Washington County, Vermont Genealogy Records

Selected record inventories for Washington County, their listed years, and where to ask for access.

Selected inventory review: 2026-11-02. Selected newspaper catalog metadata checked for state and county attribution. Publication dates do not establish complete issue holdings or online access. Library of Congress newspaper directory

Formed
1810
County seat
Montpelier
Addison CountyBennington CountyEssex CountyFranklin CountyGrand Isle CountyLamoille CountyOrleans CountyRutland CountyWindham CountyWindsor CountyCaledonia CountyChittenden CountyOrange CountyWashington CountyAddisonFranklinLamoilleOrleansRutlandWindsorCaledoniaChittendenOrangeWashington
Washington CountyParent counties (search here for earlier records)Today's boundaries ยท U.S. Census Bureau

Listed record inventories

Selected holdings and indexes for Washington County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.

Newspapers

See the repository's descriptions and search options

Repository access note: Selected newspaper titles cataloged by the Library of Congress with explicit county geography. Priority is given to titles beginning by 1950; up to five later titles are included where no earlier dated title is listed for that county. Dates describe publication history, not the issues available at a library. Multiple format records with the same title, place and dates are grouped. The catalog may describe paper, microfilm or online resources. Open ends and the word Current reflect the catalog description; confirm present availability and exact holdings with the libraries listed on the linked record.

Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.

Where to find the records

  • Find Washington County's official website

    We haven't checked this county's website yet, so this opens a web search. Look for an address ending in .gov, then find the town clerk and the probate court.

  • The town clerk

    In Vermont, land records and births, marriages and deaths are kept by each town, not the county.

  • The probate court

    Wills and estates, by probate district (now the probate division of the Superior Court).

  • The Vermont State Archives

    In Middlesex: state vital records and copies of many town and court records.

  • Vermont State Archives and Records Administrationfree

    The state archives in Middlesex, with vital records, court records and records of state government.

  • FamilySearch Catalogfree

    Search by place for "Vermont, Washington" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.

Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.

Boundaries and parent counties

Formed from: Caledonia County, Chittenden County, Orange County

Check the parent counties for earlier records: Caledonia County, Chittenden County, Orange County

Later formed partly from Washington County: Lamoille County

AddisonEssexOrleansGrand IsleFranklinWindsorRutlandCaledoniaOrangeChittendenJeffersonJeffersonCaledoniaOrangeChittendenEssexOrleansFranklinWindsorRutland
Jefferson as created in 1810Where its land was the day beforeToday's boundaryBoundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries

Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1810, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.

Research tip

Vermont's towns keep land and vital records, and the state has kept copies of births, marriages and deaths from 1857 on. Search by town, not county.