Waterbury, Washington County, Vermont

The town was chartered by Benning Wentworth, Gov. of New Hampshire, June 7, 1763. The war between the English and French was just ended, and the Canadas had become a part of the British possessions. Vermont ceased to be border-war territory, and the obstacle to its settlement was removed. Numerous towns in this part of the State were chartered about the same time with Waterbury, Burlington, Colchester, Essex, Williston, Bolton, Duxbury, Moretown and Charlotte, were chartered the same day, Jericho, Underhill, Middlesex and Berlin the day following.

But as nearly the whole of Vermont was then an unbroken wilderness, few settlements were made, so far north as these towns, before the Revolution. The few that were made were then broken up, and were not recommenced until the war closed. This accounts for the wide space between the charter and first settlement of nearly all the towns in this part of the State.

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Waterbury was chartered to several individuals in Connecticut and New Jersey. It quite probably took its name from Waterbury, Conn., as many of the proprietors lived in that vicinity, and as these two are the only towns of that name to be found, so far as I know. The first meeting of the proprietors was held in New Milford, Conn., in 1770, some of the subsequent meetings were held at Newark, New Jersey.

The town was chartered by Benning Wentworth, Gov. of New Hampshire, June 7, 1763. The war between the English and French was just ended, and the Canadas had become a part of the British possessions. Vermont ceased to be border-war territory, and the obstacle to its settlement was removed. Numerous towns in this part of the State were chartered about the same time with Waterbury, Burlington, Colchester, Essex, Williston, Bolton, Duxbury, Moretown and Charlotte, were chartered the same day.

The town of Waterbury is pleasantly situated in the valley between the Green Mountain range on the west and a spur of that mountain called the Hog Backs, on the east, and embraces nearly all the settleable land between those two elevations. There is not a lot of land but that is or may be profitably cultivated, and the soil on the upland is excellent for grazing and grain. The extensive intervals on the Winooski and other streams are not surpassed by any in the State. The rivers and their tributaries afford privileges for numerous mills and manufactories, and an abundance of water for domestic and agricultural purposes. It is in lat. 44° 23' and long. 4° 17', bounded N. by Stowe, E. by Middlesex, S. by the Winooski River, which separates it from Duxbury and part of Moretown, and W. by Bolton, and is 12 miles west from Montpelier and 24 S. E. from Burlington.

The charter is dated June 7, 1763, and was granted by Gov. Wentworth of New Hampshire to:

Charter Signers

Washington County | Vermont AHGP

Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.