Clarendon, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Benning Wentworth, governor of New Hampshire, granted the charter of Clarendon to Caleb Williams and others on September 5, 1761, dividing the town into seventy shares, containing 23,600 acres. Clarendon is almost purely an agricultural district. The surface is diversified with hills, mountains and valleys, and several considerable streams drain the town. The town is bounded on the north by Rutland, east by Shrewsbury,south by Wallingford and Tinmouth, and west by Ira. Clarendon is split into the villages of Clarendon, West Clarendon, East Clarendon, Clarendon Springs, and North Clarendon.

In 1810 Clarendon had 1,797 inhabitants. The population in 2010 was 2,571people.

In the early period the people were industrious and economical, their garments homemade, their habits simple. They cut down the forests, cleared the land, made the roads, fences and houses, some of which remain to this day.

Nearly all of the early industries, except farming, as well as the mercantile business, which for many years gave Clarendon a position as a leading town in the county, have been given up, mainly due to the building of the railroads. The Rutland and Bennington Railroad crosses the town north and south, and the Vermont Central crosses the northeast corner of the town. These improvements only served to carry to other cities/towns (principally to Rutland) the business of the locality.1

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


 * Cavanaugh Cemetery (also called Briggs Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Chippenhook Cemetery (also called West Clarendon Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Clarendon Flats Cemetery ( also called South Flats Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Dean Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * East Clarendon Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Edmunds Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Haven Hill Cemetery (Crary-Walker) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Matteson Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Marsh Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Parker Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Potter Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Rutland Jewish Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Smith Cemetery (also called Button Cemetery, Pratt Cemetery) - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Spafford Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Tubbs Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Clarendon Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Rutland County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

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 Clarendon, 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 Clarendon:

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 637 N Shrewsbury Road North Clarendon, VT 05759‎ (802) 773-8346

2. The Brick Church at Clarendon (Congregational) 298 Middle Road North Clarendon, VT 05759 802-773-3873

Land Records
The following are online land records for the town of Clarendon:

Maps
The following are online maps of the town of Clarendon:

1854 Rutland County, Clarendon map

Newspapers
Rutland Herald online at this link

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

The probate district for Clarendon is Rutland.

Rutland Probate Court 83 Center Street Rutland, VT 05701 (802) 775-0114

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 Clarendon town records available online:

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

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Clarendon Town Hall.

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

Clarendon Town Clerk 279 Middle Road Clarendon, VT 05759 Phone: (802) 775-4274 Fax: (802) 775-4274 Website: Clarendon Vt

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