Connecticut had a public welfare system in place by 1702. The law read:
Be in enacted and declared by the Governour, Council, and Representatives, in General Court Assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That when and so often as it shall happen, any person to be naturally wanting of understanding, so as to be uncapable to provide for him, or her self; or by the Providence of God, shall fall into Destraction, and become Non Compos Mentis, and no Relations appear, that will undertake the care of providing for them; or that stand in so near a degree, as that by Law they may be compelled thereto; in every such case the Select men, or overseers of the poor of the Town, or Peculiar, where such person was born, or is by Law an Inhabitant, be and hereby are Impowred and required, to take effectual care, and make necessary Provision, for the relief, support, and safety […]
Acts and Laws of His Majesties Colony of Connecticut in New England, Printed in 1702 and now first reissued, 54; digital images, Hathitrust (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112105064069?urlappend=%3Bseq=74%3Bownerid=13510798901909985-82: acccessed 14 August 2023).
The law continues to allow the town to use the individual’s assets for their care and to employ them as they are deemed capable.
Setting aside the moral and ethical questions of the system, the records of the overseers of the poor can still be valuable for research. They record individuals who may have been chronically ill or simply poor. These records are held at the town level and at the state archives (depending on the town) and typically include the receipts for an individual’s care and any related legal documents, such as an indenture.
Connecticut Roots by Charter Oak Genealogy 