Litchfield County, Connecticut Genealogy

Guide to Litchfield County, Connecticut ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.


 * This article is about a county in Connecticut. For other uses, see Litchfield (disambiguation).



Description

 * Not to be confused with Litchfield, Hampshire, England.
 * The county was named after Litchfield, in England. The County is located in the northwest area of the state.
 * Jean S. Morris, The Pennsylvania-Connecticut controversy bibliography, (Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] : J.S. Morris, [c1984]). "In 1774, the territory now comprising the Pennsylvania counties of Bradford, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wyoming was organized into the Township of Westmoreland, Litchfield County, Connecticut. In 1776 it became a separate county in CT. In 1782 this area was officially awarded to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At this time the area was mostly within the bounds of Northumberland County, Pa."--Introd.  Available at the Family History Library,

County Courthouse

 * Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1800
 * Town Clerks have birth, marriage, death, and land records
 * Probate Judge has probate records
 * There is no county government and no county seat.
 * The government is at the town level.

Litchfield County, Connecticut
Towns Organized Before 1800: Barkhamstead 1799, Bethlehem 1787, Canaan 1739, Colebrook 1799, Cornwall 1740, Goshen 1739, Harwinton 1737, Kent 1739, Litchefield 1719, New Hartford 1738, New Milford 1712, Norfolk 1758, Plymouth 1795, Roxbury 1796, Salisbury 1741, Sharon 1739, Torrington 1740, Washington 1779, Warren 1768, Watertown 1780, Winchester 1771, Woodbury 1673.

Record Loss
1886 The Litchfield County courthouse was destroyed by fire, but no records were lost. Additionally, Lawyer H. B. Graves's library, which contained many rare and valuable works, and D. C. Kilbourn's historical library were destroyed.

Boundary Changes

 * Parent County: 14 October 1751 from Fairfield and Hartford counties.

For animated maps illustrating Connecticut county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Connecticut County Boundary Maps" (1643-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Bible Records
Atwood Family Bible, USGenWeb CTArchives

Biographies

 * Linkpendium, Biographies, Oral Histories, Diaries, Memoirs, Genealogies, Correspondence, Litchfield County.
 * Arthur Goodenough, The clergy of Litchfield County, (Winchester, Connecticut : Litchfield County University Club, 1909).  Available online at Google Books, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Dwight C. Kilbourn, The bench and bar of Litchfield County, Connecticut, 1709-1909 biographical sketches of members, history and catalogue of the Litchfield Law School, historical notes, (Litchfield, Connecticut : D. C. Kilbourn, c1909). Includes index.  Available online at Internet Archives.  Also available at the Family History Library,   or on the desktop at the Family History Library,
 * David S. Boardman, Sketches of the early lights of the Litchfield bar, (Ann Arbor, Michigan : University Microfilms, 1987). Includes index.  Available online at Internet Archives.  Also available in the Family History Library,
 * Charles F. Sedgwick, Fifty years at the Litchfield County bar, (Ann Arbor, Michigan : University Microfilms, 1987). A database for this book is available at ancestry.com$, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Payne Kenyon Kilbourn, A biographical history of the county of Litchfield, Connecticut comprising biographical sketches of distinguished natives and residents of the county; together with complete lists of the judges of the county court, justices of the quorum, county commissioners, judges of probate, sheriffs, senators, c., (New York, New York : Clark, Austin, 1851).  Available online at Internet Archives, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Biographical review, this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Litchfield County, Connecticut, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974).  Includes index.  Available at the Family History Library,

Territory and State Census Records

 * Census Online, (accessed 6 Mar 2011), Litchfield County Records.
 * Census Finder, Connecticut Census Records, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Online links by county.
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Litchfield County Census Records, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * Linkpendium, Census Records and Indexes, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Litchfield County, Connecticut.
 * US Census Collection, (accessed 8 Mar 2011), FamilySearch.

Federal Census Records

 * US Federal Census Collection, ancestry.com$, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * USGenWeb Census Project, Litchfield County, Connecticut Federal Census Index, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Transcriptions in progress.
 * Lowell M. Volkel, An index to the 1800 federal census of Litchfield, New Haven, Tolland and Windham counties, state of Connecticut, ([S.l.] : L.M. Volkel, c1969).  Available at the Family History Center,

Church Records
The Congregational Church was predominant in early Connecticut and was the state church until 1818. Other prominent churches in the state are the Methodist and Episcopal churches (colonial period), and the Roman Catholic and Baptist churches (19th century).

It is recommended that you also look at the Connecticut Church Records page, which has additional information about church records in Connecticut.


 * Church Records, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Litchfield County Church Records, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Includes church and vital records.
 * Arthur Goodenough, The clergy of Litchfield County, (Winchester, Connecticut : Litchfield County University Club, 1909). Available online at Google Books, (accessed 1 Mar 2011), or Internet Archives, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  A database for this book can be found at ancestry.com$, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Fiche 6100461.
 * Litchfield County Foreign Mission Society (Litchfield County, Connecticut), Semi-centennial of the Litchfield Co. Foreign Mission Society celebrated at Litchfield, October 16, 1861 , (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1995). Available at the Family History Library,

Court Records

 * Court Records, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Litchfield County Connecticut Court Records Directory, (accessed 8 Mar 2011).
 * Wills, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Barbara B. Ferris and Grace Louise Knox, Connecticut divorces Superior Court records for the counties of Litchfield, 1752-1922 and Hartford 1740-1849 , Available on the desktop at the Family History Library,

Directories

 * Linkpendium, Litchfield Directories, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).
 * Waterbury suburban city directory including Middlebury, Terryville, Thomaston, Watertown, and Wolcott, (New Haven [Connecticut] : Price ; Lee Company, 1940?-).   Available at the Family History Library,
 * Price Lee Company, Southbury (New Haven County and Litchfield County, Ct.) city directory including Roxbury, Washington and Woodbury, (New Haven [Connecticut] : Price Lee Company, [197-?]-). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Torrington, Winsted, Litchfield, Norfolk, Goshen directory combining five distinct directories: governmental directory, buyers' directory, alphabetical directory, numerical directory, classified directory, (New Haven [Connecticut] : Price Lee, 1931-).  Available at the Family History Library,   (3 Films)
 * Price Lee Company, New Milford (Litchfield County, Conn.) city directory including Bridgewater, Brookfield, Brookfield Center, New Fairfield and Sherman, (New Haven [Connecticut] : Price Lee Company, [196-?]-).  Available at the Family History Library,

African American

 * Connecticut State Library, Litchfield County African Americans and Native Americans Collection
 * New Milford Minority Surnames/No Surnames

Genealogies

 * Litchfield County Genealogy 1,332 Litchfield county genealogy record sources.
 * R. Manning Chipman, The history of Harwinton, Connecticut, (Hartford [Connecticut] : Williams, Wiley &amp; Turner, 1860). Includes bibliographical references and index.  Available online at Internet Archives, (accessed 8 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Film 1698076 Item 4.
 * Elmer I. Shepard, Elmer I. Shepard Collection Connecticut and Vermont family group records, ca. 1550-1900 , (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990). The Shepard Collection represents the working files of Elmer I. Shepard. He gathered his material from a number of sources, both primary and secondary, and then combined it on 3 x 5 index cards, arranged by geographic location (county and town) and then by surname, listed under the heads of families.  Available at the Family History Library, 4 films starting with,

Land and Property Records
Deeds, mortgages, releases, and other related documents were recorded by the town clerk and are at the town halls. Most are indexed by grantor and grantee. There is no statewide index.

The Family History Library and the Connecticut State Library have microfilm copies of many proprietors' and town records from the earliest years to the mid or late 1800s. Some are as recent as the 1900s. They are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the name of the town.


 * Deeds and Land Records, USGenWeb CTArchives[[Image:Ctlitchfield.jpg|right|400px|Ctlitchfield.jpg]]
 * Library of Congress, Topography and Map Division, Litchfield County, Connecticut land ownership map, 1859 , (Washington, DC : Library of Congress, 1983).   Available online at flickr from Yahoo, (accessed 2 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Tinmouth (Vermont). Proprietors' Clerk, Proprietors records, 1761-1809 , (Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Public Records Division, 1973). Microfilm of original records filmed at Tinmouth, Vermont.  Contains deeds and land surveys. Also includes land records from various counties in Connecticut. Includes charter book which contains a copy of the 1761 Tinmouth charter and minutes of proprietors meetings.  Available at the Family History Library,

Dwellings

 * Old Woodbury Historical Society (Woodbury, Connecticut), Homes of Old Woodbury, ([Woodbury, Connecticut] : Old Woodbury Historical Society (Connecticut), c1959). Old Woodbury included the present towns of Woodbury, Washington, Bethlehem, Roxbury, and Southbury.  Available at the Family History Library,

Local Histories
Online County Histories


 * History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut. 3 Vols. By William Cothren. 1854-1879. Waterbury, Connecticut : Bronson Brothers. Online at:  - Vol. 3; Hathitrust - various publication dates; Hathitrust - Vol. 1-3, Pub. 1854; Hathitrust - Vol. 1-2, Pub. 1872-79; Internet Archive - Vol. 1; Google Books; Google Books - Vol. 3; Ancestry ($);.
 * The History of Harwinton, Connecticut. By R. Manning Chipman. 1860. Hartford, Connecticut : Williams, Wiley & Turner. Online at: ; Hathitrust; Internet Archive; Google Books;.
 * History of Litchfield County, Connecticut. 1881. Philadelphia, Pa. : J.W. Lewis. Online at: ; Hathitrust; Internet Archive; Google Books. Index (not available online): Index to History of Litchfield County, Connecticut published by J. W. Lewis &amp; Co. 1881, (Pittsfield, Massachusetts : Berkshire Family History Association, c1999). Available at the Family History Library,

Maps and Gazetteers
Litchfield County, Gazetteer, (accessed 2 Mar 2011).


 * Maps of Connecticut (1643-1960)
 * Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Maps, (accessed 2 Mar 2011). Organized by State and County.  Links to road maps, county outlines, colored outlines and lists of towns.
 * Linkpendium, Maps and Gazetteers, Litchfield County, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).
 * Clark's Map of Litchfield County, Connecticut, flickr from yahoo, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from included:


 * Hudson River a navigable river stretching from north of Albany then flowing south to empty into the Atlantic Ocean at New York City
 * Albany Post Road from New York City to Albany, New York 1669
 * Alford and Egremont (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Ancram (NY) Turnpike 1805, also sometimes called the Catskill Road, from Salisbury, Connecticut to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike  (aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by 1792; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Great Barrington and Aford (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Greenwood Road 1799 from Hartford, Connecticut to Albany, New York
 * Hampden and Berkshire (MA) Turnpike 1826
 * Hillsdale and Chatham Turnpike 1805 from Alford, Massachusetts to Albany, New York
 * Housatonic River (MA) Turnpike 1809
 * Massachusetts 10th Turnpike 1800
 * Massachusetts 12th Turnpike 1812
 * Minsi Path 1766 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Kingston, New York
 * Old Connecticut Path  1630 from Boston, Massachusetts to Hartford, Connecticut
 * Rensselaer and Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Salisbury and Canaan (CT) Turnpike 1801-1829
 * Ulster and Delaware Turnpike 1802 from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bainbridge, New York

Military

 * Military Data Extracted From Barkhamsted, Conn., Its Centennial 1879 To Which is Added A Historical Appendix 1881, transcribed by Jane Devlin. A list of Barkhamsted men who served in the War of the Revolution, the War of 1812-14, the Mexican War and the Rebellion of 1861-65.

American Revolution

 * American Revolution, USGenWeb CTArchives, Litchfield County
 * Josephine Ellis Richards, Honor Roll of Litchfield County Revolutionary Soldiers, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969). Transcription available online at rootsweb, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Organized by Town.  Also available at the Family History Library,  Includes index.  Can also be found on the Family History Library Desktop,
 * New Milford Blacks who served in the American Revolution

Civil War
Civil War service men from Litchfield County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Most of the men in the following companies were from Litchfield County.


 * 1) 1st Regiment, Connecticut Heavy Artillery - Company I - Wolcottville, now known as Torrington
 * 2) 2nd Regiment, Connecticut Heavy Artillery - Company A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * 3) 2nd Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Rifle Company E
 * 4) 19th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I.
 * 5) 28th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company E and F.
 * [http://www.bostwicktypingservice.com/nmblackscivilwar.html New Milford Blacks who served in the Civil
 * Civl War Research Database $, (accessed 8 Mar 2011)
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database, (accessed 9 Aug 2017);
 * Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Grave Database (accessed 9 Aug 2017);
 * Samuel Orcutt, History of the Towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1703-1882, (accessed 25 Feb 2011). The War [Transcribed by Richard Clarke] Includes: A Record of the Soldiers who enlisted in the Civil War from New Milford.
 * Those who served in the Civil War, (accessed 25 Feb 2011). List of names given from Charles F. Sedgwick's, The General History of The Town of Sharon, Litchfield County, Connectictut From Its First Settlement, (Amenia, NY: Charles Walsh, Printer and Publisher 1877).
 * Litchfield County and the Civil War, (accessed 30 June 2014). Reprint of various articles describing soldiers from the area.

World War I

 * World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 $, (accessed 8 Mar 2011).
 * at FamilySearch — index

World War II

 * U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 $, (accessed 8 Mar 2011).
 * at FamilySearch — index and images
 * U. S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 $, (accessed 8 Mar 2011).
 * United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, (accessed 8 Mar 2011). Collection Description: Images of cards for men, age 45-64 (born 1877-1897), included in the fourth draft conducted on Arpil 27, 1942.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1851-1992 at FamilySearch — index and images


 * Connecticut. Court of Common Pleas.  Superior Court, Index to naturalization petitions 1790-1906, 1906-1973  (Litchfield County, Connecticut - Court of Common Pleas, and Superior Court), (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2003). Available at the Family History Library,  (3 films)
 * Connecticut. Superior Court (Litchfield County), Naturalization records (Litchfield County, Connecticut), 1906-1945 NARA, RG21, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2008). Includes index.  Some volumes have the index at the back of the volume.  Available at the Family History Library,  (17 Films)

Newspapers
Litchfield County Newspaper List, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).

Obituaries

 * Index to obituaries, Litchfield County times, Litchfield, Connecticut, 1989 
 * Litchfield County, Connecticut Obituaries, (accessed 1 Mar 2011). A directory of obituary databases and archives on the internet.
 * Obits, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Litchfield County, Connecticut Obituary Collection Free from GenealogyBuff.com. This is Taken From Various Funeral Homes in the New Milford, Watertown, Torrington, Plymouth, Harwinton, and surrounding areas.

Native American

 * Connecticut State Library, Litchfield County African Americans and Native Americans Collection.
 * Connecticut State Library has an extensive list of Native American Tribes associated with the state of Connecticut.
 * Access Genealogy indicates the Wawyachtonoc, a tribe of the Mahican Confederacy occupied the northwestern corner of Litchfield county, Connecticut.
 * Shagihticoke tribe The Schaghticoke historically consisted of Mahican, Potatuck, Weantinock, Tunxis, Podunk, and their descendants, peoples indigenous to what is now New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The remnant tribes amalgamated in the area near the Connecticut-New York border after many losses. Their reservation, granted in 1736 by the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut, is one of the oldest in the United States. It is located near the New York border within the boundaries of Kent in Litchfield County, to the west of the Housatonic River.

Description and Travel - Guidebooks

 * Newell Meeker Calhoun and Julius Turner Edson, Litchfield County Sketches, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990). Available online at Google Books, (accessed 8 Mar 2011). Also available at the Famiy History Library,

Periodicals

 * The Lure of the Litchfield Hills, (Winsted, Connecticut : N. W. Adams, [1940]-). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Mid-Hudson Genealogical Journal, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988).  Available at the Family History Library,

Probate Records

 * Sharon - Kent, Salisbury and Sharon Towns
 * Connecticut State Library, Research Guide to Connecticut Probate Records.


 * 1609 – 1999 Connecticut Wills and Probate Records 1609-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Tax Records
Litchfield County CT Archives History - Taxlists .....Tax Abatements, Woodbury (Parish Of Southbury).

Vital Records

 * To 1850 - at FamilySearch — index

Birth

 * 1892-1973 - Mildred E. Berry Nott, Cythia Nott Ockels, and June Berry, The Longfellow birthday book, Includes primarily birthdates with some death and marriage dates for residents of Burrville, Winsted, and Harwinton, (Litchfield County), Connecticut with other relatives in other states. Entries were kept from 1892-1973. Available at the Family History Library,

Marriage

 * 1640-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Death

 * 1883-1934 - Litchfield County (Connecticut). Coroner, Coroner's Records, 1883-1934, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1988). Indexes are found within each volume.  Available at the Family History Library, Volume 1-2:  Volume 3-10: FHL US/CAN Film 1602521-1602525.

Divorce Records

 * Connecticut. Superior Court (Litchfield County), Divorce papers, 1752-1922 , (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1989-1990). Records are in approximate alphabetical order. Available at the Family History Library,  (26 films)

See also How to order Connecticut Vital Records
 * USGenWeb CTArchives, Litchfield County.
 * Linkpendium, Vital Records, Litchfield County.

Societies, Libraries, and Museums
Cornwall Historical Society P.O. Box 115 Cornwall, CT 06753 860-672-0505 E-Mail:[mailto:CornHistSoc@optonline.net CornHistSoc@optonline.net] Website

The Kent Historical Society PO Box 651 10 Studio Hill Road Kent, CT 06757 860-927-4587 E-Mail: [mailto:info@kenthistoricalsociety.org info@kenthistoricalsociety.org] Website

The Litchfield Historical Society P.O. Box 385 7 South Street Litchfield, CT 06759 860-567-4501 Fax: 860-567-3565 E-Mail: [mailto:eogrady@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org eogrady@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org] Website

New Hartford Historical Society P.O. Box 41 537 Main Street New Hartford, CT 06057 860-379-6894 E-Mail: [mailto:newhartfordhistory@att.net newhartfordhistory@att.net] Website

New Milford Historical Society &amp; Museum N°6 Aspetuck Ave New Milford, CT 06776 860 354-3069 Website

Salisbury Association The Academy Building 24 Main Street PO Box 553 Salisbury, CT 06068 860 435-0566 Email: [mailto:salisburyassn@gmail.com salisburyassn@gmail.com] Website

Sharon Historical Society 18 Main Street P.O. Box 511 Sharon, CT 06069 860-364-5688 E-Mail: [mailto:sharonhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com sharonhistoricalsociety@yahoo.com] Website

Torrington Historical Society 192 Main Street Torrington, CT 06790 860 482-8260 E-Mail: [mailto:mark@torringtonhistoricalsociety.org mark@torringtonhistoricalsociety.org] Website

Watertown Historical Society, Inc. 22 DeForest Street Watertown, CT 06795 860 274-1050 E-Mail: [mailto:watertownctmuseum@sbcglobal.net watertownctmuseum@sbcglobal.net] Website

Websites

 * Litchfield County, CT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Connecticut Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Connecticut Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * ancestry.com$ Available databases for Litchfield County.
 * Census Finder, Connecticut Vital Records Online transcriptions are listed by county.
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Litchfield County Genealogy
 * Cyndi's List Litchfield County General Resource Sites
 * epodunk Litchfield County Quick Links
 * The Litchfield County CTGenWeb Project, a member of The CTGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium Litchfield County Genealogy and Family History
 * MyGenealogist Litchfield County, Connecticut Genealogy Resources. Our expert research team has put together some helpful links and resources to help you get started with your project. Many of the Litchfield County resources listed on this page are often used by our genealogists to locate important records like birth certificates, obituaries, court records, marriage certificates, land deeds, and family histories.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Litchfield County.
 * Websites at RootsWeb for Litchfield County
 * Litchfield County Subjects.