Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont Genealogy

United States Vermont  Addison   Vergennes

Brief History
Although Vergennes was settled as early as 1766 when Donald McIntosh built a homestead on Comfort Hill overlooking the Otter Creek Falls, most of the inhabitants left the county during the period from 1766 to 1783 when boundary disputes with New York and the Revolutionary War made peaceful settlement impossible. After 1783 the population expanded rapidly, and by 1787 it was evident the falls, with its milling and shipping activities, was very different from the outlying agricultural communities. In 1788, residents of the three bordering towns agreed to give up a portion of their land to establish a separate village on the Otter Creek Falls.

On September 19, 1788, Vergennes was incorporated as a city, the third in the new nation and the first in the state. It is the only one of Vermont's cities not to have been first chartered as a town or independant village. Its name was suggested by Ethan Allen to honor the Comte de Vergennes, French minister of foreign affairs and negotiator of the Treaty of Paris.

Town Histories
Vergennes, Vermont and the War of 1812, by Norman Ansley, Richard K Adams, Arthur B Cohn, and Kevin James Crisman (1999) - find this book in a library.

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

Probate Records
The probate district for Vergennes is Addison. Addison Probate Court 7 Mahady Court Middlebury, VT 05753 Phone: (802) 388-2612

Maps
1871 map of Vergennes City

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


 * Prospect Cemetery - inscriptions found at Find A Grave site.
 * Saint Peters Cemetery - inscriptions found at Find A Grave site.
 * Vergennes Burying Ground (Old Vergennes Cemetery) - inscriptions found at Find A Grave site.

Churches
Marriage book of Wm. Putnam Rallson, FHL Collection (records of marriages for Vergennes, VT. 1888-1892) - available on microfilm at the Family History Library. Order film online.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church Records, 1833-1915 - available on microfilm at the Family History Library. Order film online. Includes: Historical notes List of ministers Records of baptisms 1833-1915 Families, confirmations, communicants, marriages 1835-1915 Burials 1835-1914 Contributions and offerings List of meetings

Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society. Includes: Marriage repertoire, 1856-1947 - find this book in a library. Baptism repertoire1855-1945 - find this book in a library.

Town Records.
Town Clerk Vital and Town Records, 1770-1999, can be found on FamilySearch (browse only images).

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Vergennes City Clerk's Office. These include Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1999; indexes to births, marriages, deaths, 1770-1999.

Vergennes City Clerk 120 Main St. PO Box 35 Vergennes, VT 05491 Phone: (802) 877-2841 Website: Vergennes

Newspapers
Addison County Independent ($)

Burlington Free Press

Rutland Herald

Libraries and Historical Societies
Bixby Memorial Library 58 Main Street Vergennes, Vermont 05491 Phone: 802-877-2211 Email: bixby_verg@vals.state.vt.us Website: Bixby Library Note: Genealogy in the Vermont Collection

Vergennes Vermont Historical Society Website: Vergennes Historical Society