Connecticut Cemeteries

Cemetery records, such as tombstone and sexton’s records, have value in that they may give birth and death dates, age at death, name of spouse and children, a maiden name or, occasionally, a birthplace. Tombstones may have symbols or insignias indicating military service and social or religious affiliations. It is important to look at surrounding tombstones because family members may also be buried nearby.

The Charles R. Hale Collection of cemetery inscriptions (1640s-1930s) and newspaper death notices (1796-1865) is at the Connecticut State Library and on microfilm at the Family History Library (on 360 FHL films beginning with 003076). It consists of an extensive card index and 59 typed volumes of inscriptions, arranged by town, from more than 2,000 cemeteries. Additional description of this collection is Connecticut Vital Records.

The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of cemeteries in Connecticut are listed in Kemp's Connecticut Researcher's Handbook. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research Company, 1981. (FHL book 974.6 D23k.) This book contains a detailed list of available sources. The book also lists the number, volume, and page citations for each cemetery included within the Hale collection.

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) collection also contains tombstone inscriptions from Connecticut cemeteries. This collection is described in the "Genealogy" section.

Web Sites

 * Hale Collection
 * Interment
 * Connecticut Cemetery Records (at Connecticut Genealogy) Cemetery inscriptions online organized by county and city