RG 004:109, Plainfield Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library staff.

Copyright © 2012 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Plainfield, Windham County, Town established in May 1699 as Quinabaug, named October 1700

The Plainfield Probate District was constituted May 1747, from the Windham Probate District. It included the following towns at various times: Brooklyn (part taken from Canterbury), May 1786-June 2, 1833; Canterbury, May 1747-May 26, 1835; Killingly, May 1747-June 1830; Sterling, May 1794-June 1852; Voluntown, May 1747-June 1830. The Plainfield Probate District merged with the Killingly Probate District on January 5, 2011 to create the Plainfield - Killingly Probate District which serves the municipalities of Canterbury, Killingly, Plainfield, and Sterling.

Town of Plainfield, Probate District chronology:

May 1699 - October 1719, New London District
October 1719 - May 1747, Windham District
May 1747 - January 4, 2011, Plainfield District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Plainfield - Killingly 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, 1747-1854. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1747-1854 (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

Probate files in accession 1918-003 are arranged alphabetically.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

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

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 1-30, 32, 35, 38-40, 1747-1918, probate files, 1747-1880; 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 1918-003 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): November 18, 1918 (1747-1854).

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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 1918-003 are represented in this index.

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