The One Hundred Year Old Meetinghouse of the Church of Christ in Bennington, Vermont

The first meeting house in Bennington was a small square structure built in 1765. As the town and the congregation grew, a larger church was needed, which was built and dedicated in 1806. A short discourse describes the design of the church and the hand-carved embellishments that made this building an architectural treasure. While the history of the establishment and building of this church is interesting in itself, the true value of this book to the genealogist lies in the “roll calls,” which give the names of church members and their descendants from 1763 to 1907. A centennial ceremony in 1863 commemorated the first meeting house, and a second centennial ceremony was held in 1906. The “roll call” lists were compiled mainly from names of people who attended these ceremonies. A plan of the original square pews is accompanied by the names of the proprietors and their descendants. If known, the (then) current town of residence of the descendant is also given. Another list names “descendants of the immediate successors in the ownership of the square pews.” There is also a list of names of those present at the centennial services in 1863. Forty-nine people who were present at the 1906 celebration were descendants of members of the church in 1863. Although their names are not given, this fact alone illustrates the continuity of residence of families who chose to remain in the Bennington area. Several vintage photographs and an index to full names and subjects add to the value of this work.

Rev. Isaac Jennings

(1907), 2023, 5½x8½, paper, index, 214 pp.
ISNB: 9780788429972
101-J2997