Church records and the information they provide vary greatly 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. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominantly of one nationality or ethnic group.

Before 1900 the largest religious groups in Vermont were the Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Methodist, and Roman Catholic churches. For a list of churches in Vermont, see John Gordon Melton’s National Directory of Churches, Synagogues and Other Houses of Worship in the “Church Records” section of the United States Research Outline (30972).

The Family History Library has the records of some denominations in Vermont. Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. To locate these repositories, write to the following addresses:

Baptist

Bailey-Howe Library
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405-0036
Telephone: 802-656-2020
Fax: 802-656-4038
Internet: http://sageunix.uvm.edu/~sc/

American Baptist Historical Society
1106 South Goodman Street
Rochester, NY 14620
Telephone: 716-473-1740
Attn: Karen Sundland
Internet: www.abhs@crds.edu

For a history of the Baptist church, see:

Crocker, Henry. History of the Baptists in Vermont. Bellows Falls, Vt.: P. H. Gobie Press, 1913. (FHL film 1033832, item2; fiche 6051223; computer number 122476.) This book includes an index.

Congregational

Congregational Library
14 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Telephone: 617-523-0470
Fax: 617-523-0470
Internet: www.14beacon.org

For a history of the Congregational churches in Vermont from 1762 to 1914, see:

Comstock, John Moore. The Congregational Churches of Vermont and Their Ministry, 1762–1914, Historical and Statistical. St. Johnsbury, Vt.: Caledonian, 1915. (FHL book 974.3 K2cc; film 874201, item3; fiche 6046853 [set of 3]; computer number 167116.) This book includes historical information and is arranged by town.

Episcopal

Episcopal Diocesan Center
5 Rock Point Road
Burlington, VT 05401-2735
Telephone: 802-863-3431
Fax: 802-860-1562

For further information, see:

Historical Records Survey (Vermont). Inventory of Church Archives of Vermont, No.1, Diocese of Vermont, Protestant Episcopal. Montpelier, Vt.: The Survey, 1940. (FHL book 974.3 K23h; computer number 78603.) This book also includes a historical sketch of each parish or mission.

Methodist

Green Mountain College Library
One College Circle
Poultney, Vt 05764
Telephone: 802-287-8225
Fax: 802-287-8222 (Attention Library)
Internet: www.greenmtn.edu

Roman Catholic

Roman Catholic genealogical records are kept in each individual parish. For general information, or for the location and addresses of parishes, contact:

Archives of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington
351 North Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
Telephone: 802-658-6110
Fax: 802-658-0436
Internet: www.vermontcatholic.org

Assemblee des Eveques du Quebec
1225 St. Joseph Blvd. East
Montreal, Quebec
Canada H2J 1L7
Telephone: 514-274-4323

Universalist and Unitarian

MacDonald, Edith Fox. Rebellion in the Mountains: The Story of Universalism and Unitarianism in Vermont. Concord, N.H.: New Hampshire Vermont District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 1979. (FHL book 974.3 K2m; computer number 524028; film 0974420; computer number 304770.) This book relates the history of these religions and their coming together. It shows societies in each county and lists the names, dates, and locations of the ministers’ churches, including the names of the laymen who were involved. It includes an index.

For more information, see the “Church Records” section of the United States Research Outline (30972). More sources can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Locality Search under:

VERMONT- CHURCH RECORDSVERMONT, [COUNTY]- CHURCH RECORDSVERMONT, [COUNTY], [TOWN],- CHURCH RECORDS

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