Litchfield County History and Information
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Litchfield County Facts

Litchfield County was created on October 14, 1751 and was formed from Fairfield and Hartford Counties. The County was named After Lichfield, England. The County Seat is Litchfield . See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Litchfield County are Berkshire County, Massachusetts (north), Hampden County, Massachusetts (northeast), Hartford County (east), New Haven County (southeast), Fairfield County (south), Dutchess County, New York (west), Columbia County, New York (northwest). Cities, Towns and Communities include Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, New Milford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Roxbury, Salisbury, Sharon, Thomaston, Torrington (consolidated city-town), Warren, Washington, Watertown, Winchester and Woodbury

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Records at the Litchfield County Courthouse
LEARN MORE ABOUT Probate Records, Land Records, Marriage Records & Court Records

PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

NOTE: Counties were abolished officially in 1959 though their purpose had been chiefly to define county court districts. For genealogical research purposes, counties become necessary when using the federal census returns, since they are all cataloged by county.

All deeds, vital records, and probate records for all Connecticut towns are available to 1900 on microfilm at the Connecticut State Library or through the FHL. See Towns Page for address and Phone Numbers of Towns. See also Connecticut Towns and Their Establishment

Those matters not in the realm of the superior court were heard by the county courts (initially called prerogative or common pleas). The county court, begun in 1666, was abolished in 1955, and its functions were divided between justice courts and superior courts. Most of the county records, to its abolition date, are at the Conneticut State Library.

Search Online Click Here to Search Connecticut Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records! - Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Court Records by clicking the link below:

  • Litchfield County, Connecticut Court Books at Amazon.com
  • Connecticut Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.

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Litchfield County Vital Records - LEARN MORE ABOUT Connecticut Vital Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Connecticut Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

The Vital Records Office at the Connecticut Department of Public Health maintains a statewide registry of all births, marriages, civil unions, deaths and fetal deaths which have occurred in CT since July 1, 1897.  For vital records prior to that date, you must contact the town where the vital event occurred (see the Connecticut Town Clerk and Registrar Directory). You may also contact the CSL History and Genealogy Unit or by telephone at (860) 757-6580. The State Library's Barbour Collection includes most CT vital records to about 1850.

  • Birth Certificates: The Vital Records Office maintains birth records that occur in Connecticut since July 1897 to the present. Connecticut birth records that are less than 100 years old are not open to the general public.  To be eligible to receive a copy of a birth certificate, you must be able to document that you are related to the registrant.
    • Cost: $15.00, Make your bank check or money order payable to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send Personal Checks or cash in the mail. Mail to: STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, VITAL RECORDS SECTION, CUSTOMER SERVICES, 410 CAPITOL AVE, MS# 11VRS, P.O. BOX 340308, HARTFORD, CT 06134-0308
    • Processing Time: Pprocessing time could be up to 6 months. when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Death Certificates: The Vital Records Office maintains death records that occur in Connecticut since July 1897 to the present. Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE
    • Cost: $10.00, Make your bank check or money order payable to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send Personal Checks or cash in the mail. Mail to: STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, VITAL RECORDS SECTION, CUSTOMER SERVICES, 410 CAPITOL AVE, MS# 11VRS, P.O. BOX 340308, HARTFORD, CT 06134-0308
    • Processing Time: Pprocessing time could be up to 6 months. when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Marriage Certificates: The Vital Records Office maintains marriage records that occur in Connecticut since July 1897 to the present.
    • Cost: $10.00, Make your bank check or money order payable to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut". Enclose a business-size self-addressed envelope. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep check amount for a searching fee. Please do not send Personal Checks or cash in the mail. Mail to: STATE OF CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, VITAL RECORDS SECTION, CUSTOMER SERVICES, 410 CAPITOL AVE, MS# 11VRS, P.O. BOX 340308, HARTFORD, CT 06134-0308
    • Processing Time: Pprocessing time could be up to 6 months. when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
    Birth Certificates
         		Death Certificates
         		Marriage Certificates
         		Divorce Records

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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Litchfield County Census Records - LEARN MORE ABOUT U.S. Census Records


Search Online Click Here to Search Connecticut Voter Lists & Census Records! - Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable.

  Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Litchfield County, Connecticut are 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930. Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Litchfield County, Connecticut are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

  See Also Statewide Records that exist for Connecticut

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • Litchfield County, Connecticut Census Books at Amazon.com

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Litchfield County Maps & Atlases

   Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.

  You can view rotating animated maps for Connecticut showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
   You can view rotating animated maps for Connecticut showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at County Maps

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Maps. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Maps by clicking the link below:

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Litchfield County Military Records - LEARN MORE ABOUT Connecticut Military Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Connecticut Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

   The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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Litchfield County Tax Records - LEARN MORE ABOUT Tax Records

   Taxes were levied for personal property and land through most of Connecticut's history. The town assessor (or lister) made annual lists or rates of all taxables. This generated a considerable number of tax lists across time, but the Connecticut State Library has a list of various tax records still at the town clerk's offices. The Connecticut Historical Society and the genealogical collections throughout the state have some records.

A highly valuable tax record for Connecticut is the U.S. Direct Tax for 1798. The records are extant for nearly half of the towns with some also having rate lists for 1813, 1814, 1815, and 1816. The original booklets indicate rate based on land, dwellings, and personal property, the latter of which is usually itemized. Later years indicate out-of-state owners. The records have not been microfilmed as a group, but the originals can be researched at the Connecticut Historical Society.

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Litchfield County, Connecticut Tax Books at Amazon.com

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Litchfield County Genealogical Addresses - LEARN MORE ABOUT Connecticut Genealogical Addresses

   The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

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Litchfield County Church & Cemeteries - LEARN MORE ABOUT Connecticut Church & Cemetery Records

Search Online Click Here to Search Connecticut Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

   There are many churches and cemeteries in Litchfield County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Litchfield County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Early Connecticut settlers established the Congregational church as the tax-supported state church until 1818 when the state constitution was accepted abolishing the connection between church and state. Sometimes, if one parish was getting too large, a second was formed that became a precursor to a new town with the permission of the general assembly. Other denominations followed eventually, particularly the Baptists and Episcopalians from Rhode Island on the eastern border with Connecticut. Information in Connecticut's church records has often been found to be more informative, complete, or accurate than the town vital records.

Centralization is the norm for Connecticut's cemetery records. The Connecticut State Library holds the Hale Collection containing over one million gravestone inscriptions. The project to collect these began in 1916 by Charles R. Hale but was continued by act of the General Assembly and the WPA through the 1930s. While clearly many stones had been lost or destroyed by that time, over 2,000 cemeteries were located state-wide and included in the collection. Each town's inscriptions are bound in separate volumes, but an alphabetical index across towns is available. Both have been microfilmed and are available through the FHL.

Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

Search Online Click Here to Search Connecticut Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

   When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Litchfield County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Litchfield County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History - Litchfield County, northwestern Connecticut, U.S. It consists of a hilly upland region bordered to the west by New York state and to the north by Massachusetts. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through the western portion of the county. Litchfield has the largest area of any county in Connecticut and contains its highest point, Mount Frissell (2,380 feet [725 metres]). It also has the most timberland in the state, comprising Appalachian oak forest in the south and northern hardwoods and hemlock in the north. Hydroelectric power is supplied by the Housatonic River, which traverses the western part of the county. Another major watercourse is the Naugatuck River, and the county contains numerous lakes, including Bantam and Twin lakes and part of the Barkhamsted Reservoir. There are more than 30 state recreational areas, including Macedonia Brook State Park and Housatonic and Algonquin state forest reserves.

Mahican (Mohican) and Wappinger Indians inhabited the area in the 17th century. Litchfield county was created in 1751 and named for Litchfield, Eng. The town of Litchfield is the birthplace of frontiersman Ethan Allen, minister Henry Ward Beecher, and author Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is also where educator Tapping Reeve founded the Litchfield Law School (1784), the first of its kind in the United States. In the 19th century clock making became an important industry, notably in Thomaston and Terryville. There is no county seat because the state abolished county government in 1960. The principal communities are Torrington, New Milford, Watertown, and Plymouth.

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