Local History & Genealogy

Historical Photos and Documents

The rich history of Charlotte, Vermont can now be viewed through photographs and documents from the collections of the Charlotte Library, the Charlotte Historical Society and the Town of Charlotte in an online collection. The site, Charlotte, Vermont Photos and Documents, includes images generously donated by Charlotte residents and compiled by local historians, and some records of the Town of Charlotte. It is a small but growing resource, with many more images to be added in the future.

Contact the Charlotte Library by email: info@charlottepubliclibrary.org or phone: 802-425-3864 if you have information related to items on the website, or if you have images you would like to share.

Information

The Charlotte Library maintains a collection of books, documents and photos related to Charlotte’s history.  Fragile or rare items do not circulate; labeled “NC” in the catalog, they may be copied or scanned with assistance from library staff.

The collection includes items in paper and/or digital format:

  • Charlotte newspapers
  • Charlotte Town Reports
  • Family history and genealogies
  • Lists of births, marriages, deaths and burials
  • Local history books and pamphlets
  • Photographs and maps

The Library staff is always happy to help you find information in the Library or to connect you with other resources.

Presentations

Long ago in Charlotte: Train Depot & West Charlotte Village with Jenny Cole Take a photo tour Charlotte’s West Village and train depot in the early 1900s.  Co-sponsored by the Charlotte Senior Center, Charlotte Historical Society and local historians. Presented on November 4, 2020. View the slides

On Being a Vermonter and the Rise and Fall of the Holmes Farm
Watch the recording of David Holmes’  November 2, 2021 talk about his book.

Image: White one room schoolhouse with bright blue sky. Text: Charlotte Schoolhouse StorywalkStorywalk Did you miss Jenny Cole’s Charlotte Schoolhouse StoryWalk®? You can still read it here.

 

Agriculture

Maple Sugarin’ in Vermont: A Sweet History, by Betty Ann Lockhart, 2008.  VT 664.09 LOC

The Thorpe Barn…because every barn has a story to tell, DVD, Produced by Ken French Media, 2001.  VT DVD 974.3 THO

Archaeology/Native American History

An Archaeological View of Thompson’s Point, brochure prepared by Matthew T. Boulanger for Vermont Archaeology Month 2006.  NC

Inventory and Catalogue of the Harold Root Collection maintained by the Charlotte Historical Society at the Charlotte Memorial Museum, prepared by Matthew Boulanger, Brigitte Helzer, and Geana Little of the Vermont Archaeological Society, August 2005.  NC

A Prehistoric Native American Ceramic Vessel from Lake Champlain, by James B. Peterson, from The Journal of Vermont Archaeology, published by the Vermont Archaeology Society.  NC

Thompson’s Point: Article from Vermont Folklife Center Visit’n, Volume 2, 11/96. NC

Births, Marriages, Deaths, and Burials, Census Information

Baptism, Marriage & Burial Repertoire, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Charlotte, Vermont, compiled by the Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society, 2006.  NC 929.3 BAP

Burial Grounds of Vermont, published by the Vermont Old Cemetery Association (VOCA), 1991.  NC VT 974.3 BUR (information about old Vermont cemeteries is also available online at http://www.voca58.org/.)

Charlotte, VT.  Burials:  Charlotte burials to the year 2000.  NC 929 CHA

Charlotte (Chittenden County) Vermont 1860-1869: Information from the 1860 Federal Population & 1860 Agricultural Census Records, with an Appendix of Vital Records for the Town of Charlotte 1860-1869, compiled by Daniel T. Cole.  NC

Charlotte, Vermont, Combined Federal Censuses 1900-1930, compiled by David Hopkin Williams, 2008.  NC

Grandview Cemetery: Charlotte, Vermont, completed in the year 2000.  NC 929 GRA

Harding Family Chronicle; Marcotte Cemetery; Thorp Cemetery, information compiled for the Charlotte Cemetery Commission, 2012.  NC

Cooking

The Charlotte Central Cooks’ Book, compiled by Kristine Gerson, Georgia Edwards, Kathy Johnson, Jessica Starr, Mary Beth Koch, 1990.  VT 641.5 CHA

Charlotte Community Cookbook, a Collection of Recipes by Charlotte Children’s Center, 2002.  VT 641.5 CHA

Charlotte Country Cookery, compiled and edited by the Charlotte Women’s Fellowship, Congregational Church, Charlotte, Vermont, 1973.  VT 641.5 CHA

Genealogy and Family History

Adkins/Atkins: Adkins/Atkins Research 1590-1990: Middletown, CT; Claremont, NH; Waterbury, VT, by James F. Townsend.  NC

Alexander: The Alexanders of Mendon, Massachusetts, by Rev. Victor J. Alexander, O.M.I. (available at the Charlotte Town Clerk’s Office.)

Aube: Auber: Aubé, 1590:1993, by W. Laurier Courville. Part One: A Family History. Part Two: The Aube Family— Generation 9 and Beyond: Ancestry of Mary Louise Racine; Chapter 9, Domina Aubé and Lea Benoit. NC

Carpenter: The Genealogy of the Carpenter Family, Rehoboth Branch, compiled by Leonard E. Carpenter, 1955.  NC 929.2 CAR

Holmes: Ancestry of a Branch of the Holmes Family, by Feay B. Smith, 1946.  NC 929.2 SMI

Lyman: The Lyman Family, compiled by Leonard E. Carpenter.  NC 929.2 CAR

Martin: Some Descendants of Christopher Martin and His Wife, Marie Prower Martin, compiled and written by James Martin McGean, May 2012 (missing)

McNeil: Descendants of Brothers Archibald, Adam & Alexander McNeil of Boston, Mass. & Litchfield, Conn. (1737), by Donald S. McNeil.  NC 929.4 MCN

Root: Root Family Genealogy, by Geoffrey Root.  NC 929.4 ROO

Spear: The Descendants of George Spear 1642-1988, by Verne Raymond Spear, 1988.  NC 929.2 SPE

Whalley: The American Descendants of Samual Whalley of Holbeck  England, compiled in 1987 by Harley D. Allen, additions and corrections added in 1993.  NC 929.2 ALL

Whalley: Some Ancestry of Richard Eugene Whalley, compiled by Harley D. Allen.  NC 929.2 ALL

Government

Charlotte Town Reports: Copies of reports available for the years 1890- present.

Historic Sites and Structures Survey, Chittenden County, Charlotte Books I-III and National Register Inventory. Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, 1976. Four volumes and folder.  NC VT 363.6 VER

History

Around The Mountains – Historical Essays about Charlotte, Ferrisburgh and Monkton by William Wallace Higbee, edited by the Charlotte Historical Society, 1991.  VT 974.31 HIG, NC copies available.

Charlotte 1762-1962—This brief history of Charlotte was published on the 200th  anniversary of Charlotte’s Charter in 1762.

Charlotte, Vermont 05445, Prepared by the Charlotte Unit of the Champlain Valley Area League of Women Voters: March 1972.  NC VT 974.3 CHA

Chittenden County, Vermont (Charlotte Sections), edited by Hamilton Child, 1882-1883.  NC

East Charlotte Baptist Church, and its Federation the Charlotte Congregational Church, compiled by David and Lyn Perrin, Church Historians, 2002

The Grenfell Mission (1892-1981).  NC CHA 974.3 GRE

The Historic Thompson’s Point Fishing Ground by Morris F. Glenn, and Katherine A. Teetor, 2005.  NC VT 974.31 GLE

Look Around Hinesburg and Charlotte, Vermont, by Lilian Baker Carlisle, Editor, published by Chittenden County Historical Society, 1973. NC 974.3 PER

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Charlotte, Vermont, 150th Anniversary Commemorative Book 1858-2008.  NC VT 974.3 OUR

A Prehistoric Native American Ceramic Vessel from Lake Champlain, by James B. Peterson, from The Journal of Vermont Archaeology, published by the Vermont Archaeology Society.  NC

The Quinlan School: A One Room Schoolhouse by Jerrie Vane.  VT 727 VAN

Thompson’s Point, A Few Facts and Fancies About a Favorite Summer Resort, by Jessie S. Gibbs, 1948(?)  NC copies available. Available online at: http://www.thompsonspoint.org/history.php.

The Thompson’s Point Association, by Carl E. Braun, 1998.  NC copies available. Also available online at: http://www.thompsonspoint.org/history.php.

200th Anniversary of Charlotte’s Congregational Church  1792-1992, published by Lyn Perrin and David Perrin: August 1992.  NC

The Writings of William Wallace Higbee, compiled by the Charlotte Historical Society, 1991.  NC 974.3 HIG

 Maps

Atlas of Addison County VT, originally published in 1871 by F.W. Beers & Co., published by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Rutland, VT, 1971.  NC REF 917.43 BEE

Atlas of Chittenden County VT: Originally published in 1869 by Beers, Ellis & Soule. Published by Harold E. Osmer, West Topsham, VT.  NC

Natural History

How Do You get a Whale in Vermont? The Unlikely Story of Vermont’s Official State Fossil, by Jeff L. Howe, 2014.  VT 569.5 HOW

Newspapers

The Charlotte News

The Citizen

Digital Archives of the Charlotte News The complete digitized collection of The Charlotte News from 1958 to 2016.

Vermont Digital Newspaper Project Historical Vermont newspaper content published between 1836 and 1922 in the Library of Congress’ Chronicling America database, from the microfilm collections of the Vermont Department of Libraries and the University of Vermont.

Photographs

Charlotte Historical Photos Compiled by the Charlotte Land Trust with the generous loan of images by Charlotte residents, Produced by Perceptions, Inc. 2003.  VT 974.3 CHA (5 discs)

Marcotte-Aube photographs and documents

Mount Philo Inn: Where Shall I Spend the Summer?

Railroad

Heart of the Green Mountains , Rutland Railroad Company, Souvenir Edition, 1897.  NC VT 917.43 HEA

Rutland Railroad Lease Documents

Storytellers and Poets

Blake L. Lawrence, Poems 1929-1979, with illustrations by Adele Auchincloss, 1983.  NC 811 BLA

Busy Work, by S. Russell Williams, published by the Charlotte Historical Society, 1980.  NC copies available.

Charlotte Exposure—Our Town as Seen Through Sketches in the Charlotte News 1984-1994, sketches by Charles Lotz.  VT 741.5 LOT, NC copy available.

Polly Pringles Jolly Jingles, written and illustrated by Elinor Pauline Prindle, 1932.  VT 809.1, NC copy available.

That’s How the Story Goes, Complete Transcriptions of Personal Reflections About the Town, Video Recorded and Transcribed During the Time of the 250th Anniversary of the Town of Charlotte, published in June 2013.  VT 974.3 THA

Verses From My Front Door, by Pearl Cook Spear, 1958.  VT 809.1 SPE, NC copies available.

Other Resources

The Charlotte Historical Society Members of the Charlotte Historical Society are a good resource for information about Charlotte families and local history. Contact information is available at the Charlotte Library circulation desk.

Freemasons in Charlotte The history of the Freemasonry in Charlotte goes back over 200 years. For information contact the secretary of Friendship #24 Lodge.

Genealogy Day August 9th For information about this annual event, contact Ceal Moran at genealogydayeveryaugust 9th@finalfreedom.com

Internet Archive

Landscape Change Program This web site has many old photographs of Charlotte and other Vermont towns.

Library of Congress

Middlebury College

National Archives

Thompson’s Point Association

Town of Charlotte/Town Clerk’s Office Town vital records go back to 1857, land records to 1762. Researchers are welcome. For office hours, call 802-425-3071.

University of Vermont Libraries Center for Digital Initiatives

University of Vermont Libraries Special Collections

Vermont Genealogy Library Home of the VT French-Canadian Genealogical Society

The Vermont Historical Society

Vermont Old Cemetery Association

Vermont State Archives and Records Administration