The  Connecticut State Archives are housed at the Connecticut State Library.  In 1909, the General Assembly made the State Library the official State Archives. This Library holds records from more than 70 Connecticut state government departments.

Online Collections

• Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers – Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
• Civil War – Connecticut Colored Troop Enlistments, 1863-1865 – Index to African-American and non-white minority troop enlistments from Connecticut during the Civil War taken from the original enlistment papers stored in the Connecticut State Archives. Connecticut Bill Statistics – Connecticut bill statistics compiled by Law & Legislative Reference staff at the CT State Library.
• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) – The CGP is the finding tool for federal publications that includes descriptive records for historical and current publications and provides direct links to those that are available online. Users can search by authoring agency, title, subject, and general keyword or click on “Advanced Search” for more options.
• Connecticut Court Records, 1698-1974
  • Connecticut Courts, Papers by Subject, Conservators & Guardians, 1699-1900
  • Connecticut Courts, Papers by Subject, Inquests into Deaths, 1711-1892
  • Connecticut Courts, Papers by Subject, Loyalists, 1776-1784
  • Hartford County Superior Court Record Indexes, 1836-1951
  • Litchfield County Minorities Collection, 1753-1854
  • New London County African Americans Collection, 1701-1854
  • New London County Native Americans Collection, 1698-1855
  • New London County Superior Court Record Indexes, 1874-1974
• Connecticut Death Records Index, 1897-1968 – Connecticut Death Record Index, 1897-1968. There is no guarantee that the information contained in the death index is accurate and the State of Connecticut has no legal liability for any claims resulting from reliance on this information.
• Connecticut General Assembly Members – Lists members of the Connecticut General Assembly. The list of state Senators dates back to 1776, and entries for House members begin with 1849. Database created by the Connecticut State Library.
• Connecticut Marriage Records Index, 1897-1968 – Connecticut Marriage Record Index, 1897-1968. There is no guarantee that the information contained in the marriage index is accurate and the State of Connecticut has no legal liability for any claims resulting from reliance on this information.
• Connecticut Patents – A database of patents issued to residents of the state of Connecticut, ranging from 1800 through 1890.
• Day (New London, CT) – Newspaper. Coverage: Dec.1999 to current. Please ask a Librarian for login assistance.
• Fitch’s Home for Soldiers – Veterans’ files from the Fitch’s Home for Soldiers. Coverage: Mostly Civil War veterans, with some Spanish American War veterans.
• Hartford, Connecticut Courant Index, 1764 -1799 – Alternative Name(s) & Keywords: Connecticut Courant Index, 1764 -1799 Contains thousands of entries searchable by Name, Town, or Subject taken from a slip index found in the History & Genealogy Reading Room of the Connecticut State Library.
• International Code Council (ICC) publicACCESS ^TM – Visit the website of the ICC to view international codes referenced in Connecticut State Building and Fire Codes.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards – Visit the website of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for read-only access to the NFPA Codes and Standards referenced in Connecticut State Building and Fire Codes.
• Noble Pension Database – Records relating to Civil War and Spanish American War Veterans
• ThomasNet.com – Open access database of over 650,000 distributors, manufacturers and service companies.
• Wethersfield Prison Records – Warrants of Commitment for prisoners. Coverage: 1800-1903. Database created by the Connecticut State Library.
• World War I Veterans Database – Military Service Questionnaires, from World War I veterans and families of deceased veterans. Coverage: 1919-1920. Database created by the Connecticut State Library. The Questionnaires have been digitized by Ancestry.com.
• WorldCat – Open access bibliographic database of authoritative research materials owned by libraries, keyword searching only. Coverage: Before 1000 BC to present; International; multiple languages. At the State Library, see also FirstSearch for more precise WorldCat searches.
• Connecticut State Library Digital Collections
  • Account Books, Diaries, and JournalsThis collection features early account books, diaries, and journals from the collections of the State Archives and the Connecticut State Library.
  • Aerial Photographs of ConnecticutIn 1934 Connecticut became the first state to complete a statewide aerial survey. The State Library has several aerial surveys of the entire state, along with some partial surveys, and has put the 1934, 1938 (partial survey), and 1965 surveys online.
  • Blizzard of 1888 – Hartford street scenes just after the great snow storm of March 12^th and 13^th, 1888.
    Bradley Field World War II Activities, 1942-1945Views of military life and training at the air base, the Sixth War Loan drive, redeployment, officers and medal presentations to families of servicemen.
  • Chauncey Hosford War of 1812 Papers – During the War of 1812, Chauncey Hosford (1784-1855) enlisted as a first lieutenant in Capt. Elizur Warner’s Company of the United States Infantry Thirty-seventh Regiment on April 30, 1813.
  • Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company – This collection includes images of company administrators, employees, visitors to the Armory, interior and exterior factory views (including from the fire of 1864 and floods of 1936 and 1938), other Colt properties, events, promotional materials, and many firearms.
  • Connecticut State Library History – Images of the Connecticut State Library and Supreme Court Building, including its construction, architectural details, staff, newspaper clippings and documents of historical interest.
  • Connecticut Veterans Commemorative Booklets – Souvenir booklets issued to Connecticut servicemen being discharged from the armed forces at the conclusion of World War II.
  • Courts – A small sample of court documents from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries primarily involving New London County African Americans. These documents were digitized as a pilot project and there are no immediate plans to add to this collection.
  • Founding Documents of Connecticut – Connecticut, the “Constitution State,” has a rich history of written governmental and civil documents that helped bind and create first a British colony, and later one of the original thirteen United States of America.
  • Henry Whitfield House Restoration and Landscaping Projects, 1900-1940 – The Henry Whitfield House, also known as the “Old Stone” house, was constructed in late 1639 and throughout 1640 in Guilford, Connecticut.
  • Herbert Randall Survey of New Haven and Environs, 1880-1920 – Herbert Randall (1850-1926) was born in Massachusetts and lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan before opening a studio in New Haven in 1894.  This collection consists of black and white photographs of New Haven and the surrounding area from 1880-1920.
  • Items from the Library – A sampling of items gleaned from the library`s wide-ranging collections.
  • Items from the State Archives – Selections gathered from the Connecticut State Archives.
  • Law and Legislation – Documents and indexes pertaining to the laws and legislation of Connecticut from the earliest colonial period to the present day, from the collections of the State Archives and the Connecticut State Library. 
  • Legislative Histories – Proceedings of the Connecticut General Assembly.
  • Local Government – Records and publications of Connecticut towns, boroughs, cities, counties and school districts from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries.
  • Merritt Parkway Construction – Documents and images of the development of one of Connecticut’s most historic roadways, including reports and photos of highway construction, bridges and landmarks.
  • Newspapers of Connecticut – The Newspapers of Connecticut collection includes a sampling of newspapers covering various towns, villages, and topics ranging from 1821-1929.
  • Newtown — Condolence Archive Project of the C.H. Booth Library – An historic preservation project documenting expressions of condolence received after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, through the creation of a digital archive of approximately 1,000 images.
  • Personal and Family Vital Records – Manuscripts and documents published by the Connecticut State Library containing vital records indexes.
  • Portraits – This collection consists of historical portraits of Connecticut state officials including governors (circa 1862, 1865, 1901-1905, 1925, 1957), constitutionally elected officers (circa 1844-1866, 1901-1912, 1919-1924), executive branch officials (1889-1957), General Assembly members (circa 1844-1957)…
  • Samuel Wyllys Papers – The Samuel Wyllys Papers, 1668-1728, undated, are a group of 88 court documents also known as Depositions on Cases of Witchcraft, Assault, Theft, Drunkenness, and Other Crimes Tried In Connecticut 1663-1728.
  • September 11, 2001 – Connecticut State Government Responds – In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the State of Connecticut was propelled to action. The initial response focused on securing Connecticut and its citizens and offering assistance to New York.
  • State Publications – Official publications of the agencies of the State of Connecticut. Many of the documents are born-digital and are not readily available through any other portal. We recommend consulting our online catalog when searching this collection.
  • Treasures of Connecticut Libraries – Treasures of Connecticut Libraries is a joint project of the Connecticut State Library and the Library Connection consortium. It is a collection of items that has been digitized and made available online for searching.
  • William H. Thompson Photographs of Hartford, 1903-1906 – William H. Thompson was a professional photo-engraver with the Hartford Engraving Company in Hartford from about 1901-1917. Thompson from 1903-1906 took photographs of street scenes, river scenes, architecture, statues, and parks of central Hartford.
  • WPA Architectural Survey – Often called “The WPA House Survey”, the Census of Old Buildings in Connecticut, 1934-1937 was a Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) project.

• Congressional Serial Set – The United States Congressional Serial Set is a bound compilation of House and Senate Documents and House and Senate Reports. Publication began with the 15th Congress/1st session (1817). Documents of the first fourteen Congresses (1789-1816) were published in the American State Papers.
• Connecticut State Documents – Comprehensive, historical collections of primary materials by and about Connecticut state agencies.
• Federal Documents – Regional Federal Depository Library for Connecticut and Rhode Island; receives and retains all publications, in all formats, distributed by the U. S. Government Printing Office. Comprehensive collection of Presidential materials (executive orders, papers, commission reports, budgets), Congressional materials (reports, documents, hearings, public acts, Congressional Record); judicial materials (rulings, reports, studies); federal agency publications (annual reports, periodicals, studies, administrative decisions, regulatory material); extensive historical coverage.
• Genealogy Indexes – some available free, online at FamilySearch
  • Barbour Collection
  • Church Records Index
  • Marriage & Death Notices
  • Family & Bible Records
  • Cemetery Inscriptions
  • Probate Estate Paper Index
• Law and Legislation – In addition to a full array of subject-specific legal reference books available via traditional print and databases, our law collection also includes Statutes, regulations, and case law from all 50 States and Federal jurisdictions; CT Appellate and Supreme as well as U.S. Supreme Court records and briefs; Periodicals, encyclopedias, online resources); Current and historical statutes and session laws of the American states; Current and historical Connecticut legislative documents, including all bills, acts, committee hearings, and Senate and House Proceedings.
  
• Legislative Archives (Permanent Bill File)
  The library maintains files of every bill introduced in the Connecticut General Assembly since 1911.  Earliest years encompass final versions only while files beginning in the 1950s may include substitute versions, file copies, amendments, as well as supplementary material like fiscal notes & constituent letters.  From the 1980s through the early 2000s, bill files may contain added testimony not added to bound transcript volumes in our collection.
• Legislative Histories – The State Library maintains the only complete collection of transcripts from Connecticut legislative committee hearings and proceedings from both chambers of the General Assembly.
• Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped Collection – Recorded books & necessary playback equipment, Braille books and magazines (available for free loan by mail to state residents who are unable to read conventional print because of a visual or physical disability).
• Library Catalog – Search our library catalog to find what published materials we hold.  The catalog includes collections in Hartford and at the two Library Service Centers.
• Library Service Centers – Libraries (only) may borrow from the Center collections in Middletown and Willimantic to supplement their own collections.
• Museum collection – Artifacts of Connecticut industry, history, and culture, including firearms, numismatics, hand and machine tools, clocks, architecture, militaria, mass-produced consumer goods, and material culture. Library materials on artifact collection areas; Connecticut manufacturers’ catalogs; materials relating to Colt Manufacturing Co.; museum administration, collection management, exhibitions, and conservation.
• Newspaper Resources – The most comprehensive collection of Connecticut newspapers known to exist.
  
• State Archives Collections
• State Archives Finding Aids – The State Archives holds records from more than 70 Connecticut state government departments, commissions, and offices, covering the colonial period to the present. We also hold files from many non-governmental institutions, organizations, and churches, as well as collections of tax lists and other official records from Connecticut towns.
• State Government Publications in the Connecticut Digital Archive – The Connecticut Digital Archive ensures that publications of Connecticut state government issued only in electronic format would be collected, cataloged, and preserved for current and future use. Official publications of the agencies of the State of Connecticut. Many of the documents are born-digital and are not readily available through any other portal. We recommend consulting our online catalog when searching this collection.
• Vertical Files – Biography/Obituary; Genealogical File, Government Information Services, History and Genealogy, Newspaper and Law/Legislative Reference Pamphlet File.