Durham, Middlesex County, Connecticut Genealogy

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Modern town borders of Durham in Middlesex County, Connecticut.

Town Information

Description

Durham, Connecticut at Wikipedia

Durham is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Durham is a former farming village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut.

First settled in 1699 by Guilford resident Caleb Seward, Durham was originally called Coginchaug by the Native Americans who lived near the swampy area.

Parent Towns

  • originally named Coginchaug
  • 1672 - deed was written between the native proprietors of the territory and Europeans who wished to purchase it from them
  • 1699 - first settled by Caleb Seward and family
  • 1704 - town name changed to Durham
  • 1708 - Durham incorporated

Populated Places

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

Adjacent Towns

Town Records

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

Durham Town Clerk
30 Town House Rd.
Durham, CT 06422
Phone: 860-349-3453
Email: kgarvis@townofdurhamct.org
Durham Town Clerk

Vital Records

Births

Marriages

Deaths

Divorce

Town Reports

Resources

For more County and State resources see:

Biographies

  • A Catalogue of the Names of the Early Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut: With the Time of Their Arrival in the Country and Colony, Their Standing in Society, Place of Residence, Condition of Life, Where From, Business, etc., as Far as is Found on Record. By Royal Ralph Hinman. Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Tiffany Co., 1852. Salt Lake City, Utah: Digitized by FamilySearch International, 2017. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Connecticut Historical Collections: Containing a General Collection of Interesting Facts, Traditions, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, etc., Relating to the History and Antiquities of Every Town in Connecticut, With Geographical Descriptions, Illustrated by 190 Engravings. By John Warner Barber. 2nd ed. New Haven, Connecticut: Durrie & Peck and J.W. Barber, 1837. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography, Genealogical-Memorial: Representative Citizens. By Samuel Hart. Boston, Massachusetts: American Historical Society, 1917-1923. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Vol. 1-8, 11, 13.
  • Ye Names & Ages of All Ye Old Folks in Every Hamlet, City and Town in Ye State of Connecticut, Now Living: With Ye Sketches of Twenty Living Centenarians Compiled by Frederick H. Nash. New Haven, Connecticut: Price, Lee & Co., 1884. San Francisco, California: Internet Archive, 2012. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Who's Who in Connecticut By Ward E. Duffy. Tucson, Arizona: W.C. Cox & Co., 1975. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
  • Connecticut Biography at FamilySearch Research Wiki

Cemeteries

Census

Church Records

At its founding, Congregationalism was the dominant religion in Connecticut and was even the state religion until 1818. Other common Christian denominations include the Methodist, Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Baptist churches.

To see the churches in Durham, visit. FamilySearch Places

Church of the Epiphany (accessed 27 November 2012): The town's Episcopal church, Epiphany has been in Durham since the 1800s.

The Church of Notre Dame (accessed 11 July 2012): Durham's Roman Catholic church, the Church of Notre Dame has been an independent parish since 1955.

United Churches of Durham (accessed 11 July 2012): One of Durham's two oldest churches, the community now functions as a member of United Churches.

Many Connecticut churches have deposited their records at the Connecticut State Library. The following are church records available online for the town of Durham:

City Directories

Compiled Genealogies

Court Records

Land Records

Local Histories

Maps

This selection includes town, county, state, and historical maps

Military

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

Naturalization and Citizenship

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Town Records

  • Burials
  • Appointments
  • Earmarks
  • Estrays (stray animals)
  • Freemens' oaths (men eligible to vote)
  • Land records
  • Mortgages
  • Name changes
  • Care of the poor
  • School records
  • Surveys
  • Tax lists
  • Town meeting minutes
  • Voter registrations
  • Warning outs (of town)

Probate Records

In the 1600s, probate records were kept by the Connecticut and New Haven Colonies. In 1666, the two colonies joined and formed four new probate districts and counties: Hartford, New London, New Haven, and Fairfield. More probate districts were formed by 1719.[1]

School Records

Tax Records

Research Facilities

Archives

Libraries

Durham Public Library
7 Maple Avenue
Durham, CT 06422
Phone: 860-349-9544
Email: cmichaud@durhamlibrary.org
Facebook
Website

Museums

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Societies

Durham Historical Society
38 Town House Road
Durham, CT 06422
Phone: 860-716-5497
Email: durhamhistoryct@gmail.com
Facebook
Website

References

  1. AmericanAncestors, "Database News: Enhanced Connecticut: Early Probate Records, 1635-1750" New England Historic Genealogic Society, at https://dbnews.americanancestors.org/2019/05/10/database-news-enhanced-connecticut-early-probate-records-1635-1750/ (accessed 11 August 2022); Manwaring, Charles William, 1829-1905 "A digest of the early Connecticut probate records, vol. 1 Introduction" FamilySearch Library, FamilySearch International, at https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/121817-redirection (accessed 11 August 2022).