Best FREE Connecticut Genealogy collections online

Connecticut genealogy collections online just keep getting better. A few of the free sites you really need to check out including offerings from Reclaim the Records, FamilySearch, Internet Archive, the Connecticut State Archives, PastPerfectOnline, Community History Archive, Connecticut GenWeb and GenWeb Archives, and individual societies and libraries. If you have a favorite free, online collection not listed here, please add it in the comments.

Reclaim the Records – A MUST VISIT!

The Connecticut Genealogy Index, from Reclaim the Records – A FREE searchable database containing 576,638 births, 2,180,700 marriages, 2,086 civil unions, and 2,772,116 deaths – this is a NEW site and an incredible index

FamilySearch

FamilySearch has a large Connecticut collection including indexed Connecticut records and image collections many of which require scrolling page by page. These include vital records, land records, military records, naturalization records, and more.

We’ve included most FamilySearch collections in these curated lists:

Internet Archive

Internet Archive hosts collections from any provider (including individuals). Some top Connecticut collections include:

Connecticut State Archives (Connecticut State Library)

The Connecticut State Archives has online collections including vital records, probate records, military records, maps, newspapers, photos, and more.

Libraries

Connecticut has several great research libraries, but we’re only including libraries with online collections and a few that are helpful include:

The Beardsley Library has free, online marriage & death records, city directories, photos, and more.

Southington Public Library has yearbooks and histories, cemetery records, military records, churches, clubs, and more

Past Perfect Online – hosts some free collections from libraries and museums. A few individual records and many photo collections.

Gunn Historical Museum – Washington
Human Relations Area Files – Yale University – New Haven
Institute For American Indian Studies – Washington
Keeler Tavern Museum – Ridgefield (has some deeds, genealogies, maps, newspaper clippings, photos)
Ridgefield Historical Society – Ridgefield (has some yearbooks and school photos, genealogies, many other items)
Wood Memorial Library – South Windsor

Community History Archive hosts some free collections from libraries and societies.

The Ansonia Historical Commission (historic newspapers)
The Beardsley Library (city directories, headstone inscriptions, death records, marriage recordsfamily records, genealogies, diaries, postcards)
East Hampton Public Library (historic newspapers, yearbooks)
The Farmington Libraries (historic newspapers, historic account books)
James Blackstone Memorial Library Archives (historic newspapers)
New Britain Public Library (scrapbooks, journals)
North Haven Memorial Library (historic newspapers)
Scoville Memorial Library (historic newspapers)
The Stonington Historical Society (historic newspapers)
Thomaston Public Library (historic newspapers, yearbooks)
Wallingford Public Library (city directories)
Windsor Locks Historical Society (historic newspapers)

Connecticut GenWeb and GenWeb Archives

Connecticut GenWeb – go to each county site and look at the records they have

Connecticut GenWeb Archives – fewer records but still worth checking out

Connecticut GenWeb Archives Statewide files – easy to scan through the lists to find what you want

Societies

There are many Genealogical and Historical Societies in Connecticut and some with free collections include:

New England Historic Genealogical Society or NEHGS or AmericanAncestors – this is a fee site with amazing New England collections and sometimes offers free collections so we’ll include them in this list

Connecticut Ancestry Society – has free every name indexes for the society’s journal, the Bulletin and Connecticut Ancestry.

The Ansonia Historical Commission (historic newspapers)

Ridgefield Historical Society – Ridgefield (has some yearbooks and school photos, genealogies, many other items)

The Stonington Historical Society (historic newspapers)

Windsor Locks Historical Society (historic newspapers)