RG 004:074, Litchfield Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2011 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Litchfield, Litchfield County, Town established in May 1719

The Litchfield Probate District was constituted October 1742, from the Woodbury Probate District. It also served the following municipalities at various times: Canaan, 1742 - October 1755; Cornwall, October 1742 - June 14, 1847; Goshen, October 1742 - May 1895; Harwinton, October 1742 - May 26, 1835; Kent, October 1742 - October 1755, and October 1755 - May 1786 for the Society of East Greenwich only that became the town of Warren; Morris, June 1859 - January 4, 2001; Norfolk, October 1758 - May 1770; Salisbury, October 1742 - October 1755; Sharon, October 1742 - October 1755; Torrington, October 1742 - June 15, 1847; Warren, May 1786 - January 4, 2011; Washington (the parts taken from Woodbury and New Milford and known as the Society of Judea), January 1779 - May 1832. The Litchfield Probate District merged with the Harwinton, Northwest Corner, and Thomaston Probate Districts on January 5, 2011, to create the Litchfield Hills Probate District. The Litchfield Hills Probate District serves the municipalities of Canaan, Cornwall, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Morris, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Thomaston, and Warren.

Town of Litchfield, Probate District chronology:

May 1719 - October 1719, Hartford District
October 1719 - October 1742, Woodbury District
October 1742 - January 4, 2011, Litchfield District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Litchfield Hills 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, 1743-1924. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1743-1924 (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.

Wills, circa 1830-2010.

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Arrangement

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.

Probate files from 1921-1924 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. Contact State Archives staff for assistance.

Accession 2012-041, Wills, circa 1830-2010, 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 1-31, 33-34, 36-37, 39, 41-42, 44-45, 47, 49, 51, 53-54, 56, 1743-1916; probate files, 1743-1915; 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 1927-022 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): April 27, 1927 (1743-1924).

The wills in accession 2012-041 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on May 17, 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. 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 1927-022 are represented in this index.

Probate Files: The History and Genealogy reference staff has access to an index for the wills in accession 2012-041.

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