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Vermont Marriage, Death, Birth Records

The first settlers of Vermont carried on the early New England tradition of recording events at the town level. The vital records are incomplete before mandatory registration began in 1857. It is not uncommon to find an entire family recorded as a family group before 1820. In some cases, although the event was recorded in a particular town, it may have actually occurred in another town or state where the family previously resided. Not all the births were recorded, even for families that did report some. Marriages and deaths in the pre-1857 period were less likely to be recorded.

What was recorded, with some exceptions, has been extracted from the originals in the towns and indexed in a central file held by the Vermont Public Records Division. All events indexed before 1980 can be found at the division's new facility on Route 2, Middlesex, Vermont (Exit 9 on Interstate 89). The mailing address is General Services Administration, Drawer 33, Montpelier, Vermont 05633-7601.

No thorough survey has ever been taken to determine whether some towns' early vital records were inadvertently missed in the statewide index. It is known that Holland, Sheffield, Maidstone, and Troy vital records were not included, and some vital records from Burlington in the 1870s seem to be missing entirely.

Anyone can search the microfilm at the Public Records Division, or a search can be requested by mail for a charge of $5 per event. This includes a certified copy of the microfilmed index card, if found, containing a reference for locating the original record in the individual town records. The microfilmed card index is broken down into eight time periods: 1760–1870; 1871–1908; 1909–41; 1942–54; 1955–1979; 1980; 1981; and 1982. Separate cards for births, marriages (both bride and groom), death, and cemetery records are in the index. Cemetery cards, however, appear only in the 1760–1870 microfilm grouping. The statewide index was created about 1919, and in the process, the state surveyed all the cemeteries in Vermont to record deaths before 1857, the year mandatory recording began. Generally, only those gravestones that were still standing in 1919 and mentioned deaths before 1857 were included in the survey.

Microfilm copies of the first two time periods (1760–1870, 1871–1908) are additionally available at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and through the FHL.

After 1857, many births were recorded before a child was named. Unnamed infants are listed in reverse chronological order in the front of that surname's listing in the card index. The index is filed in strict alphabetical order. Variants in spellings must be checked thoroughly.

While the state issues a certified copy of the microfilmed index card as its “official” record, the original record in the town clerk's office, often recorded with other family vital records, may provide additional information helpful in research. Once the index card has been located with the reference for the original record, it is often important to obtain a copy of the event as it appears in its original form. The reference on the index card will indicate where to locate the event in the town's original records. Since a large majority of the town's original records are also on microfilm in the Public Records Division, microfilm copies of the originals can be researched there. Vermont's town records before 1850 are also on microfilm through the FHL, although the holdings are not as complete as at the Public Records Division.

At the Public Records Division, a separate statewide microfilm index to divorce decrees covers 1861–1968. The decree books themselves are also microfilmed and available there. Summary divorce papers from 1968–1979 are arranged alphabetically by surname in one group at the division.

Choose A County in Vermont

Vermont Vital Records Section, P.O. Box 70, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05402; (802) 863-7275 (Make check or money order payable to Vermont Department of Health)

Public Records Division in Middlesex
(802) 828-3286
Fax: (802) 828-3710.

Event: Birth
- Cost of copy: $7.00
- Remarks: For past 5 years order from Dept of Health, Prior to 5 years ago order from Public Records Division
Event: Marriage
- Cost of copy: $7.00
- Remarks: For past 5 years order from Dept of Health, Prior to 5 years ago order from Public Records Division
Event: Divorce
- Cost of copy: $7.00
- Remarks: For past 5 years order from Dept of Health, Prior to 5 years ago order from Public Records Division. If the State offices do not have the record, contact the Town Clerk in the town where the divorce was granted. Fees vary.
Event: Death
- Cost of copy: $7.00
- Remarks: For past 5 years order from Dept of Health, Prior to 5 years ago order from Public Records Division

Click Here to Search Vermont Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Below is a list of online resources for Vermont Vital Records.