If you live in Connecticut, you have access to some great genealogical resources. I have been working on my genealogy for the last 30 some years and I have used the resources that are available to me locally many times.
Godfrey Memorial Library
Founded in 1951, Godfrey memorial library has been open to the public ever since. They have over 200,000 pieces in their collection and are also a Family History Center so you can have tapes sent their from Salt Lake City for you to use.
The American Biological Index is one of their most popular attractions, it is an index to 4 million American family ancestors.
If you live a distance from Middletown you may want to become a Godfrey Scholar so that you can access many of their records online. Included in this are the photos from Ed Laput of headstones in the State of Connecticut.
Check out their website to see what they have to offer.
French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut
Located on the town green in Tolland, Conn. this was my home away from home for two full years. I worked in the courthouse every Saturday until I felt I had gotten every bit of information out of the records. One of the great advantages of coming here is that the other people who are researching are likely your French Canadian cousins and it is fun to exchange information and heritage.
I arrived by 10 a.m. most Saturdays and didn't leave until they closed at 4 p.m. I never took a lunch break but luckily there is a Subway right before you get back onto I-84 so most weeks I grabbed a small veggie grinder before I headed home.
Library Hours Are:
Monday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
I personally maintained a membership for several years and it was money well spent. Among the reference materials, you will find Connecticut marriage and death information on descendants of French Canadian and Acadian extraction taken from local newspapers and parish records by Society members.
They also have copies of Arsenault's History and Genealogy of the Acadians, the Red and the Blue Drouin and Jette's Genealogical Dictionary of the Families of Quebec. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Check out their website for a complete list of the library holdings.
Connecticut State Library
Located in Hartford, the Connecticut State Library is open for research Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The State Archives are at the same location. They have an extensive catalog of their holdings which include personal papers, land records, probate court records and a whole lot more.
The records cover the period from the founding of the state. Many church records are held here as well as town directories, the Barbour Collection which is an index to early vital records and the Hale Collection of tombstone inscriptions.
To find out the full collection of the archives, the website for the Connecticut State Library offers a very good listing.
These are just three of the very good reasons to start your genealogical research at home in Connecticut and don't overlook the local library and historical society.
