May Genealogy Workshops, Classes, and Events

As promised, I am going to post a list of classes, workshops, and events related to genealogy, and possibly history in general, around Vermont and New England. I always welcome any additions. Simply leave me a comment and I will get it added to the main list. Thanks!

Hidden History: Using Primary Sources to Uncover Vermonters Hidden in History - Tuesday, May 4th @ Fairbanks Museum, St. Johnsbury - 9:00 to 3:00
Tuesday, May 6th @ Vermont History Center, Barre - 9:00 to 3:00
$40 fee includes lunch, two books, and six hours of relicensing credit.
Click here for additional information & to register

Introduction to Genealogy for Librarians -
June 4th @ Midstate Regional Library, Berlin - 9:30-3:00
Click here for additional information and to register

Genealogy Workshops from the New England Genealogical Society: Click here for a full listing of up-and-coming-events.

Vermont History Expo

The 2010 Vermont History Expo will be held June 26 - 27 from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Tunbridge fair Grounds in Tunbridge, Vermont.

The annual event hosts exhibits and activities including children's games, a petting farm, history parade, hands-on demonstrations, living history encampments, and author signings. Volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs.

Visit the Vermont Historical Society's website for detailed information and directions.

Vermont Genealogical Organizations

Provided below is a list of some of Vermont's genealogical organizations. If I am missing anything, please let me know so I can add it to the list.

1) Vermont Historical Society: The Vermont Historical Society has a museum of Vermont artifacts, documents, and books, located on State Street in Montpelier. They also have a genealogical library that is located on Route 302 in Barre. Each year, VHS hosts the Vermont History Expo.

2) Genealogical Society of Vermont: The Genealogical Society of Vermont is located in Randolph.

3) Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society; The Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society has a library in Essex for genealogists researching lines that extend into Quebec.

4) Welsh-American Genealogical Society: The Welsh-American Genealogical Society has a library in Poultney for genealogists researching Welsh-American lines.

5) Vermont Cemetery Association: The Vermont Cemetery Association is deidcated to preserving Vermont's cemeteries.

Vermont in the Civil War

I am the proud direct descendant of at least two Civil War veterans: my maternal 3rd-great grandfather, George A. Holcomb from Vergennes/Panton, Vermont and my paternal 2nd-great grandfather, Edward Bailaw, from Peacham, Vermont. Edward's four brothers also fought in the Civil War, one of which died during the war and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. I even recently applied for membership with the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (There is also an organization of Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War).

Vermont has a wonderful resource for Civil War history and veterans, and is an invaluable resource for genealogists tracing their Vermont Civil War veteran ancestors. The website can be found here, and lists information including veteran names, birth dates, death dates, burial locations, and more. It also provides histories of the regiments, which is nice to read through to learn what your ancestor may have gone through during the war.

Other Vermont Civil War resources are included in the following list:

1) Wikipedia information about Vermont in the American Civil War: While I do not believe that Wikipedia should be the one-stop source of information for anything, it is a good starting point. Just keep in mind that anyone is free to create and edit Wikipedia pages, so take what you learn here with a grain of salt.

2) Rootsweb Vermont in the Civil War Discussion List: This is a mailing list for people to discuss Vermont in the Civil War.

3) Vermont Veterans Militia Museum: Civil War

4) A War of the People: Vermont Civil War Letters: Book

5) The Vermont Fist Calvary in the Civil War: Book

Vermont Obituaries

There are a number of websites that list old obituaries from newspapers. Most are submitted by individual contributors. Obituaries are valuable genealogical records as they include important information, such as date of death, burial location, birth date, names of children, parent's, siblings and spouses, marriage date, and residence before death. There may be information in that you did not know previously. There may even be a photo attached to the obituary.

Many libraries have archives of local newspapers that go back many years. If you know when your ancestor died, you may be able to find an obituary in one of these newspapers. You may also be able to find an obituary online. Listed below are websites that include obituaries found in Vermont newspapers. If you know of another link that is not listed, please leave a comment and let us know!

USGenWeb Vermont Obituary Project: List of volunteer-submitted Vermont obituaries.

Ancestor Hunt: Vermont newspapers that list obituaries. Some websites may also have an archive for past obituaries.

Ancestry.com Historic Newspaper Collection - Vermont: List of historic Vermont newspapers.

Caledonian Record: You can search for obituaries online from 1997 to the present.

GenealogyBuff: Miscellaneous Early Vermont Obituaries.

Obits Online: Vermont newspapers whose websites contain obituary archives.

There are also many volunteers who are willing to look-up an obituary for you. If you cannot get to a library in a certain area, check these sites for a look-up volunteer in that are.

GenLookups - Vermont: List of Vermont look-up volunteers by region.

GeneaSearch - Vermont: Vermont Free Genealogy Look-Ups.

RootsWeb Obituary Look-Up Volunteers - Vermont: Listing of Vermont obituary look-up volunteers.

No Vermonters in Heaven

I dreamed that I went to the city of gold,
To Heaven resplendent and fair;
And, after I entered that beautiful fold,
By one in authority there I was told
That not a Vermonter was there!
"Impossible," said I. "A host from my town
Have sought this delectable place,
And each must be here with a harp and a crown,
A conqueror's palm and clean linen gown
Received through merited grace."
The angel replied, "All Vermonters come here
When first they depart from the earth,
But after a day or a month or a year
They restless and lonesome and homesick appear
And sigh for the land of their birth.
"They tell of its many and beautiful hills
Where forest majestic appear;
Its rivers and lakes and its streams and its rills
Where nature the purest of water distills,
And they soon get dissatisfied here."
"They tell of ravines, wild, secluded and deep,
Of clover-decked landscapes serene,
Of towering mountains, imposing and steep
Adown which the torrents exulting leap
Through forests perennially green."
"We give them the best that the Kingdom provides,
They have everything here that they want;
But not a Vermonter in Heaven abides,
A very short time period here he resides,
Then hikes his way back to Vermont!
-Earnest Fenwick Johnstone

About this Vermont Genealogy Blog

I am a genealogy fanatic. A bit obsessed, really. And I love this wonderful, beautiful, serene state I live in (Vermont, if the title of this blog or post wasn't obvious). Combine both of those facts with my love of writing, and you have the birth of this Vermont genealogy blog.

My goal for this blog is to become a leading point of reference for genealogists residing in Vermont or performing research about their Vermont lineage. I will feature local genealogy classes, workshops, and evens on a monthly basis (so if you have anything coming up, by all means let me know about it). I will also include information related to conducting genealogy in Vermont and the history of Vermont.

At some point in the future I will be seeking out guest bloggers who can hopefully add a fresh spin to this blog. If you are an expert in genealogy, or simply a hobbyist with something interesting to share, and you are interested in guest blogging here, let me know.

If you have a blog related to Vermont or New England genealogy, I would be happy to check out your site, and as long as it is family friendly, and I feel could be of use and interest to my readers, I will include you in my blog roll. Of course, I would appreciate the same in return, but that is completely up to you.

Finally, if there is anything you would like to see covered in this blog, please let me know and I will consider posting about it at some point. I am especially interested in suggestions for regular features (such as the monthly list of events I previously mentioned).

Until next time...