Genealogy

The genealogy 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 our genealogy collection are catalogued.

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 426-4533 first, as Mr. Jessup is not always available.

• Julia Brush Collection
• Genealogy Room Manuscript File Index
• Links to Genealogy Websites
• Looking for Newtown Ancestors?
• Looking for New England Ancestors?
• Looking for Ancestors Elsewhere?
  

Please be sure to check out the Genealogy Club Of Newtown's website.

Julia Brush Genealogy Collection
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.

Links to some genealogy web sites:

• Ancestry.com - available for In-Library Use Only
• Connecticut State Library, History & Genealogy Unit
• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
• Ellis Island
•  Genealogy Club of Newtown
• Heritage Quest through iconn.org
• Mormon (Latter Day Saints) Records
• National Archives and Records Administration
• New England Historic and Genealogical Society
• New York Times Historic Archives - available for In-Library Use Only
• Stephen Morse Access to Ellis Island and Other Databases
• Rootsweb
• The USGenWeb Project

Looking for Newtown Ancestors?

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 2004-2005.
• Newtown Congregational Church Records 1715-1946
• Newtown Supplementary Vital Records
• Newtown: Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1711-1852
• Stratford: Births, Marriages, Deaths, 1639-1840
• Family Histories

If you are searching for New England ancestors, check the:

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Index on top shelf 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)
• Heads of Families
• New England states, towns, localities. Starts with Maine, ends with Connecticut.
• Settlers of the Beekman Patent (NY) – complete set published thus far. Work in progress. The author has finished through “L.”
• DAR Lineage Books with Index
• Connecticut Nutmeggers with Index
• Connecticut Ancestry Magazine

If you are searching for non-New England ancestors, you might check:

• Settlers of the Beekman Patent (NY)

• New York Genealogical and Biographical Record

• American Genealogy

• Long Island church books

• Great Migration books

• Reference books on individual states

• Index: George Budke Tombstone inscriptions, Bergen County, NJ and Rockland County, NY

• Ethnic group how-to books (Scottish roots, German-American ancestry, Jewish roots, Irish, English, and Polish roots)

Updated January 2007