Resources for finding the burial of a veteran ancestor in Connecticut

Looking to discover where a veteran ancestor is buried? Connecticut and national repositories maintain resources that can help.

The Nationwide Gravesite Locator lists veterans buried in national cemeteries or in a private cemetery with a military headstone.

The SAR has a cemetery search option that includes Revolutionary War ancestors they consider qualifying.

The State Library holds a copy of the veteran grave survey that formed the basis of the Hale Collection (not digitize).

The State Library holds a veteran’s death index that was maintained until 1982 (not digitized).

These resources specifically cover veterans. Your veteran ancestor may also be included in the general resources for gravestones and headstones.

Do I need an affiliate to access these Connecticut records on FamilySearch?

FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/en/united-states/) has done an amazing job of making images of older Connecticut records accessible for free through the website. However, not everything will be accessible from home. When FamilySearch signs a contract to digitize records, they receive different levels of permission to share. Some of their contracts permit sharing from home, some from an affiliate organization, some from a Family History Center, some from the library in Salt Lake, and finally, some only to LDS members.

In general, Connecticut records are available either from home or from an affiliate. While there were will be some variation, these are the general categories:

Accessible from home: vital records, some probate, church records

Accessible from an affiliate: some probate, land records

To find an affiliate, go to https://locations.familysearch.org/en/search.

How do I find a professional genealogist to assist with my Connecticut genealogy research?

Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions hiring professional help to finish your Connecticut genealogy research project?

There are four organizations with directories you can use to find professional genealogists who specialize in Connecticut research. (The membership of the New England Chapter Association of Professional Genealogists overlaps with that of APG.)

Things to consider when you choose who to hire.

  • What’s their training and/or background? While accreditation/certification provides a measure of the genealogist’s background, the lack of certification or accreditation does not necessarily do so. There are skilled genealogists who – for various reasons – just haven’t done the process yet. Alternate measures: what courses have they taken? Have they been published? What subjects do they lecture on?
  • Is the person onsite or remote? Many Connecticut records are available online on FamilySearch and Ancestry, but there are many that have yet to be digitized. Depending on what you need, you may need someone onsite (or who goes through the vaults often enough to know what they need to request).
  • What’s their research focus? Even in a state as small as Connecticut, genealogists may have a stronger in a specific county or town that can be key for the deep dive needed into your family’s history.
  • What’s your budget and project goals? You may not want to hire a genealogist for your entire project but just for sections. You may be time or money limited. Knowing that going in will be helpful.
  • What communication do you prefer? Do you need regular updates? By phone, email, something else? Asking first will help.
  • Are you a good fit? Talk to your genealogist. Not everyone meshes well.

Connecticut Villages: What do you need to know?

Connecticut historically had a village system. Villages – which often included churches, stores, schools and more – were typically organized either (in the 18th and early 19th century) around a church or later, around industrial centers. As much of life revolved around what they experienced in the villages, our ancestor may have listed the village as their home.

Yet the villages have no political jurisdiction in their own right. Some are even part of multiple towns, such as Hadlyme, or more famously, Mystic. (Mystic is part of Groton and Stonington.) That means to find our ancestor’s records, we need to know the town in which the village was located.

A good place to start is the secretary of state’s webpage entitled “TOWNS, VILLAGES, AND DISTRICTS WITH NO POST OFFICE OF SAME NAME“. While it won’t list every village, it does provide towns for many of those in the state.

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 that can help. Called “List of Connecticut Towns & Counties Including Year Established,” it lists the current town name, the year established, and the “parent town” from which it originated. You may have to follow your ancestor’s town back a few steps and you’ll need to check all possible parent towns for your ancestor – but at least it gives you a working list.

Holiday Gifts for a Connecticut Genealogist

Is there a Connecticut genealogist in your life starting their holiday wish list?


These are a few of my favorite options:

  • Membership to the historical society where your ancestors lived: Because Connecticut historical societies typically don’t hold governmental records, they’re sometimes skipped by genealogists. Yet, they’re the favorite repository for genealogists to retire their papers. Membership may bring you some wonderful hints.
  • Membership to an authorized Connecticut genealogy society: This is a must for anyone planning to do onsite research in Connecticut. Members of authorized societies have an ability to review vital records onsite with restrictions.
  • Connecticut books: If you’re researching Revolutionary War Connecticut, Jolene Mullen’s Connecticut Town Meeting Records is an excellent resource.
  • Hire a professional genealogist: Is there a record you haven’t been able to access? A professional genealogist may be able to retrieve it for you.

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. For Connecticut based genealogists, it can offer access to resources your local library does not hold.

While books need to be used onsite or interlibrary loaned to your local library, some databases can be accessed from home. Genealogists will value remote access to Fold3, historic versions of the Hartford Courant, JSTOR, and more.

There are numerous resources on the State Library site that don’t require a library card. For Connecticut residents, though, the application process is well worth the time.

I can’t locate a Connecticut birth certificate. Now where do I look?

While Connecticut required birth records as early as 1641, not everyone had one. If you can’t find a birth record for your ancestor, where else might you find their birth date and place recorded?

  • Church records: Some churches will baptize a child at birth and keep records accordingly. Keep in mind that many colonial Connecticut families were Congregational. The Congregational Church did not require infant baptism, so their baptismal records do not always correlate to the child’s birth.
  • Gravestones: Not every gravestone lists an age, but many do – and can provide enough to help you calculate a birth date.
  • Death and marriage record: Some records provide birth dates or at least ages.
  • Military draft and census records: Many drafts include a birth date and sometimes a place.
  • Obituary: Some list date and place of birth and even parents’ names.

What’s a proprietor? (and why does it matter?)

When Connecticut gave land to colonial settlers, it did not do so – as other colonies did – by issuing patents to individuals. Instead, it gave a group permission to settle on a certain area of land. These individuals, referred to as “proprietors” were responsible for establishing town governance and dividing the land among themselves (and deciding whether to hold it or to sell it to others).

To find the list of proprietors for a certain town, look for the proprietors’ records held by the town clerk (often their own book or the first section of the land records) or review the Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut.

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 Congregational by default. The Church Record Abstract Collection can help you pinpoint the correct church. Not every church was included in the collection, as it covers only about 25% of what was received by the State Library. The records of other churches that were received by the State Library have been digitized by FamilySearch and can be accessed by searching the relevant town in the catalog. For a list of those churches, see https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/108575-list-of-church-records-in-the-connecticut-state-library. (If your ancestor’s church is not included, the records may be still held locally.)

By about 1750, Episcopal and Baptist churches had a presence in the state. Some records are held by the State Library. The remainder are likely still at the churches. The Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut has an archives, which may be able to assist with questions.

The Catholic Church becomes active in the 1840s. Access policies will depend on the diocese. (More to follow…)