RG 004:168, Woodbury Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2013 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Woodbury, Litchfield County, Town named May 1673

The Woodbury Probate District was constituted October 1719 from the Fairfield, Hartford and New Haven Probate Districts. It also served the following municipalities at various times: Bethlehem, May 1787 - January 4, 2011; New Milford, October 1719 - May 1787; Roxbury, October 1796 - June 4, 1842; Southbury, May 1787 - January 3, 1967; Washington, January 1770 - May 21, 1832 (covered Judea Society, i.e. the parts of town taken from Woodbury and New Milford). The Woodbury Probate District merged with the Oxford, Roxbury, Southbury, and Washington Probate Districts on January 5, 2011 to create the Region # 22 Probate District which serves the municipalities of Bethlehem, Oxford, Roxbury, Southbury, Washington, Watertown, and Woodbury.

Town of Woodbury, Probate District chronology:

Before 1698, Colonial Jurisdiction
1698 - October 1719 Fairfield District
October 1719 - January 4, 2011, Woodbury District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Region # 22 District

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

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Scope and Content

Probate record books, vol. 1-57, 1719-1944. There is also a supplement to volume 3, an index to volume 1, and index to volumes 2-3, and a typed index covering circa 1719-1860. Contact the probate court to access original record books numbered after 57. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1720-1949, Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1720-1943 (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 in accession 2011-104 are numbered 1-57. There are two volumes numbered 3.

Probate files in accessions 1915-026 and T003295 are arranged alphabetically.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

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

Accession 2011-104, Record books, 1719-1944, is stored at an off-site facility and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis.

Probate files from 1921-1946 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.

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, vol. 1-23, 25-28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42-43, 46-47, 49-50, 52-54, 56, 1719-1916; probate files, 1720-1880; and inventory control book 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 1915-026 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): September 9, 1915 (1720-1910); July 8, 1941 (1873-1922); September 9, 1942 (1749-1943); March 23, 1943 (1749-1943); September 24, 1943 (1749-1943); June 14, 1944 (1749-1943). They were interfiled into one alphabetic sequence.

It is not known when the probate files in accession T003295 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library.

The record books in accession 2011-104 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on January 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.

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 1915-026 are represented in this index.

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