Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont Genealogy

Guide to Vergennes, Addison ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Town Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Vergennes, Vermont at Wikipedia

Although Vergennes was settled as early as 1766 when Donald McIntosh built a homestead on Comfort Hill overlooking the Otter Creek Falls, most of the inhabitants left the county during the period from 1766 to 1783 when boundary disputes with New York and the Revolutionary War made peaceful settlement impossible. After 1783 the population expanded rapidly, and by 1787 it was evident the falls, with its milling and shipping activities, was very different from the outlying agricultural communities. In 1788, residents of the three bordering towns agreed to give up a portion of their land to establish a separate village on the Otter Creek Falls.

On September 19, 1788, Vergennes was incorporated as a city, the third in the new nation and the first in the state. It is the only one of Vermont's cities not to have been first chartered as a town or independant village. Its name was suggested by Ethan Allen to honor the Comte de Vergennes, French minister of foreign affairs and negotiator of the Treaty of Paris. ^[1] ^[2]

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

Vergennes 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.

Vergennes City Clerk
120 Main St.
PO Box 35
Vergennes, VT 05491
Phone: (802) 877-2841
Website: Vergennes

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 Vergennes. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Addison County, website at this link.

Prospect Cemetery - inscriptions found at Find a Grave site.
Saint Peters Cemetery - inscriptions found at Find a Grave site.
Vergennes Burying Ground (Old Vergennes Cemetery) - inscriptions found at Find a Grave site.

Vergennes Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
Addison County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
Addison 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 Vergennes, 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 Vergennes:

Marriage book of Wm. Putnam Rallson, FS Library Collection (records of marriages for Vergennes, VT. 1888-1892) - available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Records, 1833-1915 - available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.
Includes: Historical notes
List of ministers
Records of baptisms 1833-1915
Families, confirmations, communicants, marriages 1835-1915
Burials 1835-1914
Contributions and offerings
List of meetings

Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society.
Includes: Marriage repertoire, 1856-1947 - find this book in a library.
Baptism repertoire1855-1945 - find this book in a library.

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]

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
1774-1926 County Records Including Deeds of Middlebury, Vermont, 1784-1870; Index to Deeds, 1774-1926 (Addison County, Vermont)(*) Addison County (Vermont). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - index & images
Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Vergennes, Vermont and the War of 1812, by Norman Ansley, Richard K Adams, Arthur B Cohn, and Kevin James Crisman (1999) - find this book in a library.

Maps[edit | edit source]

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

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

1871 map of Vergennes City

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]

Addison County Independent ($)
Burlington Free Press
Rutland Herald

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 Vergennes town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1770-1999 at FamilySearch (browse only images).

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Vergennes City Clerk's Office. These include Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1999; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1770-1999.

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

The probate district for Vergennes is Addison.
Addison Probate Court
7 Mahady Court
Middlebury, VT 05753
Phone: (802) 388-2612

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

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]

Bixby Memorial Library
58 Main Street
Vergennes, VT 05491
Phone: 802-877-2211
Email: bixby_verg@vals.state.vt.us
Website

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.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries