Peru, Bennington County, Vermont Genealogy

Description
Peru, Vermont at Wikipedia

Peru was chartered by Governor Wentworth on October 12, 1761 under the name of Bromley. In February, 1803, a petition from the inhabitants of Bromley to change the name of the town to Peru was approved by the governor's council. It is said that Bromley had a reputation abroad of being a poverty stricken place, and that Peru was substituted on account of the reported mineral wealth of Peru in South America.

The western part of the town is taken up entirely by mountains. The best known mountain is the ski resort Bromley Mountain, the only remaining evidence of the town's original name.

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Peru Town Clerk
The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office.

Peru Town Clerk Mailing Address: P.O. Box 127 Peru, VT 05152 Physical Address: 402 Main Street Peru, VT Phone: (802) 824-3065 Email: perutown@myfairpoint.net

Vital Records
FamilySearch Historical Records Collection has Vermont birth, death, and marriage records online.

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

 * Biographical Encyclopædia of Vermont of the Nineteenth Century. By H Clay Williams. Boston, Massachusetts: Metropolitan Publishing & Engraving Company, 1885. Salt Lake City, Utah : Family Search International, 2018. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Biographical Sketches of Vermonters. By Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Historical Society, c1947. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation. By Hiram Carleton. New York, New York: Lewis Pub. Co., 1903. Online at:.
 * Some Vermont Ancestors: The Bicentennial Project of the Genealogical Society of Vermont. Compiled and ed. by Joann H. Nichols. [S.l.]: Genealogical Society of Vermont, 1976. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. By ed. by Abby Maria Hemenway. Burlington, Vermont: A.M. Hemenway, 1868-1923. Online at:.
 * The Vermont of Today: With its Historic Background, Attractions and People. By Arthur F. Stone. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Pub. Co., c1929. Online at:.
 * Vermonters. By Dorman B.E. Kent. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1974. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * Vermont Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Peru. For location of cemeteries, see Cemeteries of Vermont, Bennington County, website at this link.


 * North Cemetery- inscriptions at Find A Grave site.
 * Peru Village Cemetery - inscriptions at Find A Grave site.


 * Peru Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Bennington County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

Church Records
Historically, the largest religious groups in Vermont were the Congregational, Baptist, Roman Catholic, and Methodist churches. For general information about Vermont denominations, view the New Hampshire Church Records wiki page. To see the churches in Peru, visit. Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. The following are church records available online for the town of Peru:

1. Peru Congregational Church   Mailing Address: P.O. Box 212, Peru, VT 05152    Physical Address: Main St, Peru, VT    Phone: (802) 379-1438

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index and images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Land Records

 * 1600s-1900s at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images; ''Also at: Ancestry ($),
 * Vermont Land and Property
 * 1782-1832 (*) Bennington County (Vermont). County Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images only
 * Vermont Land and Property

Local Histories
The Vermont Historical Gazetteer is a 5 volume set of historical information by Abby Maria Hemenway with Volume I published in 1867 and Volume V completed in 1891 after her death. Also available online in PDF format at this link.

Reunion celebration together with an historical sketch of Peru, Bennington County, Vermont : and its inhabitants from the first settlement of the town, Ira K. Batchelder. Read online.

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Peru at HomeTownLocator
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Vermont at Old-Maps.com
 * Peru at FamilySearch Places
 * Peru at Google Maps
 * Peru at Mapcarta
 * Town of Peru at Vermont.org
 * Vermont Maps State Page


 * 1856 Map of Peru

Military
Searchable by Town Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Vermont Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers
The Manchester Journal

Other Town Records
In Vermont, most records are kept at the town level and generally began being kept at the founding of the town. These records may include the following: The following are Peru town records available online:

Digital images of Peru Town records 1769-1950 vol 1, 4, 7, and 10-11 are availble online at FamilySearch.

The Family History Library has microfilm of original records from the Peru Town Clerks Office. These include Land records, 1802-1920, Card index to births, marriages, and deaths in the town records, 1769-1858, and Records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1857-1994.

Probate Records
In Vermont, most probate records are kept at the town level. The following are online probate records for the town of Peru:

The probate district for Peru is Manchester. Manchester Probate Court P.O. Box 446, Manchester, VT 05846 Phone: (802) 362-1410
 * 1749-1999 Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999 at Ancestry - index & images, ($)
 * 1800-1921 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * Vermont Probate Records

Family History Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Albany New York Family History Center
 * Bennington Vermont Family History Center
 * Concord New Hampshire Family History Center
 * Rutland Vermont Family History Center
 * Brooks Memorial Library - an affiliate library
 * Crandall Public Library - an affiliate library