Litchfield County, Connecticut Genealogy

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

United States Connecticut  Litchfield County

County Courthouse

 * There is no county government.
 * The government is at the town level.

Quick Facts

 * Named for City of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. Not to be confused with Litchfield, Hampshire, England.

Parent County

 * 14 October 1751 from Fairfield and Hartford counties.

Record Loss

 * Lost census: 1890

A LARGE PORTION OF THE TOWN ENTIRELY DESTROYED.

... Besides its national reputation as a resort, Litchfield has a local fame as the county seat ... Next to the block stood the Court House, a big building also of wood, and its turn came next. The townsmen could do nothing to save it, and it burned down before their eyes, but the county records were saved. Close to the Court House there was the only brick building in that part of the town and it proved an effective barrier, the Court House being the last building on West-street to be destroyed. ... Among the property destroyed was Lawyer H. B. Graves's library, which contained many rare and valuable works, and D. C. Kilbourn's historical library. The New York Times, New York, NY 12 Jun 1886 (source:GenDisasters)

African American

 * Connecticut State Library, Litchfield County African Americans and Native Americans Collection, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).
 * New Milford Minority Surnames/No Surnames
 * New Milford Blacks who served in the American Revolution
 * New Milford Blacks who served in the Civil War

Bible Records
Atwood Family Bible, USGenWeb CTArchives

Cemeteries

 * Cemeteries, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Charles R. Hale Collection of Connecticut Cemeteries and Inscriptions, Litchfield County Cemetery Records, (accessed 25 Feb 2011). This website has a collection of cemetery links, organized by town.
 * Joyce Mackenzie Cropsey, Register of revolutionary soldiers and patriots buried in Litchfield County, (Canaan, New Hampshire :Phoenix Publishing, c1976). Published for the Mary Floyd Tallmadge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  Bibliography: p. 153-154. Includes index.  Available at the Family History Library,

Church

 * Church Records, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * 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
Court Records, USGenWeb CTArchives

Wills, USGenWeb CTArchives

History

 * History of Litchfield County, Connecticut with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971). Microfilm of original published: Philadelphia, Pa. : J.W. Lewis, 1881. 1 v. in 2 (730 p.), [278] leaves of plates : ill., maps, ports.  Available online at Internet Archives, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Berkshire Genealogist Indexing Committee, 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,
 * Litchfield County (Conn.), Samuel Church, Horace Bushnell,Litchfield County centennial celebration held at Litchfield, Conn., 13th and 14th of August, 1851, (Ann Arbor, Michigan : University Microfilms, 1987). Includes "Address ... on the occasion of the centennial celebration, 1851 / by Judge Church": p. [21]-69 ; "The age of homespun. A discourse ... 1851 ' by Horace Bushnell": p. [105]-130.  Available online at Google Books, (accessed 1 Mar 2011), or Internet Archives, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Dorothy Deming, Settlement of Litchfield County, (New Haven, Connecticut : Yale University Press, 1933). Available at the Family History Library, or FHL US/CAN Film 1697313 Item 7.
 * R. Manning Chipman, The history of Harwinton, Connecticut, (Hartford [Connecticut] :Williams, Wiley &amp; Turner, 1860). Includes bibliographical references and index.  Available online at Internet Libraries, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Film 1698076 Item 4.
 * William Cothren, History of ancient Woodbury, Connecticut from the first Indian deed in 1659 ... including the present towns of Washington, Southbury, Bethlem, Roxbury, and a part of Oxford and Middlebury, (Waterbury, Connecticut : Bronson Brothers, 1854-1879). Photocopies of originals.  Vols. 2-3 have imprint: Woodbury, Conn. : W. Cothren, 1872-1879. Includes indexes. Vols. 1-2 contain history and genealogy, vol. 3 contains vital records, including those for ancient Stratford.  Available online, Volume 1 : Internet Archives, (accessed 1 Mar 2011), and Volume 2, pt. 1: Google Books, (accessed 1 Mar 2011), and Volume 2, pt. 2: Internet Archives, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,  and Volume 1, FHL US/CAN Film 2055359 Item 4 and Volume 2-3: FHL US/CAN Film 6181 Items 2-3.
 * History Records, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Google Timeline, Litchfield County, Connecticut History 1650-2011, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).

Land

 * Deeds and Land Records, USGenWeb CTArchives
 * Library of Congress, Topography and Map Division, Litchfield County, Connecticut land ownership map, 1859, (Washington, DC : Library of Congress, 1983).   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,

Maps

 * Clark's map of Litchfield County, Connecticut, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).

Military

 * Military Data Extracted From Barkhamsted, Conn., &amp; 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

 * 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, (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,
 * American Revolution, USGenWeb CTArchives

Eliphalet Luddington Mary/Mollie Fellows George Fields James Wright

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.

Internet Sites

 * 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 25 Feb 2011). Reprint of various articles describing soldiers from the area.

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

Obituaries

 * Vi L. Kemp, Thomas Jay Kemp, Middlesex Genealogical Society, Index to obituaries, Litchfield County times, Litchfield, Connecticut, 1989, (Darien, Connecticut : Middlesex Genealogical Society, c1990). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Litchfield County, Connecticut Obituaries, (accessed 1 Mar 2011). A directory of obituary databases and archives on the internet.
 * Obits, USGenWeb CTArchives

Probate District Courts

 * Sharon - Kent, Salisbury and Sharon Towns

Taxation
Tax Lists, USGenWeb CTArchives

Vital Records
USGenWeb CTArchives

Societies and Libraries

 * Howard Williston Carter, The Litchfield County University Club a brief historical sketch with list of members, 1896-1903, (Ann Arbor, Michigan : University Microfilms, 1987). Available online at Google Books, (accessed 1 Mar 2011), or Internet Archives, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  A database of this book can be found at ancestry.com$, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,
 * Dudley L. Vaill, The Litchfield County University Club an account of its origin and a brief review of its history, (Ann Arbor, Michigan : University Microfilms, 1987).  A database for this book can be found at ancestry.com$, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).   Also available at the Family History Library,

Web Sites

 * Connecticut Genealogy, Litchfield Countywide Sources, (accessed 1 Mar 2011).
 * Cyndi's List, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Litchfield County General Resource Sites
 * epodunk, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Litchfield County Quick Links
 * FamilyHistory101, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Litchfield County Connecticut History, Records, Facts, Genealogy and Ancestry
 * The Litchfield County CTGenWeb Project, a member of The CTGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Litchfield County Genealogy and Family History
 * MyGenealogist, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). 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 Fairfield 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.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Litchfield County (backup site)
 * Family History Library catalog for Litchfield County.