Research Guide to Native American Resources at the Connecticut State Library

The Connecticut State Library's Native American resources are used by federal, state and local government employees; representatives of Connecticut Native American tribal councils; individual Native Americans; and the general public, in matters of tribal membership, federal recognition of tribes, and Native American land claims. This research guide summarizes some of the Library's most important historical and genealogical holdings relating to Native Americans. To find the topics most relevant to your research, please consult one of the categories below.

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Published Resources
Note: Items that are designated "SpecColl" are located in Special Collections, which are subject to the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections Materials. For additional information on access, please see Use of Offsite and Secured Collections.

Bibliographies
Collier, Christopher with Bonnie B. Collier. The Connecticut Scholar: The Literature of Connecticut History. Occasional Papers of the Connecticut Humanities Council, Number 6 (1983) [CSL call number HistRef AS 36 .C8 A1 no. 6].

Parks, Roger, ed.; assisted by Joseph E. Coduri, et al. New England: Additions to the Six State Bibliographies. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1989 [CSL call number HistRef Z 1251 .E1 N454 1989].

General Overviews of Native Americans
American Indian Report. Springfield, VA: Dartmouth Institute. [CSL call number E 75 .A64].

Axtell, James. "The White Indians of Colonial America", William & Mary Quarterly, 3^rd Series, v. 32, no. 1 (January 1975), pp. 55-88 [CSL call number E 186 .W55]. Indians who captured women and children generally treated them so well they did not want to reenter colonial society.

Ballantine, Betty and Ian Ballantine, eds. The Native Americans: An Illustrated History. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, Inc., 1993 [CSL call number E 77 .N352 1993].

Malinowski, Sharon, et al., eds. Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Detroit: Gale Publishing, 1998 [CSL call number E 77 .G15 1998].

Schoolcraft, Henry R. Historical and Statistical Information Respecting the History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the United States [CSL call number SpecColl E 77. S381]. Subject access to this set is through the separate Index to Schoolcraft's "Indian Tribes of the United States" compiled by Frances S. Nichols (Washington, DC: GPO, 1954) [CSL call number E 77 .S381 Index]. Headings of note include Eliot, John; King Philip; Mohegans; Occum, Sampson; Pequots; Uncas.

Sturtevant, William C., ed. Handbook of North American Indians. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1978 [CSL call number SI 1.20/2:4- ]. Volume 15 covers the Northeast.

Williams, Roger. "A Key Into the Language of America: or an Help to the Language of the Natives...." Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Series 1, v. 3, pp. 203-239 [CSL call number SpecColl F 61 .M41].

New England Native Americans
Gookin, Daniel. "Historical Collections of the Indians in New England." Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Series 1, v. 1, pp. 141-227 [CSL call number SpecColl F 61 .M41].

Grumet, Robert S., ed. Northeastern Indian Lives, 1632-1816. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1996 [CSL call number E 78 .E2 N67 1996].

Henry, Lorraine (Rainwaters). Native American Directory of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1998 [CSL call number E 98 .G40 H46].

Russell, Howard S. Indian New England Before the Mayflower. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1980 [CSL call number E 78 .N5 R87].

Wheelock, Eleazar. Microfilm Edition of the Papers of Eleazar Wheelock: Together with the Early Archives of Dartmouth College & Moor's Indian Charity School, and Records of the Town of Hanover, New Hampshire Through the year 1779. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College Library, 1971 [CSL call number LD 1428.3 .W44]. Note: there is a guide to this series in book format [CSL call number LD 1428.3 .W44].

New England Native American Lands
Bulkley, John. "An Inquiry Into the Right of the Aboriginal Natives to the Lands in America, and the Titles Derived from Them." Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, Series 1, v. 4, pp. 159-181 [CSL call number SpecColl F 61 .M41]. Originally written in 1724 by the minister of the Colchester Congregational Church.

Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England. New York: Hill and Wang, 1983 [CSL call number GF 504 .N45 C76 1983].

Connecticut Native Americans
Beeching, Barbara. African Americans and Native Americans in Hartford, 1636-1800. (n.p.) 1993 [CSL call number F 104 .H39 A24 1993z].

Brown, Barbara W. and James M. Rose. Black Roots in Southeastern Connecticut, 1650-1900. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1980 [CSL call number HistRef E 185.93 .C7 B76]. Includes genealogies of many Native American families in addition to African-Americans.

Butler, Eva L., comp. Indian Related Materials. (n.p.), 1996 [CSL call number E 78 .B88 1996]. Items compiled in the 1930s relating to Mohegan and Pequot history, reproduced by the Connecticut State Library from transcripts in the Eva Butler Collection (RG 69:66).

DeForest, John W. History of the Indians of Connecticut from the Earliest Known Period to 1850. Hartford: Wm. Jas. Hamersley, 1851. Reprint [CSL call number HistRef E 78 .C7 D4 1991].

Encyclopedia of Connecticut Indians. St. Claire Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers, 1998 [CSL call number E 78 .C7 E53 1998].

Guilette, Mary E. American Indians in Connecticut, Past to Present. Connecticut Indian Affairs Council, 1979 [CSL call number ConnDoc In15 guam]. Deals with the historical background of Connecticut tribes, the separation of Native Americans from their original tribal lands, and the recent trend toward their regaining ownership and control of their tribal lands and resources.

Means, C. A. "Mohegan-Pequot Relationships, as Indicated by the Events Leading to the Pequot Massacre of 1637 and Subsequent Claims in the Mohegan Land Controversy." Archaeological Society of Connecticut Bulletin, no. 21 (Dec. 1947) [CSL call number F 96 .A732].

Pasay, Marcella Houle. Full Circle: Directory of Native and African Americans in Windham County, CT, and Vicinity, 1650-1900. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2002 [CSL call number HistRef E 185.93 .C7 P37 2002].

Minority Military Service, Connecticut, 1775-1783. Washington, DC: National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, 1988 [CSL call number HistRef E 263 .C5 M56].

Trumbull, Benjamin. A Complete History of Connecticut.... New London: H.D. Utley, 1898 [CSL call number F 97 .T79 1898].

Connecticut Native American Tribes
Brief description and overview of Native American Tribes in Connecticut is available online through the History Quick Facts section of the State Library's Research Resources page.

Access to additional specific published titles held by the Connecticut State Library is through the CSL catalog. Specific subject headings include:

Researchers should also check the catalog under the names of specific tribes, such as "Mohegan Indians".

Genealogical Resources
The History and Genealogy Unit of the Connecticut State Library holds a number of genealogical indexes to births, marriages, deaths, and burials; microfilmed federal census records for Connecticut; and microfilmed early land records for all of Connecticut's 169 towns. In addition to the items noted above, the collections of the State Archives include some original land records and transcribed land records.

The 1900 and 1910 federal censuses for Connecticut contain special enumeration schedules that list Native Americans living as a group. These entries are found after the regular census for the town in which the group was living.

The published genealogical materials listed below are just a few examples on how to research Native American ancestry. Additional titles can be located through the CSL catalog.

Vertical File Resources
See specifically the folders in the History and Genealogy Unit's local history vertical file entitled:
Manuscript Resources
There is a wealth of individually cataloged material concerning Native Americans in the State Archives including deeds, indentures, overseers' reports, and maps. These materials are subject to the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections Materials. For additional information on access, please see Use of Offsite and Secured Collections. Specific headings in the Manuscripts and Archives Catalog include:

Jonathan Trumbull Papers [CSL call number Main Vault 974.6 fT76]. This collection of Connecticut colonial and early state official papers ca. 1631-1784 was collected by Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. at the direction of the General Assembly. The papers were arranged into 30 volumes; volume 19 burned in 1825. The alphabetical index (by subject and surname) includes headings for:

For many years this collection was housed at the Massachusetts Historical Society, which published selected items in its Collections, Fifth Series, vols. IX and X and Seventh Series, vols. II and III. Researchers dealing with Native American issues should consult the Fifth Series, vol. IX (CSL call number F 61 .M41 1885). This volume contains material from volume 22 of the Trumbull Papers manuscript (Narragansett Country, 1659-1699). The volume also includes letters of Dr. William Samuell Johnson relating to the "Mohegan Case" tried in the Privy Council in London ca. 1771. Spelling was modernized for publication. The preface to this volume lists items from volume 22 that were not included as they were previously published elsewhere.

Robert C. Winthrop Collection of Connecticut Manuscripts, 1631-1794, 4 vols. [CSL call number MainVault 974.6 W73]. Consists of papers from the Winthrop Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society pertaining to the early history of Connecticut. See the index (volume 4) under the headings "Indians" (p. 15), "Casaasynomon", "Owaneco", "Uncas", and the names of specific tribes. See also the separate indexes of Indian Personal Names (p. 35) and Indian Place Names (p. 42).

Additional selected items of interest include
Hebard, Leonard. Papers relating to Mohegan Indians, 1699-1861 [CSL call number Main Vault 970.3]. Thirty-one documents including observations on claims of Samuel and John Mason, lists of Mohegan Indians, 1774 and 1861; petitions asking that Indians and Negroes with no right to Mohegan land be removed, etc. A bound photocopy of this collection is kept at the H&G information desk.

Pequot Indian Papers: consisting of account book kept by William Williams and Enos Morgan, overseers to the Pequot tribe of Indians in Groton, Connecticut, 1813-1820 [CSL call number Main Vault 970.1 P31].

Pequot Indian Papers: consisting of accounts of Leonard C. Williams of Stonington, Connecticut, overseer of the Pequot tribe of Indians of North Stonington, 1868-1875 [CSL call number Main Vault 970.1 P32w]. Includes list of names of Indians in the tribe ca. 1868-1869.

Warren, Moses. Papers Connected with Office of Overseer of Niantic Indians, 1822-1826 [CSL call number Main Vault 970.1 W25].

Archival Resources
See in particular the following Record Groups and Picture Groups, which are subject to the Rules and Procedures for Researchers Using Archival Records and Secured Collections Materials. Please note that some materials are housed at an off-site facility and may not be available on a same day basis. For additional information on access, please see Use of Offsite and Secured Collections.

RG 1, Early General Records.
Connecticut Archives: Indians, Series I and Series II. These two series constitute the bulk of the early General Court papers pertaining to Native Americans, including land disputes, the Mohegan land controversy, and other Indian affairs. These early colonial and state materials have been indexed and microfilmed. The original Connecticut Archives volumes are subject to the Guidelines on Use of Restricted Original Archival Records and are available for use only if the microfilm is not legible or is not available.

In addition to these specific Indians series, researchers should check the general indexes to Connecticut Archives, Series I and Series II, under the following headings:

Researchers should also check under the names of specific individuals, tribes, and towns. For example the General Index, Series II, lists the following entry:

The slip also notes that the entry is located under the subject heading "Ecclesiastical Affairs, Series II".

The Connecticut Archives microfilms are located in the History and Genealogy Reading Room. The films are arranged alphabetically by series. To locate this document on microfilm, the researcher would then consult Ecclesiastical Affairs, Series II: 1666-1820, Volume 3, Documents 6a and 7a.

The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut 1636-1776. (Vols. 1-15)
The Public Records of the State of Connecticut 1776-181. (Vols. 1-17)
The volumes in these series through the year 1815 have been published and are held by major research libraries throughout the country. Check the indexes for each volume under the heading "Indians" as well as under the names of specific individuals and tribes. Note that in some of the early volumes of the Public Records that Native Americans are listed in the general index rather than in the name index. [CSL call number HistRef ConnDoc G 25]. The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut 1636-1776 are also available online.

RG 2, Records of the General Assembly. Files of the General Assembly, including public acts, special laws, resolves, and rejected bills from 1821 to 1983 are included in State Archives Record Group 2. Though not indexed, the papers are arranged by session. Files for the nineteenth century may contain petitions and reports of committees on the disposition of the bills. A finding aid that lists materials on African Americans and Native Americans covering the period 1808-1869 is available for reference at the History and Genealogy Unit information desk; copies may be obtained by calling the State Archives at (860) 757-6595.

RG 3, Records of the Judicial Department. Specific items segregated by subject are listed below. However, researchers should note that additional papers dealing with Native Americans may possibly be included in the regular court files and record books.

RG 4, Records of the Probate Courts. Files for most of Connecticut's probate districts, including files pertaining to Native Americans, are included in this group. The Probate Estate Papers Index covering many files to ca. 1900 is housed in the corridor off the History and Genealogy Reading Room. Many files and record books are available on microfilm in the History and Genealogy Unit or through LDS Family History Centers.

RG 5, Records of the Governors of Connecticut. There is much information pertaining to Native American affairs within the papers of Connecticut's governors. The suggestions given below are from the executive papers of the past forty years. The listing is not comprehensive and researchers are encouraged to consult more detailed finding aids for individual governors, which are located in the History and Genealogy Reading Room. In addition, researchers should check the papers of earlier governors in RG5 as well as the Jonathan Trumbull Papers and the Robert C. Winthrop Collection.

RG 6:30, Records of the Secretary of the State

RG 69:18, Records of Norwich Free Academy. NOTE: This collection is presently on indefinite loan to the State Archives from Norwich Free Academy.

RG 69:66, Eva L. Butler Collection. Includes transcripts and excerpts from early Connecticut records dealing with Native Americans and the Groton-New London area.

Note: This collection of Indian related materials has been reproduced by the Connecticut State Library. Please see: Butler, Eva L., comp. Indian Related Materials (n.p.) [CSL call number E 78 .B88 1999].

RG 69:100, Mathias Speiss Collection. Includes historical materials and correspondence, political correspondence, and materials dealing with Indians. Researchers should consult the finding aid to this collection, which is located in the History and Genealogy Reading Room.

RG 79:18, Records of the Department of Environmental Protection, Council of American Indian Affairs.

Native American Heritage Advisory Council, 1982-1995.

Indian Affairs Coordinator, Office of Indian Affairs

PG 180, Lewis Sprague Mills Photograph Collection. Box 1, "Indians", contains rare black and white photographs of the outdoor reconstruction and other "Living History" items of Gladys and Chief Harold Tantaquidgeon. The Tantaquidgeons are direct descendants of Uncas, chief of the Mohegans and also of Samsom Occum, the first Indian Christian missionary. The Tantaquidgeons are associated with the museum of Native American culture in Montville, Connecticut

Related Collections
Columbia, Connecticut Congregational Church papers. Sermons preached by Eleazer Wheelock, founder of Dartmouth College, et. al., 1735-1920 [CSL call number Main Vault 974.62 C721s.]

Law and Legislative Reference Unit's Permanent Bill File. An example of the materials available in this important resource is:

Hamilton, J. E. A Bill of Particulars Referred to the Judiciary Committee of the Connecticut State Legislature, in Support of H.B. 100, 1943 (statement of Mohegan Indians' claim to lands in New London, Tolland, and Windham Counties).

The Law and Legislative Unit also provides information on and access to statutes, legislative histories, treatises, etc.

Institutions With Related Collections
Brotherton Indian Archives, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY A keyword search of the library catalog(s) will bring up a listing of their holdings.

Indian and Colonial Research Center
39 Main Street, Route 27
Old Mystic, CT 06372

Institute for American Indian Studies
38 Curtis Road, PO Box 1260
Washington, CT 06793-0260

Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center
110 Pequot Trail, PO Box 3180
Ledyard, CT 06339-3180

Prepared by the History and Genealogy Unit, Connecticut State Library, 11-96. Updated 6-05. Copyright © 2005.

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