RG 004:083, Middletown Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2012 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Middletown, Middlesex County, Town established September 11, 1651, named November 1653, City incorporated May 1784

The Middletown District was constituted May 1752, from the East Haddam, Guilford, and Hartford Probate Districts. The Middletown Probate District serves the municipalities of Cromwell, Durham, Middlefield, and Middletown. It also served the following municipalities at various times: Berlin, May 1785 - June 1, 1825 (part taken from Middletown); East Hampton (Chatham), October 1767 - May 31, 1824 (area north of Salmon River); Haddam, May 1752 - June 2, 1830.

City of Middletown, Probate District chronology:

September 1651 - May 1666, Hartford Colonial Jurisdiction
May 1666 - May 1752, Hartford County Court & District
October 1741 - May 1752, East Haddam District (Covered that part of Middle Haddam Society lying in Middletown)
May 1742 - October 1767, East Haddam District (Covered that part of town lying south of Salmon River which became the Town of Chatham October 1767; these records are included with those of the Colchester Probate District)
May 1666 - May 1752, Hartford County Court & District
May 1752 - Present, Middletown District

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

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Content

Probate record books, 1752-1759. Volume 1 only. Contact the probate court to access record books after Volume 2. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1752-1932. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1752-1831 (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.

Index to and application for commitments, 1870-1936, are for Connecticut State Hospital.

Return to the Table of Contents

Arrangement

Probate files in accession 1916-005 are arranged alphabetically in one series.

Probate files in accession 1980-041 are arranged alphabetically.

Index to commitments and applications for commitments in accession 1981-001 are arranged alpabetically.

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

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

Probate files from 1921-1932 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.

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.

Return to the Table of Contents

Index Terms

Subjects:

Places:

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Alternative Form Available

Record books, volumes 1-18, 20, 22, 24-25, 28, 32-33, 35, 37, 40-41, 44-46, 48-49, 52-54, 57, 61, 64, 66 1752-1917; probate files, 1752-1932; 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. Volume 29 was missing and not filmed.

Provenance

The record book in accession 1934-002 was transferred to the Connecticut State Library on November 14, 1934.

The probate files in accession 1916-005 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): October 24, 1916 (1752-1831).

The probate files in accession 1980-041 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on September 25, 1980 and October 3, 1980.

The index to commitments and application for commitments in accession 1981-001 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on May 13, 1981.

Return to the Table of Contents

Other Finding Aid

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 1916-005 and Accession 1980-041 are represented in this index. Files in accession 1980-041 are listed on white cards.

Return to the Table of Contents

Container List