Connecticut Research

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Comment by Liz Loveland on July 19, 2009 at 10:17am

Hi all, My eponymous family (surname Loveland) started out life in the Colonies in the Connecticut River Valley in the mid-1600s. My branch moved up to Vermont around the time of the Revolutionary War. If anyone else is researching the Lovelands and associated families, or is researching in that area and time period (regardness of which surnames), I'd love to talk with you about it.

Comment by GaryRea on July 15, 2009 at 11:49pm

Hi, everyone. I have many ancestors in Connecticut, particularly in Thompson and Windham Counties and these were intertwined with my ancestors across the state line in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Most of my connections there are from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and there are some living descendants there, as well. Among my Connecticut surnames are JOSLIN, JACOBS, TOURTELLOTTE, ALTON and HOSMER.

Comment by Karyn Van Kainen on July 15, 2009 at 5:15pm

Some of my ancestors were early settlers of Connecticut, particularly New London county. Surnames include Crary, Gallup, Lake, Witter, Brewster and Yorke, to name a few. I've done a great deal of research on these families, and I'll be happy to help others searching the same lines. To see if your family is included in my research, please feel free to visit my family tree website (URL listed on my page) and use the Name Index to locate your kin. Happy hunting!

Comment by Cheryl Gross on July 15, 2009 at 2:16pm

Several of my lines come from Connecticut in the 17th and 18th centuries - Miles, Holbrook, Elithorpe, Wilmot, Buckingham and Welch (with the Prudden Group) are the surnames that come to mind. Does anyone else have any of the connections?

Comment by Nora Galvin on July 13, 2009 at 7:19pm

Lorraine, In case you have not already figured it out, that is the city of Norwich in New London County. Since you have a city, you can write to the city clerk and ask if there is a birth record. I have not researched in Norwich, so I don't know the extent of their records, but unless there was something unusual that happened in Norwich, there should be records for that period. The only way a city clerk can communicate birth information to you is by sending you a certified copy of the birth record which costs $10. You would need to send a check or money order for $10 plus a photocopy of your drivers' license or other identification to the city clerk's office and ask for a copy of the birth record of your greatgrandmother (by name) and her approximate date of birth. (http://www.norwichct.org/filestorage/43/280/BirthCertRequirements2007.pdf). There will not be a huge number of births at that time, so they can look up her name in the index. A couple of alternatives are 1) identifying a church where the baby may have been baptized and 2)hiring a professional genealogist who could check all the possible sources for you in a short period of time. I am not familiar with the development of Roman Catholic parishes in that area of Connecticut, but if the Irish were there, a parish soon followed, I'm sure. Professional genealogists can be chosen from the members of Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ctpgc/) or from the list at the state library website (http://www.cslib.org/list.htm). The town records, but not the church records, will be on microfilm at the state library. Most members of CPGC routinely do research at the state library even if they are not on the library list. Let me know if you have other questions. Nora

Comment by Lorraine Dormer on July 13, 2009 at 4:38pm

Hi Nora

Thank you for the info. I have checked the 1860 Census and found an entry which could be my great-grandmother. The age ties in. The address on the census was Norwich, New London, CT. My great-grandmother was certainly in Ireland by 1868 as I have a birth certificate for her first born.

Comment by Barbara Davis on July 13, 2009 at 2:57pm

I am trying to find the parents of my great great grandmother Jennette (Janette?) Blakeslee/ Blakesley born @1818 in CT. She married Deodatmus/ Diodatus W. Davenport (according to Barbour) in Wallingford, CT, 15 Aug. 1835. She was fro New Haven. They had a daughter Mary born @1847, and then Deodatmus died and she married my great great Grandfather James Monahan. They lived in New Haven in 1860. There were so many Blakeslee/Blakesley families in CT. then. I have not been able to find the right ones. One source says that Deodatmus, who is not my relative, was one of 7 children, many of whom were thespians. Does anyone out there know much about the Blaleslee/ Blakesley
family?

Comment by Nora Galvin on July 13, 2009 at 6:31am

John, regarding Connecticut probate records: I should have mentioned that the records for most probate districts, up to about 1920, can be viewed on microfilm at the state library in Hartford. In addition, there is a slip index at the state library for all of the probate packets that are held in the state archives. These are the actual documents filed in probate cases. Not all packets have survived to the present. Some districts lost or destroyed papers once they had the official copies in their probate books, or never submitted them to the State Archives.

Land records are also on microfilm at the state library up to about 1920, as are vital records up to about 1900 (birth records are private in Connecticut for 100 years). Not every town had its records microfilmed, but most did.

Comment by Nora Galvin on July 13, 2009 at 6:26am

Hi Lorraine, You would need to know the town in which your greatgrandmother was born. Prior to the state's keeping vital records, which began in 1897, vital records were kept in each individual town. Currently there are 169 cities and towns in the state, though there were fewer in 1853. If you don't know the town, you might be able to locate the family on the US census. Were they in Connecticut by 1850? Or did they stay as long as 1860?

Comment by Lorraine Dormer on July 13, 2009 at 4:59am

Can anyone advise me as to how I would check birth details for Conneticut in 1853. I understand my greatgrandmother was born in Conneticut and then came back to Ireland as a young married woman. I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

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