1910s - The People

In 1910, the census(an official count of the number of people living in a place) counted the number of people in Vermont. 355,956(three hundred fifty-five thousand, nine hundred and fifty-six) people lived in the state. More people lived in Vermont in 1910 than in 1900. But Vermont was still a small state.

Burlington was Vermont’s largest city. Most Vermonters lived in small towns. Use the census records to find out how many people lived in your town in 1910.

Many of these Vermonters were born in Vermont. But some people were born in other countries. These Vermonters came from Canada, Ireland and Italy. Some of these immigrants came to Vermont to work in factories or quarries(place where stone is brought up from the ground).

One Vermonter was Alice Bushnell. She was 7 years old in 1911. Alice was born in Strafford. Her father, mother, grandmother and three older brothers lived on a farm with Alice. She helped her mother with chores like washing dishes.

Alice went to school in a one-room schoolhouse. Her older brother was her teacher for the fall term. In 1910, her school had three ten-week terms. There was no school from February through April because of the weather. During her vacation, Alice liked to go sledding. She also played games with her brothers.

Albert Lavallee was another Vermonter. He was 15 years old in 1911. He lived in Winooski with his father, mother, three brothers and six sisters. His parents moved to Vermont from Canada. His family spoke French at home.

When Albert was 14, he left school to start working. Albert worked at the American Woolen Mill. His father and his older brother and sisters also worked at the mill. The family lived on Weaver Street, not far from the woolen mill.

These two children were like many of the other children who lived in Vermont in the 1910s.