RG 062:043, Town of East Hartford

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2007 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

The town of East Hartford was incorporated in October 1783 and was taken from Hartford. Manchester separated from East Hartford in 1823.

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, residents began to form tax districts for fire protection, street lighting, sanitation, and other public works improvements. The East Hartford Fire District was granted a charter by the General Assembly in 1889 and organized in June, 1891. The Meadow Fire District existed before the turn of the twentieth century. The Hockanum Sewer District and Hockanum Lighting District were formed in 1915 and 1916 respectively. The Silver Lane Fire and Lighting District was founded in 1925. On June 10, 1929, voters of the town approved a new charter. All of the old districts were abolished and a Town Council would govern the municipality.¹

Notes:
¹Lee Paquette, Only More So: The History of East Hartford, 1783-1976 (East Hartford, Conn.: Raymond Library Company, 1976), 146, 205-206, 239.

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Scope and Content

Series 1. Administrative Records, 1862-1967, contain a variety of material including various town papers dating from 1862 to 1870 such as abatements, meeting notices, petitions, reports, and town orders. There is also a Selectmen's minute book, 1926-1929.

Series 2. Poor Relief Records, 1926-1936, primarily cover the years of the Great Depression. Included are family assistance account books, 1926-1933; poor support ledgers, 1933-1936; and poor support books, 1928-1933.

Series 4. Military Records, circa 1861-1922, include a variety of Civil War papers such as: Changes in the Connecticut Volunteer Force in the Field; Committee for the Relief of Drafted Men; Payments to Connecticut volunteers; Enlistment expenses; military tax; and list of soldiers with families receiving support. Also present are military enrollments, 1902-1922 and a discharge book, 1923-1945.

Series 6. School Records, 1863-1911, include two volumes from the South School District: a secretary's minute book, 1839-1867 and a treasurer's account book, 1858-1911.

The bulk of Series 7. Election Records, 1837-1929, are lists of electors, or voters' lists, that cover town, state, and national elections from 1840 to 1929. Also included is a volume of electors admitted, 1876-1898, election returns, 1870-1920; and a list of women who registered to vote for school officer, 1893-1917.

Series 8. Tax Records, 1827-1945, contain a variety of records including individual tax lists, 1869-1929; old age assistance tax lists, 1935-1936; old age assistance tax cashier stubs, 1940-1941; personal tax additions, 1932, 1934; rate books, 1856-1865, 1923-1945; street books, 1894, 1903, 1912, 1921; and tax abstracts, 1836-1945. Tax abstracts beginning in 1836 include separate columns for name, number of polls, buildings, land, horses, cattle, sheep, money at interest, and luxury goods such as chaises and watches. Automobiles are mentioned starting in 1909. Tax abstracts from 1935 to 1945 cover real estate only.

Series 9. Financial Records, 1837-1946, contain a variety of record books such as account books, appropriation ledgers, cash journals, charity time books, check stub books, day books, general ledgers, municipal store cash books, orders, payroll, receipts and expenditures, selectmen's orders, and treasurer's payments. Also included are two Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) project time books that list individuals who worked on various projects.

Series 10. Boards, Commissions, and Committees Records, 1929-1977, include administrative files for the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission, 1973-1977. The bulk of the series are minutes for the Claims Committee, 1931-1937; Board of Finance, 1929-1957 (original), 1961-1967 (photocopy); and Hockanum Cemetery Committee, 1933-1948. Also present are photocopies of minutes for the Insurance Committee, 1945-1968; Park Board, 1945-1968; Board of Police Commissioners, 1929-1945, 1956-1969; and Board of Welfare Commissioners, 1955-1960, 1965.

The bulk of Series 11. District Records, 1890-1932, pertains to the East Hartford Fire District. Included are administrative files, annual and special meeting minutes, Board of Commissioner minutes, financial records and tax records. Also represented are the Hockanum Lighting District, Hockanum Sewer District, Meadow Fire District, and Silver Lane Fire and Lighting District. There is a small amount of material that postdate the abolishment of the districts by the charter in 1929.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Boxes 49 and 69 are restricted due to water damage. Please contact State Archives staff for assistance.

These records 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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Related Material

RG 069:091 Percy S. Bryant Papers includes documents related to the East Hartford Fire District.

The following are found in the Classified Archives:
List of electors qualified to vote in electors' meeting, 1881 November 8 [CSL call number StLib Archives 974.62 Ea751]
Selectmen's reports & accounts, 1852-1868; papers on town poor, 1854-1870; land, legal & miscellaneous papers, 1854-1870 [CSL call number StLib Archives 974.62 Ea75s]
Town treasurer's book, 1784-1807. Last audit, 1808 January 1 [CSL call number 974.62 Ea75tr]

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Index Terms

Alternate Creators:

Subjects:

Places:

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Administrative Information

Processing Information

Accessions T00347, 1987-012 and 1987-026 were incorporated into accession 2009-014 during processing of that accession. Accession T003120 remains separate.

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Container List