Fairfield County, Connecticut Genealogy


 * This article is about a county in Connecticut. For other uses, see Fairfield (disambiguation).

Guide to Fairfield County, Connecticut ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Towns Organized Before 1800: Brookfield 1788 Danbury 1685 Fairfield 1639 Greenwich 1640 Huntington (Shelton) 1789 New Fairfield 1740 Newtown 1711 Norwalk 1651 Redding 1767 Ridgefield 1708 Stamford 1641 Trumbull 1798 Weston 1787


 * There is no county government.
 * The government is at the town level.

Quick Facts

 * Named for the hundreds of acres of salt marsh that bordered the coast.

Parent County

 * Created 10 May 1666 from the Colonial lands, one of four original counties.

Description
The county was named referring to the beauty of its fields. The county seat has none since 1960 and the county was created 1666. The County is located in the southwest area of the state.

Boundary Changes

 * North part was taken to form Litchfield County 14 October 1751.

For animated maps illustrating Connecticut county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation Connecticut County Boundary Maps" (1643-1960) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Places / Localities
Cities: 

Towns: 

Extinct town:  • Huntington

Borough: 

Unincorporated Communities: 

Neighboring Counties:    New York Counties:

African American
African American Civil War Memorial in Danbury, CT

Biography

 * William Willard Roberts, Pioneers and patriots of Pequannock, 1639-1799, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1983). Includes sections of old Fairfield, Stratford, and Stratfield.  "This historical synopsis...makes no pretense of being complete." Pequannock now known as Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Available at the Family History Library, 
 * J.H. Beers &amp; Company, Commemorative biographical record of Fairfield County, Connecticut containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, (Chicago, Illinois : J.H. Beers, 1899). Includes fullname index.  Available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Book 974.69 D3c pt.2.

Census

 * Census Finder, Connecticut Census Records, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Online links by county.
 * Census Online, (accessed 6 Mar 2011), Fairfield County Records.
 * Census Records, USGenWeb CT Archives for Fairfield County.
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Census Records, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * Fairfield County Jail, 1880 Index of Prisoners, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Prisoners Name, Prisoners Date of Birth, Prisoners Place of Birth, extracted from the 1880 Census Fairfield County, Connecticut.
 * Linkpendium, Census Records and Indexes, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Fairfield County, Connecticut.
 * US Census Collection, (accessed 8 Mar 2011), FamilySearch.
 * US Federal Census Collection, ancestry.com$, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * USGenWeb Census Project, Fairfield County, Connecticut Federal Census Index, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Transcriptions in progress.
 * Lowell M. Volkel, An index to the 1800 federal census of Fairfield and Hartford counties, state of Connecticut, ([S.l.] : L.M. Volkel, c1968).  Available at the Family History Center,
 * Calista K. Cleary, Little Egypt, Black history in three New England towns, (Manuscript,, 1989). "A research project submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Barton L. Weller scholarship competition."  Contains inscriptions from the Wheeler-Baldwin Cemetery (Den Cemetery) in Easton; extracts from the federal census, 1790-1900, for Redding, Easton and Weston; and information about the Baldwin family.  Available online PDF/Adobe Acrobat, (accessed 1 Mar 2011). Also available at the Family History Library,

Church Records

 * Church Records, USGenWeb CT Archives
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Church Records, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Includes baptism, marriage and death records.
 * Methodist Episcopal Church. Stamford Circuit, Steward's Book, 1813-1848, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977). Microfilm of original records at the Connecticut State Library, Hartford.  Contains minutes of quarterly meeting conferences, records of collections and disbursements, and some records of baptisms, marriages and deaths. Conferences were held in several towns of Fairfield county, Connecticut, and in Poundridge, New York.  Available at the Family History Library,

Court Records

 * Court Records, USGenWeb CT Archives
 * Fairfield County Connecticut Court Records Directory, (accessed 8 Mar 2011).
 * Connecticut. Superior Court, Fairfield County, Divorce papers, 1720-1799, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990).   Available at the Family History Library,

Directories

 * Connecticut City Directories, Links to each city, list year and location of directories.
 * Bridgeport city directory, including Stratford, Fairfield and Southport, (New Haven [Connecticut] : Price &amp; Lee Company, 1865-). 1909 is available at the Family History Library,  1930 directory, FHL US/CAN Film 1698026 Item 1.  Assorted Bridgeport directories between 1895 and 1953 can be found online at ancestry.com$, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * Price &amp; Lee Company, Westport, Fairfield County, Ct. city directory (including Green Farms, Saugatuck, Weston, and Wilton, (New Haven [Connecticut] : The Company, [19--]-). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Stamford (Connecticut) city directories, (Woodridge, Connecticut : Research Publications, c1980-1984, 1995).  Available at the Family History Library, 1st of 13 films,  Films cover from 1881 to 1935. Also check Stamford, Connecticut Directories, 1887-92 at ancestry.com$, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).  Also online, Stamford, Connecticut, 1907 at Old Directory Search, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * Norwalk (Connecticut) city directories, (Woodbridge, Connecticut : Research Publications, [199-?]). Available at the Family History Library, 1st of 13 Films,  These films cover from 1882 to 1935.  Also check Norwalk, Connecticut Directories, 1887-89, 1891 at ancestry.com$, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).  Also online, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1925 City Directory at DistantCousin.com, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * Greenwich (Connecticut) city directories, (Woodbridge, Connecticut : Research Publications, [199-?]). Available at the Family History Library, 1st of 2 films,  This films covers 1902-1909. For 1928-1935 see FHL US/CAN Film 2308490 Item 1-3.
 * Port Chester (New York) city directories, ([Woodbridge, Connecticut] : Research Publications, [199-?]). Available at the Family History Library,   1920, 1922, 1924, 1926 FHL US/CAN Film 2309588 Item 1-4.   1926 cont., 1928-29 and 1932:  FHL US/CAN Film 2309589 Item 1-3.

Dwellings

 * Malcolm P. Hunt, Names and places of old Norwalk with portions of Wilton, Westport and New Canaan, (Norwalk, Connecticut : Friends of Lockwood House, c1976). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution. Norwalk Chapter, The colonial and Revolutionary homes of Wilton, Norwalk, Westport, Darien and Vicinity, (1901). Available online at Google Books, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).

Gazetteers
Fairfield County, Gazetteer, (accessed 2 Mar 2011).

Genealogy

 * William John Cable and Marion D. Cable, Intermarriages of Fairfield, Connecticut, pioneer families of "The Den", South Walton and its vicinity, Delaware County, New York, (Sidney, New York : W. J. and M. D.Cable, [c1997]). Includes index: cross-references to surnames. Errata and addenda sheet tipped in. Available at the Family History Library,
 * Elmer I. Shepard, Elmer I. Shepard Collection Connecticut and Vermont family group records, ca. 1550-1900, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Walter E. Corbin, Lottie S. Corbin, and Robert J. Dunkle, The Corbin Collection, (Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society, c2003-c2005). Available at the on the desktop at the Family History Library,

Genealogical Sources

 * Stamford Genealogical Society, Genealogical resources of southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut in the towns and cities of Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Wilton, (Stamford, Connecticut : Stamford Genealogical Society (Connecticut), 1959). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Fairfield County Genealogy 2,245 Fairfield county genealogy record sources.

History

 * [Book] History of Black Rock, 1644-1955 - digitized and freely available online
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Historical Records, (accessed 6 Mar 2011).
 * History, USGenWeb CT Archives
 * Linkpendium, History, Fairfield County, Connecticut, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).
 * Lynn Winfield, Wilson, History of Fairfield County, Connecticut, 1639-1928, Vol. 1, (Chicago-Hartford:The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1929).  Includes indexes.  Available online at ; Also available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Fiche 6050167-6050169 for Volume 1-3 (total of 25 fiche).
 * Duane Hamilton Hurd, History of Fairfield County, Connecticut with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1881). Includes index to biographical sketches.  Available online at Internet Libraries, (accessed 28 Feb 2011).  Also available at the Family History Library,   or FHL US/CAN Film 1000148 Item 2.
 * Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbell Schenk, The History of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut from 1700-1800, Vol. II, (New York, New York, 1905). Includes index.  Available online at Internet Archives, (accessed 28 Feb 2011).   The History of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut from 1639-1818, Volume 1 and 2, also available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Film 1035766 Items 6 - 7.
 * Google Timeline, Fairfield County, Connecticut History 1600-2011, (accessed 2 Mar 2011).
 * Samuel Richards Weed and Norwalk Historical and Memorial Library Association, Norwalk after two hundred &amp; fifty years, an account of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the charter of the town, 1651--September 11th--1901; including historical sketches of churches, schools, old homes, institutions, eminent men, patriotic and benevolent work, together with the record of soldiers and sailors enlisted in Norwalk from 1676 to 1898. The civic progress in the last century and statistics of commerce and other miscellany of local interest (1902), (South Norwalk, Connecticut: C.A. Freeman) Available online at Google Books, (access 6 Mar 2011).

Land and Property
Deeds, mortgages, releases, and other related documents were recorded by the town clerk and are at the town halls. Most are indexed by grantor and grantee. There is no statewide index.

The Family History Library and the Connecticut State Library have microfilm copies of many proprietors' and town records from the earliest years to the mid or late 1800s. Some are as recent as the 1900s. They are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the name of the town.


 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Land Records, . Early land records for Greenwich and Norwalk.
 * Deeds and Land Records, USGenWeb CT Archives
 * John W. Tyler, Connecticut Loyalists an analysis of Loyalist land confiscations in Greenwich, Stamford and Norwalk, (New Orleans, Louisiana : Polyanthos, c1977). Includes bibliographical references.  Includes index of personal names.  Available at the Family History Library,
 * Tinmouth (Vermont). Proprietors' Clerk, Proprietors records, 1761-1809, (Montpelier, Vermont : Vermont Public Records Division, 1973). Microfilm of original records filmed at Tinmouth, Vermont.  Contains deeds and land surveys. Also includes land records from various counties in Connecticut. Includes charter book which contains a copy of the 1761 Tinmouth charter and minutes of proprietors meetings.  Available at the Family History Library,

Maps



 * Maps of Connecticut (1643-1960)
 * Linkpendium, Maps and Gazetteers, Fairfield County, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).
 * Library of Congress. Geography and Map Division, Fairfield County, Connecticut land ownership maps, 1856 and 1858, (Washington, District of Columbia : Library of Congress, 1983). Available at the Family History Library,
 * Hagstrom Company, Hagstrom atlas of Fairfield County, (New York, New York : The Company, c1978). Gift of Anna Baker, 1988.  Includes index to streets and roads.  Available at the Family History Library,
 * Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Maps, (accessed 2 Mar 2011). Organized by State and County.  Links to road maps, county outlines, colored outlines and lists of towns.

Military Records

 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Military Records

Revolution 1775-1783

 * Elsie N. Danenberg, Naval history of Fairfield County men in the Revolution a tale untold, (Fairfield, Connecticut : Fairfield Historical Society, c1977). Includes index.  Available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Fiche 6067450.
 * Herbert F. Geller and Anita F. Lupariello, A fight for liberty southwestern Connecticut's role in the American Revolution, (Bridgeport, Connecticut : Post Publishing Company, 1976).  Available at the Family History Library,  or FHL US/CAN Fiche 6110582.

Civil War
Service men from Fairfield County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were formed by a large number of men from Fairfield County.


 * 1) 1st Regiment, Connecticut Heavy Artillery - Company M - (Bridgeport)
 * 2) 1st Regiment, Connecticut Cavalry - Company D
 * 3) 1st Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Infantry Company E and H. Rifle Company B
 * 4) 3rd Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Infantry Company A, C, D and Rifle Company F.
 * 5) 9th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company D
 * 6) 10th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company I
 * 7) 14th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company A
 * 8) 17th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K.
 * 9) 23rd Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company B, D, E, I and K.
 * 10) 28th Regiment, Connecticut Infantry - Company A, B, C, G, and H.


 * Civl War Research Database $
 * Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System
 * Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War- Grave Database


 * World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 $
 * U. S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 $
 * U. S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 $
 * United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Collection Description: Images of cards for men, age 45-64 (born 1877-1897), included in the fourth draft conducted on Arpil 27, 1942.

Names, Geographical

 * Malcolm P. Hunt, Names and places of old Norwalk with portions of Wilton, Westport and New Canaan, (Norwalk, Connecticut : Friends of Lockwood House, c1976).  Available at the Family History Library,

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * Connecticut. Court of Common Pleas and Superior Court, Naturalization records (Fairfield County, Connecticut) [National Archives and Records Administration Record Group (RG) 200, RG 21], (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 2003-2007). Includes indexes.  Available at the Family History Library, the first of 155 films,


 * 1851 - 1992 at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Newspapers Links to newspapers at Genealogy Bank$ and Ancestry$.
 * Connecticut County Newspaper List, (accessed 11 Oct 2017).
 * Linkpendium, Newspaper Records, Fairfield County, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).

Obituaries

 * Fairfield County, Connecticut Obituaries, (accessed 1 Mar 2011). A directory of obituary databases and archives on the internet.
 * Linkpendium, Obituaries and Funeral Homes, Fairfield County, (accessed 7 Mar 2011).
 * Obituaries, USGenWeb CT Archives
 * Lester Card, Marriages and deaths (not taken from cemetery or tombstone records), 1790-1855, Fairfield County, Connecticut, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1941). Microfilm of typescript (250 p. made in 1934) at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society in New York City, New York. Death information was taken from Norwalk Gazette. Includes index.  Some pages wanting.  Available at the Family History Library,

Probate Records

 * Connecticut State Library, Research Guide to Connecticut Probate Districts.
 * Fairfield County Probate Records, Connecticut Genealogy, (accessed 6 Mar 2011). Online abstracts.
 * Spencer P. Mead, Abstract of probate records at Fairfield, County of Fairfield, and state of Connecticut, 1648-1757, (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1941).  Includes indexes.  Until 1728 Fairfield probate district included all Fairfield County.  Available at the Family History Library,

Online Probate Records


 * 1609 – 1999 Connecticut Wills and Probate Records 1609-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Vital Records
The original vital records in Connecticut are held at the individual towns where the event (birth, marriage, death) occurred, or from 1897 onwards through the Department of Public Health, Vital Records Division. Birth records less than 100 years old are restricted due to privacy laws.

Most vital records up to about 1900 have been microfilmed and are available through the local family history center. To learn more about where vital records are held, or to access the Connecticut Town Vital Records Directory, visit Connecticut Vital Records. See also How to order Connecticut Vital Records
 * 1640-1939 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1746-1791 - Eardeley-Thomas, Wm. A. "Record of Marriages By Ephraim Hubbell, Justice of the Peace in the North Society of New Fairfield, at the Time of All the Following Marriages, But Now the Town of Sherman, Conn.," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Jul. 1908):213-217. Digital versions at Internet Archive - free; New York Genealogical and Biographical Society ($);.
 * Vital Records, USGenWeb CT Archives
 * Census Finder, Connecticut Vital Records. Records online by county.
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Vital Records.
 * Linkpendium, Vital Records, Fairfield County.

Wills

 * Transcriptions of Wills, USGenWeb CT Archives

Societies, Libraries and Museums
Bridgeport Public Library – History Center 925 Broad Street(3rd floor) Bridgeport, CT 06604 203 576-7400, ext. #7 203 576-8255 fax E-Mail: [mailto:hclibrarian@bridgeportpubliclibrary.org hclibrarian@bridgeportpubliclibrary.org] Website

Brookfield Museum and Historical Society 165 Whisconier Road P.O. Box 5231 Brookfield, CT 06804 203 740-8140 E-Mail: [mailto:brookfieldhistsoc@snet.net brookfieldhistsoc@snet.net] Website

Danbury Museum &amp; Historical Society 43 Main Street Danbury, CT 06810 203 743-5200 E-Mail: [mailto:info@danburymuseum.org info@danburymuseum.org] Website

Darien Historical Society 45 Old Kings Highway North Darien, CT 06820 203 655-9233 E-Mail:[mailto:ukremer@darienhistorical.org ukremer@darienhistorical.org] Website

Fairfield Museum and History Center 370 Beach Road Fairfield, CT 06824 203 259‑1598 Website Facebook

Gaelic American Club, Inc. 74 Beach Rd, Fairfield CT 06824 Website

Genealogy Club of Newtown, Connecticut 25 Main Street Newtown, CT 06470 203 426-4533 E-Mail:[mailto:newtowngenealogy@yahoo.com newtowngenealogy@yahoo.com] Website

Greenwich Library 101 West Putnam Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830-5387 203 622-7948 Website

Middlesex Genealogical Society P. O. Box 1111 Darien, CT 06820 203-964-4727 E-Mail: [mailto:stevenaanderson@gmail.com stevenaanderson@gmail.com] Website

New Canaan Historical Society 13 Oenoke Ridge Road New Canaan, CT 06840 203 966-1776 203 972-5917 fax E-Mail:[mailto:info@nchistory.org info@nchistory.org] Website

Ridgefield Historical Society 4 Sunset Lane Ridgefield CT 06877 203 438-5821 Email:[mailto:ridgefieldhistory@sbcglobal.net :ridgefieldhistory@sbcglobal.net] Website

Family History Centers

 * Newtown Connecticut Family History Center

Websites

 * Fairfield County, CT History, Records, Facts and Genealogy
 * Connecticut Genealogy Network Community on Google+
 * Connecticut Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * ancestry.com$, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Available databases for Fairfield County.
 * Connecticut Genealogy, Fairfield County Genealogy
 * Cyndi's List, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Fairfield County General Resource Sites
 * epodunk, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Fairfield County, Connecticut Ancestry and Family History
 * The Fairfield County CTGenWeb Project, an member of The CTGenWeb Project
 * Linkpendium, (accessed 28 Feb 2011). Fairfield County Genealogy and Famiy History
 * MyGenealogist.com, (accessed 8 Aug 2017); Fairfield County Genealogy Resources.
 * USGennet, (accessed 28 Feb 2011), provides genealogical research links for the county of Fairfield, Connecticut.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project
 * Websites at RootsWeb for Fairfield County, (accessed 4 Mar 2011).
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Fairfield County