Connecticut Archives and Libraries

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U.S. Archives and Libraries

Connecticut

Archives and Libraries

Connecticut Wiki Topics

Beginning Research

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Record Types

Adoption Bible Records Cemeteries Census Church Records Colonial Records Correctional Institutions Court Records Crime & Punishment Directories Emigration & Immigration Genealogies Land & Property Military Records Naturalization & Citizenship Newspapers Obituaries Online Collections Periodicals Probate Records Public Records Taxation Town Records Vital Records Voter Records

Connecticut Background

Biography Further Reading Gazetteers History Maps Migration

Cultural Groups

African Americans Indigenous Peoples Cultural Groups Swedish American

Local Research Resources

Archives & Libraries Societies Find a FamilySearch center

These archives, libraries, societies, and museums preserve sources, maintain indexes, and provide services to help genealogists document their ancestors who lived in Connecticut.

Wiki Articles on Major Repositories for Connecticut

Albany Institute of History and Art (NY) • American Antiquarian Society (Worcester MA) • Bennington Museum Research Library (VT) • Connecticut Museum of Culture and History • Connecticut Society of Genealogists Library • Connecticut State Library • DPH State Vital Records Office • Godfrey Memorial Library • Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven • Mystic Seaport Museum Collections Research Center • National Archives at Boston (Waltham MA) • New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston MA) • New Haven Museum Whitney Research Library • New York Public Library (NY) • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford • UConn Libraries Homer Babbidge Library • Vermont Historical Society Leahy Library (Barre VT) • Western Connecticut State University Haas Library • Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland OH) • Yale University Sterling Memorial Library

Online Records of Connecticut

Connecticut Online Genealogy Records Links to online databases and indexes that may include vital records, biographies, cemeteries, censuses, histories, immigration records, land records, maps, military records, naturalizations, newspapers, obituaries, or probate records. National Archives at Boston (in Waltham MA)

National Repositories

National Archives at Boston

380 Trapelo Road
Waltham, MA 02452-6399
Phone: (781) 663-0130
Fax: (781) 663-0154
Email: waltham.archives@nara.gov
Website: National Archives at Boston

The National Archives at Boston collects Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont documents, photos, and maps of 80 federal agencies, War of 1812, fortifications, coastal facilities, World War II research at Harvard and MIT, federal bankruptcy courts, First Circuit Court of Appeals, Navy, Coast Guard, westward expansion, ethnology, genealogy, Revolutionary War, Civil War, territorial papers, censuses, passenger arrivals for Boston and New England, and Canadian border crossings.

Statewide Repositories

Connecticut Museum of Culture and History

Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford

One Elizabeth Street
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
Telephone: 860-236-5621
Online contact form
Website

Town records, biographies, manuscripts, families, early settlers, church records, photos, and maps.

Connecticut State Library

Connecticut State Library in Hartford

231 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Telephone: 860-757-6500 or toll free: 866-886-4478
Email Us
Website: Connecticut State Library
Website: History and Genealogy Home

Barbour Collection, Bibles, census, church, Charles R. Hale Collection newspaper marriages and deaths, manuscripts, books, cemeteries, probates, vital records, directories, land, local histories, maps, military, naturalization, passenger arrivals, and e-mail questions. Holdings include the collection, "Connecticut Archives," 1629–1820. A helpful inventory of this collection is:

*Connecticut State Library, Guide to Archives in the Connecticut State Library, 3rd ed. (Hartford, CT: Connecticut State Library, 1981). Online digital version; At various Libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.6 A1 No. 30.

Connecticut State Library Digital Collections allows you to search and view books, newspapers, vital records indexes, court records, photographs, and more. These collections are from the State Library, State Archives and Museum of Connecticut History.

The State Library also houses the Museum of Connecticut History (860-757-6521).

Connecticut Society of Genealogists Library

175 Maple Street (Street address)
East Hartford, Connecticut 06118-2634
P.O. Box 435 (Mailing address:)
Glastonbury, CT 06033-0435 USA
Telephone: 860-569-0002
Fax: 860-569-0339
Email: csginc@csginc.org
Website

The library's holdings are not limited to Connecticut and include census records, tax lists, family histories, church records, and local histories. Printed genealogies and reference sources, and a unique collection of ancestor charts submitted by members.

DPH State Vital Records Office

410 Capitol Avenue
PO Box 340308
Hartford, CT 06134
Telephone: 860-509-7700 or 860-509-7897
Website: State Vital Records Office

The State Vital Records Office has the births, marriages, and deaths that have occurred anywhere in Connecticut since July 1, 1897. Individual town offices can provide birth, marriage, or death certificates for events registered in their town in any time period. Especially, for vital records prior to July 1, 1897, contact the town where the vital event occurred. Click the following link to access Application Forms for Requesting a Vital Record from the State or Town. The State Vital Records Office does not accept credit cards, does not accept online orders, and takes 6 to 8 weeks to fill; however, to use credit cards, for online service, or for expedited orders, use the VitalChek Network, Inc. an independent company.

Regional Repositories

Godfrey Memorial Library

134 Newfield St.
Middletown, Connecticut 06457
Telephone: 860-346-4375
Fax: 860-347-9874
Email: Sharon@godfrey.org Reference Librarian
Website: Godfrey Memorial Library

The collection is national in scope with many online records in addition to its physical collection. They compiled the American Genealogical and Biographical Index (AGBI). This library is an excellent genealogical facility including many New England town records, guidebooks, indexes, biographies, and genealogies.

Jewish Hist Society of Greater New Haven

Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven
PO Box 3251
New Haven, CT 06515-0351 USA
Telephone: 203-392-6125
Email: jhsgnh@yahoo.com
Website: Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven

Collects and preserves historical documents, photographs, and memorabilia of the Jewish community. Reaches audiences through publications, exhibitions, seminars, and educational programs.

Mystic Seaport Museum Research Center

Mystic CT Seaport Museum Research Center

Mystic Seaport Museum Collections Research Center
75 Greenmanville Ave.
Mystic, CT 06355
Telephone: 860-572-5367
Email: collections@mysticseaport.org
Website: Collections and Library

Best first-stop for ships' logs and images, journals, ledgers, diaries, and documents from the whaling, fishing, and shipping industries. Preserves the maritime history of Connecticut and New England. 1,300 logbooks, 390 collections, and 800 related volumes from 1720-present.

New Haven Museum Whitney Rsrch Library

New Haven Museum Whitney Research Library
114 Whitney Avenue
New Haven CT 06510
Telephone: 203-562-4183 x15
Fax: 203-562-2002
Email: library@newhavenmuseum.org
Website: The Whitney Library

This is the best collection of the earliest southern Connecticut town records. They also have passenger arrival lists, Federal censuses, and a complete set of New Haven city directories since 1840. Formerly known as the New Haven Colony Historical Society.

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford

134 Farmington Ave
Hartford, CT 06105
Telephone: 860-541-6491
Email: info@archdioceseofhartford.org
Website: Archdiocese of Hartford

Genealogical requests should be in writing (please, no telephone requests) or by appointment to visit the Archives. Sacramental registers of baptisms, first communions, confirmations, marriages and deaths are located at the individual parishes and they should be contacted first for sacramental record requests. If the individual parish cannot locate the record, the Archdiocesan Archivist can search for sacramental records from the period 1829-1999. The Archdiocesan Archives maintains microfilmed copies of Sacramental Registers for the period 1829-1999. A Sacramental Record Inventory by Town/Church, 1829-1964 is available to determine if records are present at the Chancery.

UConn Libraries Homer Babbidge Library

UConn Homer Babbidge Library in Storrs

369 Fairfield Way
Storrs, CT 06269
Telephone: 860-486-2518
Email: Ask a library form
Website: UConn Libraries

They have an outstanding Connecticut genealogy collection.

Western Conn State University Haas Library

Western Connecticut State University Haas Library
181 White Street
Danbury, CT 06810
Telephone: 203-837-9100
Email: E-Mail Reference form
Website: WSCU Libraries

Their collection includes histories, biographies, genealogies, and local histories.

Yale University Sterling Memorial Library

Yale Univ Sterling Library in New Haven

120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511-1918
Telephone: 203-432-1775
Email: askyale@gmail.com
Website: Sterling Memorial Library

Their genealogical strength is their religious collection and Puritain and Congregational Church records. They are also strong on Connecticut, New Haven, and New England history, manuscripts, diaries, and journals.

Outside of Connecticut Repositories

Albany Institute of History and Art NY

Albany Institute of History and Art

125 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12210
Telephone: 518-463-4478
Email: information@albanyinstitute.org
Website: Albany Institute of History and Art Library Collections

This is the best collection of indexes and original records for "old" Albany County, New York, part of which included what is now all of Vermont. During the 1600s many families which started in Connecticut later migrated into Vermont and upstate New York.

American Antiquarian Society

American Antiquarian Society in Worcester MA

185 Salisbury Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609-1634
Telephone: 508-755-5221
Fax: 508-753-3311
Email: Library@americanantiquarian.org
Website: American Antiquarian Society

They have many Connecticut vital records, newspapers, and town histories. The AAS is best known for their U.S. newspaper collection of over 18,000 bound volumes 1704-1820, history, genealogy, Bibles, maps, biography, directories, Native Americans, women, canals, railroads, photos, and manuscripts.

Bennington VT Museum Research Libr

Bennington Museum Research Library

75 Main Street
Bennington, Vermont 05201-2885
Telephone: 802-447-1571
Email: tresch@benningtonmuseum.org
Website: Bennington Museum Research Library

Their collection includes early Connecticut, New York, and Vermont records. It is a great place to find records of families that moved up the Connecticut River and then west.

NEHGS 101 Newbury St in Boston

New England Historic Genealogical Society

101 Newbury Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116-3007
Telephone: 617-536-5740; Library 617-226-1231
Fax: 617-536-7307
Email: info@nehgs.org
Website: AmericanAncestors.org

Best overall collection for New England (and Connecticut) vital records and probates, and excellent collection for Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, and Europe. The manuscript collection for members-only has diaries, letters, account books, business papers, church and town records, sermons, maps, wills, deeds, unpublished town and family genealogies, photos, and papers of the region's best genealogists since 1850.

New York Public Library

New York Public Library NY

U.S. History, Local History & Genealogy Division
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, Room 315S
New York, New York 10018-2788
Telephone: 212-930-0829
Email: Ask a librarian
Website: New York Public Library Genealogy Research

This is one of the largest research libraries in the world including excellent genealogical resources for Connecticut. The library has city and telephone directories, vital records indexes, local histories, genealogies, federal and state censuses, passenger lists, genealogical collections (including DAR transcripts), and church records. For maps, write to the Map Division at the same address.

Vermont Historical Society Leahy Library

VT Historical Society Leahy Library in Barre VT

Vermont History Center
60 Washington Street
Barre, Vermont 05641
Telephone: 802-479-8500
Email: info@vermonthistory.org
Website: Vermont History Center

VHS is a good place to research former early Connecticut residents who later moved to Vermont.

*Brigham, Loriman S. Guide to the "Miscellaneous File" of Uncatalogued Material in the Vermont Historical Society: With a Supplementary Index to the Guide. Montpelier, Vermont: n.p.,1969. WorldCat 679814; FS Catalog book 974.3 A3b; film 908069, item 20; fiche 6046847. This card index of persons, places, and subjects includes family histories and court, business, and land records. The family histories listed may have genealogies, pictures, military records, financial family papers, and correspondence.

*Brigham, Loriman S. A Calendar of Manuscripts in Certain Boxes at the Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont: n.p., 1970. WorldCat 679715; FS Catalog book 974.3 A3br; film 908503 item 1. This is a continuation of the above guide.

*Brigham, Loriman S. A Calendar of Manuscripts in Document Boxes at the Vermont Historical Society. Montpelier, Vermont: n.p., 1972. WorldCat 865949996; FS Catalog book 974.3 A3bri; film 908503 item 2 This is a continuation of the above guide.

Western Reserve Historical Society

Western Reserve Hist Soc in Cleveland OH

10825 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1788
Telephone: 216-721-5722 x1509
Fax: 216-721-0645
Email: reference@wrhs.org
Website: Family History and Genealogical Research

The Western Reserve was a large part of Ohio at first intended for settlement by Connecticut Revolutionary War refugees. The Research Library at the Western Reserve Historical Society History Center is the premier repository for Cleveland, Ohio and the Connecticut Western Reserve history material. This important collection includes original land records, as well as many genealogies, biographies, histories, and Bibles from Pennsylvania, New York, and New England. Includes over 20 million manuscripts for genealogical research and northeast Ohio history. They have the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Shaker materials. Other important collections include the American Civil War, and the automotive industry.

*Kermit J. Pike, A Guide to the Manuscripts and Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Cleveland, Ohio: Western Reserve Historical Society, 1972). WorldCat 483574; FS Library Book 977.1 A3p.

*Western Reserve Historical Society. History Library. Card Catalog to the Manuscripts Collection in the Library of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974). WorldCat 865891564; FS Library Films 934566-69; 934617-18.

FamilySearch Centers

Some of the above collections are partially duplicated at the FamilySearch Library and its branch FamilySearch Centers around the world. Most centers can help you by:

• Giving you limited, personal, one-on-one research suggestions (but they do not do research for you)
• Providing access to genealogical records through the Internet FamilySearch Center Portal.
• Offering free how-to classes (varies by location)
• Fostering contact between genealogical enthusiasts

For Further Reading

• Kemp, Thomas Jay. Connecticut Researcher's Handbook. Detroit, MI: Gale, 1981. FS Catalog book 974.6 D23k
• Leclerc, Michael J., editor. Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research. Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2012. FS Catalog book 974 D27g 2012 At various libraries (WorldCat)