RG 004:093, New Haven Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2012 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

New Haven, New Haven County, Town established in 1638, City incorporated January 1784

New Haven Probate District was constituted May session, 1666 as a county Court. The New Haven Probate Court serves the municipality of New Haven.

The New Haven Probate District also included the following municipalities at various times:
Bethany, May 1832 - July 3, 1854
Branford, 1685 - October 1719
Derby, May 1675 - July 3, 1858
Durham, May 1708 - October 1719
Guilford, 1639 - October 1719
East Haven, May 1785 - August 1868
Hamden, May 1786 - January 7, 1945 Milford, 1666 - May 29, 1832
North Haven, October 1786 - January 4, 1955
Orange, May 22 - January 7, 1975
Oxford, October 1798 - June 3, 1846
Seymour, May 1850 - December 31, 1898
Wallingford, May 1670 - May 1776
West Haven, June 1921 - June 3, 1941
Woodbridge, January 1784 - January 6, 1987

City of New Haven, Probate District chronology:

1638 - 1665, New Haven Colony Jurisdiction
1665 - May 1666, Hartford Colonial Jurisdiction (estates could be processed in either of the Hartford or New Haven Districts
May 1666 - Present, New Haven County Court & District

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

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Scope and Content

Probate record books, 1647-1924. Contact the probate court to access record books after Volume 621. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1683-1921. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1683-1921 (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 1-621.

Probate files arranged alphabetically in two series: Processed and Unprocessed.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

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

Probate files from 1921 are RESTRICTED as they may contain confidential documents. Tax returns (succession, transfer and estate tax returns and all attachments) from January 1, 1921 and later are confidential per Connecticut General Statutes §12-15.

Accession 1987-093, Record books, 1703-1924, and Accession 1924-002, Probate files, 1683-1921, 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:

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Administrative Information

Alternative Form Available

Record books, 1647-1915; probate files, 1683-1915; 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. Record books, 1922-1956 are also available on microfilm at the Connecticut State Library.

Provenance

The probate files in accession 1924-002 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): March 17, 1924 (1683-1864); March 9, 1928 (1690-1900, 1906, 1921); July 22, 1933 (1900-1912, 1918).

The record books in accession 1987-093 and T002559 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on May 6-8, 1986.

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Other Finding Aid

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 "Processed" probate files in Accession 1924-002 are represented in this index. The "Unprocessed" probate files are listed in the RG 004 binder at the History & Genealogy Reference Desk.

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