Follow Friday: New England Genealogy

Wendy Hawksley has a wonderful blog about New England Genealogy. Here she blogs about her own genealogy in the NE states, providing some useful information to other NE genealogists. I really enjoyed her blog post about creating a research notebook. I am gonna be getting started on this project soon! :)

Memorial Day Events Throughout Vermont

Memorial Day is fast approaching. This coming Monday we will take time to remember veterans who have fought in wars, both past and present. Memorial Day celebrations will be happening throughout Vermont. I have listed some events here, and as always, I welcome additions to this list. Simply leave a comment about your event (at a minimum, I will need the where and when of the event) and I will add it to the list asap.

The first event I want to invite you all to will be taking place in Hardwick this coming Saturday (the 29th). My daughter will be marching with the elementary school band beginning at 10AM. Come cheer her on! After the parade, there will be a carnival, craft show, fireworks, BBQs, etc. throughout town. Hope you can make it!

Shameless plug for my daughter put aside, here are some more great events happening throughout Vermont this Memorial Day weekend.

On Monday, May 31st at noon at the Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site, flags will be raised and a tribute will be paid to the soldiers of Hubbardton, VT at the battle monument. 12:00 PM

There is a list of parades on Vetfriends.com. They appear to be postings from previous years, but my guess most, if not all, of the towns listed plan these same celebrations annually. http://www.vetfriends.com/Memorial_Day_Parade/directory.cfm?state=VT

Juneteenth Events

June 19th, 1865 was the date that Major General Gordon Granger led his troops of Union soldiers to Galveston, Texas, to spread the news that the Civil War was over and slaves were now free. This came 2-1/2 years following Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout the United States, the event, known as Junteenth, is celebrated annually. In 2008, Vermont became the 29th state to recognize Junteenth as a holiday.

Vermont Juneteenth Events

After some research, I have not been able to locate events that will be taking place in Vermont this Junteenth. I would love to announce any events here, so if you know of any, please let me know!

Regional Juneteenth Events

Portsmouth, New Hampshire: June 19th 4-6PM at the corer of Pearl & Hanover Streets.

FreedomTweet

I also want to use this time to announce FreedomTweet 2010, which will take place on Juneteenth. On this day, it is asked that anyone with a Twitter account sign on and post a message answering the question "What does FREEDOM mean to you?". More information can be found at the FreedomTweet blog or the FreedomTweet Twitter page. I plan to "attend" the event. Will you?

And while I am at it, I would like to invite you to follow me on Twitter. (Sorry, shameless promotion, but it seemed appropriate).

Wordless Wednesday

Old Round School House in Brookline, VT. Year: 1910. Do you know who these children are?

Lamoille County, Vermont

It's been a week since my last post. I made the vow to myself when I began this blog that I would post to it at least three times a week, but life happens, and as such, my three-posts-a-week goal isn't always feasible. For this, I apologize.

Today's post is a basic resource guide to performing genealogy in Lamoille County, Vermont. Eventually, I will have a post like this for each of Vermont's 14 counties.

Towns:

* Belvidere (Founded 1791)
Belvidere Town Clerk: RR 1 Box 1062 - Belvidere Center, VT 05442 Phone: (802) 661-2498

* Cambridge (Founded 1781)
Cambridge Town Clerk: 85 Church Street; Jeffersonville, VT 05464 Phone: (802) 644-2251
Cambridge Historical Society

* Eden (Founded 1781)
Eden Town Clerk: 71 Old Schoolhouse Road; Eden Mills, VT Phone: (802) 635-2528

* Elmore (Founded 1781)
Elmore Town Clerk: 1175 Vermont Rt 12; Lake Elmore, VT 05657 Phone: (802) 888-2637

* Hyde Park (Founded 1781)
Hyde Park Town Clerk: P.O Box 98; Hyde Park, VT 05655 Phone: (802) 888-2300
Lanpher Memorial Library: 141 East Main Street; Hyde Park, VT 05655 Phone: (802) 888-4628‎

* Johnson (Founded 1792)
Johnson Town Clerk: P.O. Box 383; Johnson, VT 05656 Phone: (802) 635-2611
Johnson Public Library: 7 Library Street; Johnson, VT 05656 Phone: (802) 635-7141‎
Johnson State College Library:

* Morristown (Founded 1781)
Morristown Town Clerk: P.O Box 748; Morrisville, VT 05661 Phone: (802) 888-6370
Noyes House Museum
Morristown Centennial Library: 7 Richmond Street; Morrisville, VT 05661 Phone: (802) 888-3853

* Stowe (Founded 1763)
Stowe Town Clerk: P.O Box 248; Stowe, VT 05672 Phone: (802) 253-6133
Stowe Historical Society
Stowe Free Library: 90 Pond Street; Stowe, VT 05672 Phone: (802) 253-6145

* Waterville (Founded 1824)
Waterville Town Clerk: Box 102; Waterville, VT 05492 Phone: (802) 644-5758
Watervill Library: 850 Vermont 109; Waterville, VT 05492 Phone: (802) 644-2747‎

* Wolcott (Founded 1781)
Wolcott Town Clerk: P.O Box 100; Wolcott, VT 05680 Phone: (802) 888-2746
Glee Merritt Kelley Community Library‎: 320 School Hill Dr; Wolcott, VT 05680 Phone: (802) 472-6551‎

Lamoille County Historical Societies Information

Lamoille County, Vermont Cemeteries

Lamoille County, Vermont History

Wordless Wednesday

The old Gray House: Cadys Falls, Morrisville, Vermont. This is the home where my great-grandparents, George and Elizabeth (Beard) Baker raised 11 kids! The house no longer exists.

New Vermont Genealogy Website

I just purchased my brand new domain name and hosting at genealogyvt.com. It should be up and running within the next 24 hours! Yay! I am officially now a professional genealogist...well, I still have to register with the Association of Professional Genealogists, but that will happen soon.

So if you need any genealogical services done in the Vermont area, please let me know and I will see what i can do to help! :)

LDS Family History Centers in Vermont

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) has spent years searching for their ancestors in order to spread the word of their religion. In the process, they have also microfilmed hundreds of thousands of genealogical records. These records are available to the general public, free of charge. You can search for records on their website at www.familysearch.org. You can also vist one of the many family histroy centers they have throughout the world. Here is a list of the LDS family centers located in Vermont:


Bennington Vermont
Houghton Ln
Bennington, Bennington, Vermont, United States
Phone: 802-442-8126
Hours: M 11am-5pm; T 11am-9pm; Th 11am-2pm; 2nd Sat: 10am-1pm

Essex Vermont
73 Essex Way
Essex, Chittenden, Vermont, United States
Phone: 802-879-9517
Hours: Tues. 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, T 12:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Sat. 10:30 am - 12:00 pm (By App't. only), )
Closed: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Montpelier Vermont
224 Hersey Rd
Berlin, Washington, Vermont, United States
Phone: 802-229-9247
Hours: W 6pm-8pm, 1st & 2nd F 5pm-7pm, or by appt
Closed: Closed Major Holidays

Newport Vermont
3417 Darling Hill Rd
Derby, Orleans, Vermont, United States
Phone: 802-334-5700
Hours: Wed 5-8pm
Closed: Major holidays
Attention: Messages may be left at the number above. Allow 5 days for reply.

Rutland Vermont
637 N Shrewsbury Rd
North Clarendon, Rutland, Vermont, United States
Phone: 802-773-8346
Hours: T,Th 9am-1pm; Sat 1-3pm by appointment

South Royalton Vermont
175 LDS Ln
South Royalton, Windsor, Vermont, United States
Phone: 802-763-7784
Hours: 9am-10am Sunday; other times by appt

Native American History in Vermont

Vermont was originally inhabited by Native American tribes of the Algonquian and Iroquois nations. Most Native Americans belonged to the Algonquin nation tribe of Abenaki. Two of Vermont towns were names using Native words: Jamaica, from the Native word for beaver, and Winooski, from the Native word for wild onion place.

Native Americans were counted on the US federal census beginning in 1860. However, enumerators were ordered to only count those Native Americans who had renounced tribal rule, and therefor were considered American citizens. Native Americans who did not pay taxes were not counted. The 1870 US federal census lists Native Americans as "Indians" under the column of color.

Below are some resources where you can learn more about Native Americans in Vermont, including historical and genealogical information.

Ndakinna Cultural Center: Offers a "rotating" museum that travels throughout the state, educating people about the Abenaki tribe. See their schedule of events here.

Chimney Point Historic Site: Site of early Native American settlements. Located in Addison, Vermont.

Abenaki Nation Museum: Located in Swanton, Vermont, this museum educates people about the Abenaki community.

Koasek Traditional Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation: Information & events for this particular band of the Abenaki.

New England Native American Genealogy Mailing List: A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in Native Americans in the New England and New York areas. To subscribe send "subscribe" to new-eng-natam-l-request@rootsweb.com (mail mode) or new-eng-natam-d-request@rootsweb.com (digest mode).

Cyndi's List Native American Resources: This list of resources is not specific to Native Americans in Vermont, but is helpful to genealogists researching Native American lineage nonetheless.

Indian Health Service: Again, not specific to Vermont, but lists some wonderful resources for studying Native American genealogy.

FamilySearch Doubles It's Collection!

FamilySearch.org has been a leading free resource for genealogists for years. The site is maintained by the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). According to the Salt Lake Tribune, "FamilySearch, the world's largest repository of genealogical information, announced it will release records containing 300 million names that can now be researched online for free...FamilySearch has established a temporary website, fsbeta.FamilySearch.org for the newly released names. In the next several weeks, the site will become a permanent part of FamilySearch.org."