Bryna O'Sullivan

Land Records: Key Part of Colonial Connecticut Research

Land records are often the last record a genealogist checks. They can be challenging to navigate, and there’s a significant chance they do not indicate relationships. Yet, especially in colonial Connecticut, they are a must check document for one simple reason: land was key to a family’s survival. In an agrarian society, land was aContinue reading “Land Records: Key Part of Colonial Connecticut Research”

What is coverture, and why does it matter?

Coverture or coverture is a legal principle of English common law that was commonly applied in colonial America: it essentially made a married woman a part of her husband’s legal entity. Connecticut did not begin to chip away at the principle until the mid-19th century. Prior to that point, a married woman was subject toContinue reading “What is coverture, and why does it matter?”

Resources for researching the history of your Connecticut Home

Historic homes were witnesses to Connecticut’s history. Connecticut’s oldest known home dates to 1639. Other buildings saw the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and more. Telling the history of your home can help place it in the context of your community. It may even earn you tax credits! Land Records: Architectural Resources Tax Credit Programs:

What sources do you need to check to answer a question about an ancestor in colonial Connecticut?

If you’ve done genealogy for long enough, you’ve probably heard mention of the “Genealogical Proof Standard” and the idea of “reasonably exhaustive research.” That standard is designed to help genealogists ensure that their conclusions are well reasoned and based on an accurate reading of the evidence. Reasonably exhaustive research means that you’ve checked all ofContinue reading “What sources do you need to check to answer a question about an ancestor in colonial Connecticut?”

Starting Your Holiday Shopping? Favorite Connecticut Genealogy Database Providers…

Database subscriptions are always a popular gift for genealogists. So which ones do I use most? Actually, my favorite site for Connecticut research is free! FamilySearch requires registration but does not charge. The site hosts older land records, images of church records, pre-1900 vital records, probate files, and more. Ancestry is great for Connecticut’s probateContinue reading “Starting Your Holiday Shopping? Favorite Connecticut Genealogy Database Providers…”

What was the 1780 quota act – and why does it matter?

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the several towns within this State shall forthwith choose a committee who shall divide all the inhabitants thereof, who give in a list or are included in any militia roll, either of the trainband, alarm list or companies of horse, into as many classes accordingContinue reading “What was the 1780 quota act – and why does it matter?”

My Ancestor should have a Connecticut death record, but I can’t find it. Why?

If your ancestor died after 1900, they should have a death record. Connecticut began statewide recording on 1 July 1897, so compliance improved dramatically at that point. Yet, sometimes you still can’t find a record. Very rarely, there is actually not a record. It’s more common to just miss it. Why? There are two commonContinue reading “My Ancestor should have a Connecticut death record, but I can’t find it. Why?”

House of Hope

A trading fort rather than a colony, the House of Hope still played a major role in the settlement of colonial Connecticut. Established in 1633 by the Dutch under Jacob van Culer, the House of Hope was a trading post at the intersection of the Fresh River and the Little River.[1] The site, in today’sContinue reading “House of Hope”

Five Myths about Connecticut Vital Records (colonial period)

Connecticut required the filing of birth, death, and marriage record by the mid-1600s… Yet, the reality of what was recorded and when is a bit complicated. Here are five common myths about Connecticut vital records in the colonial period.

Junior or Senior?

Today, “junior” and “senior” are used to differentiate between direct line family members of the same name, most often father and son. That was not always the case in colonial Connecticut. In a 1979 article – George E. McCracken, “Terms of Relationship in Colonial Times,” The American Genealogist Vol. 55 (1979): 53; digital images, AmericanContinue reading “Junior or Senior?”