Years ago a notebook made its way to the Washington City Hall. Its owner was doing research – an event that’s not uncommon, said AEMT Assistant Service Director, Caroline Scoville. 

“We have  a lot of people come to our office to do research genealogy,” she said. “That’s not uncommon.” Only this researcher – a woman in her 50s or 60s – left her notebook behind. 

It’s filled with dozens of handwritten notes, pages of dates, family names, and facts about generations past. There were also books the person wanted to purchase, like the Survey of American Church Records, a Handbook for Genealogy. Other books that were previously referenced were noted by volumes and page numbers. 

“It’s very in-depth,” Scoville said. “Whatever this is, it took a lot of time.” She said the pages include data from tax records, various courthouses, cemeteries, census information, and additional books of reference.

The notebook is green, grid-tablet notebook with yellow pages – most filled with information like names, dates, and where data was found; there are Dewey Decimal references like 973.7 – the U.S. Civil War and 929.1 – genealogies. 

“It’s a very detailed handwritten notebook, all in cursive – she has very lovely handwriting.”

Scoville remembers talking to the woman herself – noting it was several years ago, before social media was quite as prevalent. She estimates it to have been about a decade ago. 

“We tried every which way throughout the year to figure out who she was and how we could get it back to her,” she said. “We never figured it out.”

She said the notebook was placed in a drawer in the City Haul vault, where it’s been stored for years. 

In addition, the notebook is dated 1987 on the back, though Scoville is unsure if that’s any reference to its contents.

“I have notebooks in my closet that are that old so that might not mean anything.” 

Recently, the notebook was cleaned from the vault and City employees decided to take another shot at finding its owner, or the owner’s family. This time, with the help of the Internet. 

“We decided we would try again to see if social media could help or a representative of her family who might recognize the names.” 

The City of Washington’s Facebook page released images of the notebook, along with several names on which research surrounded. However, Scoville said they have yet to find a solid lead. 

Standout points to Scoville included featured names, like John M. Blue, Celeste, Oliver, and Aaron Stratton, McCulleys (also spelled McCuly and McCully), a Douglas Hosley from Oregon, Ohio – however, that dated back to 1983, she said, unsure if the location is still current. The name Curtiss is also referenced, as is Captain James Brown and Captain James Morrow; Breckenridge, Matteson, Branscombe, and Porter are also featured surnames. 

Meanwhile, multiple wars are noted, including the Revolutionary, Civil, 18-12 and Spanish-American wars, with several noted names having served. 

“There are references to Dutch immigrants and folks coming over from Germany in the 1850s – it’s very, very detailed,” she said. “Some state papers date back to the 1600s.” 

Data comes from the Vermont Historical Gazetteer and a note reminds to find a marriage license for Andrew J. Hasley and Jeanna Man. 

While City Hall employees have been on the lookout for anyone with information, they have yet to land a source. 

“It’s very cool that it has all these details; it has to mean something to someone.” 

Anyone with information can contact the City of Washington City Hall at 785-325-2284.