Barbour Collection – Connecticut Roots by Charter Oak Genealogy

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:

Is the Barbour Collection a Derivative Source?

As an index and abstract to pre-1850 Connecticut vital records, the Barbour Collection is popularly used in lineage society applications as “proof” of birth, death and marriage. (For history of the collection and for information on its three “formats,” visit https://connecticutroots.org/2023/07/28/are-there-multiple-versions-of-the-barbour-collection/.) The collection is generally considered to be reliable. Yet, as genealogists, we want toContinue reading “Is the Barbour Collection a Derivative Source?”