Jay, Orleans County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Jay, Vermont at Wikipedia

The Town of Jay was originally known by two different names. The Wyllis family had petitioned Vermont for a northern land grant. The petition was honored by the legislature in March of 1780 for a town to be called Wyllis. This grant was forfeited in 1782 for reasons unknown, although historical sources suggest that the locale was a bit too northerly and remote for the owners.

The second more popular name was Carthage. On December 28, 1792 the legislature decided that "the tract of land known as Carthage was an uncommonly good one" and the remaining two thirds consisting of 15,360 acres were granted in the Charter of North Jay, to John Jay, a former New York State Governor, President of the Continental Congress and the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and a colleague of his, John Crozine, in appreciation for Jay's assistance in settling the land dispute with New York and thereby opening the door to Vermont's becoming the fourteenth state in the Union. To honor the great New York statesman, the township was named Jay.

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

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

Jay Town Clerk 1036 VT Rte 242 Jay, VT 05859 Phone: (802) 988.2996 Email: townofjay@comcast.net Website: http://www.jayvt.com/

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

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

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


 * Jay Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Jay Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Jay Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Orleans 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 Jay, 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 Jay:

City Directories

 * 1884 Jay Town Directory
 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Compiled Genealogies
Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.

Land Records

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

Local Histories
History of Jay, Vermont

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


 * 1878 map of Jay

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
The Newport Daily Express

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: The following are Jay town records available online:

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Jay Town Clerk's Office. These include [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/134047 Vital records of Jay, Vermont, 1844-Jan. 2000; index, 1832-Jan. 2000], Town and vital records, 1789-1889, and Land records (Jay, Vermont); index to records, 1828-1962, 1828-1919.

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

Orleans Probate Division 247 Main Street Newport, VT · 05855 Phone: (802) 334-3305
 * 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

Libraries
Rand Memorial Library 160 Railroad St. Troy, VT 05868 Phone: (802) 988-4741

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