Connecticut Microfilms at NEHGS, Part 2
Posted March 1, 2002
This is the second installment
of my discussion on the microtext records for
Connecticut research available at the NEHGS Research Library. Part one covered
vital records and gravestone inscriptions. This column will cover the general
index to probate records and the probate packages as well as the Connecticut
Military Census, and those bits of Connecticut treated in the Corbin and Cooke
collections. All of the microtext covered in this
article can be found on the fourth floor microtext
room in the NEHGS Library in Boston.
The General Index to Probate
Records - (F93/C69)
This is a card index that
resides in the hallway of the History and Genealogy Unit at the Connecticut
State Library. It covers probate packages deposited at the state archives by
local probate judges. These packages have been microfilmed and are also
available at NEHGS.
Each index card contains the
name of the deceased, his or her town of residence, the year the probate file
was opened, the name of the probate district in which the case is filed, the
docket number, and information on just what types of documents are in the file
Each probate package folder includes a cover sheet listing the number and types
of documents included. An example might be a probate package that includes 1
Will, 1 Inventory, 2 Accounts, 1 Bond, etc.
Probate Packages to 1880 -
(F93/C69)
The probate packages are the
loose papers associated with an estate filing. The loose papers often include
the original will, bonds, accounts, distributions, and receipts. They are
arranged in order by probate district, then by docket number within each
probate district.
The docket numbers roughly
correspond to an alphabetic sequence with the exception of guardianships.
Guardianships for a family of children are often filed under one child's name.
The docket number could either follow the deceased parent's number or it could
turn up under the child's name. Fortunately, this should not be confusing
because docket cards were filed under each child's name referencing the docket
number under which the paperwork is actually filed.
Not every probate district in
Connecticut was included in the microfilming of these files. Districts that did
not contribute their older files to the state archives were excluded. Missing
from the sequence are a few very old districts, such as Greenwich and Stamford.
Probate Packages 1881-1915
This second round of
microfilming is not yet complete. The NEHGS Library currently has films only
through to the New Haven Probate District.
Connecticut Military
Census, 1917-1918 - (F96/C66)
This little gem was a special
census made in order to ready America for entry into World War I by compiling
personal information to be used by draft boards. Every man in Connecticut
between the ages of 16 and 38 had to fill in one of these forms. Thus, if you
have a male ancestor or relative born between 1879 and 1901, you should be able
to find information on him here.
The single-page form contains
identifying information on top followed by a checklist questionnaire detailing
job skills that might be pertinent. For example, from his check-offs, I learn
that my grandfather was not able to drive either a team of horses or an
automobile. After all, he was a city boy living in Bridgeport. However, he had
attended a business school. Later, this particular set of skills made him a
bookkeeper in Pershing's headquarters. He was 5'10" tall, 148 lbs., and
had brown eyes and blond hair.
There are two sets of
microfilm reels that comprise the Connecticut Military Census. The first is on
16-mm reels and is an index. The second is on 32-mm reels and contains the
actual census returns.
The index is arranged by town
and alphabetical by name within each town. So, to get started with the
Connecticut Military Census, you need to know the town in which your ancestor
lived in 1917-1918. Each index entry is a card that includes the number of the
census form that person filled out. With this information in hand, you can
consult the forms themselves. The 32-mm forms films are in order by form
number.
The little-known Nurses Census
is filed separately under LOC number F93/C67.
Connecticut Towns in the
Rollin H. Cooke Collection - (F72/B5/C66s)
The Rollin H. Cooke Collection
consists of 66 volumes of typescript produced by the Works Progress
Administration (WPA) from the manuscripts of Mr. Cooke, a banker and genealogist
from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. While the works focus mainly on Berkshire
County, Massachusetts, Cooke did include some Connecticut records in his
original ledgers.
Connecticut Towns in the
Walter E. Corbin Collection
Over the course of thirty
years, Walter E. and Lottie S. Corbin of Northampton,
Massachusetts copied vital, town, church, deed, cemetery, and private records
for their own use. The collection concentrates mainly on central and western
Massachusetts, but does include some Connecticut towns, all on reel 43:
Copyright © 2002, New England Historic Genealogical Society