Connecticut Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Researching in Vital Records - Vital records, as their name suggests, are connected with central life events: birth, marriage, and death. Maintained by civil authorities, they are prime sources of genealogical information; but, unfortunately, official vital records are available only for relatively recent periods. These records, despite their recent creation in the United States, are critically important in genealogical research, often supplying details on family members well back into the nineteenth century.......

Marriages were recorded in Connecticut as early as 1640. In fact registration of births, marriages, and deaths had become the town clerk's responsibility by 1650. Since a fine was assessed for not recording an event, some industrious town clerks have excellent, fairly complete records; however, others do not. Following the Revolution to the mid-nineteenth century, the recording is not as thorough, but by 1870 when the State Board of Health was established, recording in all towns improved.

To the present, recording of vital events is the town clerk's responsibility. After 1 July 1897, copies were sent to the State Department of Health, Vital Records Unit, 150 Washington Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106.

The Lucius Barnes Barbour Collection is well known to the Connecticut researcher. It is not only housed in the Connecticut State Library, but microfilm copies of it are widely available. Begun after establishment of the State Department of Health, Barbour's project was to abstract and collect all town vital records up to about 1850. There are two formats to the material. The first is a state-wide paper slip alphabetical index containing a complete abstract of each vital record taken from the books in each town. The card file holding this index takes up an entire wall at the Connecticut State Library. The second format is the group of separately bound volumes of abstracts of vital records for most towns, prepared from the slips.

A recent microfilming project of Connecticut town records between 1850 and 1897 makes it possible to more easily access vital records after the Barbour collection cut-off and before state-wide recording. The microfilms, held by the Connecticut State Library and the FHL, are of original records and are not indexed across towns as is the Barbour collection. After 1 July 1897, the records at the Vital Records Unit are indexed state-wide. Consequently no state-wide index exists between 1850–97, making it necessary to know the town in which the event occurred to locate a record for those years.

Search Connecticut Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Since not all vital events were recorded in the town office, church and cemetery records need to be consulted as well as other genealogical alternatives to official records.

Divorces are presently granted by the superior court although this was not always the case. Most of the early records for Connecticut divorces are at the Connecticut State Library, including the packets of original documents and the superior court records books. Recently, Grace L. Knox and Barbara Ferris have published through Heritage Books a two-volume index to Connecticut divorce packets. Volume one covers New London, Tolland, and Windham counties; volume two covers Litchfield and Hartford counties. Recent divorce packets remain in the court. For details on changes of jurisdiction for divorces in Connecticut see Henry S. Cohn's “Connecticut's Divorce Mechanism, 1636–1969,” The American Journal of Legal History 14 (January 1970): 35–54, which is summarized in an information leaflet on divorce records available from the Connecticut State Library.

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How to Order Connecticut Birth, Death, Divorce and Marriage Certificates

 

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.
    • Processing Time: Pprocessing time could be up to 6 months. when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order Order Online.
  • Death Certificates: The Vital Records Office maintains death 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.
    • Processing Time: Pprocessing time could be up to 6 months. when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order Order Online.
  • 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.
    • Processing Time: Processing time could be up to 6 months. when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order Order Online.
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

Links For Birth Records

 

Links For Marriage Records

 

Links For Death Records

 

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