Mount Holly, Rutland County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Mount Holly started life as a gore, specifically Jackson's Gore, named after one Abraham Jackson, who first settled the land in 1782. Located between Ludlow and Wallingford, the gore appeared rather unfriendly territory, but two different groups of settlers found the resources habitable and started clearing the forests.

By 1792, enough people had settled the gore that the Vermont Legislature incorporated the town under a new named - Mount Holly. There exists some debate about the origin of the name. One argument has the town being named after another Mount Holly, this one located in southern New Jersey. Quaker heritage linked the two communities. Numerous Quakers first settled Mount Holly, New Jersey; and a large percentage of the first residents of Jackson's Gore also belonged to the sect.

The combination of dairy and harsh Mount Holly winters prompted farmers to adopt a style of architecture rarely found in western Vermont. Known as "continuous architecture," this featured a number of farm buildings interconnected with the farmhouse. The arrangement permitted farmers to travel indoors during the winter and not be exposed to the cold temperatures and snowy conditions so prevalent in the region.

Dairying served as a mainstay in town as the forests became depleted. In 1881, farmers around Healdville formed a cooperative cheese factory and placed Alfred Crowley in charge of the operation. Crowley Cheese remains the "oldest, continuously operated, cooperative cheese factory" in America and its building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Town Histories

 * History of Mount Holly, Vermont, Carroll R. Tarbell, 1987. Find a library where book is held.
 * The Building of a Vermont Town, A History of Mount Holly--From the Beginnings to 1866

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

Probate Records
The probate district for Mount Holly is Rutland. Rutland Probate Court 83 Center Street Rutland, VT 05701 (802) 775-0114

Maps
Mount Holly, Bowlsville, Mechnisville historic 1869 map.

1854 Rutland County, Mount Holly map

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


 * Carlton Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site and New Horizons Genealogy site.
 * Hortonville Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Mount Holly Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * New Mechanicsville Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Old Mechanicsville Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Packer Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Tarbellville Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.

Town Records
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 Mount Holly Town Clerks Office. These include Town and vital records, 1792-1907, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1995

Mount Holly Town Clerk PO Box 248 Mount Holly, VT 05758 Phone: (802) 259-2391 Email: mthollytc@vermontel.net Website: Mount Holly Town-services/town-office

Newspapers
Rutland Herald online at this link.

Libraries and Historical Societies
Mount Holly Town Library 26 Maple Hill Road Belmont, Vermont 05730 Phone: (802) 259-3707 Email: mthollylibrary@gmail.com Website: Mount Holly Town Library

Mount Holly Community Historical Museum P.O. Box 17 Belmont, Vermont 05730 Email: mounthollymuseum@gmail.com Website: Mount Holly Community Historical Museum