Connecticut County Records: What do genealogists need to know?

Connecticut’s county system was abolished 1 October 1960, meaning that no functions are currently managed by the county within the state.

In a 1998 memo, Judy A. Watson listed 9 functions of the county government system at its peak:

  • operate homes for neglected and abandoned children,
  • administer widow’s aid,
  • grant liquor licenses and collect fees,
  • build bridges over waterways separating towns,
  • construct and maintain roads located within the county,
  • supervise bicycle paths,
  • provide Connecticut Bar Association law library quarters,
  • contribute agricultural extension services funds,
  • oversee county court operations.

Genealogists will most likely run into county records when researching ancestors who a) interacted with the county children’s homes and b) who interacted with the county courts. Keep in mind that probate courts were not included in the jurisdiction of county courts. Connecticut county court records most often related to criminal matters; criminal matters such as debt; and divorces.

Genealogists Christopher and Cheryl Klemmer have done extensive research on the homes, the records of which are held by the Connecticut State Library. See, for example, https://cslarchives.ctstatelibrary.org/agents/corporate_entities/4589. Their discussion of the topic can be found here: https://vernonhistoricalsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Researching-Residents-of-CT-County-Homes.pdf.

Many of the county court records have also found their way to the State Library, a finding aid for which can be found at https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/courtrecords. Others remain in local historical societies and private hands, or are missing entirely.

When researching an ancestor in county court records, it’s important to note that Connecticut county boundaries did change. The Newberry Library lists some of the changes here:https://publications.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/CT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#FAIRFIELD. Check in which county your ancestor resided at the time they lived there before looking for county records.

Is this service right?: Connecticut Revolutionary War ancestor with service from a different town…

This is one of the most common errors I see with Connecticut Revolutionary War service – most often when someone is looking for lineage society membership. They’ve found DAR or SAR qualifying service for an ancestor of that name in Connecticut, somewhere, and believe that service must be for their ancestor. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Connecticut was extremely town focused in its development, and that carried over into how it ran the American Revolution. Militias were organized on the local level; supplies were donated on the local level. There were statewide organizations, but those organizations were organized by drawing together individuals and supplies from several towns. The only times that town wasn’t in play was in the Navy and to some degree, on the Continental Line.

That’s why documenting residence is so important for the DAR or SAR. By confirming your ancestor’s residence, you’re also confirming your ancestor’s likely location of service. Service from 5 or 6 towns away probably isn’t theirs.

Why do families from Connecticut appear in Presbyterian records when they move to other states?

This had long been a point of confusion. Connecticut families tend to be Congregationalist by default prior to 1818; if they were not, they were often Baptist or Episcopal. Yet, when families migrated to new regions they often ended up in the Presbyterian Church.

As it turns out, there’s a reason for the switch. In 1801, the Presbyterian Church entered into a “Plan of Union” with the Congregational Church, essentially allowing the two denominations to work together. The resulting church may have ended up being either Congregational or Presbyterian.

If you “lose” a Connecticut family, and there’s no Congregational Church in the area – try the Presbyterian.

Should tax records be a part of a reasonably exhaustive search in colonial Connecticut research?

Tax records are considered an “important record type” for New England according to ICAPGEN’s New England Regional Guide. Yet, they’re often skipped by researchers. Should tax records be considered a part of a reasonably exhaustive search in colonial Connecticut?

In many states, tax records are referenced because they can help determine the structure of the household. Often referred to as “poll taxes,” these taxes required heads of household to pay a certain amount per taxable member of the household. An explanation of the various ages impacted by North Carolina poll taxes can be found here.

Connecticut did pay poll taxes. Early on, they alternated between a flat tax and one calculated based on property (McCain, 9). But by 1737, they had been combined with taxes on other forms of assets, making up a single “grand list.” This combination of a “per head” tax and a tax on assets makes it far less clear how to calculate a household structure from the tax lists, reducing its genealogical value to that end.

That means, for many genealogists, the Connecticut tax records are most useful in confirming residence. The person had taxable assets in town, and therefore was most likely a resident of that town. An example of the 1890 grand list for Newtown can be found here. These lists can be a valuable way to fill in gaps in other records. Yet, unless you are specifically trying to demonstrate residence, they may not be necessary to review to answer most research questions.

Unfortunately, retention is inconsistent. Some grand lists have been transferred to the Connecticut State Archives. Information on Southington’s tax records can be found here. Other towns are still holding scattered volumes in the clerk’s office. Few records have been digitized.

So, yes, the tax records are useful and may be helpful in a) building a family structure (with an extreme level of patience) and in b) determining residence. Yet, the difficulty in accessing and employing them may arguably place tax records beyond the “reasonable” level.

Resources on this topic:

McCain, Diana Ross. “As True as Taxes”: A Historian’s Guide to Direct Taxation and Tax Records in Connecticut, 1637-1820. Middletown, CT: N.P., 1981; digital images,  Wesleyan University Digital Collections (https://digitalcollections.wesleyan.edu/islandora/true-taxes-historians-guide-direct-taxation-and-tax-records-connecticut-1637-1820: accessed 05 October 2025).

Howe, Edward T. “The Connecticut Poll Tax.” ConnecticutHistory.org.16 November 2022 (https://connecticuthistory.org/the-connecticut-poll-tax/: accessed 05 October 2025).

Towne, Robert D. “Stamford Grand Lists: Taxation in Stamford, CT from 1641 to the Code of 1821.” The Stamford Historical Society. 1994 (https://www.stamfordhistory.org/grandlist-intro.htm: accessed 05 October 2025).

5 Common Mistakes Genealogists Make When Researching Connecticut Families

  1. Not paying attention to who holds what records and how to access them. If you’ve started your research outside of New England, Connecticut’s records storage system is going to seem strange. From vital records to be stored on the town level to district probate courts, Connecticut has its own unique systems. Taking some time learn how records are kept and what’s online (thank you FamilySearch!) can help you save time and money.
  2. Not checking church records. In many areas, church records are hard to access. But Connecticut had a state church until 1818, and the Connecticut State Library made a concerted effort to collect church records. They’re a great substitute for civil records in the colonial period.
  3. Not checking land records. This one isn’t just Connecticut! Land records are often skipped because they feel challenging to use. In an agricultural society, land was often a family’s most valuable possession. Many families were more careful with their land records than with other types of records.
  4. Asking the wrong people for help. Most records administrators have limits to what they can do to assist a genealogist. A town clerk staffer legally can’t help with land records searching. (It’s considered title searching, and if they help, they make the town legally liable for error.) Libraries and archives have some records but not others. If you’re not sure if someone can help, ask if they can help you identify the best person to assist!
  5. Not paying for help. Sometimes you really do need to pay for help. When you hire a professional, you’re often paying less for records access and more for their expertise. Do you know where to look for records from a family living in East Middletown, Chatham, or Saybrook?

What collections host Connecticut historic maps?

Historic maps can be a valuable resource for envisioning our ancestors’ worlds, from helping us to see the placements of their residence to envisioning their neighbors.

Here are a few of the collections that host Connecticut historic maps:

  1. The Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps can help you determine the placement and construction of buildings. Older Connecticut maps can be accessed from the State Library through their databases collection. The Library of Congress has a larger collection available at https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/about-this-collection/. These maps were generally created for towns with large manufacturing regions.
  2. The Library of Congress has a number of different map collections. Particularly notable is their collection of panoramic maps, which allow you to see the town from a bird’s eye view. See https://www.loc.gov/collections/panoramic-maps/about-this-collection/ for the full collection.
  3. UConn’s “Magic Historic Map” offers maps organized by town.
  4. CT Digital Archives includes digitized images of maps from the archives of Connecticut’s museums and historic libraries.

Connecticut Genealogy on a Budget

Yes, genealogy is never a cheap hobby, but there are affordable resources.

  1. Check out FamilySearch. It’s a free genealogy site offered by the Church of the Latter Day Saints. They’ve made extensive digitization efforts, and as result, offer free access to images of many original records.
  2. Join one of the state’s genealogical societies. Connecticut Society of Genealogists and Connecticut Ancestry Society both offer publications on Connecticut history and genealogy.
  3. Consider subscribing to Connecticut Explored, a state history magazine.
  4. Visit the website of the Connecticut State Library’s History and Genealogy division. (The finding aids are amazing!)
  5. Visit the online encyclopedia of Connecticut Humanities.
  6. Check in with the library and historical society where your ancestor lived.

Is ChatGPT reliable for locating Connecticut genealogical records?

ChatGPT has become a popular topic of discussion in genealogy fields. Many genealogists are trying to use it locate historical context or determine where to look for ancestral records. But does it actually work?

I ran a test case using the free version as of 25 June 2025.

Some of this material is right. Some of it isn’t.

According to the Connecticut State Library’s Town and Counties guide, Essex did split from Saybrook in 1852. But you’ll note that it tells me to look in the land records of the Saybrook Town Clerk (actually the correct response) and then send me to the town clerk of Old Saybrook.

I try to prompt it to clarify.

And it now gives me a totally wrong answer: “Old Saybrook Town Clerk (they hold the early Saybrook volumes).”

ChatGPT has seen Old Saybrook more frequently than Saybrook, so as a result seems to try to predict Old Saybrook for any response that should contain Saybrook. In reality, the contemporary town of Old Saybrook actually split from contemporary Essex, which in turn had split from Saybrook. (See the state library guide for details…)

So, where are the Saybrook Town Clerk records? The town of Saybrook… which in 1947, changed its name to Deep River.

In other words, use ChatGPT with caution for this type of question!

My Connecticut immigrant ancestor seems to be missing a vital record. What’s going on?

Connecticut began recording births, deaths, and marriages on the state level on 1 July 1897. In theory that means that any birth, death, or marriage on or after that date should be recorded in both the state vital records office and in the town clerk or health department in the town in which the event occurred (and sometimes in a third location as well). Yet, sometimes immigrant ancestors seem to be missing. Why?

It is possible an ancestor’s event was not registered, despite the requirements.

More commonly, records are “missing” because of a language gap. In some cases, surnames became standardized once families settled in the US in a way that they would not have been in Europe. Polish surnames, for example, have a history of changing based on gender. Yet, that pattern may not have been used by later American generations. Referring to resources on the historic culture of the family’s ethnicity may be helpful. More often, difficulties arose because of the primary language of the record’s recorder. Medical staff, clerks, and other people filling out the vital record form may have spoken only English, and being unsure of the appropriate spelling, copied what they thought they heard. Using spellings that sound similar to those used by your ancestor may help locate the record you need.

1850-1897: The Years without a Connecticut Vital Records Index

The Barbour Collection covers vital records up to 1850; statewide recording of vital records (and subsequent indexes) starts on 1 July 1897. Between 1850 and 1897, however, you need to know the town where the birth, death or marriage occurred to find the record.

These sources can help:

  • Newspapers: Although detailed obituaries didn’t begin until the end of the century, mid-century Connecticut newspapers often included short notices listing the person’s name, the date of the event, and the type of the event.
  • Burial transit permits: If a death record cannot be located in the town in which an ancestor is buried and that ancestor died after 1884, consider looking for a burial transit permit. The document, which was received by the town clerk in the town of burial, was to travel with the remains and includes basic information about the death.
  • Military records: Some military records, such as the World War I questionnaires, may include vital records information.