RG 004:111, Plymouth Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2012 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Plymouth, Litchfield County, Town established in May 1795, Parent Town: Watertown

The Plymouth Probate District was constituted May 31, 1833, from the Waterbury Probate District. The Plymouth Probate District merged with the Bristol and Plainville Probate Districts on January 5, 2011 to create the Region #19 Probate District which serves the municipalities of Bristol, Plainville, and Plymouth.

Town of Plymouth, Probate District chronology:

May 1795 - May 30, 1833, Waterbury District
May 31, 1833 - January 4, 2011, Plymouth District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Region #19 District

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

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Scope and Content

Record books, volumes 1-28, 1833-1936; Bond record books, volumes 33, 40, 45, 1944-1974. Contact the probate court to access any other volumes.

Probate files, 1833-1985, bulk 1833-1976. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1833-1926 (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 from 1 to 28. There are also bond volumes numbered 33, 40, 45.

Probate files in accession 1921-039 are arranged alphabetically.

Probate files in accession 2011-130 are arranged alphabetically within each box.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

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

Probate files dated 1921 or later 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. Adoptions (all documents) from January 1, 1944 and later are confidential per Connecticut General Statutes §45a-754. Contact State Archives staff for assistance.

Accession 2011-130, Probate files, 1903-1985, and Accession 2012-015, Record books, 1833-1974, 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, volumes 1-3, 4-7, 9, 11, 13-14, 16-18, 20-22, 24, 1833-1917, probate files, 1833-1880; 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 1921-003 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): August 24, 1921 (1833-1899); January 5, 1949 (1851-1926). They were interfiled into one alphabetic sequence.

The probate files in accession 2011-130 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on June 9, 2011.

The record books in accession 2012-015 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on June 9, 2011 and January 18, 2012.

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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. See Alternate Form Available section for volumes available on microfilm.

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 1921-039 are represented in this index.

Probate Files: The History and Genealogy reference staff has access to an index for the probate files in accession 1921-039.

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