Swanton, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Swanton was chartered on August 17, 1763. It is located in the northwestern corner of the state bordering Lake Champlain on its west and Quebec Province in Canada on its north. Within the town is located the villages of Swanton and Fonda, as well as most of the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge.

Swanton is one of the few places in Vermont where Natives are known to have had a permanent settlement. From about 1700 to 1758, the important Abnaki village of Missisiasuk was on the Missisquoi River. The village's name, meaning "people of the great grassy meadows", helps to bear out the translation of Missiquoi itself as "great grassy meadows". The Abnaki name for the mouth of the river was Maskwenozakek, literally "the place where muskelunge abound", which would have been a good enough reason in itself for establishing a village nearby.

Cemeteries
The following is a list of major cemeteries in present-day Swanton Town. For location of all cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Franklin County, website at this link.


 * Church Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Greens Corners Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Janes Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North End Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Riverside Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Marys Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Woods Hill Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Swanton Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Franklin 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 Swanton, 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 Swanton:

Swanton, Vermont Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Service Record Book, 1907-1923 is available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

City Directories

 * St. Albans &amp; Swanton, Vermont City Directories, (1886-1887,1891-1892,1895-1910, 1914,1915), are available on microfilm at the Family History Library. These films can be oreder online.
 * Swanton, Vermont City Directories, 1895, 1938, 1947, are available at Ancestry.com ($)

Historical Data

 * Research Guide for the Town of Swanton, Vermont, by Allan Levorsen (1987) - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * Historical Photos of Swanton, courtesy of the Swanton Historical Society.

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

Swanton, Vermont, Land Records, 1883-1903, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Libraries and Historical Societies
Swanton Public Library 1 1st St. Swanton, VT 05488 Phone:(802) 868-7656 Email: wantonpub@yahoo.com Website: http://www.swantonlibrary.org/

Swanton Historical Society 58 S River St. P.O. Box 235 Swanton, VT 05488 Phone: (802) 868-5436 Website: http://www.swantonhistoricalsociety.org/

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

1871 map of Swanton and Swanton Town

Newspapers
St. Albans Messenger

Vermont Online Historical Newspapers

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

Franklin Probate Division 17 Church St. St. Albans, VT 05478 Phone: (802) 524-7948

Franklin County, Vermont Probate Records, 1860-1910, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Town Histories

 * The history of the town of Swanton, by Perry and Barney (1882) - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * The history of Swanton, Vermont, by Rodney R. Ledoux (1988) - view a digital copy of this book online.
 * An Outline of Swanton’s History, courtesy of the Swanton Historical Society.

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 Swanton town records available online:


 * Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1799-2000, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).
 * Swanton, Vermont Death Certificates and Burial Permits, 2000-2006, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).
 * The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Swanton Town Clerk's Office. These include: Town and vital records, 1790-1823, Town records, 1823-1903, and Land records, 1790-1890; index, 1790-1895.

Town of Swanton 1 Academy St. P.O. Box 711 Swanton, VT 05488 Phone: (802) 868-7418 Email: townadmin@swantonvermont.org Website: http://townofswantonvermont.weebly.com/

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

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