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.

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.


 * Franklin Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * 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 Franklin, 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 Franklin:


 * 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.

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

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

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

1871 maps of Franklin Town

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 Franklin:

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).

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.

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 Franklin town records available online:

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.

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

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/

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