Bethel, Windsor County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

Vermont

Windsor

Bethel

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 TOWN, 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 TOWN:

Land Records

The following are online land records for the town of TOWN:

Maps

The following are online maps of the town of TOWN:

Probate Records

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

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:

Births Marriages Deaths Burials Cemetery records Appointments Earmarks Estrays (stray animals) Freemens' oaths (men eligible to vote) Land records Mortgages Name changes Care of the poor School records Surveys Tax lists Town meeting minutes Voter registrations Warning outs (of town)

The following are TOWN town records available online:

Town Clerk

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

Brief History

On December 29, 1777, an association was formed at Hanover, New Hampshire for the purpose of making a "settlement on White River and its branches," and in March, 1778, they petitioned the legislature of Vermont for the grant of a township to be called Bethel. This petition met with success and a grant was made on March 18, 1778 and the township charter was issued on December 23, 1779.

The town received its name based on the story of Jacob in the book of Genesis 28:11-22. The group of original settlers camped at the mouth of the Gilead River and used stones for pillows. They recounted the story of Jacob who also used stones as pillows and decided to name the town Bethel as Jacob did in the book of Genesis.

Town Histories

Bethel, the early years : a collection of photographs with annotated text by Irene Cushing and Irene Stafford - Find this book in a library.

The illustrated historical souvenir of Bethel, Vermont : containing a brief history of the early settlement of the town, the schools, churches, medical and legal professions, old families, business and manufacturing interests, together with portraits and biographies of the citizens, past and presen by Fred G. Cox - this book is available online free of charge.

Vital Records

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

Probate Records

The probate district for Bethel is Hartford.
Hartford Probate Court
62 Pleasant Street
PO Box 275
Woodstock, VT 05091
Phone: (802) 457-1503

Maps

1869 map of Bethel

Cemeteries

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

• Cherry Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
  
• East Bethel Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
• Fairview Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
• Gilead Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
  
• Lympus Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
  
• Old Christ Church (Old Church) Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Bethel Vermont cemetery records, 1792-1919 approx., are on microfilm at the Family History Library.  

Churches

• Christ Church (Bethel, Vermont) - records of the church and society, 1821-1947, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
• Records of the Rev. S. A. Parker, containing records of marriage and funerals at which he officiated, 1857-1901, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
  

Town Records

Digital images of Bethel Town records, 1790-1997, are available online at FamilySearch.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Bethel Town Clerk's Office. These include Town records, 1782-1886, Land records, 1779-1897, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1769-1997.

Bethel Town Clerk
134 South Main St.
Bethel, Vermont 05032
Phone: (802) 234-9722
E-Mail: betheltownclerk@comcast.net
Website: http://www.bethelvt.govoffice3.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Town-of-Bethel-Vermont/152244938197111

Newspapers

The Herald of Randolph
Valley News

Libraries and Historical Societies

Bethel Historical Society
318 Main Street
PO Box 25
Bethel, VT 05032
Phone: (802) 234-5064
Website: http://bethelvermont.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethel-Historical-Society/203035726375597

Bethel Public Library
106 Main St.
Bethel, VT 05032
Phone: (802) 234-9107

References

Adjacent towns: