Genealogical Research in Vermont

Vermont was first explored by Samuel de Champlain in 1609, and though few settled there over the next 150 years, French, Dutch, English, and Iroquois Indians traversed the area over trails that connected New York and Massachusetts with Montreal. The French briefly set up shop on Isle La Motte in 1666, and there was another short-lived settlement at Chimney Point in 1690. The first permanent settlement Ft. Dummer was built in 1724 near present day Brattleboro.

By 1764 the Governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, had granted 131 town charters in the territory, claiming that his colony extended as far west as did Massachusetts and Connecticut. In that same year New York claimed Vermont as part of Albany County after the crown established its northeastern boundary at the Connecticut River. Fearing they would lose their land, the New Hampshire land owners formed the Green Mountain Boys, flouting the New York courts and scaring off defenseless settlers from out of the territory.

The Green Mountain Boys helped to capture Ft. Ticonderoga after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and the frontiersmen remained a lethal force in the northern theater for the next two years. A Vermont contingent routed German detachments sent by British General Burgoyne toward Bennington after a skirmish at Hubbardton on 16 August 1777, a battle that led to the general's surrender at Saratoga, New York

In 1777 Vermont declared itself an independent republic under the name of “New Connecticut.” They drew up a constitution that abolished slavery and providing universal manhood suffrage, while confiscating Tory land and adopting the laws of Connecticut. Most residents were in favor of joining the United States, but the dominant Green Mountain Boys, many of whom had large holdings in the northwest, desired free trade with Canada, even if that meant rejoining the British Empire. The Green Mountain faction was subsequently defeated politically however, and negotiations settled the claims of New York and catapulted Vermont into the Union on March 4, 1791.

Between 1781 and 1810, the population of Vermont exploded from around 30,000 to almost 220,000. The new settlers were spread over the hills in self-sufficient homesteads, and subsequent generations would establish towns with charcoal-fired furnaces, water-powered mills, churches, schools, general stores, craft shops, and printing presses. During the US foreign trade embargo of 1808, northwestern Vermonters were forced to smuggle, and trade with Canada continued through the War of 1812. During the Civil War, Vermont was an avid supporter of the Union cause.

In 1823 the Champlain-Hudson Canal was opened, followed by the early railway lines between 1846 and 1853. Vermont became more vulnerable to western competition, and this period saw many small farms and businesses fail, and many emigrating from the state to greener pastures. Those that remained however gained increasing purchasing power, and they gained a temporary advantage in milk and wool production and cheese making. Light industry expanded and the population was stabilized by the immigration of Irish and French Canadians.

Famous Battles Fought in Vermont

Vermont has had a very quiet military history, though the Green Mountain Boys, a band of Vermont frontiersman were largely responsible for the Capture of Ft. Ticonderoga during the Revolutionary War.

The battle accounts that exist can be very effective in uncovering the military records of your ancestor. They can tell you what regiments fought in which battles, and often include the names and ranks of many officers and enlisted men.

Boundary Changes: Boundary changes are a common obstacle when researching Vermont ancestors. You could be searching for an ancestor’s record in one county when in fact it is stored in a different one due to historical county boundary changes. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries can help you to overcome that problem. It provides a chronological listing of every boundary change that has occurred in the history of Vermont.

Name Changes: Surname changes, variations, and misspellings can complicate genealogical research. It is important to check all spelling variations. Soundex, a program that indexes names by sound, is a useful first step, but you can't rely on it completely as some name variations result in different Soundex codes. The surnames could be different, but the first name may be different too. You can also find records filed under initials, middle names, and nicknames as well, so you will need to get creative with surname variations and spellings in order to cover all the possibilities. For help with surname variations read our instructional article on How to Use Soundex.

Genealogical resources include not only records, but the organizations that house them, or can direct you to them. These institutions include: Archives, Libraries, Genealogical Societies, Family History Centers, Universities, Churches, and Museums.

Vermont Archives

Vermont Mailing Lists

Mailing lists are internet based facilities that use email to distribute a single message to all who subscribe to it. When information on a particular surname, new records, or any other important genealogy information related to the mailing list topic becomes available, the subscribers are alerted to it. Joining a mailing list is an excellent way to stay up to date on Vermont genealogy research topics. Rootsweb have an extensive listing of Vermont Mailing Lists on a variety of topics.

Vermont Message Boards

A message board is another internet based facility where people can post questions about a specific genealogy topic and have it answered by other genealogists. If you have questions about a surname, record type, or research topic, you can post your question and other researchers and genealogists will help you with the answer. Be sure to check back regularly, as the answers are not emailed to you. The message boards at the Vermont Genealogy Forum are completely free to use.

Vermont Newspapers and Periodicals

Many genealogy periodicals and historical newspapers contain reprinted copies of family genealogies, transcripts of family Bible records, information about local records and archives, census indexes, church records, queries, land records, obituaries, court records, cemetery records, and wills.

Historical Vermont Maps and Gazetteers

Maps are an integral part of genealogical research. They help us to locate landmarks, towns, cities, parishes, states, provinces, waterways and roads and streets. They also help us to determine when and where boundary changes might have taken place, and give us a visualization of the area we’re researching in.

For locating place names, a gazetteer is the best possible resource for any genealogist. Gazetteers are also sometimes called “place name dictionaries”, and can help you to locate the area in which you need to conduct research.

Vermont City Directories

City directories are similar to telephone directories in that they list the residents of a particular area. The difference though is what is important to genealogists, and that is they pre-date telephone directories. You can find an ancestor’s information such as their street address, place of employment, occupation, or the name of their spouse. A one-stop-shop for finding city directories in Vermont is the Vermont Online Historical Directories which contains a listing of every available historical directory related to Vermont.

Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records – Also known as vital records, birth, death, and marriage certificates are the most basic, yet most important records attached to your ancestor. The reason for their importance is that they not only place your ancestor in a specific place at a definite time, but potentially connect the individual to other relatives. Below is a list of repositories and websites where you can find Vermont vital records

Vermont began recording official records of births and deaths in 1911. Marriage licenses were required starting in 1867, but not filed at state level until 1913.

Marriage and Divorce Records

Marriages prior to May 1913 were recorded in the district county courts where the marriage took place. Vermont marriage licenses did not include the names of the parents unless the bride or groom was underage. Records can be found at:

Divorce records from 1861 until July 1951 were recorded in the Vermont District Courts.

Copies of official divorce records after July 1951 can be ordered from the Vermont Office of Vital Statistics.

Census Reports

Census records are among the most important genealogical documents for placing your ancestor in a particular place at a specific time. Like BDM records, they can also lead you to other ancestors, particularly those who were living under the authority of the head of household.

Vermont Church Records

Church and synagogue records are a valuable resource, especially for baptisms, marriages, and burials that took place before 1900. You will need to at least have an idea of your ancestor’s religious denomination, and in most cases you will have to visit a brick and mortar establishment to view them.

Most church records are kept by the individual church, although in some denominations, records are placed in a regional archive or maintained at the diocesan level. Local Historical Societies are sometimes the repository for the state’s older church records.

Central Repositories for Denominational Records

Most of the records of individual denominations are kept in central repositories.

Vermont Military Records

More than 40 million Americans have participated in some time of war service since America was colonized. The chance of finding your ancestor amongst those records is exceptionally high. Military records can even reveal individuals who never actually served, such as those who registered for the two World Wars but were never called to duty.

Vermont Cemetery Records

As convenient as it is to search cemetery records online, keep in mind that there are a few disadvantages over visiting a cemetery in person. They are:

• Tombstone information is not always accurately transcribed
• The arrangement of the graves in a cemetery can be crucial as family members are often buried next to each other or in the same grave. This arrangement is not always preserved in the alphabetical indexes that are found online.

Vermont Obituaries

Obituaries can reveal a wealth about our ancestor and other relatives. You can search our Vermont Newspaper Obituaries Listings from hundreds of Vermont newspapers online for free.

Vermont Wills and Probate Records

The documents found in a probate packet may include a complete inventory of a person’s estate, newspaper entries, witness testimony, a copy of a will, list of debtors and creditors, names of executors or trustees, names of heirs. They can not only tell you about the ancestor you’re currently researching, but lead to other ancestors.

Most of these records must be accessed at a county court or clerk’s office, but some can be found online as well. You can obtain copies of the original probate records by writing to the county clerk.

Vermont probate records have been recorded by the probate division clerks of the Vermont District Courts and include dockets, wills, oaths, inventories, letters, bonds, appraisements, accounts, court orders, claims, and final settlements.

Vermont Immigration and Naturalization Records

The naturalization process generated many types of records, including petitions, declarations of intention, and oaths of allegiance. These records can provide family historians with information such as a person's birth date and place of birth, immigration year, marital status, spouse information, occupation, witnesses' names and addresses, and more.

Most overseas immigrants came to Vermont through east coast ports such as New, and then traveled by railway to Vermont. Earlier immigrants landed at New Orleans and then traveled by steamboats upriver to Vermont. The U.S. National Archives has passenger lists or indexes of American ports for 1820 to 1940, as well as immigration and naturalization records for the entire United States. These records can also be accessed at the National Archives Regional Branch in Vermont City

Vermont Native American Records

Bibliographies

• Women in Vermont: A Bibliography, Marilyn Blackwell (Vermont History 56 (1988) 84-101)
• Plain and Fancy: Vermont’s People and Their Quilts as a Reflection of America, Richard L. and Donna Bister Cleveland (Quilt Digest, 1991)
• Collecting Vermont Ancestors, Alice Eicholz (New Trails, 1986)
• Green Mountain Girls, Charles T. Morrissey (Vermont Life, Summer 1973)
• Those Intriguing Indomitable Vermont Women, Jean K. Smith (Vermont State Division of the American Association of Women, 1980)

Selected Resources for Vermont Women’s History

Bailey-Howe Memorial Library
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405

Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Rd.
Shelburne, VT 05482

Women’s Studies Program
Middlebury College
Munroe Hall
Middlebury, VT 06753

Common Vermont Surnames

The following surnames are among the most common in Vermont and are also being currently researched by other genealogists. If you find your surname here, there is a chance that some research has already been performed on your ancestor.

ABBOT, ABBOTT, ABERNATHY, ABORN, ADAMS, ADES, ALDEN, ALDRICH, ALEXANDER, ALLEN, AMBLER, AMERMAN, ANDERSON, ANDREWS, ASKINS, ATWOOD, AUSTIN, AVARANCHES, AYERS, BAKER, BALDWIN, BALL, BARNES, BARRETT, BARROWS, BARRY, BARTON, BATCHELDER, BEARDSLEY, BEASOM, BEECHER, BEMIS, BENNETT, BERRY, BERWICK , BEVILL, BIXBY. BLACK, BLISS, BLODGETT, BLOOD, BOTHWELL, BOYNTON, BROCKETT, BROWN, BUSS, BUTLER, BUTTERFIELD, CAMPBELL, CANDEE, CANTRELL, CHAMBERLAIN, CHANDLER, CHAPMAN, CHASE, CLARK, COBB, COLE, COOK, CRAM, CRON, CROSBY, CUMMINGS, CUTLER, DANIELS, DART, DARTT, DEAN, DEGRAW, DODGE, DOW, DRAPER, DUTTON, DWINEL, DYKE/DIKE, EATON, EGAN, ELLIS, ESTABROOKS, FARNSWORTH, FAUST, FELCH, FISHER, FITCH, FLETCHER, FOLSOM, FOSTER , FOWLER, FRENCH, FULLER, GARY, GEARY, GIBSON, GODDARD,GOULD, GRANT, GREEN, HAINES, HALL, HAMILTON, HANNAFORD, HANSON, HARRINGTON, HARTWELL, HAZELTINE, HAZEN, HENDERSON, HENSON, HILL, HITCHCOCK, HOAR, HODGMAN, HOFF, HOGG , HOLDEN, HOLDREN, HOLLAND, HOLT, HOPKINS, HORACE, HOWLAND, HUSTED, HYLAND, INMAN, IRISH, IVEY, JACKSON, JENKINS, JENKS, JENNINGS, JERDEE, JOHNSON, JONES, KAPTURE, KEEP, KENDALL, KERBY, KIMBALL, KING, KINNEY, KINSMAN, KNAPP, LANE, LARKEY, LAROCK, LAWRENCE , LEONARD, LEWIS, LOCKWOOD, LUCE, MANCHESTER, MANIFOLD, MARBLE, MARCY, MARKHAM, MARSH, MARSHALL, MARTIN, MASSEY, MAXHAM, MCCANCE, MCDONALD, MCINTOSH, MCNEILL, MELLON, MILLARD, MILLER, MINCHEY, MOHAN , MOORE, MORIN, MORSE, MOSELEY, NARDUZZI, NELSON, NEWTON, NICHOLS, NUTTING, O'REAR, OLBERT, OLCOTT, ORCUTT, OTIS, PAGE, PALMER, PARKER, PARVIN, PATTERSON, PEAKER, PECK, PERKINS, PERRY, PHILLIPS, PIERCE, PIERSON, POOLE, POWERS, PRATT, PRESTON, PROCTOR, PUTNAM, RAYMOND, REDMON, REED, REID, ROBBINS, ROBINSON, ROCKWELL, ROGERS, ROWLAND, RUSSELL, SAID, SANBORN, SAVAGE, SAWYER, SCHNEIDER, SCHREIBER, SCOTT, SEAVER, SEVERANCE, SEYMOUR, SHED, SHEDD, SHEPARD, SIMMONS, SKINNER, SLAIGHT, SMITH, SMITHSON, SNELL, SNIDE, SPAULDING, SPENCER, SPERRY, SPRAGUE , ST SAUVEUR, STEARNS, STEPHENSON, STEVENSON, STEWART, STILES, STOWELL, SYLVESTER, TALBOT, TAYLOR, THOMAS, THOMPSON, TRACY, TUFTS, TUGGLE, TURNER. VANCE. VARNUM, WALDRON, WALKER, WALLIS, WALTON, WARNER, WARREN, WASHBURN, WEBSTER, WELLINGTON, WELLMAN, WESTON, WHEELER, WHITNEY, WILLEY, WILLIAMS, WILLIAMSON, WILSON, WINSLOW, WOOD, WOODRUFF, WRIGHT, YOUNG