Pittsfield, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Gov. Thomas Chittenden granted a charter to Pittsfield on June 29, 1781, but it took another 12 years before the town officially organized. The first settlers, Daniel and Joseph Bowe, arrived in 1786, raising a home near the southern border. At that first town meeting, residents permitted mill owner Charles Goodrich to name the town. He decided to call it after his previous residence, Pittsfield, Mass.

Pittsfield's economy thrived because of its two primary natural resources - water and lumber. Both the Tweed and White Rivers run through town. By 1840, water powered a gristmill, three sawmills, a tannery and one fulling mill. But timber proved to be Pittsfield's greatest asset. Starting in the 1860s until 1920, lumber fed the economy.

Like so many other smaller Rutland County towns, Pittsfield's greatest population occurred in the 19th century. In 1840, 615 people lived in town. By 1950, the population had dropped to 225 and the 2010 Census counted 546 residents.

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


 * Parmenter Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Pittsfiedl Village Cemetery - inscriptios at Find A Grave site.


 * Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield, 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 Pittsfield:

1. Pittsfield Federated United Rural Route 100 Pittsfield, VT 05762‎ Phone: (802) 746-8698

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

Libraries and Historical Societies
Pittsfield Vermont Roger Clark Memorial Library 40 Village Green Pittsfield, VT 05762 Phone: 802-746-4067 Website: Pittsfield Vermont Roger Clark Memorial Library

Pittsfield Historical Society Town Hall, On the Green, Pittsfield, VT Mailing Address: PO Box 574, Pittsfield, VT 05762 Email: fustertk@myfairpoint.net Phone: (802) 746-8085 Contact: Pat Fuster, Treasurer

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

1854 Rutland County, Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield:

The probate district for Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield 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 Pittsfield Town Clerks Office. These include Town records, v. 1-2, 1746-1862, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1864; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1746-1995.

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

Pittsfield Town Clerk 40 Village Green PO Box 556 Pittsfield, VT 05762 Phone: (802) 746-8170 Email: townofpittsfield@myfairpoint.net Website:  Pittsfield Town Clerk

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