Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Montpelier, Vermont at Wikipedia

Montpelier was selected as the capital of Vermont in 1805 after considerable squabbling among many towns; there had been no permanent capital since becoming a state 14 years earlier.

After construction of the capitol building in what was then the village of Montpelier, village residents began to agitate for a separate identity. In 1848 the Legislature divided the original town in two: Montpelier and East Montpelier. The former got most of the people, the seat of state government and the choice river valley location; the latter got most of the land but little else. In 1895, the Town of Montpelier was further incorporated as a city. Montpelier was selected as the capital of Vermont in 1805 after considerable squabbling among many towns; there had been no permanent capital since becoming a state 14 years earlier.

After construction of the capitol building in what was then the village of Montpelier, village residents began to agitate for a separate identity. In 1848 the Legislature divided the original town in two: Montpelier and East Montpelier. The former got most of the people, the seat of state government and the choice river valley location; the latter got most of the land but little else. In 1895, the Town of Montpelier was further incorporated as a city.

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

Montpelier Town Clerk
Montpelier City Clerk 39 Main Street Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: (802) 223-9500 Wmail: jodum@montpelier-vt.org Website: http://www.montpelier-vt.org/department/3/City-Clerk.html

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

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:.
 * 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:.
 * 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:.
 * 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 major cemeteries in present-day Montpelier. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Washington County, website at this link.


 * Elm Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Green Mount Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Plainmont Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Popular Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Augustine Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Montpelier Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Washington 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 Montpelier, 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 Montpelier:

Christ Episcopal Church (Montpelier, Vermont) Parish registers, v. 2-4, 1866-1920 are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.


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

City Directories

 * 1890-1942 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Montpelier at Ancestry - index & images, ($),some years may be missing
 * 1892-1898 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images, some years may be missing
 * 1906-1951 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Montpelier at Ancestry - index & images, ($),some years may be missing
 * 1930 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1931 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Barre and Montpelier at Ancestry - index & images, ($),some years may be missing
 * 1942 Vermont, U.S., City Directories, Barre, Montpelier at Ancestry - index & images, ($),some years may be missing
 * Montpelier (Vermont) city directories, 1904-1921, are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.
 * Montpelier (Vermont) city directories, 1904-1921, are available on microfilm at the FamilySearch Library.
 * 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 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories

 * Montpelier : the capital city's history, 1780-1976, Perry H. Merrill (1977) - find this book in a library.
 * The history of the town of Montpelier : including that of the town of East Montpelier, for the first one hundred and two years, A.M. Hemenway (1882) - a digital copy of this book is available online.
 * History of the town of Montpelier : from the time it was first chartered in 1781 to the year 1860 : together with biographical sketches of its most noted deceased citizens, D.P. Thompson (1860) - a digital copy of this book is available online.

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Montpelier at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Montpelier at FamilySearch Places
 * Montpelier at Google Maps
 * Montpelier at Mapcarta
 * Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
 * Town of Montpelier at Vermont.org
 * Vermont Maps State Page


 * 1873 map of North Montpelier
 * 1873 map of South Montpelier
 * 1873 map of Montpelier and West Montpelier

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

 * Burlington Free Press
 * The Barre Montpelier Times-Argus
 * 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 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 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: The following are Montpelier town records available online:

Vital Records, 1894 -1998, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

Birth, death and marriage record indexes in the Montpelier City Clerk's office can be viewed through online.

The FamilySearch Library has microfilm of original records from the Montpelier City Clerk's Office. These include Births recorded in Montpelier beginning with settlement of the town, 1759-1902, Deaths recorded in Montpelier beginning with the settlement of the town, 1789-1902, Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1759-1998, Marriage records index, 1791-1861, Land records, 1788-1885 and Town records, 1759-1863.

Probate Records
The probate district for Montpelier is Washington. Washington District Probate Court 10 Elm St. #3 Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: (802) 828-3405
 * 1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Vermont Probate Records

Tax Records

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

Libraries
Kellogg Hubbard Library 135 Main St. Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: (802) 223-3338 Email: info@kellogghubbard.org Website: http://www.kellogghubbard.org/

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Essex Vermont Family History Center
 * Montpelier Vermont Family History Center
 * South Royalton Vermont Family History Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Thornton Public Library - New Hampshire - an affiliate library
 * Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Societies
Montpelier Historical Society P.O. Box 52 Montpelier, VT 05602 Email: info@montpelierhistory.org Website: http://www.montpelierhistory.org/