This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Wright, Farr, Blake Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/nAC.2ACI/1463.1.1 Message Board Post: The "History of Addison County" is now on the Addison County page of usGenWeb (Vermont). The link is about half way down the right hand column. There is a chapter for each of the 23 towns. The ecclesiastical history is treated at the end of each chapter. In contrast to the Grand Isle, and adjacent Missisquoi, Quebec Counties there seems to be little church record information available. So far, I have only seen an Addison Catholic Church volunteering on line to look up information. My ancestors were only in Weybridge and Vergennes churches. To answer this query I have just now also read the Middlebury Chapter. The latter is especially interesting as it brings out the problems encountered by church groups during the first century of Vermont settlement. The charter members of the first church (Congregational) to organize in Middlebury are listed. By 1801, the Methodists in town were being ministered to as part of the Vergennes Circuit. This pastor recorded in his journal how disrespectfully he was treated in Middlebury by townspeople other than Methodist. The Baptists met in the Court House until 1882. I think this gives an accurate picture of the problems associated with finding ancesters through early church records. The records kept by the Circuit Riders and local pastors who moved on became part of that person's estate. Records became available again only through the pastor's descendants. The early churches had no office space. Local church records were probably kept in the home of the local church clerk. These could have been lost through the years even though there is no record of the church building having a fire or other disaster. The History brings out that there was very little cash to pay pastors. Thirty dollars a year on one instance. The pastorate of many Vermont Churches went vacant from time to time. Addison County had one great asset, however, the professors of Middlebury College. They preached on Sundays in the absence of a pastor. This again had its effect on record keeping which we would like to be available today. Despite the problems, there must be a wealth of early church information available, and I hope that those of us with an interest in Addison Churches can somehow work together to make more membership lists, baptismal records, etc. more available. I wish you success in your own personal search.

I can't address the quality of the following source, but I thought members of the group with an interest in church records might want to know about it. The following description of the book was taken from the NEHGS site. Christine Vermont Religious Certificates Author: Published: Notes: compiled by Alden M. Rollins 2003 Hardcover, 320 pp Locating church membership lists is a difficult task, particularly in Vermont. In late eighteenth century Vermont, each town had a "majority" church, usually Congregational, sometimes Baptist. Tax revenues supported a minister and helped fund the building of a meeting house or church. Dissenters from the majority church could file an exemption and fund their own parish instead. The dissenter had to provide proof of attending and supporting the dissenting church as well as residence in the town of that church. These abstracts give you the means to locate that elusive ancestor providing both residence and religious affiliation.