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 CongregationalContinue reading “I can’t find a Connecticut birth record. Where do I look next?”
Tag Archives: Resources
Resources for researching a French-Canadian family from Connecticut
The late 19th and early 20th centuries brought French Canadian families from Quebec, often to work in Connecticut’s factories. If your ancestors were part of that migration, what resources exist to help you trace them? Societies: https://www.fcgsc.org/: French Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut “is dedicated to collecting, preserving and disseminating genealogical and historical information aboutContinue reading “Resources for researching a French-Canadian family from Connecticut”
Fact or Myth: Connecticut’s Historical Government Records are Held by the Connecticut Historical Society?
Myth… This one is actually based on a misconception. In some states, the state historical society is the official repository for the state’s governmental records. In Connecticut, that repository is the Connecticut State Archives, which is housed in the Connecticut State Library. The Connecticut Historical Society, recently rebranded as the Connecticut Museum of Culture andContinue reading “Fact or Myth: Connecticut’s Historical Government Records are Held by the Connecticut Historical Society?”
We don’t get that many genealogy questions. Should we still expend resources?
I hear this comment and/or question often when talking to Connecticut libraries, historical societies, senior centers and community centers. They’re trying to figure out how to expend limited resources based on what questions have come to them. Unfortunately, the starting point is probably flawed. As a professional genealogist, I actually use my library’s resources (specificallyContinue reading “We don’t get that many genealogy questions. Should we still expend resources?”
Truth or Myth: The older birth certificates were transferred from my ancestor’s Connecticut town to the State Library
Myth. 100% myth. Originals of the birth records are held in the town hall or the town vital records office. They have not been transferred to the State Library. Some records still in the towns have been microfilmed (and digitized) by FamilySearch, and that’s what you’d be reviewing at the State Library. If you areContinue reading “Truth or Myth: The older birth certificates were transferred from my ancestor’s Connecticut town to the State Library”
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 LibraryContinue reading “The Connecticut Town Hall Transferred the Land Records to the State Library: Truth or Myth?”
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 toContinue reading “Struggling to determine an ancestor’s church affiliation? Have you checked the tax records?”
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. (SeeContinue reading “How do I locate a Connecticut manumission record?”
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 toContinue reading “What are the overseers of the poor, and how can they impact the research of my Connecticut ancestor?”
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 theContinue reading “Why did the town indenture my Connecticut ancestor?”
Connecticut Roots by Charter Oak Genealogy 