Highgate, Franklin County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Highgate was chartered on August 17, 1763 and named for the well-known London suburb of Highgate. A totally fanciful story about the town's name says there was once a toll road closed by a very high gate, and that people began saying they were "going to High Gate" when traveling to the area. Not even acceptable as folklore, for the area had no roads at all when Benning Wentworth named the town.

The town is on the border of Quebec, Canada and is a border town of Philipsburg, Quebec. The population at the 2010 US Census was 3,535.

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


 * Carman Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Highgate Center Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Highgate Falls Episcopal Church Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Hyde Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * New Saint Louis Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * North Gore Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Platt Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Louis Old Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Highgate Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * 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 Highgate, 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 Highgate:

St. John's Episcopal Church (Highgate, Vermont) Parish Register, 1837-1863, is available on microfilm at the Family History Library.

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

Highgate, Vermont, Land Records, 1851-1918, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Libraries and Historical Societies
Highgate Public Library 17 Mill Hill Rd. Highgate Center, VT 05459 Phone: (802) 868-3970 Email: lcomiskey@highgatevt.org Website: http://highgatelibrary.wordpress.com/

Highgate Historical Society

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

1871 map of Highgate Town

1871 map of Highgate and Highgate Center Town, French Settlement Town, and Highgate Town East

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 Highgate:

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 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 Highgate town records available online:

Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1794 -2000, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

Highgate, Vermont Town Vital Records, 1857-2006, are available at FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Highgate Town Clerk's Office. These include: [https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/1190913 Vital records of Highgate, Vermont, 1857-Aug. 2000], and Deeds and town records, 1762-1895.

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

Highgate Town Offices 2996 VT Rte 78 P.O. Box 189 Highgate Center, VT 05459 Phone: (802) 868-4697 Website: http://www.highgatevt.org/

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