Connecticut Vital Records

Town Records
Birth, marriage, and death records were kept by each town clerk. These are described further in the "Town Records" section. 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 Hartford, CT 06105 Telephone: 860-509-8000 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 340-308 11 VRS Hartford, CT 06134-0308

The current fees for this service are listed in Where to Write for Vital Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Divorces (Hyattsville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, March 1993; FHL book 973 V24wv). Copies of this booklet are at the Family History Library and many Family History Centers. 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 are considered confidential and can only be searched by:


 * 1) The individual, his mother, or father


 * 1) An attorney


 * 1) 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.

Other Sources
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 (beginning with FHL film 002887), and the births are indexed in the IGI.

Charles R. Hale Collection. This collection includes newspaper notices of marriages and deaths and cemetery inscriptions. The Family History Library has this collection on 360 rolls of film (see the "Cemeteries" section).

Bowman Collection. This is a card index to Connecticut vital records in Massachusetts, 1800 to 1900 (FHL films 002884-885).

'''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 (FHL films 929494-500). A published index of this collection is Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985; FHL book 974 V2t; film 1320548 item 14). A supplement was published in 1991 (FHL book 974 V2t supp).

'''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 (FHL film 002886.) It indexes the names found in the Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin'' (Hartford, Connecticut: Connecticut Historical Society, 1934-; FHL book 974.6 H25c).

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.

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.