RG 004:046, Easton Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2009 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Easton, Fairfield County, Town established in May 1845, Parent Town: Weston,

The Easton Probate District was constituted July 22, 1875 from the Weston Probate District, and merged on March 5, 1878 with the Bridgeport Probate District to become part of the Bridgeport District. The Trumbull Probate District was constituted January 7, 1959 and serves the municipalities of Easton, Monroe, and Trumbull.

Town of Easton, Probate District chronology:

May 1845 - July 23, 1875, Weston District
July 22, 1875 - March 4, 1878, Easton District
March 5, 1878 - January 6, 1959 Bridgeport District
January 7, 1959 - Present, Trumbull District

For Probate Court contact information and hours of operation see, Probate Court Directory.

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Scope and Content

Probate record books, Volumes,1-4, 1832-1978. Volumes 1-3 and part of Volume 4 contain records for the Weston Probate District. In 1875 when town of Westport became part of the Westport Probate District, the Eason probate Disctrict was created. Its records are recorded in Volume 4 starting on page 548. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1789-1884. Probate files dated from 1832 to July 22, 1875 are from the Weston Probate District. Probate files dated July 24, 1875 and later are from the Easton Probate District. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies.

Inventory control book, 1789-1884 (coverage). Also known as the Godard Digest, it is a list of probate files transferred to the Connecticut State Library. It was compiled at the Connecticut State Library under the direction of State Librarian George S. Godard.

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Arrangement

Record books are numbered consecutively from 1 to 4. There is 1 unnumbered index volume.

Probate files are arranged alphabetically in one series.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Researchers should first consult use copies when available. See Alternate Form Available Section below.

Accession 2011-007, Record books, 1832-1878 are stored at an off-site facility and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis.

See the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections policy.

Restrictions on Use

See the Reproduction and Publications of State Library Collections policy.

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Index Terms

Subjects:

Places:

Alternate Creator:

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Administrative Information

Alternative Form Available

Record books, volumes 1-2, 1832-1858; probate files, 1832-1881; and inventory control book (Godard Digest) were microfilmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah and are available for use in the History and Genealogy reading room or through the LDS Family History Centers.

Provenance

The probate files in accession 1916-002 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): May 22, 1916 (1789-1884); April 30, 1917 (1866-1880). They were interfiled into one alphabetic sequence.

The record books in accession 2011-007 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on July 26, 2010 from the Bridgeport District Probate Court.

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Other Finding Aid

Record Books: Index cards for the record books have been scanned. Ask History and Genealogy staff for assistance.

Probate Files: The Probate Estate Papers Index, located in the index corridor adjacent to the History and Genealogy Reading Room, has two parts, a general index covering most of the state, and a Hartford Probate District index covering Hartford and some surrounding towns, 1820-1920. The index cards are arranged alphabetically by individual's last name and first names. The cards have the individual's name, town of residence, probate district, and list of items contained in the estate packet. To request retrieval of an estate packet, copy at least the estate name, file date, and probate district name from the index card. The probate files in Accession 1916-002 are represented in this index.

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