5 Secrets of Connecticut Genealogy from a Professional Genealogist

Just getting started researching a Connecticut ancestor? Here are five of my favorite research “secrets.”

  1. There’s no such thing as “New England genealogy”: Yes, there are some common patterns among the different New England states due to shared heritage (many originated from MA Bay Colony), but they are different states. If you assume common record patterns, you’ll miss things.
  2. Town is everything: You will absolutely need to know the town to research your ancestor. Yes, counties did exist in Connecticut. But they were legally abolished in 1960, and they never played a major role in government. Unless your ancestor was involved in a civil court case (such as for debt), a divorce, or a criminal court case, you may never end up using county records. Town records, however, you will definitely use. Town records include vital records, land records, and to a degree, probate courts. Pay attention to town boundary shifts. Records didn’t move with town borders.
  3. A lot is online: FamilySearch has done an amazing job with digitizing pre-1900 records. If you’re looking for a vital record, a church record, or a probate file, chances are good it may already be online. Remember, though, not everything is! Most tax records are still only available on the town level.
  4. There’s a reason professionals love the State Library: CSL has a great reputation among professionals and for good reason. Check out their resources, finding aids, and more!
  5. Professional help can be a key for breaking through a tough problem: Because so much Connecticut genealogy has been researched, written, or digitized, it can be tempting to think everything you need is either available in a journal, on a website, or through just asking someone. Yet, there is a lot that hasn’t been studied. From professional genealogists to local historical society directors, onsite help may be what you need to find a missing record or get past a brick wall.

5 Tips for Connecting With Cousins: Finding Descendants of a Connecticut Ancestor

Connecting with cousins can be one of the best parts of genealogy research. Building a connection can not only help you find new family artifacts, but also meet new people interested in the same topics you are. So how do you find cousins who also share your Connecticut ancestors?
1. Take advantage of queries: Popular in the pre-Internet age, queries allow you to post a question about your family in a society publication, where it might be seen and answered by cousins. To do so, you’ll need to belong to one of the genealogical societies that specializes in Connecticut, such as the Connecticut Society of Genealogists.

2. Look for family societies/associations: A subtype of lineage or hereditary societies, family associations trace their descent from a single ancestor. The Denison Society provides an example of one such society.

3. Publish your research: It may feel a little scary to write a journal article, but it can be an excellent way to share your genealogy findings. The Connecticut Ancestry Society and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists both host journals.

4. Join the local historical society: Connecticut historical societies have amazing collections, sometimes with buried treasurer. Joining the historical society where your family lived will offer you the chance to not only learn about them but possibly to find cousins as well.

5. Volunteer: Many Connecticut historic and genealogical associations are running short on hands. If you can offer a small amount of time, you may be able to build out the programs you seek.

5 Tips for a Successful Town Hall Trip

If a town hall is on your next onsite Connecticut research trip “to visit” list, these five tips can make the process a little easier:

  1. Explore FamilySearch, Ancestry, the Connecticut State Library and the town’s website first: Many Connecticut vital records; probate records; land records; newspapers and gravestone transcriptions have already been digitized. A review of the digitized collections will help you determine what hasn’t been digitized yet and learn when you need to focus your time. (Hint: that’s typically undigitized land records, grand lists, and cemetery records, unless you need recent vitals.)
  2. Don’t forget to double check hours: Larger towns and cities operate on a fairly typically schedule; smaller towns often have late hours one day and close early another. If you’re not paying attention, you may find yourself arriving at a closed town hall.
  3. Know what office holds what: In Connecticut, land records are held in the town clerk’s office. In many towns, vital records are there as well. Some towns have separate offices or house them in the Health Department. Probate records technically should not be in the town hall, but sometimes they make it there in office transfers. Contemporary tax records are held by the tax assessor, but the early 19th century grand lists should be with the clerk. Clerk staff may not actually know what’s where, so becoming familiar with the system can save you time.
  4. Get your documents, money, and a pencil ready in advance: You “may” be able to pay a fee to use a camera/scanner in the vault, but that won’t allow you to take pictures of vital records. If you need to write things down, have a pencil and paper ready. Pens aren’t allowed. Land records are $1/page; vital records are $20/copy. Most towns don’t take credit cards. If you want to review vital records, you’ll need to be a member of an authorized genealogical society.
  5. Know who to ask for help: Most offices do not have staff who can assist with research and in some cases, may be legally barred from assisting. (Helping with land records can be viewed as title searching, which they can’t do.) If you think you’ll need help onsite, reach out to the town historian (if one exists) or the town historical society. They may be willing to offer help for a donation to a town cause.

Tracing a “founder”: Connecticut Lineage Societies

Discovering tie to a “founder” (typically a white, male, British founder) of a Connecticut town can be a fun reason to delve into your family history. For many genealogists, knowing the name is not enough. They’d also like to know the individual’s history and perhaps meet some cousins. A Connecticut lineage society may be able to help.

Founders societies were once more numerous. Many started and then became defunct, making it hard to pinpoint which ones are still active. At least three can be identified:

  1. Hartford: The Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford.
  2. Windsor: Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor.
  3. Middletown: The Society of Middletown First Settlers Descendants

Did I miss a society? Please contact us and let me know!

Connecticut Historical Societies with Genealogists’ Files

When researching your family history, it can be helpful not to reinvent the wheel! Professional genealogists have been tracing Connecticut families for decades. Some of their findings may be published in publications such as the Register, the Nutmegger, and more or in books. Even if they never got around to publishing a finding, their work may still provide valuable hints. But how do you access it?

In some cases, genealogists’ notes have made their way to the collections of the local historical society. Examples include the Starr Files at the Middlesex County Historical Society, covering Middletown’s white colonial families; a large collection of genealogical notebooks at the New London County Historical Society; records held by the Lyme Public Hall Archives; and more. Smaller historical societies may not have a large enough website to fully explain their collection, so be sure to ask!

These genealogists’ notes are notes and not conclusions. Plan to try to take their work back to the original sources. But their findings may point you to the right volume and page.

Need help to better understand the sources used in Connecticut genealogy?

Finding the sources that discuss your ancestor is only part of the puzzle. To use them effectively, you need to understand how the source was created and why so that you understand what was put, in what was left out, and more. Four websites can be especially helpful for developing context.

  1. ConnecticutHistory.org: A product of Connecticut Humanities, this website offers articles on topics in Connecticut history designed for the general public. Covered topics include places, people, and more. For example, a study of Eli Whitney can be viewed here.
  2. Connecticut State Library History and Genealogy Unit: The portion of the State Library that focuses on records retention and access, the History and Genealogy Unit offers finding aids and resources on probate records, cemetery collections, and more.
  3. The town historical society: Okay, so that’s not a specific website. But still, town historical societies can be an amazing resource! The Fairfield Museum and History Center, for example, has a research section on their website.
  4. and don’t forget the public library: James Blackstone Library in Branford actually has a “Local History and Archives” section on their website.

Is treating Connecticut genealogy as “New England genealogy” really the best approach?

Regional genealogy is becoming increasingly popular in professional genealogy, both as a way to establish professional expertise and to teach. While not a new concept, the idea has begun to supplant a state centered focus over the last decade or so. Instead of focusing on Connecticut, the genealogist using regional genealogy focuses on New England genealogy. While this approach has some benefits, it can also potentially be problematic.

A regional approach is based on the idea that a region has some common trends. Typically, these include a shared history (in the case of New England, that’s a Massachusetts based initial settlement and a religious history tied to the Congregational Church); similar record sets; and overlapping migration patterns. A focus on the shared aspects, in theory, allows the genealogist to learn more ground. That would make a professional able to serve more clients and potentially be able to teach more expansive courses.

Yet, a regional approach makes it almost impossible to learn nuance for each of the locations in the region. In reality, genealogists often become very strong in one state and are less so in the others. That can become problematic, as key records can be missed or misinterpreted. For example, Connecticut had an establishment church until 1818, but legal rights for Christians beginning in 1784. The legislation may impact where a family’s church records are held. There is a tracking system for determining which early probate records were turned over to the state archives, but the collection is little known outside of the state. When the professional genealogist claims to be able to work in all of the region, it can be hard for the client to tell where they are most effective.

A regional focused approach is typically going to be most effective for things that are common between the regions. A nuanced or challenging issue will still benefit from a state level specialist. Understanding the difference between the two situations is going to be key to a successful outcome.

5 Tips for Using FamilySearch for Researching Connecticut Ancestors

I hear often from researchers that they’ve started researching their Connecticut family on specific genealogy websites and skipped FamilySearch because it feels hard to use. They’ve accidentally missed one of the best resources for digitized Connecticut genealogy records (and more). While FamilySearch is a challenging to navigate website, learning how to use it can make a huge difference in being able to trace your Connecticut ancestors.

Here are my top five tips for researching Connecticut ancestors on FamilySearch:

  1. Skip the “Records Search”: People often start by using the records search option because that’s how other genealogy sites allow you to search their records. FamilySearch never fully linked its records databases to the search, so searches tend to return very little information. Instead, use the catalog to see the records available for where your ancestor lived. A good percentage of probate, land, church and vital records for the period before 1900 have been digitized.
  2. Be aware of records restrictions: Depending on their contracts with the record owner, FamilySearch has multiple different types of records access. Connecticut records fall mostly into two categories: available from home or available from an affiliate library. Read more about access issues here. Some records might be restricted because the original microfilm reel contains vital records currently restricted under Connecticut law. To learn more about access, visit here.
  3. Pay attention to records storage location: FamilySearch files records by the creator. That means land records will be filed in the town in which the transaction occurred (even if the property is now in a different town). This can have a major impact with probate records, as probate records are filed under the district seat. (To learn more about districts, visit here.)
  4. If possible, learn more about Connecticut records and what might and might not be digitized. At least try to explore! Connecticut’s church records matter. There was a “state church” until 1818, so it was often a defacto second recorder for birth, marriages, and deaths. Some church records are digitized, and some aren’t. If you don’t have time to learn, reading through the extra entries on the catalog can give you ideas.
  5. Try “Full Text“ search – but remember, it doesn’t include everything! The AI driven “full text” search can be invaluable for locating references to your ancestor in land and probate records that you might otherwise miss. But remember, it doesn’t include everything! Records searches will be restricted by the same contracts as the records themselves. (You’ll often get more access in an affiliate.) There are also collections that were never linked. This is a great add on to your research, but it’s not a replacement.

My French-Canadian ancestor isn’t recorded in Connecticut vital records. How do I document their birth, marriage, or death?

Connecticut’s statewide “compliance date” for birth, death, and marriage records is 1 July 1897. Yet, it’s not unheard of to have a hard time finding vital records after that time period for an immigrant ancestor and can be very hard before, even though records were technically required. Why?

There are two common reasons for missing records.

  1. The record is filed under an unexpected spelling. A clerk who spoke only English could easily mistranscribe a French name; a family may decide an English variant was easier to read. Information on the process can be found here. Spend some time with the indices looking for likely alternate spellings.
  2. The record wasn’t filed. In Quebec, the Catholic Church was the recorder for much of its history. See https://genealogyensemble.com/2017/04/02/church-registers-a-wonderful-resource-for-researching-quebec-ancestors/ for details. A highly migratory but religious family may have completed the Church ceremony but not the civil forms. The parish may be able to assist with issuing certified sacramental records if needed for dual citizenship.

Stuck on a Connecticut research problem? Here are five places you can go for help.

  1. FamilySearch: The FamilySearch Wiki hosts how to information on Connecticut genealogy.
  2. Connecticut State Library: Genealogists love the Connecticut State Library and for good reason! From resources guides to helpful library staff, CSL should be familiar to every genealogist.
  3. Genealogical societies in state: Connecticut genealogical societies offer journals, research help, classes, and more. For a starting point in finding societies, visit https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/researcher/gensocieties.
  4. Professional genealogists: Key for accessing onsite records, professionals can be an invaluable resource for both locating the records you need and answering questions. For Connecticut professionals, consider the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council.
  5. Our resource guides: To learn more about land records and more, visit our website.

Have a specific question? Feel free to contact us!