Genealogy

Genealogy:

Finding Your Family History in Vermont.

Genealogical research can be fun and fascinating.

Tips and Resources for Searching

Suggestions from FamilySearch:

  1. What do you already know? Talk to other family members. Use a form and start filling in the information.
  2. What else do you want to know? It can be helpful to pick one person to research.
  3. Where to look? Decide where your answers are likely to be found. Try published family histories, censuses, local histories, and vital records.
  4. Contact a library, government office, or internet site that may give you this information. Make notes of who you contacted, when, and what information you found.
  5. Add the new information to your pedigree chart, family group record and personal and family history notes.

 

Old Newspapers

The Vermont Department of Libraries office in Montpelier has a large collection of old Vermont newspapers on microfilm. Call (802) 828-3268 to confirm their holdings and hours.

Bailey-Howe at UVM  has many Vermont newspapers on microfilm. Call (802) 656-2023 to see if they have what you’re looking for.

Other Resources

The Highgate Town Clerk’s Office has on file: land records dating back back to late 1700s and indexed vital records dating back to 1857. For more information, please contact Wendi Dusablon, Town Clerk at wdusablon@highgatevt.org

The Highgate Historical Society has a rich collection of local photographs, artifacts, and Highgate-related resources. The museum is open for admission from May to October – on the 1st & 3rd Sundays from 9:00am-2:00pm or by appointment. Please contact Charles T. Nye, Curator at 802-868-4619 for further information.

The Vermont Historical Society has a rich collection of photographs, music, and family and town histories. With a research library located in Barre, the VHS also makes much of their catalog available online.

Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society with research experts for specific French Canadian families, library hours, and classes. This is located  in Colchester on the St. Michael’s College north campus.

RootsWeb Vermont is a research-sharing database of information submitted by genealogists.

National Archives government-sponsored site with links to military service records, World War II photos, immigration records (including ship passenger lists), naturalization records, and land records.

American Merchant Marine at War: a private site dedicated to mariners and U.S. Naval Armed Guard shipmates who died in service during all wars. Resources include ship histories, information about sinkings, casualties, and some government documents. Also includes a helpful list of additional resources for those seeking military records of loved ones.

Cyndi’s List is private site with a massive collection of web sites that will be helpful to genealogists.

FamilySearch is the largest genealogy organization in the world, maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.