Did Connecticut warn out?

If you’ve studied colonial New England genealogy, you’ve probably heard about the practice of “warning out”. “Warning out” was a practice in which the town’s selectmen would tell unwanted inhabitants they had to leave the community, usually to avoid paying for care of an individual not raised in or with deep ties to a community.

Connecticut did formally allow for warning out. “An Act for the Admission of Inhabitants in Towns, and for preventing Charge on Account of such as are not admitted therein” reads:

And if any such Stranger, or transient Personal shall, contrary to the intent of this Act, make his or her Abode within any Town in this State, every such Person shall forfeit and pay to such Treasurer Ten Shillings per Week, for every Week that he or she shall continue in such Town, after Warning given to him or her, by order of the Select-men of said Town; or upon their Request, by Warrant from Authority to depart such Town, (which Warning the Select-men are impowered to order, or give): And the said Authority, on Request as aforesaid, is impowered to issue a Warrant to the Constable, to warn such Persons to depart, as aforesaid.

Acts and laws of the state of Connecticut in America (New london: Timothy Green, 1784),102-103.

While it was permitted, warning out seems to have rarely – if ever – occurred. Far more commonly, towns would bill each other for care of their inhabitants. If a resident of one town ended up ill in another, the selectmen of the second town would pay for their care and then expect the first town to repay them. These detailed records, often recorded as bills to the town, can generally be found in town clerk’s offices and/or the state archives.

How do I determine what Connecticut laws might have impacted my ancestor?

Civil records of our ancestors were the end result of a series of laws. Laws determined when vital records were created, who had to be recorded, what information was included, what fees were charged for that recording, and more. Reviewing the original laws can help us understand what a source can and cannot tell us and why.

Some of those laws – such as the creation of the draft – are federal. However, vital records laws, probate law, and more were created and passed by the state government. The Connecticut State Library provides links to many of the historic versions of the Connecticut General Statutes on their website. Be sure to check the revision closest in time to the source to obtain the most current version of any applicable law.

What is the Connecticut Church Record Abstract Collection and how can it help my research?

Until 1818, the Congregational Church was the establishment or state church of Connecticut. As a result, many families were members by default. Congregational Church records can provide substitute records of birth, marriage, and death.

In the early 1900s, the Connecticut State Library began to collect copies of the state’s church records to ensure their preservation. Most received were Congregational or Episcopal. A portion (approximately 25%) were then abstracted and indexed. That collection has since been digitized by Ancestry. While a very limited sample, it offers a way to search a large number of churches at once – and perhaps, locate some missing family members.

5 free genealogy sites for researching your CT ancestors

  1. FamilySearch: The website hosts images of many original CT records, including land, probate, and more. A library can become an affiliate, allowing for onsite access to even more records.
  2. CT State Library: The website of the Connecticut State Library, it includes indexes and more. This site is a great way to locate death records or determine what newspapers served your ancestor’s town.
  3. Connecticut Digital Archive: The state’s digital repository, Connecticut Digital Archive includes newspaper images, historic photos, and more.
  4. Chronicling America: The newspaper database for the Library of Congress, Chronicling America includes digital images of many smaller CT newspapers.
  5. Library of Congress: The digital collections of the LOC include maps, architectural surveys and more.