RG 004:075, Lyme Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2011 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Lyme, New London County, Town established in 1665, named 1667, Parent Town: Saybrook

The Lyme Probate District was constituted July 5, 1869 from the Old Lyme Probate District. It also included the municipality of Old Lyme from May 1855 - January 4, 2011. The Lyme Probate District merged with the Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Old Saybrook, Saybrook, and Westbrook Probate Districts on January 5, 2011 to create the Saybrook Probate District. The Saybrook Probate District serves the municipalities of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. The town of Old Lyme became part of the Niantic Regional Probate District at that time.

Town of Lyme, Probate District chronology:

1667 - June 1830, New London County Court & District
June 4, 1830 - July 4, 1869, Old Lyme District (called "Lyme" District June 1830-July1868t
July 5, 1869 - January 4, 2011, Lyme District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Saybrook 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 1-20, 1869-1976. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1869-1976. Probate files from 1830-1868 are within the Old Lyme Probate Court files.Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1869-1937 (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 20.

Probate files in accession 1914-006 are arranged alphabetically in one series.

Probate files in accession 2011-021 are arranged 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 from 1921-1976 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. Removals of parent as guardian of minor (all documents) and terminations of parental rights (all documents) from October 1, 1975 and later are confidential per Connecticut General Statutes §45a-754. Contact State Archives staff for assistance.

Accession 2011-061, Record books, 1869-1976; and Accession 2011-021, Probate files, 1900-1976, 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 1-4, 1869-1919; probate files, 1869-1915 (accession 1914-006 only); 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 record books were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on November 29, 2010.

The probate files in accession 1914-006 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): May 13, 1914 (1869-1917); May 10, 1922 (1876-1917); February 11, 1931 (1918-1930); and December 7, 1938 (1916-1937). They were interfiled into one alphabetic sequence.

The probate files in accession 2011-021 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on September 17, 2010.

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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 1914-006 are represented in this index.

Probate Files: The History and Genealogy reference staff has access to an index for the probate files in accession 2011-021.

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