Franklin, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Originally chartered as Huntsburg in honor of grantee Jonathan Hunt of Hinsdale (now Vernon), the town was chartered by the Vermont Legislature on March 19, 1789. On Oct. 25, 1817, residents voted to change the name of the town to Franklin, hoping to be named the County Seat (the county had been named for Benjamin Franklin less than two years after his death). For some reason, the Post Office did not change its name until nearly six years later; perhaps purely by coincidence, the same year Jonathan Hunt died.

The large body of water (over 1,700 acres) almost in the center of the town was considered a hindrance to farming. Today, the Lake and its State Park are a valuable vacation attraction. Originally named Huntsburg Pond, then Franklin Pond, by the end of the 19th century it was being called Silver Lake because of its extreme clarity.

Town Histories

 * A history of Franklin : past and present, fact or fancy, legend or folksay, 1789-1989, by Martha Hanna Towle (1989) - find this book in a library.
 * Up Along the Border, by Shawn Corrow, Vermont Magazine, Nov/Dec 2011.

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

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

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

Church Records

 * South Franklin Methodist Church (Franklin, Vermont) Records 1860-1880, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church (Franklin, Vermont) Records, 1872-1905, are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Maps
1871 maps of Franklin Town

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


 * Maple Grove Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Gravesite.
 * Marsh Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Patten Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Prouty Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Marys Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * South Franklin Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Willard Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Town Records
The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Franklin Town Clerk's Office. These include: Vital records of Franklin, Vermont, 1792-2000, and earmarks, 1792-1867, Town records, 1789-1889, and Deeds, 1795-1891; index to deeds, 1795-1909.

Franklin Town Clerk 5167 Main St. PO Box 82 Franklin, VT 05457 Phone: (802) 285-2101 Email: townoff@franklinvt.net Website: http://www.franklinvermont.com/

Newspapers
St. Albans Messenger

Vermont Online Historical Newspapers

Libraries and Historical Societies
Haston Library 5167 Main Street PO Box 83 Franklin, VT 05457 Phone: (802) 285-6505 Website: http://hastonlibrary.wordpress.com/