CALEDONIA County, Vermont
History <-> Genealogy

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Caledonia County, Vermont Map

 

+  Towns Table  + Vital Records + History + Maps + Census  +

+  County Links  + Geographic Overview  +  Queries  +


Thank you to Dean Goss, who graciously allowed one of his wonderful waterfall photographs to be used in the Caledonia County, Vermont graphic logo.

PAST HISTORY of the Geographic Area of Caledonia County

Prior to the American Revolution, the part of the country now known as "Vermont" was claimed by New York and New Hampshire, and was known as "The New Hampshire Grants".  New York divided the area into four counties:  Bennington and Charlotte counties on the west, and Cumberland and Gloucester counties of the east side of the Green Mountains.  (See era maps)

In 1791, Vermont joined the original 13 as a state in the union.

On November 5, 1792, Caledonia County was incorporated from Orange County, including all that part of Vermont north of that county, and extending so far west as to include Montpelier and adjacent towns, however, the Caledonia County was not fully organized until November 8, 1796, when Danville was made the shire town.  In 1811, the state of Vermont was divided into eleven counties and the counties of Orleans and Essex were incorporated from Caledonia County.  In addition, in 1811, four towns from Caledonia County were incorporated into Washington County, to which Woodbury was also annexed, in 1836, and Cabot, in 1855.  In 1856, the county seat was removed from Danville to St. Johnsbury where new county buildings were erected.

The county was called "Caledonia" -the ancient Roman name of Scotland, out of regard for the emigrants from that country who had purchased large tracts of land in the county, and had large and flourishing settlements in Barnet and Ryegate...

PRESENT

County seat:  St. Johnsbury
Located in northeastern Vermont, with Essex County to the east, Washington and Orleans Counties to the west, and Orange County to the south, the communities in Caledonia County include:
           Barnet, Burke, Danville, East Burke, East Hardwick, East Lyndon, Groton, Hardwick, Kirby, Lyndon, Lyndonville, Newark, Peacham, Ryegate, Sheffield, St. Johnsbury, Stannard (Goshen Gore), Sutton, Walden, Waterford, West Burke, West Danville, and Wheelock.
     For the town of Cabot, see Washington County, VT.
Select from the TOWNS Table below to view information and links specific to the township.
Select this LINK to see GENERAL Caledonia County information and links.
Please note:  Though the information on this web page is believed to be correct, the possibility of error remains.  Please notify Ann Mensch should an error be found.

VTGenWeb Caledonia County Towns Table
Would you like to volunteer to assist with one of the Caledonia County, VT Towns? If so, please visit the Town Coordinators' page, then contact: Ann Mensch

Town

Date of Grant

Date of Charter

Date of 1st Settlement

Villages & Communities Within

Contact

Barnet

 

Sept. 16, 1763

Mar. 4, 1770

Barnet, Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Passumpsic, Walter Harvey, West Barnet

Robert H. Goss

Burke

 

Feb. 23, 1782

1794

Burke Hollow, East Burke, West Burke

Robert H. Goss

* Cabot 

1780

 

 

Cabot was once a part of Caledonia County.  In 1855, it became part of Washington County, Vermont.  See an 1835 Vermont Counties Map, then visit Cabot, Washington County, Vermont

Bonnie Stevens Dannenberg

Danville

Oct. 27, 1786

Oct. 31, 1786

1783 or 1784

Danville, Harvey's Hollow, North Danville, West Danville

Robert H. Goss

Groton

Nov. 7, 1780

Oct. 20, 1789

1787

Groton, West Groton

Don Smith

Thank you to former TC Jim Dresser

Hardwick

Nov. 7, 1780

Aug. 19, 1781

Mar. 13, 1792

East Hardwick, Hardwick, Mackville

Robert H. Goss

Kirby

Oct. 20, 1786

Oct. 27, 1790

ca. 1792

North Kirby, South Kirby

Robert H. Goss

Lyndon

Nov. 2, 1780

Nov. 20, 1780

April, 1788

East Lyndon, Lyndon Center, Lyndonville, Red Village, Vail's Hill

Ann Mensch

Newark

Nov. 6, 1780

Aug. 15, 1781

1797

Newark

Robert H. Goss

Peacham

 

Dec. 31, 1763

1775

East Peacham, Peacham, South Peacham

Robert H. Goss

Ryegate

 

Sept. 8, 1763

1773

Boltonville, East Ryegate, Ryegate Corner, South Ryegate

Robert H. Goss

Sheffield

Nov. 7, 1780

Nov. 7, 1780

1794

Sheffield

Robert H. Goss

St. Johnsbury

Oct. 27, 1786

Nov. 1, 1786

April, 1788

East St. Johnsbury, Goss Hollow, St. Johnsbury, St. Johnsbury Center

Paul DesTroismaisons

Stannard

 

Feb. 1, 1792

1802

Stannard [Stannard was formerly called Goshen Gore.]

Ann Mensch

Sutton

 

Feb. 26, 1782

1790

Sutton [Sutton was originally called Billymead name changed to Sutton in 1812]

Robert H. Goss

Walden

Nov. 6, 1780

Aug. 18, 1781

1784

Dow's Crossing, North Walden, South Walden, Walden, Walden Station

Bonnie Dannenberg

Waterford

Nov. 7, 1780

Nov. 8, 1780

ca. 1783

Lower Waterford, West Waterford [early NH name of Littleton]

Robert H. Goss

Wheelock

June 14, 1785

June 14, 1785

ca. 1780

South Wheelock

Rosalie Wolfe

VITAL RECORDS & INFORMATION

HISTORY

·         Caledonia County [Vermont], by  Abby Maria Hemenway, Ludlow, Vt.: Miss A. M. Hemenway, 1862.

MAPS


This map shows the original Orange county from which Caledonia County was created in 1796.

·         Use the query form, at USGS, to map features including cemeteries, churches, populated places, and more.  Please note that the map town listed with a feature may be used as a map reference for the site, and may not be the town where the feature is actually located...Select a map to see the location of the actual feature.  This database may not be complete, and, as with any database, there may be errors.

CENSUS

GENERAL COUNTY

   P.O. Box 406, 27 Main Street · St. Johnsbury, VT 05819  Phone: (802) 748-6605.

  • Caledonia County Clerk

    27 Main Street - St. Johnsbury, VT 05819-2637  Phone: (802) 748-6600.

QUERIES


Would you like to post a query related to Caledonia County, Vermont?  A new query page has been posted, and is awaiting your queries.  Visit the Query/Volunteers page for Caledonia County, VT.


You may also wish to visit the Rootsweb message board for Caledonia County, Vermont.


Would you like to volunteer to assist with lookups in a non-copyright Caledonia County, Vermont resource?  A new volunteers page has been posted, and is awaiting your assistance.  Visit the Query/Volunteers page for Caledonia County, VT.


BARNET

          Barnet was said to be named from the town in England from which the ancestors of Enos STEVENS, an early settler, emigrated.

           (per The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, Second Edition, by Henry Gannett, Washington : Government Printing Office, 1905.)


BURKE - The Town of Burke encompasses the villages of: East Burke, Burke Hollow, and West Burke.


DANVILLE

   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 260, Danville, VT 05828   Phone: (802) 684-2256

  • Danville Town Clerk: P.O Box 183 - Danville, VT 05828  Phone: (802) 684-3352.

Cemeteries include:
   Danville Green Cemetery in Danville
   Green Cemetery, in Danville


GROTON

   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 89 - Groton, VT 05046
   Hours:  July and August, Sundays: 2-5 p.m.

  • Groton Free Public Library

   314 Scott Hwy. - Groton, VT 05046     Phone:  (802) 84-3358
   Hours:  Tuesday and Thursday   1:00 - 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
     Saturday    2:00 - 4:00pm

  • Groton Town Clerk:  1476 Scott Hwy - Groton, VT 05046  Phone: (802) 584-3276.


Cemeteries include:
Jeremiah Batchelder (single grave): location unknown
Frost Family: Established in 1810. Last burial in 1848.
Groton Village:  Established in 1827.
   Latitude:  441222N; Longitude:  0721100W
Gray Family: Established in 1832. Last burial in 1856.
   Location not yet identified.
Heath (family): Established in 1845.  Located north of Groton village, near the intersection of Goodfellow Road and Perry Moulton Road.
   Latitude:  441454N; Longitude:  0721310W
Lumsden-McLaughlin (family): Established in 1831. Last burial in 1952.
   Location not yet identified.
Groton-Peacham Town Line Cemetery (aka Wesson Cemetery):
   Established in 1804. Last burial in 1889.  Located at the northeastern townline boundary.
   Latitude:  441636N; Longitude:  0721120W
West Groton: Established in 1839.
Whitcher Family: unknown
The 1988 DeLorme Atlas of Vermont shows 3 cemeteries, in eastern Groton, along the George Ricker Road, north of Hwy. 302.


HARDWICK - City of Hardwick and Villages of East Hardwick and Mackville.

   P.O. Box 367 - Hardwick, VT 05843-0367    Phone:  (802) 472-6521.

  • Jeudevine Memorial Library,

   23 Main Street - P.O. Box 536, Hardwick, VT  05843;
   Phone: (802) 472-5948   -    E-mail: HARDWICK_PL@dol.state.vt.us
   Hours: Monday & Wednesday: 1-5, 6-8 p.m., Friday: 1-5 p.m., Saturday: 10 am-12N

  • Hardwick Town Clerk:

   20 Church Street - P.O Box 523 - Hardwick, VT 05843;  Phone: (802) 472-5971.

  • Hardwick Area Cemeteries: sources include: "Burial Grounds of Vermont", edited by Arthur L. & Frances P. Hyde., published by Vermont Old Cemetery Association, ca. 1991; and USGS.
    • West Hill Cemetery:  established ca.1830 - last burial in1940; 150 stones;
    • Norris Family Cemetery:  established 1832 - last burial ca.1860; 7 stones;    Latitude: 443241N; Longitude:  0721925W.
         
    •  Hazen Road Cemetery:  established ca.1820 - last burial in 1975; 300 stones;    Latitude: 443233N; Longitude:  0721739W.
         
    •  Jacob Paine Cemetery: established in1864-1864; 1 stone;     Latitude: 443123N; Longitude:  0722418W.
         
    •  Center Cemetery: established ca. 1775 - still used; ca. 500 stones;     Latitude: 443133N; Longitude:  0722101W.
          
    •  Sanborn Cemetery:  established ca. 1810 - still used;     Latitude: 443147N; Longitude:  0721842W.
          
    •  Maple Street Cemetery: established ca.1810 - last burial ca.1945; 300 stones;    Latitude: 443021N; Longitude:  0722136W.
         
    •  Main Street Cemetery: established ca.1840 - still used;    Latitude: 443005N; Longitude:  0722207W.
         


KIRBY

 Wanda L. Grant
 346 Town Hall Road, Lyndonville, VT 05851;  Phone: (802) 626-9386.

  • Cemeteries include:


   Pine Grove Cemetery, in Kirby


LYNDON

   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 85 - Lyndon Center, VT 05850.

·         Old Postcards of Lyndonville, VT (on Northeast Kingdom)

Soldiers credited to Lyndon in the War of the Rebellion

  • Thomas BARTLETT, Jr. (born in Sutton, Caledonia County, Vt., June 18, 1808; died in Lyndon, Vt., September 12, 1876.): Congressional Biography, a Representative from Vermont.
  • William CAHOON (born in Providence, R.I., January 12, 1774; died in Lyndon, Vt., May 30, 1833): Congressional Biography, a Representative from Vermont.
  • Isaac FLETCHER (born November 22, 1784 in Dunstable, Middlesex County, Mass.; died October 19, 1842 in Lyndon, Vt.): Congressional Biography, a Representative from Vermont.
  • Shores Memorial Museum (Center Street, Lyndon Center, VT)

   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 35 - Lyndon Center, VT 05850;    Phone: (802) 626-5742.

   70 Depot Street - Lyndonville, VT  05851;     Phone: (802) 626-5475    

 


Cemeteries include:
   Baptist Hill Cemetery, Lyndonville;

   St. Elizabeth Catholic Cemetery, Lyndonville;

   Drowns Cemetery, Lyndonville;

   John Wall Cemetery, Lyndon (East)

   Lyndon Town Cemetery, in Lyndon Center

 

o   Lyndon Town Cemetery map and inscriptions (on Northeast Kingdom)


NEWARK

   1336 Newark Street, VT 05871  Phone: (802) 467-3336.


PEACHAM

   Mailing Address: 104 Thaddeus Stevens Road - Peacham, VT 05862
                              Phone: (802) 592-3571.

   Main Street - P.O. Box 253 - Peacham VT 05862
   Phone: (802) 592-3216   E-mail:  Peacham.Lib@connriver.net

  • Peacham Town Clerk:  79 Church Street - P.O Box 244 - Peacham, VT 05862  Phone: (802) 592-3218.


Cemeteries include:
   Peacham Cemetery, in Peacham


RYEGATE
     Villages and Communities within the town/township of Ryegate include: Boltonville, East Ryegate, Ryegate, Ryegate Corner and South Ryegate.

  Whitehill, who came to Ryegate in 1798.

   P.O. Box 332 - Ryegate, VT  05042;    Phone: (802) 584-3880.
   Hours: Monday - Saturday: 8:45 - 10 a.m., Monday - Friday: 4-5 p.m.

  • Ryegate Town Clerk:

   P.O Box 332 - Ryegate, VT 05042;    Phone: (802) 584-3880     E-mail: ryegateclerk@yahoo.com
Cemeteries include:
Blue Mountain Cemetery: Established in 1786.  Located in Ryegate Corner;
   Latitude:  441228N; Longitude:   0720624W (see map)
Hillside Cemetery: Established in 1831.  Located at South Ryegate;
   Latitude:  441104N; Longitude:   0720803W (see map)
Manchester Family Cemetery: Established in 1820. Last burial in 1846.
   exact location not yet identified.
North Ryegate Cemetery - Established in 1814.  Last burial in 1966;
     Latitude:  441350N; Longitude:   0720938W (see map)
Old Scotch American Cemetery: moved to Blue Mountain
    exact location not yet identified.
Pinehurst Cemetery: Established in 1883.  Located on the east side of South Ryegate;
   Latitude:  441108N; Longitude:   0720741W (see map)


SHEFFIELD
     Sheffield was established in 1793.
     Looking at the northern part of the town of Sheffield, on the map at the top of this page, you will notice a triangular "notch" at the northern boundary of Sheffield.  This triangular "notch" is now a part of the town of Barton, in Orleans County, however, it was formerly a part of Sheffield, in Caledonia County.
     Though a seemingly small, inconsequential triangle of land, the portion which became part of Barton included both road and railroad routes, with a number of settlers residing near these.  The present northern boundary of Sheffield is south of these (modern Highway 5), so if ancestors appear to "disappear" from Sheffield, about 1860, it may be helpful to research to see if they may be among those who may "reappear" in Barton, Vermont resources.  An 1858 Map of Caledonia County, Vermont..., shows the following landowners' names were located within the triangular notch which was identified as Sheffield at that time:  DOWNING, LEAVITT, WILLARD, FOLSON, SMITH, FOREST, and BROWN.

Sheffield, Vermont Records from Town Records volumes 1 and 2, abstracted by Jennifer Douglass!  Thank you Jennifer!

   Latitude: 443901N;  Longitude: 0720455W.  (See map of location)
   Located, in Sheffield, near the Sheffield and Sutton border.


ST. JOHNSBURY

  Route 2B - St. Johnsbury, VT 05819  Phone:  (802) 748-3428.

   1171 Main Street - St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819   Phone: (802) 748-8291.
   "...The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is a private, nonprofit public library and art gallery located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont..."

   1187 Main St., Suite 2 - St. Johnsbury, VT 05819;  Phone: (802) 748-4331     Email: sgrenier@town.st-johnsbury,vt.us

Cemeteries include:
   Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, in St. Johnsbury


STANNARD - The area of Stannard was called "Goshen Gore" on the 1858: Map of Caledonia County, Vermont From Actual Surveys under the direction of H. F. Walling, NY : Baker & Tilden, 1858.
 

   Mailing Address: 9 Willey Road - Greensboro Bend, VT 05842; Phone: (802) 533-2317.

  • Stannard Town Clerk:     P.O Box 94 - Greensboro Bend, VT 05842  Phone: (802) 533-2577.


SUTTON

   Latitude: 443813N; Longitude: 0720147W.  Located on Calender Brook Road, just north of Sutton Graded School.

  • North Ridge Cemetery  -

   Travel north on Route 5 north through Lyndonville, then turn right onto North Ridge Road. The cemetery is on the Left.

  • East Ridge Cemetery -   Latitude: 444035N; Longitude:  0715911W.  Follow Route 5 north through Lyndonville, then at Burke, keep to your left onto Route 5a.  From Route 5a, turn left onto East Ridge Road, the cemetery should be on your right on this road.
  • South Ridge Cemetery
  • Vermont in the Civil War, online by Tom Ledoux,
  • Sutton Town Clerk: Box 106 - Sutton, VT 05867;  Phone: (802) 467-3377.


WALDEN - includes the Villages of Walden, North Walden, South Walden, and Walden Station.

   12 VT Route 215 - West Danville, VT 05873  Phone: (802) 563-2220.


WATERFORD

   Maple Street - Lower Waterford, VT  05848  Phone: (802) 748-9473.

  • Waterford Town Clerk:

   P.O Box 56 - Lower Waterford, VT 05848  Phone: (802) 748-2122.


WHEELOCK


Additional Research Resources:

o    NARA: National Archives and Records Administration

§  The Genealogy Page.

§  About Census Records

§  1790-1890 Federal Population Censuses Catalog of NARA Microfilm

§  1930 Census Microfilm Locator

§  The Soundex Indexing System

§  Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840

§  Clues in Census Records, 1850-1930

§  Indian Census Rolls

§  Nonpopulation Census Records

§  Prologue, Spring 1996, Vol. 28, No. 1, "First in the Path of the Firemen" The Fate of the 1890 Population Census, by Kellee Blake.

§  Native American Records

§  African-American : Introduction to Research 

§  Immigration Records and Naturalization Records

§  "Any woman who is now or hereafter may be married... Women and Naturalization, ca. 1802-1940", by Marian L. Smith (Prologue, Summer 1998)

§  By Way of Canada: U.S. Records of Immigration Across the U.S.-Canadian Border, 1895-1954, By Marian L. Smith (St. Albans Lists) (Fall 2000) — A guide to using immigration records of the U.S.-Canada border.

§  Military Records available from the National Archives

§  Military Service and Pension Records: Requesting Pre-WWI

§  Civil War Records: An Introduction and Invitation, By Michael P. Musick  (Prologue, Summer 1995)

§  Women Soldiers of the Civil War, by DeAnne Blanton (Prologue, Spring 1993)

§  Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines of the Spanish-American War: The Legacy of USS Maine, By Rebecca Livingston (Prologue, Spring 1998).

§  They Answered the Call: Military Service in the United States Army during World War I, 1917-1919  (Prologue, Fall 1998). -- A guide to looking for information about World War I army veterans - By Mitchell Yockelson.

§  The World War II Army Enlistment Records File and Access to Archival Databases, by Theodore J. Hull (Prologue, Spring 2006).

§  State-level Lists of Casualties from the Korean Conflict (1951-1957) and the Vietnam Conflict , By Theodore J. Hull, (Prologue, Spring 2000).

§  Indian Bounty Land Applications, By Mary Frances Morrow (Prologue,

§  Snakes & Scribes: The Dawes Commission and the Enrollment of the Creeks, By Kent Carter, in "Prologue" (Prologue, Spring 1997)

§  Genealogical Fallout from the War of 1812, By Ruth Priest Dixon (Prologue, Spring 1992) - "...The impressment of American seamen by the British was one of the causes of the War of 1812. The practice also resulted in the creation of extensive records about merchant seamen that are of great value to genealogists and historians..."

§  Genealogical Records of the War of 1812, By Stuart L. Butler (Prologue, Winter 1991) - "...National Archives records created during and after the War of 1812 offer the genealogist a diverse and fertile ground in which to obtain invaluable family information..."

§  Preserving the Legacy of the United States Colored Troops, by Budge Weidman (Prologue, Summer 1997)

§  A Guiding Light: Black History: A Guide to Civilian Records in the National Archives, By Debra Newman Ham (Prologue, Special Issue, Summer 1997).

§  From Slave Women to Free Women: The National Archives and Black Women's History in the Civil War Era, By Noralee Frankel (Prologue, Summer 1997)

§  Riding the Rails Up Paper Mountain: Researching Railroad Records in the National Archives, By David A. Pfeiffer (Spring 1997).

§  Prologue Magazine

·         Obtaining Vital Records in Vermont

  ...located at the Redstone building in Montpelier, Vermont. The reading room may be visited between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. each business day.  State Archivist, Greg Sanford, may be contacted at E-mail: gsanford@sec.state.vt.us for details.
   Office of the Secretary of State
     Street address: 26 Terrace Street -  Montpelier, VT   Phone: (802) 828-2397
     Mailing address: 109 State Street - Montpelier, VT 05609-1103

    •  ARCCAT - catalog describing manuscript and archival collections held by various

Vermont institutions.

   P. O. Box 1553 - St. Albans, VT 05478-1006

PROFESSIONAL HISTORICAL GENEALOGY RESEARCH
Ann McRoden Mensch, Professional Historical Genealogist
Researching onsite, and with the vast resources of the Allen County Public Library, holding one of the largest genealogical collections in North America.  Search the Library's online catalogue to see some of the printed resources available for a location or topic.

Printed resources for this page include:

  • The Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer.  Eighth Edition, Third Printing.  Freeport, Maine:  Delorme.  1988.
  • School and Library Atlas of the World.  Fred W. Foster, Ph.D. (Editor).  Sycamore, Illinois:  School and Library Publishing Company.  1982.
  • Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt., 1764-1887, compiled and published by Hamilton Child. Syracuse, N. Y. : Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders, 1887.
  • The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine, Embracing A History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military, edited by Abby Maria Hemenway, in three volumes, Bulington, Vt. : Miss A. M. Hemenway, 1867.
  • Map of Caledonia County, Vermont From Actual Surveys under the direction of H. F. Walling.  New York : Baker & Tilden, 1858.
  • Successful Vermonters; a modern gazetteer of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties, containing an historical review of the several towns and a series of biographical sketches ..., by William H. Jeffrey. East Burke, Vt. : The Historical publishing company, 1904.
  • County Atlas of Caledonia, Vermont, from actual surveys by and under the direction of Frederick W. Beers. New York : Beers, 1875.
  • Town of Wheelock, Vermont's Gift to Dartmouth College, by Eleanor Jones Hutchinson. [Rochester, Vt., Emerson Pub. Co., 1961].
  • [History of the town of Peacham], by A. Boutelle.
  • People of Peacham, by Jennie Chamberlain Watts and Elsie A. Choate, edited by Richard G. Wood with assistance from the Peacham Historical Association. Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Historical Society, 1965.
  • Peacham : The Story of a Vermont Hill Town, by Ernest L. Bogart. Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Historical Society, 1948.


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