Canaan, Essex County, Vermont Genealogy

Town Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Canaan was chartered on February 25, 1782 by the Vermont Legislature. The town of Canaan consists of several subdivisions such as Beecher Falls, Wallace Pond (also knows as Lake Wallis), South Canaan, and Canaan Hill.

During the 1800’s, people began migrating to Canaan as it was strategically located on the border with Canada and New Hampshire. During the 1900’s many people immigrated to Canaan from Quebec, Canada. Today there are a number of French Canadian families living in the area and French is spoken at many social gatherings. ^[1] ^[2] ^[3]

Parent Towns[edit | edit source]

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities,
Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

Adjacent Towns[edit | edit source]

Town Records[edit | edit source]

In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Canaan Town Clerk[edit | edit source]

The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office.

Canaan Town Office
PO Box 159
318 Christian Hill
Canaan, VT 05903
Phone: (802) 266-3370
Website: http://www.canaan-vt.org/contactus.html

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.

Births[edit | edit source]

1909-Onward Vermont, Births at MyHeritage — index ($)

Marriages[edit | edit source]

Deaths[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Town Reports[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

For more County and State resources see:

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. 1-2.
Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1-6.
The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vols. 1-4.
Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

The following is a list of major cemeteries in present-day Canaan. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Essex County, website at this link.

Alice Hunt Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Canaan Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Canaan Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Morrison Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Schoolhouse Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.

Canaan Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
Essex County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
Essex County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census[edit | edit source]

Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Historically, the largest religious groups in Vermont were the Congregational, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches. For general information about Vermont denominations, view the New Hampshire Church Records wiki page.

To see the churches in Canaan, visit.

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly 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. The following are church records available online for the town of Canaan:

1700s-1800s Vermont Miscellaneous Records (Includes Vermont Church Records)(*) Daughters of the American Revolution at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
Vermont Church Records

City Directories[edit | edit source]

Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Compiled Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Northeast Kingdom Genealogy - Genealogy resources for towns in the counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia.

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Judiciary of Vermont at Wikipedia
Vermont Judiciary, Resources for Media at vermont.gov ($) - click on Records Request
United States District Court for the District of Vermont at Wikipedia
Vermont Court Records at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Immigration[edit | edit source]

Land Records[edit | edit source]

1600s-1900s Vermont Land Records, Early to 1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry ($),
Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

History of Canaan, Vermont by Beatrice Schoff Holmes (1976) - find this book in a library.

Maps[edit | edit source]

This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps

Boundary Map of Canaan at HomeTownLocator
Canaan at FamilySearch Places
Canaan at Google Maps
Canaan at Mapcarta
McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
Town of Canaan at Vermont.org
Vermont Maps State Page

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military[edit | edit source]

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783[edit | edit source]

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

Civil War, 1861-1865[edit | edit source]

For more Civil War Military Records see:

World War I, 1917-1918[edit | edit source]

For more World War I Military Records see:

World War II, 1941-1945[edit | edit source]

For more World War II Military Records see:

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Free Online Newspapers for Research at libraries.vermont.gov
List of Newspapers in Vermont at Wikipedia
Newspapers of Record at Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
Vermont Newspapers at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

1800s-current U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current at Ancestry - index & images ($)
1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
2003-2014 Vermont Obituaries, 2003-2014(*) NewsBank (Naples, Florida) at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
Vermont Obituaries at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Other Town Records[edit | edit source]

In Vermont, most records are kept at the town level and generally began being kept at the founding of the town. These records may include the following:

Births
Marriages
Deaths
Burials
Cemetery records
Appointments
Earmarks
Estrays (stray animals)
Freemens' oaths (men eligible to vote)
Land records
Mortgages
Name changes
Care of the poor
School records
Surveys
Tax lists
Town meeting minutes
Voter registrations
Warning outs (of town)

The following are Canaan town records available online:

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Canaan Town Clerk's Office. These include Vital records of Canaan, Vermont, 1857-Feb. 2001, Town meeting records, 1796-1903, and Deeds and land records, 1797-1902.

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Canaan:

The probate district for Canaan is Essex.
Essex Probate Court
Main St.
Box 426
Island Pond, VT 05846
Phone: (802) 723-4770

1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
1800-1921 Vermont Probate Files, 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
Vermont Probate Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

1861-1866 Internal revenue assessment lists for Vermont, 1861-1866(*) United States. Department of the Treasury. Internal Revenue Service at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
Vermont Taxation at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Alice M. Ward Memorial Library
P.O. Box 134
27 Park Street
Canaan, VT 05903
Phone: (802) 266-7135
Email: alicewardmemoriallibrary@yahoo.com
Website: http://alicewardmemoriallibrary.wordpress.com/

Museums[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries[edit | edit source]

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FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

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