RG 004:112, Pomfret Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2012 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Pomfret, Windham County, Town established in 1713

The Pomfret Probate District was constituted May 1752, from the Plainfield and Windham Probate Districts. The Pomfret Probate District served the following towns at various times: Ashford, May 1752 - June 3, 1830; Brooklyn (except part taken from Canterbury), May 1786 - June 2, 1833; Killingly (two north societies that later became the towns of Putnam and Thompson), May 1752 - June 3, 1830; Thompson, May 1785 - May 24, 1832; Union, May 1752 - May 1759; Woodstock, May 1752 - May 29, 1831. The Pomfret Probate District merged on January 5, 2011 with the Ashford, Brooklyn, Eastford (part), Putnam, Thompson, and Woodstock Probate Districts to create the Northeast Probate District. The Northeast Probate District serves the municipalities of Ashford, Brooklyn, Eastford, Pomfret, Putnam, Thompson, and Woodstock.

Town of Pomfret, Probate District chronology:

1713 - October 1719, New London District
October 1719 - May 1752, Windham District
May 1747 - May 1752, Plainfield District
May 1752 - January 4, 2011, Pomfret District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Northeast District

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

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Scope and Content

Probate record books, None. Contact the probate court to access original record books. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1752-1976. Probate files dating 1787-1850 are from the Hebron District of which Andover was a part of during that time. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1752-1935 (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

Probate files in Accession 1911-008 are arranged alphabetically in one series.

Probate files in Accession 2012-003 are arranged roughly alphabetical as received from the probate court.

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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 2012-003, Probate files, 1936-1976, is 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 1-28, 1753-1919; probate files, 1752-1880; 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 1911-008 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): October 15, 1911 (1752-1898); December 24, 1925 (1755-1919); March 4, 1936 (1891-1935). They were interfiled into one alphabetic sequence.

The probate files in accession 2012-003 were transferred to the Connecticut State KLibrary on July 20, 2011.

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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. Note: CSL does not hold any original record books. 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 1911-008 are represented in this index.

Probate Files: The History and Genealogy reference staff has access to an index for the probate files in accession 2012-003.

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