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

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.


 * West Rutland 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 Rutland, 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 Rutland:

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

City Directories
Microfilm available at FamilySearch

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


 * West Rutland High School - 1908 thru 2014

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

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]

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

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 Rutland:

The probate district for West Rutland is Rutland.

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

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.

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 Rutland town records available online:

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

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

Town Reports
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.)

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