Williston, Chittenden County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Williston, Vermont at Wikipedia

Williston was granted as a town on June 7, 1763. Williston was one of ten towns granted on the same day to many of the same people, named for Samuel Willis, a wealthy Quaker from Long Island and the first grantee named. Thomas Chittenden, Vermont's first governor and for whom the county is named, is credited with being the first to settle in Williston.

With the coming of the Central Vermont Railroad, the smaller village of North Williston became a focal point, in 1876 the site of the first cold storage plant in New England. Tons of meat, poultry, butter and eggs could be stored here before being shipped to the New York and Boston markets.

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office The following are Williston town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1764-1998, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Williston Town Clerk's Office. These include Indexes (B, M: 1764-1956, D: 1800-1956), births (1866-1930), marriages (1883-1950), deaths (1883-2001), Vital records, 1766-1870; indexes to vital records, 1763-1951, and Land records and deeds, 1772-1906; index to deeds, 1772-1950.

Williston Town Clerk
Williston Town Clerk 7900 Williston Rd. Williston, VT 05495 Phone: (802) 878-5121 Website: http://www.town.williston.vt.us/

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

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

 * Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at:.
 * Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at:.
 * The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at:.
 * Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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


 * Deer View Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Morse Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Thomas Chittenden Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Williston Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Chittenden County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census

 * Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

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 Williston, 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 Williston:
 * 1700s-1800s (*) Daughters of the American Revolution at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
 * Vermont Church Records

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Court Records

 * Judiciary of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Judiciary, Resources for Media at vermont.gov, ($) - click on Records Request
 * United States District Court for the District of Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Vermont Court Records at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Land Records

 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories

 * A History of the town of Williston : with special reference to Governor Thomas Chittenden, who was the most distinguished citizen of the town as well as of the state, 1763-1913 - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * Our town, Williston, Vermont, Richard H Allen (1987) - find this book in a library.
 * The Williston story, F. Kennon Moody and Floyd D. Putnam (1961) - find this book in a library.

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Williston at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
 * Town of Williston at Vermont.org
 * Williston at FamilySearch Places
 * Williston at Google Maps
 * Williston at Mapcarta
 * Vermont Maps State Page


 * 1869 map of Williston

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * Burlington Free Press
 * Free Online Newspapers for Research at libraries.vermont.gov
 * List of Newspapers in Vermont at Wikipedia
 * Newspapers of Record at Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
 * Vermont Newspapers at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Obituaries

 * 1800s-current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 2003-2014 (*) NewsBank (Naples, Florida) at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Obituaries at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Other 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:

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

The probate district for Williston is Chittenden. Chittenden District Probate Court 175 Main St. PO Box 511 Burlington VT 05402 Phone: (802) 651-1518
 * 1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Vermont Probate Records

Tax Records

 * 1861-1866 (*) United States. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Taxation at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Libraries
Dorothy Alling Memorial Library 21 Library Lane Williston, Vermont, 05495 Phone: (802) 878-4918 Email: daml@williston.lib.vt.us Website: http://www.williston.lib.vt.us/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Essex Vermont Family History Center
 * Montpelier Vermont Family History Center
 * Newport Vermont Family History Center
 * Plattsburgh New York Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Societies
Williston Historical Society P.O. Box 995 Williston, VT. 05495 Phone: (802) 878-4918 Email: WillistonHistoricalSociety@williston.lib.vt.us Website: http://www.whsvt.org/