910, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Town Histories
The history of St. Albans, Vt : civil, religious, biographical and statistical, by L.L. Dutcher with valuable contributions from James Davis ... [et al.]. And The history of Sheldon, Vt. / by H.R. Whitney, George B. Tolman and A.H. Bailey (1872) - view a digital copy of 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 Sheldon town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1799-2000, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Sheldon Town Clerk's Office. These include: [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/348075 Town and vital records of Sheldon, Vermont, 1798-Sept. 2000], and Deeds, 1794-1852.

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

Sheldon Town Clerk 1640 Main Street P.O. Box 66 Sheldon, VT 05483 Phone: (802) 933-2524 Email: tc@sheldonvt.com

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