Addison County VT

Addison County, Vermont is a county in western Vermont, established by act of the legislature on October 18, 1785, from a portion of Rutland County during the period of the independent Vermont Republic (prior to Vermont’s statehood in 1791), with its shire town (county seat) at Middlebury, making county court and land records available there from the late 1780s onward—vital for genealogical research. The area lies in the Champlain Valley and is drained primarily by Otter Creek; Native American presence by Iroquoian and other tribes along Lake Champlain predates European exploration by Samuel de Champlain in 1609 and later French and British colonial activity at sites such as Chimney Point. Early towns within the county, many chartered in the 1780s and 1790s, drew settlers largely from New England states after the American Revolution, with township land records, early census returns, and town meeting minutes beginning in this period; resources for genealogy include county town clerk records, Probate and Deed offices in Middlebury, local historical societies, libraries, and numerous cemetery transcriptions.

Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Wealtha Clark

Mrs. Wealtha Clark, born on August 11, 1826, in Addison, Vermont, was the daughter of George and Susan Willmarth. She married Elliott Clark in 1850, a farmer from Addison. After selling their Dead Creek farm in 1870, they acquired a 145-acre property on Otter Creek in 1872. Mrs. Clark had a daughter, Lucy, who is married to David B. Miller, and they manage the farm following Mr. Clark’s death in 1879. Lucy Miller was born on September 27, 1850, and married Mr. Miller on April 2, 1878.

Biographical Sketch of Frank H. Bacon

Frank H. Bacon, born on May 11, 1857, in Waltham, Vermont, married Hattie C. Bingham in 1885. He is the son of Oscar A. and Julia A. Stewart Bacon, with deep family roots in the region. His paternal grandfather, Charles Bacon, settled in Waltham in 1833 and was active in public service, as was his father Oscar, who represented the town in the early 1860s. Frank H. Bacon continues this legacy on the family homestead.

Biographical Sketch of Luther Carpenter

Luther Carpenter, born in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, in 1795, was a farmer who served as a town representative in 1836 and 1837. He married Lydia Ann Davis on December 7, 1836, and they had two children, with one surviving, Eliza A. Carpenter. Carpenter was the son of Benjamin and Lucy Carpenter, early settlers in the area. His father, Benjamin, who passed away in 1842, was born in Shaftsbury, Vermont, while his mother lived until 1851.

Biographical Sketch of Cyrus Booth Botsford

Cyrus Booth Botsford was born in Newtown, Connecticut, in April 1831 and moved to Vergennes, Vermont, at age ten, living with his uncle. In 1853, he journeyed to California, where he worked in the gold mines for four years before returning to Vergennes. He became a successful dairyman and stockgrower on his 350-acre homestead. Botsford married Julia Warner in 1866, with whom he had four children. Julia was the daughter of Henry and Anna Warner.

Biographical Sketch of Cortes V. Bates

Cortes V. Bates, born in Warren, Vermont, on October 25, 1852, operates a prominent livery stable in Bristol, Vermont, established in 1885 after moving from Waterbury. He comes from a family with livery business roots, having worked alongside his father, Harley F. Bates. Cortes married Nellie Gleason in 1873, and they have one daughter, Ida May, born in 1874. Bates has been dedicated to the livery business for fifteen years, illustrating a legacy of entrepreneurship in Addison County.

Biographical Sketch of Warren D. Clark

Warren D. Clark, born on August 27, 1836, in Addison, Vermont, was educated locally and became a farmer. He enlisted in the Civil War in 1862, serving with the Eleventh Vermont Regiment and later with the First Artillery, participating in significant battles under General Grant. Clark was mustered out in June 1865 and returned to farming. He married Huldah Barber in 1861 and they had three children. Clark occupies his family’s homestead, which he repaired in 1877, continuing a legacy established by his parents.

Biographical Sketch of Joseph Z. Brown

Joseph Z. Brown was born on January 6, 1829, in St. Thomas, Canada, to Mitchell and Brown. Lacking formal education, he worked on farms before moving to Cornwall, Vermont, in 1846. After various employments, he learned carpentry from Leonard Johnson while working for Colonel Dodge. In 1861, he purchased a 73-acre farm in Weybridge, Vermont, where he has since dedicated himself to agriculture. He married Mary E. Yatto in 1856, and they had seven children, five of whom survive.

Biographical Sketch of Samuel B. Booth

Samuel B. Booth was born in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, in 1842 and married Phebe K. Orviss in 1865. Phebe, born in the same year, was the daughter of Lorenzo and Phebe Orvis. Samuel was a son of Jared B. and Hannah Adams Booth, who had nine children. Jared B., born in 1807, passed away in 1875. Samuel’s ancestry traces back to Samuel and Judith Booth, who had five children, with Ezra B. Booth being the only living descendant.

Biographical Sketch of Garrett Coursey Jr.

Garrett Coursey Jr. was born in Ireland in 1822 and settled in Vermont in 1852 after emigrating with his family. He married Catherine Butler in 1856, and they had eight children, of whom only two, Edwin and Margaret, survived. Garrett Jr. was the son of Garrett Sr. and Margaret Ring Coursey, who immigrated to America, with their family initially settling in Addison County, Vermont. Garrett Sr. passed away in 1868, and Margaret died in 1884.

Biographical Sketch of Reverend Father P. A. Campeau

Reverend Father P. A. Campeau, born in Montreal, Canada, in 1839, was educated and ordained as a priest in Paris, France, in 1866. He returned to Montreal in 1867 before moving to Vergennes, Vermont, in 1884. In Vergennes, he is dedicated to completing the local church and establishing a parsonage and school-house.

Biography of J. Q. Atwood

J. Q. Atwood was born on August 13, 1825, in Cornwall, Vermont, the eldest son of Benjamin and Cynthia Atwood. His father, a wheelwright, settled in Rutland County before returning to Vermont with his siblings after their parents’ deaths. J. Q. was educated locally and married Sarah T. E. Stearns in 1849, with whom he had two children. He initially lived in Cornwall, later moving to Bristol to engage in real estate. He served as town lister and became a prosperous self-made man before his death on September 30, 1882.

Biographical Sketch of Orton T. Barnum

Orton T. Barnum was born in Monkton, Vermont, in 1838, and became a prominent farmer and public figure, serving in various town offices and representing Monkton in the Legislature from 1876 to 1877. He married Amanda Dean in 1864, and they had three children, including Mary A. and Harry Orton; their son Edward T. died young. Orton T. was the son of Philemon and Rebecca Barnum, with deep familial roots in the area dating back to Ebenezer Barnum, an early settler from Connecticut.

Biographical Sketch of S. S. Andrus

S. S. Andrus was born on October 7, 1819, in Cornwall, Vermont, to Ethan and Abigail Andrus. His father, a successful businessman and pioneer, spent his life in Cornwall, passing away in 1873. Educated in local schools, S. S. engaged in livestock trading and married Olive Howe around 1842, with whom he had one daughter. He has remained active in farming, owning nearly 460 acres in Cornwall and Bridport, and is recognized as a self-made and industrious citizen, though he has never sought public office.

Biography of Oren K. Britell

Oren K. Britell was born on January 17, 1836, in Weybridge, Vermont. He was the son of Orange Britell, a local clothier, and Mary Ann (Brainard) Britell. After an early life in farming, Oren traveled to California and Nevada for various trades before returning to Vermont in 1865. He married Sarah Allen in 1867, and they had five children. Oren became a successful farmer and stock raiser, inheriting family land and living in a residence built by his grandfather in 1802.

Biographical Sketch of Noble S. Dewey

Noble S. Dewey was born in Middlebury, Vermont, in February 1835. Educated in local schools, he initially worked in farming before moving to New York City to partner with his brother in the wall paper and window curtain business. In 1882, he returned to Vermont to manage his family’s land, which included 210 acres. Married to Alice L. Leland in 1861, they had six children. Dewey is recognized as a self-made and prosperous individual.

Biographical Sketch of L. Crosby Barrows

L. Crosby Barrows was born on September 29, 1826, in Middlebury, Vermont, to Lucius and Matilda Barrows. His family has deep roots in the area, with his grandfather settling there in 1796. After receiving an education at the Addison County grammar school, he worked in farming. Barrows married Cornelia W. Mead in 1856 and lived in Iowa and Illinois for twelve years before returning to Middlebury to purchase the family homestead, where he continues to reside.

Biographical Sketch of Gilman Caldwell

Gilman Caldwell was born on August 26, 1812, in Ware, New Hampshire, to Isaac J. and Sarah Caldwell. His father, a notable figure, was a Revolutionary War veteran. The family moved to Lincoln, Vermont, around 1839, where Gilman pioneered the manufacturing of clapboards and shingles. He settled in Bristol, Vermont, in 1871 and married Harriet Goodnow on January 17, 1841. They had three children: Alma, Josephine, and Mary. Caldwell’s contributions to the lumber industry marked significant local developments.

Biographical Sketch of Homer W. Dewey

Homer W. Dewey was born on May 10, 1828, in Whiting, Vermont, to Truman and Elizabeth Dewey. Raised as a farmer, he later became a painter after turning twenty-one. He married Eliza A. Woodcock in 1857, and they had two children. Dewey moved to East Middlebury in 1874, where he became a prominent community member. His father, Truman Dewey, was a farmer and justice of the peace who passed away in 1864, leaving behind a family of eight children.

Biographical Sketch of Ezra Booth

Ezra Booth, born in Newtown, Connecticut in 1813, moved to Addison County, Vermont in 1831. He married Sophia Whalley on March 25, 1840, with whom he had six children. Booth was active in local government, holding various town offices until his death on July 1, 1868. His wife, Sophia, was born in England in 1816 and settled in Ferrisburgh with her parents in 1827. Her father, Thomas Whalley, was a teacher in England before becoming a farmer in Vermont.

Biographical Sketch of Louis C. Cotey

Louis C. Cotey, born in Lower Canada in 1851, moved to Vergennes, Vermont, in 1867. He entered the manufacturing sector in 1884, specializing in sash, blinds, and general building supplies, operating under the firm Alden Cotey. Cotey married Florence Adams in 1877, with whom he had two children, Willie and Lorena. He was the son of Joseph and Matilda Cotey, who had nine children, three of whom, including Louis, survived their parents, who died in St. Valentine, Canada.