RG 004:028, Colchester Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2011 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Colchester, New London County, Town established in 1698

The Colchester Probate District was constituted May 29, 1832, from the East Haddam Probate District. It served the municipality of Colchester and also the municipality of Marlborough from May 29, 1832 to June 11, 1846, and the part of Salem taken from Colchester from May 29, 1832 to July 9, 1841. The Colchester Probate District merged with the Eastford (part), Hampton, and Windham Probate Districts on January 5, 2011 to create the Windham - Colchester Probate District, which serves the municipalities of Chaplin, Colchester, Hampton, Lebanon, Scotland, and Windham.

Town of Colchester, Probate District chronology:

1698 - October 1708, New London County Court and District
October 1708 - October 1741, Hartford District
October 1741 - May 28, 1832, East Haddam District
May 29, 1832 - January 4, 2011, Colchester District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Windham - Colchester District

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

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Scope and Content

Probate record books, Volumes, 1-37, 1741-1976. Volumes 1-9 and part of Volume 10 contain records for the East Haddam Probate District which held the court in Colchester. When the Colchester Probate District was established in 1832, recordkeeping continued in the same Volume 10 and subsequent volumes continued the numbering sequence. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1721-1920. Probate files dated from 1721 to May 28, 1832 are for the East Haddam Probate District that held court in Colchester. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies.

Inventory control book, 1721-1920 (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 consecutively from 1 to 37. There are 3 volumes of bonds that are unnumbered.

Probate files are arranged alphabetically in one series.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

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

Accession 2011-103, Record books, 1741-1976, 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:

Alternate Creator:

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Administrative Information

Alternative Form Available

Record books, Volumes 1-14 (there are 2 volumes numbered 13), 17-18, 22, 1741-1922; probate files 1721-1920 (Accession 1912-003); 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 1912-003 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): August 12, 1912 (1721-1890); June 16, 1930 (1856-1909); January 23, 1940 (1908-1920). They were interfiled into one alphabetic sequence.

The record books in accession 2011-103 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on January 19, 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 1912-003 are represented in this index.

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