RG 004:117, Redding Probate Court

Inventory of Records

Finding aid prepared by Connecticut State Library Staff.

Copyright © 2012 by the Connecticut State Library

Historical Note

Redding, Fairfield County, Town established in May 1767, Parent Town: Fairfield

The Redding Probate District was constituted May 24, 1839, from the Danbury Probate District. The Redding Probate District merged with the Bethel, Newtown, and Ridgefield Probate Districts on January 5, 2011 to create the Northern Fairfield County Probate District which serves the municipalities of Bethel, Newtown, Redding and Ridgefield. Brookfield Probate District presently serves the municipality of Brookfield.

Town of Redding, Probate District chronology:

May 1767 - January 1782, Fairfield District
January 1782 - May 23, 1839, Danbury District
May 24, 1839 - January 4, 2011, Redding District
January 5, 2011 - Present, Northern Fairfield County 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 1-10, 12-18, 1827-1948. Volume 11 was missing at the probate court and not transferred to the Connecticut State Library. Contact the probate court to access original record books after Volume 18. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Probate files, 1839-1902. Probate files may consist of estates, conservatorships, guardianships, commitments, and insolvencies. See Alternative Form Available note below.

Inventory control book, 1839-1902 (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.

Samuel L. Clemens will and trust accounts, 1906-1963; Mark Twain Foundation trust accounts, 1986-1997.

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Arrangement

Record books are numbered from 1 to 10 and 12 to 18.

Probate files in accessions 1933-004 and 1987-034 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.

Accession 2012-039, Record books, 1827-1948, 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 1-5, 7, 10, 12, 14-15, 1839-1919; probate file, 1839-1880; 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 1933-004 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on the following dates (with date span of files): November 3, 1933 (1839-1902).

The probate files in accession 1987-034 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on August 7, 1987.

The record books in accession 2012-039, the Samuel L. Clemens will and trust accounts and Mark Twain Foundation trust accounts in accession 2012-040 were transferred to the Connecticut State Library on May 16, 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. 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 1933-004 are represented in this index.

Probate Files: The History and Genealogy reference staff has access to an index for the probate files in accession 1987-034.

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