Before 1857, vital records in Vermont were recorded and kept at the town level. This made it easy for solving inheritance issues and the distribution of property. However in 1857, state legislature required all towns to report all vital records such as births, marriages, and deaths to the secretary of state.Therefore if you are doing genealogy research and need to search Vermont birth records, you have to note that the vital records in Vermont where not mandatory before 1857 and therefore it might be a little difficult to track certain families and births before that time. However you are also able to find resources from the archives like newspaper records that can help you to track pre 1857 birth records.To make things easy for researchers and for informational purposes, the government of Vermont has released a comprehensive online resource of registered births that is easy to search and use. These online databases are a great resource for anyone that needs to search birth records in Vermont.You are also able to request Vermont birth certificates for yourself or for family member online, or in writing, and for births that occurred within the last ten years, you can order records from the Vermont Vital Records Unit. For older birth records, you will need to request in writing from the Public Records Division of Vermont General Services Center.
In Vermont the Department of Health, Agency of Human Services is responsible for the States vital record. The board of health has had this responsibility since 1896, which was the predecessor to the Department of Health. The Department of Health takes care of vital records including dissolutions, marriages, abortions and deaths. The Vermont death records they keep are a matter of public information and may be searched, verified and certificates may be ordered.
Deaths that have occurred in the last five years are held by the Vermont State Department of Health, past that time they are passed on to the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration. Death records from the past five years may be searched and requested online. The Vermont Death Records allows for verification, a search or a certified copy there is no fee involved in finding out about verification or searching the records; however certified copies do have a fee. Certified death certificates or death records may be required when you’re looking to obtain government benefits, and they are always required when dealing with an insurance agency.
The State of Vermont realized the importance of keeping track of records early on; they were often used much like they are today to help determine inheritance and property rights. They also were used to follow things like epidemics.
