C. H. Booth Library Genealogy Room
In most hometown libraries you will find some materials useful in your genealogy research for residents who lived or worked within the town. The C. H. Booth library is so much more than that. There are literally hundreds (perhaps a few thousand or more) of books and other materials useful for genealogical research. An entire room is dedicated to genealogy. This room is located on the main level of the Library and houses the Julia Brush special collection. A computer, with Family Tree Maker software, is available for use. In the Reference Department, the Library maintains microfilm records of the U.S. Census of Fairfield County, Connecticut for 1790-1920 and microfilm of Fairfield County vital statistics before 1850. The books in the genealogy collection are catalogued.
Professional genealogist Harlan Jessup provides help to those interested in researching their roots on Monday afternoons from 2:00PM-5:00PM in the Genealogy Room. Please call the library at 203-426-4533 first, as Mr. Jessup is not always available.
The libary has access to the library edition of Ancestry.com.
Access is provided free of charge to on-site patrons of the library.
Newtown Connecticut Genealogy Resources
If you are searching for Newtown ancestors, your first step is to look through the white binders on the map chest. Those binders contain information on the:
- 1890 Census Substitute for Newtown
- Cemetery Inscriptions: Danbury, CT
- Cemetery Inscriptions: St. Paul’s Church, Huntington, CT
- Genealogy Room Lateral Files Contents
- Hale Collection of Headstone Inscriptions for Newtown
- Julia Brush Collection – Family Files – Located in Lateral File #1
- Newtown Bee Vital Records 1889-1953;
- Newtown Bee Obits Index 2004-2009
- Newtown Congregational Church Records 1715-1946
- Newtown Supplementary Vital Records
- Newtown: Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1711-1852
- Stratford: Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1639-1840
- Family Histories Looking for New England Ancestors?
The 1890 census substitute is one of the best census substitutes for a small hometown as you can find anywhere. It contains school registers, the grand list, voter registrations and new electors.
The Julia Brush Genealogy Collection is a nationally-recognized collection of over 900 volumes on the families and local history of neighboring Connecticut towns. Bequeathed to the Library on the death of Julia Brush, nee Clark, in 1942. The collection has been continually expanded using money that was put into trust by another provision of the Brush will.
New England Genealogy Resources
If you are searching for New England ancestors, check the:
- New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Index online and on top of tall bookshelf)
- Mayflower Families (22 vols.) Great Migration books
- Family Histories – Most are Newtown family related
- Rhode Island Vital Records
- Rhode Island Colonial Records
- Revolutionary War materials
- Military Service books
- Genealogies of Connecticut Families
- Census books (1850)
- New England states, towns, localities. Starts with Maine, ends with Connecticut.
- DAR Lineage Books with Index
- Connecticut Nutmegger with Index
- Connecticut Ancestry Journal
Other Genealogy Resources
If you are searching for non-New England ancestors, you might check:
- Settlers of the Beekman Patent (NY). Now complete through letter “P.”
- New York Genealogical and Biographical Record
- The American GenealogistLong Island church books
- Reference books on individual states
- Ethnic group how-to books (Scottish roots, German-American ancestry, Jewish roots, Irish, English, and Polish roots)
The Seymour Public Library might be the quintessential small town library. Although a major flood in 1955 completely destroyed the old town library and many books and records were destroyed. The Seymour Library still has a good collection of resources of interested to genealogists and local historians.
The resources of particular interest include city directories, Town Reports, Vital Record compilations, School yearbooks and more.
- City Directories – 1892-93, 1902 through 1980
- Town Reports – 1869 – 1970s
- Four volumes of books on Seymour Vital Records dating from 1850 – 1910
- Seymour Yearbook collection from 1941, various years after that.
- Vital record books from some surrounding towns
The earliest city directory was the 1892-93 directory. This is a great substitute for use in place of the destroyed 1890 US Federal Census records. Although it would not list all inhabitants of Seymour during this time, it does this those who are working including women as well as a widowed woman. The library had a nearly complete set of city directories dating from 1902 – 1980.
- The 1892-93 and 1902 Seymour City directories have been loaded into our database.
Another useful resource for researchers trying to learn more about their ancestors would be the collection of town record books. The town was formed in 1850 and the earliest town report in the library is from 1869.
The numbers of individual names listed in the early town reports are very small. However, starting in the late 1870s there are a significantly larger number of names listed. Many residents were paid to help maintain and build roads and were often paid to maintain the roads running past their own home. The town’s poor residents were subsidized by the town and are listed with the amount paid out to them. In some reports a brief snippet of information about the school teacher’s background and education is provided. There is nearly a complete set of town reports from 1869 – 1979.
- The 1869-1874 and 1878 town reports have been loaded into our database.
Also within the reference section is a book written by W.C. Sharpe and is a compilation of births, baptisms, marriages, burials, death records and gravestone inscriptions. The period covered starts from the time the town was formed up until about 1882. This gravestone inscription compilation was done fifty years prior to Hales compilation and may include tombstones inscriptions which were destroyed prior to Hale completing his compilation in the 1930s. The compilation includes both church and town records. There are three other addendums (other books) to the original work. One covers the period between 1883 and 1891. The second covers the period between 1892 and 1901. The last covers the period between 1901 and 1910.
The Seymour public library also has a series of school yearbooks where you could find a picture of your ancestor or relative. The earliest yearbook was from 1941 and there was a good collection of yearbooks right up to the present day.
This purpose of this website is to provide insight into unusual and hidden genealogy nuggets which are hidden in local libraries, local historical societies and other organizations.
It seeks to index these records and provide enough information so that the local researcher can find and locate that record to see if any additional information is available. In many cases, additional information will be available when looking at the original record.
The search engine provides the horsepower to search our database and then the additional detailed information point you back to the orginal facility. These facilities help keep these recods available to the general public. Without these facilities these records might be lost forever. Please consider joining their organizations and/or donating to them. This is often the only source of revenue these facilities might have.
If you ever have questions about this website please send an e-mail to info@hiddengenealogynuggets.com. If you ever experience an issue with the website itself, please send an e-mail to webmaster@hiddengenealogynuggets.com
