Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Rutland County

Pawlet

Town Information

Description

Pawlet, Vermont at Wikipedia

Pawlet was chartered in 1761 and probably named after the Pawlet family in England. By 1768, a gristmill turned on Flower Brook, a tributary of the Mettawee, and Pawlet grew around the mill.

Two additional villages developed within the town boundaries: North Pawlet and West Pawlet, which sits right on the New York border adjacent to Granville. Nine families lived in Pawlet when it organized in 1769.

By the time Vermont became a state in 1791, Pawlet had the second greatest population in Rutland County.

Pawlet's agricultural history passed through several stages. Potash, gained by the burning of timber during the clearing of fields, became the first cash crop. Eventually thousands of sheep dotted the land in the 19th century, but when that craze subsided, dairying took hold.

Both sheep and cows created industry. Factories manufactured wool and dairies managed the raw milk. S. Bardwell opened Vermont's first cheese factory in Vermont in Pawlet in 1864. Prior to that farmers manufactured cheese at home.

Starting in the 1860s Pawlet witnessed further diversification in its economic base. It had centered around agriculture, but the discovery of a rich slate belt running through the western part of town changed that region.

Fair Haven tapped its slate resources in 1839, however, it took several decades more for the slate boom to reach Pawlet. Quarries opened in West Pawlet in the 1860s and roofing slates were the prime manufactured product. Dillingham, Rising & Nelson, Hugh W. Hughes and Brownell Slate & Flagging represented some of the firms.

The domination of this industry is still apparent by the large waste piles that remain near working or abandoned quarries and the numerous slate roofs found on local houses. The Rising & Nelson Company still operates.

The Rutland & Washington Railroad that passed through West Pawlet made transportation of this product more manageable and assisted in bringing experienced Welsh immigrant quarry workers.

Before becoming known as West Pawlet, the village had the name of Mark's Crossing because of the railroad.

The Delaware & Hudson Railroad eventually purchased the Rutland & Washington. Trains ran on the line until its abandonment in the 1980s. The stretch from West Pawlet to Rupert has been converted to a recreational path for four-season enjoyment

Populated Places

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

Town Records

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

Pawlet Town Clerk

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

Pawlet Town Clerk
122 School St
Pawlet, VT 05761
Phone: (802) 325-3309, extension 1
Fax: (802) 325-6109
Email: pawletclerk@vermontel.net
Website

Vital Records

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

Births

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

Resources

For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

• 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

The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Pawlet. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Rutland County, website at this link.

• Bardwell Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Blossom Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Hulett Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Mettawee Valley Cemetery - inscriptons at Find a Grave site.
• Mountain View Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
  
• Northeast Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Old Pawlet Cemetery - inscriptons at Find a Grave site.
  

• Pawlet Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Pawlet Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Rutland County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Rutland County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Census

• Vermont Census at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Church Records

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 Pawlet, 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 Pawlet:

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

1.  Pawlet Community Church
     PO Box 116
     Pawlet, VT 05761
     (802) 325-3022

2.  Mettawee Valley Church
     2946 VT Route 153
     West Pawlet, VT 05775
     (802) 645-9052
 

City Directories

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

Court Records

• 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

Land Records

• 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

• Pawlet (Vermont) for One Hundred Years, Hiel Hollister, 1867, printed by J. Munsell, Albany, New York.  Full text online at this link.
• Historical photos

Maps

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

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

• 1854 Rutland County, Pawlet map

Military

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
• United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
• United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

• Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
• United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

Rutland Herald online at this link.

• 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

• 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

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 Pawlet town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1732-2005, can be found on FamilySerach (searchable and browse only records) at this link.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Pawlet Town Hall.

Probate Records

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

The probate district for Pawlet is Fair Haven.

Fair Haven Probate Court
3 North Park Place
Fair Haven, VT 05743
(802) 265-3380

• 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

Tax Records

• 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

Research Facilities

Libraries

Pawlet Public Library
141 School St,
Pawlet, VT 05761
Phone:(802) 325-3123
Website
Email: pawlet_pub@vals.state.vt.us

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• 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.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Bennington Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Rutland Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
• The Rutland Historical Society - an affiliate library

Societies

Pawlet Historical Society
79 School St
Pawlet, VT 05761‎
Phone: (802) 325-2406

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