Peru, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Town Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Peru was chartered by Governor Wentworth on October 12, 1761 under the name of Bromley. In February, 1803, a petition from the inhabitants of Bromley to change the name of the town to Peru was approved by the governor's council. It is said that Bromley had a reputation abroad of being a poverty stricken place, and that Peru was substituted on account of the reported mineral wealth of Peru in South America.

The western part of the town is taken up entirely by mountains. The best known mountain is the ski resort Bromley Mountain, the only remaining evidence of the town's original name. ^[1]

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

Peru 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.

Peru Town Clerk
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 127 Peru, VT 05152
Physical Address: 402 Main Street Peru, VT
Phone: (802) 824-3065
Email: perutown@myfairpoint.net

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 cemeteries in present-day Peru. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Bennington County, website at this link.

North Cemetery- inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
Peru Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.

Peru Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
Bennington County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
Bennington 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 Peru, 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 Peru:

1. Peru Congregational Church
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 212 , Peru, VT 05152
Physical Address: Main St, Peru, VT
Phone: (802) 379-1438

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]

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Vermont Census 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
1782-1832 Miscellaneous County Records, 1782-1832 (Includes Land Records0(*) Bennington County (Vermont). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

The Vermont Historical Gazetteer is a 5 volume set of historical information by Abby Maria Hemenway with Volume I published in 1867 and Volume V completed in 1891 after her death. Also available online in PDF format at this link.

Reunion celebration together with an historical sketch of Peru, Bennington County, Vermont : and its inhabitants from the first settlement of the town, Ira K. Batchelder. Read online.

Maps[edit | edit source]

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

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

1856 Map of Peru

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military[edit | edit source]

Searchable by Town 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]

The Manchester Journal

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 Peru town records available online:

Digital images of Peru Town records 1769-1950 vol 1, 4, 7, and 10-11 are availble online at FamilySearch.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Peru Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1802-1920, Card index to births, marriages, and deaths in the town records, 1769-1858, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1994.

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 Peru:

The probate district for Peru is Manchester.
Manchester Probate Court
P.O. Box 446, Manchester, VT 05846
Phone: (802) 362-1410

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]

Museums[edit | edit source]

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries[edit | edit source]

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.

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