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| Connecticut Vital Records |
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Connecticut State Vital Records Office,
410 Capitol Ave., 1st Floor,
Hartford, CT 06134;
(860) 509-7897
Some documents are just too important to wait 1-3 months for, With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. Birth, Marriage, Divorce & Death Certificates Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Often in as few as three business days!
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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
Event: Divorce (court);
Remarks: Applicant must contact Clerk of Superior Court where divorce was granted. State office does not have divorce decrees and cannot issue certified copies.
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Most early birth records contain very little biographical information. Typical early New England town and church records, for example, give little information beyond the name of the child, date and place of birth, and parents’ names. Some localities listed only the name of the father.
While early birth records can be discouragingly lacking in information, by the mid-nineteenth century birth records in the United States began to include more information. Even though births were not widely recorded during the early years of America’s existence, the records that do exist may be the only source of a birth date for an individual and should always be consulted.
Delayed births are also important vital registrations that you should consider for obtaining biographical information. When Social Security benefits were instituted in 1937, individuals claiming benefits had to document their birth even if the state of their birth did not require registration when they were born. Individuals who were not registered with state or county agencies at the time of their birth often applied for a delayed birth registration. Obtaining passports, insurance, and other benefits also required proof of age.
Applications were accompanied with full name, address, and date and place of birth; father’s name, race, and place of birth; and evidence to support the facts presented. The evidence could be in the form of a baptismal certificate, Bible record, school record, affidavit from the attending physician or midwife, application for an insurance policy, birth certificate of a child, or an affidavit from a person having definite knowledge of the facts. Delayed birth records are usually filed and indexed separately from regular birth registrations, and it may be necessary to request a separate search for them.
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Because of the importance of the legal distribution and control of property, most states and counties began to record marriages before births and deaths. The recording of a marriage is a two-step process.
Traditionally, couples apply for a license to marry, and the applications are usually filed loose among other applications or in bound volumes. Marriage returns are filed once the marriage has taken place. The latter document is the proof of a marriage (not the license application).
Marriage applications are often filled out by both the bride and groom and typically contain a significant amount of genealogical information. They may list full names of the bride and groom, their residences, races, ages, dates and places of birth, previous marriages, occupations, and their parents’ names, places of birth, and occupations.
Marriage certificates are issued by counties after the marriage ceremony is completed, and these are usually found among family items. While the certificates tend to have less biographical data than the application, the name of the individual officiating at the wedding may lead you to religious records by revealing the denomination. The religious records, in turn, may reveal the names of witnesses and other useful information.
Early American records sometimes include marriage bonds, which served as a protection for the future children of the marriage. A bond obligated a prospective groom to pay the bond if he were discovered to be a bigamist or imposter or otherwise ineligible to contract a valid marriage. As long as the marriage was legal, the bond was void. Bonds generally include the groom’s name, name of the surety, the sum, and the date of the agreement.
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Early death records in the United States provide little more than the name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death. Obituaries and cemetery, court, and other records often provide more information about the deceased than do most official death records created before the last quarter of the 1800s.
By 1900 death records included more details. They often include the name of the deceased; date, place, and cause of death; age at the time of death; place of birth; parents’ names; occupation; name of spouse; name of the person giving the information; the informant’s relationship to the deceased; the name and address of the funeral director; and the place of burial. Race is listed in some records, and modern death certificates generally include a Social Security number.
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