Category Archives: Resources

The Connecticut town boundaries have changed. How do I find my ancestor’s land records?

Connecticut land records are stored in the town in which the property was located at the time the transaction occurred. They do not move as town lines change. How do you find your ancestor’s land records? If you know where the property is located today, there’s a webpage created by the Connecticut State Library thatContinue reading “The Connecticut town boundaries have changed. How do I find my ancestor’s land records?”

Don’t have a Connecticut State Library card? Here’s why you should…

If you’re a Connecticut resident, you’re eligible for a Connecticut State Library card. (It can be applied for here.) The State Library is separate from your local public library. The State Library houses the state archives of Connecticut but also functions as the state’s library – which means that it has books and database access.Continue reading “Don’t have a Connecticut State Library card? Here’s why you should…”

I can’t find a Connecticut birth record. Where do I look next?

Connecticut required vital records beginning in the 1640s on the town level and on the state level beginning on 1 July 1897. Yet, for some families, you may not find birth records until the 1910s. Where do you look next? Church records. Connecticut had a state church until 1818, so many colonial families were CongregationalContinue reading “I can’t find a Connecticut birth record. Where do I look next?”

Resources for researching a French-Canadian family from Connecticut

The late 19th and early 20th centuries brought French Canadian families from Quebec, often to work in Connecticut’s factories. If your ancestors were part of that migration, what resources exist to help you trace them? Societies: https://www.fcgsc.org/: French Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut “is dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating genealogical and historical information aboutContinue reading “Resources for researching a French-Canadian family from Connecticut”

Resources for researching Polish immigrants to Connecticut

Polish immigrants had a presence in Connecticut beginning in the late 19th century. Poland has been part of multiple political jurisdictions over the centuries, which can make it challenging to research. Are there are resources that can help you trace your Polish-American ancestors back to Poland?

Fact or Myth: Connecticut’s Historical Government Records are Held by the Connecticut Historical Society?

Myth… This one is actually based on a misconception. In some states, the state historical society is the official repository for the state’s governmental records. In Connecticut, that repository is the Connecticut State Archives, which is housed in the Connecticut State Library. The Connecticut Historical Society, recently rebranded as the Connecticut Museum of Culture andContinue reading “Fact or Myth: Connecticut’s Historical Government Records are Held by the Connecticut Historical Society?”

We don’t get that many genealogy questions. Should we still expend resources?

I hear this comment and/or question often when talking to Connecticut libraries, historical societies, senior centers and community centers. They’re trying to figure out how to expend limited resources based on what questions have come to them. Unfortunately, the starting point is probably flawed. As a professional genealogist, I actually use my library’s resources (specificallyContinue reading “We don’t get that many genealogy questions. Should we still expend resources?”

Truth or Myth: The older birth certificates were transferred from my ancestor’s Connecticut town to the State Library

Myth. 100% myth. Originals of the birth records are held in the town hall or the town vital records office. They have not been transferred to the State Library. Some records still in the towns have been microfilmed (and digitized) by FamilySearch, and that’s what you’d be reviewing at the State Library. If you areContinue reading “Truth or Myth: The older birth certificates were transferred from my ancestor’s Connecticut town to the State Library”