The Connecticut Town Hall Transferred the Land Records to the State Library: Truth or Myth?

Myth… most likely.

Those of us who do genealogical research in Connecticut receive questions about things people have been told when visiting towns, historical societies, and more.

One such comment: older land records were transferred to the Connecticut State Library. Retention schedules say that historical land records can be transferred to the Connecticut State Library but that the town has to maintain a reduced size copy. I’ve seen only a few towns do this. Most retain their full records.

However, it’s worth knowing that you may not need to go to the town clerk’s office to research land records. FamilySearch has many of the older land records digitized, although they may be only accessible from a FamilySearch affiliate library. (If you go to the State Library, you’ll generally be looking at the same microfilm.) The majority of towns have digitized their most recent records: check the town clerk’s website for the link. Typically, towns have a digitization gap in the early 20th century, but if you’re doing earlier research, everything you need is likely online.

If you do go into the town clerk’s, be aware that staff can’t help with land records research. This kind of research is considered title searching, and as it raises legal implications, staff typically cannot assist. If you think you need onsite help, look for a local professional researcher.

Struggling to determine an ancestor’s church affiliation? Have you checked the tax records?

Connecticut had an establishment or state church until 1818. That meant many Connecticut residents – but not all – were Congregationalist by default. Yet, the Baptist and Episcopal Churches had a foothold in the state well prior to 1818.

How do you determine which of the denominations your ancestor attended? While it is possible to review the records of all churches in their area, you may also want to check the tax records for a hint. Beginning in October 1791, “dissenters” were allowed to file a record with the clerk of the ecclesiastical society indicating that they were attending a dissenting church. This allowed them to be exempted from payment of taxes going towards the support of the Congregational Church. Since those taxes were generally administered by the town government, the exemption is often noted in town records – along with the name of the church they were actually attending.

5 Common Connecticut Research Mistakes – and How to Avoid them

As a Connecticut genealogist, I see a few common mistakes happen over and over. Here are the most common research mistakes – and how to avoid them.

  1. Trying to search by the county. Connecticut hasn’t had political counties since 1960 and prior to that point, counties had only a limited role. (See here for the details.) The majority of CT records are stored on the town level. If possible, try to identify your ancestor’s town of origin in Connecticut – or check with a local genealogist in that county. Certain surnames are more common in certain towns.
  2. Assuming Connecticut research is just “New England research.” New England research doesn’t really exist. There are some common patterns, such as a high rate of town level storage. It really helps to learn each state’s systems.
  3. Calling the town hall for research help. Unless the town has a town historian – it’s a volunteer position in CT and most towns don’t fill it – calling the town hall isn’t an effective way to get research help. (They do have post-1900 vital records, but it’s best to make specific requests.) Here are a few better options:
    • See what’s online by using the FamilySearch catalog. If you’re going to research CT, it’s well worth setting up a free account.
    • Visit the website of the History and Genealogy Unit of the Connecticut State Library. They have amazing resource guides, and you can email the library staff with questions.
    • Think about joining a genealogy society in state. Connecticut Ancestry Society and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists both publish journals related to CT history and genealogy.
    • If needed, hire a professional genealogist. The Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council offers a list.
  4. Calling a historical society for questions about governmental records. Historical societies are not typically the repositories of governmental records in Connecticut. (The Connecticut State Library fulfills the role held by a state historical society in some states.) They sometimes end up with them through donations, but it is not their primary role. However, most have amazing manuscript collections. They’re a great resource – just be sure to focus on things they collect.
  5. Relying only on genealogical research libraries when you get stuck. New England has some wonderful genealogical research libraries. However, the majority of records are still in town halls, libraries, historical societies, and even attics. Don’t stop with the libraries!

How do I locate a Connecticut manumission record?

Connecticut established “Gradual Emanicipation” in 1784, but it applied only to those born after March first of that year. For those already held in slavery, the route out was through manumission, the process by which the enslaver legally released the person held in slavery from enslavement.

Connecticut had a process for accomplishing this goal. (See https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/law/statutes/1650-1958 to review the appropriate period in the Connecticut General Statutes.) The process was supposed to result a certificate being issued by the town selectman indicating that the person being manumitted could support themselves, followed – presumably – by a legal document created by the enslaver. Originals of these documents are hard to find, although they do exist.

However, some did go further and ensured that a copy was on file with the town’s clerk in the event any questions were raised. Because the enslaved were considered property, the manumissions are generally interfiled with the town’s land records. Most should be digitized and available from a FamilySearch affiliate library.

Connecticut and the Firelands

The Origins of the Firelands:

According to the Connecticut State Library, the Firelands were created as a result of the state of Connecticut’s attempts to recompense property owners for their losses after British attacks on Danbury, Fairfield, Norwalk, New London, and New Haven. In 1792, 500,000 acres of the Western Reserve was provided to survivors in proportion to their losses. William W. William’s History of the Firelands provides a list of those recompensed. That 500,000 acre area now contains – per Historic Lyme Village – “Erie and Huron Counties and Danbury Township in Ottawa County and Ruggles Township in Ashland County.”

In 1800, the “Quieting Act” transferred control of the Western Reserve from Connecticut to the Northwest Territory. An 1803 act created a company to distribute the promised property. The History of the Firelands indicates that the land was partitioned in 1808.

Why does this impact my family?

Connecticut ancestors are typically impacted by the Firelands in two ways. First, they may have received shares in the Firelands due to property damage. As such, they are likely named in petitions, on the list of petitioners, and possibly mentioned in the Ohio based company. Most remained in Connecticut, so outside of these records, they may not have records in Ohio. Second, some Connecticut ancestors took advantage of the survey to move. Their records are typically found in Ohio.

Research organizations in the Firelands:

Firelands Genealogical Society: https://www.hcc-ogs.org/

Firelands Historical Society: https://www.firelandsmuseum.com/

Huron Historical Society: https://www.thehuronhistoricalsociety.org/historical-markers/the-firelands-of-ohio/

Western Reserve Historical Society: https://www.wrhs.org/about/

What are the overseers of the poor, and how can they impact the research of my Connecticut ancestor?

Connecticut had a public welfare system in place by 1702. The law read:

Be in enacted and declared by the Governour, Council, and Representatives, in General Court Assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That when and so often as it shall happen, any person to be naturally wanting of understanding, so as to be uncapable to provide for him, or her self; or by the Providence of God, shall fall into Destraction, and become Non Compos Mentis, and no Relations appear, that will undertake the care of providing for them; or that stand in so near a degree, as that by Law they may be compelled thereto; in every such case the Select men, or overseers of the poor of the Town, or Peculiar, where such person was born, or is by Law an Inhabitant, be and hereby are Impowred and required, to take effectual care, and make necessary Provision, for the relief, support, and safety […]

Acts and Laws of His Majesties Colony of Connecticut in New England, Printed in 1702 and now first reissued, 54; digital images, Hathitrust (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112105064069?urlappend=%3Bseq=74%3Bownerid=13510798901909985-82: acccessed 14 August 2023).

The law continues to allow the town to use the individual’s assets for their care and to employ them as they are deemed capable.

Setting aside the moral and ethical questions of the system, the records of the overseers of the poor can still be valuable for research. They record individuals who may have been chronically ill or simply poor. These records are held at the town level and at the state archives (depending on the town) and typically include the receipts for an individual’s care and any related legal documents, such as an indenture.

Did Connecticut require vital records for those held in slavery?

As early as 1702, the requirement to register births and deaths included “masters” in addition to parents. Recording was inconsistent: although there was a penalty for failure to register, it’s unclear if it was ever enforced. In short, while there are only a small number of records for those held in slavery, it’s important to check for any individual being researched.

How do you do that?

In the vast majority of cases, these records are part of the vital records for the community in which the individual resided. For Middletown, I went to www.familysearch.org (already having logged in, as I know I need an account). I clicked on “Search” and “Catalog”. In the place box, I entered “United States, Connecticut, Middlesex, Middletown”and clicked the “Search button.” In the results list, I clicked on “vital records.” The last item is my point of interest. I clicked on it and was able to open digital images of the books covering births, deaths, and marriages for the period I sought.

On page 53 of volume 2, I found this:

Cato Negro (Servt to Capt Daniel Hall) + Jemima Quarters Mulato were Joyned in Marriage Covenant February 15th 1744

Due to the argument that the enslaved were property, some town clerks included their birth, death, and marriage records in land record books instead of the vital record books. These books are also available on FamilySearch (click on land records instead of vital records), but they typically need to be accessed from FamilySearch affiliate libraries.

Questions? Contact us.

Why did the town indenture my Connecticut ancestor?

19th century Connecticut newspapers include ads to reclaim those who had escaped indenture. Indenture, on the basic level, meant that someone “bound” themselves to an employer to work for a set period of time in exchange for some form of reward. Why do some of those ads mention the town as the ones doing the binding?

The reasoning is actually defined in Connecticut Statute:

If any person, who has had relief from any town, shall suffer his children to mis-spend their time, and shall neglect to employ them in some honest calling, or if any person does not provide competently for his children, whereby they are exposed to want, or if any poor children, in any town, live idly, or are exposed to want, and there are not to take care of them, the selectmen of such town, with the assent of a justice of the peace, shall in indenture such children […]

The General Statutes of the State of Connecticut, Revision of 1875 (Hartford: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., Printers, 1875), 193.

In short, if the town thought they needed to be involved to protect the child, they could complete the contract themselves.

Are there multiple versions of the Barbour Collection?

The Barbour Collection is an index and abstract of pre-1850 Connecticut vital records created in the early 1900s. For a history of the collection, see the “LibGuide” on the Connecticut State Library website. It’s a commonly used resource for Connecticut research, and, as it’s considered to be generally reliable, is accepted as “proof” by many lineage societies.

If you’ve looked at the online versions of the Barbour Collection, you may have noticed that they don’t all look the same. The term “Barbour Collection” is actually applied to three collections:

  1. The slip index: The first step in the collation process, the slip index is the most complete version of the collection, as it contains towns not included in the bound versions. (See the “LibGuide” for details.) The source of the record transcription is indicated directly on the card. The slip index has been digitized by FamilySearch as “Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850″.
  2. Bound volumes: Bound volumes were prepared as the final step in the transcription and collation process. They are often tertiary transcriptions – the original transcription having been transcribed onto the slip index, which was alphabetized before being transcribed again – so transcription errors are likely. The source information for the volumes is at the front. The bound volumes are digitized but not searchable on FamilySearch. They are digitized and searchable on American Ancestors.
  3. Lorraine Cook White publication: The bound volumes were transcribed again in the late 1990s and early 2000s and published under the editorship of Lorraine Cook White. These volumes do not include the source information and have been partially digitized by Ancestry.

Which Connecticut genealogical societies can help me learn more about my ancestors?

While not all of Connecticut’s genealogical societies include a focus on Connecticut ancestry, those that do can offer unique resources for learning more about your Connecticut roots.

Here’s a partial list of societies and a few of their offerings:

The Polish Genealogical Society of Connecticut and the Northeast offers resources on research in Connecticut and Poland and offers the chance for members to connect.

The Connecticut Ancestry Society and the Connecticut Society of Genealogists both offer scholarly journals on Connecticut genealogy.

The French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut offers a journal, a card file of Connecticut vital records for those with French surnames and more…

Looking for programs specifically on Connecticut ancestry? Be sure to let your society of interest know.