Peru, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Brief History
Peru was chartered by Governor Wentworth on October 12, 1761 under the name of Bromley. In February, 1803, a petition from the inhabitants of Bromley to change the name of the town to Peru was approved by the governor's council. It is said that Bromley had a reputation abroad of being a poverty stricken place, and that Peru was substituted on account of the reported mineral wealth of Peru in South America.

The western part of the town is taken up entirely by mountains. The best known mountain is the ski resort Bromley Mountain, the only remaining evidence of the town's original name.

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


 * North Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Peru Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Peru Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Bennington 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 Peru, 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 Peru:

1. Peru Congregational Church   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 212, Peru, VT 05152    Physical Address: Main St, Peru, VT    Phone: (802) 379-1438

Historical Data
The Vermont Historical Gazetteer is a 5 volume set of historical information by Abby Maria Hemenway with Volume I published in 1867 and Volume V completed in 1891 after her death. Also available online in PDF format at this link.

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

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

1856 Map of Peru

Newspapers
The Manchester Journal

Probate Records
In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Peru:

The probate district for Peru is Manchester. Manchester Probate Court P.O. Box 446, Manchester, VT 05846 Phone: (802) 362-1410

Town Histories
Reunion celebration together with an historical sketch of Peru, Bennington County, Vermont : and its inhabitants from the first settlement of the town, Ira K. Batchelder. Read online.

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 Peru town records available online:

Digital images of Peru Town records 1769-1950 vol 1, 4, 7, and 10-11 are availble online at FamilySearch.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Peru Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1802-1920, Card index to births, marriages, and deaths in the town records, 1769-1858, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1994.

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

Peru Town Clerk Mailing Address: P.O. Box 127 Peru, VT 05152 Physical Address: 402 Main Street Peru, VT Phone: (802) 824-3065 Email: perutown@myfairpoint.net

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