Connecticut Vital Records

United States   Connecticut    Vital Records

Introduction to Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the Connecticut Vital Records State Department of Health or the Town Clerk's office where the event occurred.

Connecticut Birth, Marriage and Death Records Online
The following is a list of online resources useful for locating Connecticut Vital Records which consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths. Most online resources for Connecticut Vital Records are indexes. After locating a person in an index always consult the original record to confirm the information in the index.  


 * Barbour Collection hosted by Rootsweb - Free(see also the Wiki article Barbour Collection)
 * Connecticut Databases listed on Rootsweb.com- Free
 * USGenWeb.org Connecticut Site - Free
 * Search for Connecticut Collections on FamilySearch Record Search under Canada, USA, and Mexico - Free
 * The Vital Records Search and Information Directory for Connecticut - Free/$
 * Wee Monster Links for Connecticut Birth &amp; Marriage and Death Records - Free/$
 * Linkpendium Links for Connecticut Genealogy and History, including individual Counties - Free/$
 * Progenealogists Links for the United States. Press Ctrl + F on the keyboard to search for Connecticut or CT - Free/$
 * Search the Connecticut Birth, Marriage &amp; Death Records at Ancestry.com - $
 * Order Connecticut Certificates online - $

Town Records
Birth, marriage, and death records were kept by each town clerk. These are described further in Connecticut Town Records. Many of the births and marriages recorded in the town records have been extracted and are listed in the International Genealogical Index (IGI) at the Family History Library and Family History Centers.

State Records
State registration of vital statistics began in 1897 and was generally complied with by 1915. The Family History Library has not obtained these records. For copies of state records, you can contact:

Department of Public Health Vital Records Section 410 Capitol Avenue, 1st Floor Hartford, CT 06134

Telephone: 860-509-7700 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 340-308 11 VRS Hartford, CT 06134-0308

The current fees for this service are listed at VitalRecords.com. Select a state, Connecticut, to see the fees for birth, marriages, and deaths. There is also a link to information on divorce and adoption. You can also contact the Vital Records Section (address given above) for current information.

State your relationship to the individual you want information about and the reason you want the information.

Birth Records
Early to 1870

Recording of birth records by the town clerk began in 1650. Following the Revoutionary War - 1870 records were not always recorded.

1870 - 1897  (1870 State Board of Health established. Record keeping in towns improved)

1897 - Present

Birth records are considered confidential and can only be searched by:


 * 1) The individual, his mother, or father
 * 2) An attorney
 * 3) A member of a genealogical society in Connecticut.

You may wish to write to the Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Incorporated, for help in searching birth records. There will be a fee for this service.

Delayed registrations of births were kept by the town clerk and have the same restrictions as other vital records.

Marriage Records
Early - 1897

Some marriages were recorded as early as 1640.

1897 - Present

Marriage- Eloping Couples
Groton, New London County Connecticut was a city many eloping couples went to to be married. There was no waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage.

Death Records
Early - 1897

1897- Present

Divorce Records
Divorce proceedings are usually kept by the clerk of the superior court where the divorce was granted. The Connecticut State Library has some early divorce records. The Family History Library does not have copies of many divorce records.

Tips

 * Information listed on vital records is given by an informant. Learn the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) of the record.  The closer the relationship of the informant to the subject(s) and whether or not the informant was present at the time of the event can help determine the accuracy of the information found on the record.
 * If you are unable to locate vital records recorded by governments, search for church records of christening, marriage, death or burial. A family Bible may have been used to births, marriages, death or burial.
 * Privacy laws may restrict your access to some vital records. Copies of some vital records recorded in the last 50 years may be unavailable to anyone except direct descendants and / or ancestors.
 * If the survival of a baby was in question, the birth may not have been recorded.
 * Search for Vital Records in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search and then choosing Vital Records. Search for Connecticut to locate records filed by the State and then search the name of the county to locate records kept by that county.

Substitute Records
These links will take you to wiki pages describing alternate sources for birth, marriage and death records.

Connecticut Church Records: Depending on the denomination, church records may contain information about birth, marriage and death.

Connecticut Cemetery Records: Cemetery records are a rich source of birth and death information. These records may also reveal family relationships.

Connecticut Probate Records: If no death record exists, probate records may be helpful in estimating when an individual has died. Probate records in the 20th Century often contain the exact death date.

Connecticut Census Records: Census records are a valuable source for birth and marriage information. You may also determine approximate time of death when the individual disappear from the census. This is a good place to begin a search.

Connecticut History: Local histories, family histories and biographies can all be sources of birth, marriage and death information. Often this information is found in county-level records or in surname searches of the Family History Library catalog.

Connecticut Military: Military pension records can give birth, marriage and death information, In addtion, soldiers' homes records can included this same information.

Connecticut Newspaper: Besides obituaries, local newspapers may contain birth and marriage announcements and death notices. Also check newspaper social columns for additional information.

Connecticut Periodicals: Local genealogical and historical societies often publish periodicals which may contain abstracted early birth, marriage and death information.

Family History Library-Connecticut-Vital Records Collections
There are several collections and other sources which contain vital records:

Barbour Collection. This collection consists of abstracts of town, church, and other original records from the earliest time to the 1850s. Most towns are included. The index is incomplete, however, and is known to contain errors. The collection is on 98 microfilms at the Family History Library and the births are indexed in the IGI.

Charles R. Hale Collection. This collection includes newspaper notices of marriages, deaths and cemetery inscriptions. The Family History Library has this collection on 360 rolls of film. See the Cemeteries page.

Bowman Collection. This is a card index to Connecticut vital records in Massachusetts, 1800 to 1900.

Clarence Torrey Collection.This includes New England marriage records prior to 1700. It is at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and also on microfilm at the Family History Library. A published index of this collection is Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700. A Third Supplement to Torrey's New England marriages prior to 1700 was published in 2003.

Index to the Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin, Vols 1-8.This is an index at the Connecticut State Library and is on microfilm at the Family History Library. It indexes the names found in the Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin.

International Genealogical Index. This indexes many of the births and marriages recorded in the town records. It is available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers.