West Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
On September 7, 1761 Benning Wentworth, the Royal Governor of New Hampshire, signed a charter for 26,000 acres establishing the Town of Rutland in the name of Kind George III. The current towns of Rutland, West Rutland, Proctor and the City of Rutland were all included in the charter. Governor Wentworth preferred to name towns for prominent people in the hope that they would back his territorial claims on the west side of the Green Mountains over those of the Governor of New York. The town was likely named after the Duke of Rutland or John Murray, from Rutland. Massachusetts.

The history of West Rutland was closely tied to the marble industry and the first marble quarries were opened in 1814, but failed to flourish until William F. Barnes implemented technological innovations that revolutionized the industry. Barnes conceived the idea of channeling marble, a process that permitted large blocks of marble to be removed at one time. This procedure replaced the old method of blasting, a technique that created great amounts of waste. To lift the heavy blocks out of the quarry, Barnes erected the first derrick, the hoisting being accomplished by either oxen or horses.

In the late 1800's, West Rutland residents began to feel dissatisfied with their representation in local politics and petitioned to separate from East Rutland. The Vermont legislature approved, and on November 19, 1886 West Rutland was incorporated as its own town. The first town meeting was held on March 1, 1887 in Campbell Hall on Marble Street. At this meeting, West Rutland's civic government was organized and the officers were elected to carry on town business. undefinedundefined

Historical Data
High School Yearbooks - courtesy of the Rutland Historical Society


 * West Rutland High School - 1908 thru 2014

Town Histories
Go to Archive.org to find published materials for this town.

The Hub of the Community, West Rutland Town Hall, Victor and Ethel Sevigny, Rutland Historical Society Quarterly Newsletter, Spring 1983. Full text online at this link.

Vital Records
The town of West Rutland kept annual town reports. These reports often contained birth, marriage, and death information. Below is a list of years when West Rutland kept town reports. (NOTE: Occasionally, these town reports missed vital statistic information from the end of the year. If you don't find your ancestor's vital information, check the following year's town report to see if your ancestor's information was recorded later.)

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

Probate Records
The probate district for West Rutland is Rutland.

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

City Directories
Microfilm available at FamilySearch

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


 * Pleasant Street Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Sacred Heart Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Bridgets Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Stanislaus Kostka Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * West Rutland Poor Farm Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Whipple Hollow Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Churches
1. St. Bridgets Catholic Church     28 Church St     West Rutland, VT 05777‎     (802) 438-2490

2. Ira Baptist Church      1846 VT Route 133      West Rutland, VT 05777‎     (802) 235-2239

3. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish   23 Barnes St    West Rutland, VT 05777     (802) 438-5671

4. United Church of West Rutland   Pratt Hall    West Rutland, VT 05777    (802) 438-2861

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

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

West Rutland Town Clerk Office 35 Marble Street West Rutland, VT 05777 (802) 438-2204 Website: West Rutland, Vermont

Newspapers
Rutland Herald online at this link.

Libraries and Historical Societies
West Rutland Public Library 595 Main St., PO BOX 66 West Rutland, VT 05777 (802) 438-2964 Website: West Rutland Public Library] ] Email: westrutlandlibrary@live.com

West Rutland Historical Society 35 Marble St. West Rutland, VT 05777 Website: Historical Society]