Pittsfield, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

United States

New England

Vermont

Rutland County

Pittsfield

Town Information

Description

Pittsfield, Vermont at Wikipedia

Gov. Thomas Chittenden granted a charter to Pittsfield on June 29, 1781, but it took another 12 years before the town officially organized. The first settlers, Daniel and Joseph Bowe, arrived in 1786, raising a home near the southern border. At that first town meeting, residents permitted mill owner Charles Goodrich to name the town. He decided to call it after his previous residence, Pittsfield, Mass.

Pittsfield's economy thrived because of its two primary natural resources - water and lumber. Both the Tweed and White Rivers run through town. By 1840, water powered a gristmill, three sawmills, a tannery and one fulling mill. But timber proved to be Pittsfield's greatest asset. Starting in the 1860s until 1920, lumber fed the economy.

Like so many other smaller Rutland County towns, Pittsfield's greatest population occurred in the 19th century. In 1840, 615 people lived in town. By 1950, the population had dropped to 225 and the 2010 Census counted 546 residents.

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

Pittsfield Town Clerk

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

Pittsfield Town Clerk
40 Village Green
PO Box 556
Pittsfield, VT 05762
Phone: (802) 746-8170
Email: townofpittsfield@myfairpoint.net
Website: Pittsfield Town Clerk

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 Pittsfield. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Rutland County, website at this link.

• Parmenter Cemetery - inscriptions at Find a Grave site.
• Pittsfiedl Village Cemetery - inscriptios at Find a Grave site.
  

• Pittsfield Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield, 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 Pittsfield:

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

1. Pittsfield Federated United
Rural Route 100
Pittsfield, VT 05762‎
Phone: (802) 746-8698

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

Maps

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

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

• 1854 Rutland County, Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield town records available online:

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

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Pittsfield Town Clerks Office. These include Town records, v. 1-2, 1746-1862, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1864; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1746-1995.

Probate Records

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

The probate district for Pittsfield is Rutland.
Rutland Probate Court
83 Center Street
Rutland, VT 05701
(802) 775-0114

• 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

Pittsfield Vermont Roger Clark Memorial Library
40 Village Green
Pittsfield, VT 05762
Phone: 802-746-4067
Website: Pittsfield Vermont Roger Clark Memorial Library

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

• Lebanon New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
• Rutland Vermont FamilySearch Center
• South Royalton Vermont FamilySearch Center
• Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library
• The Rutland Historical Society - an affiliate library

Societies

Pittsfield Historical Society
Town Hall, On the Green, Pittsfield, VT
Mailing Address: PO Box 574, Pittsfield, VT 05762
Email: fustertk@myfairpoint.net
Phone: (802) 746-8085
Contact: Pat Fuster, Treasurer

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.

FamilySearch affiliate libraries may have access to center-only databases, but do not always have all services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.