Collections : [Connecticut State Library, State Archives]

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) was established in May 1935 as a central organ of control for the relief projects supported by the United States Government. In Connecticut, Offices were opened in New Haven, with later district offices in several other cities.

The Windham County Historical Society was founded in July 1935 at Mortlake, the summer home of Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt in Brooklyn, Connecticut. Its purpose was to encourage the study and collection of all types of material and information of historical value to Windham County.

The papers consist of materials pertaining to William S. Goslee's legal and personal affairs. Goslee was a lawyer for the town of Glastonbury and was active in town politics, church and school issues.

William Francis Joseph Boardman was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut on December 12, 1828 to William and Mary (Francis) Boardman. The collection consists of outgoing letters of William F.J. Boardman relating to genealogy, descriptions of coats of arms of Boardman and allied families; historical extracts; genealogies of the Boardman, Francis, Deming and Wright families; and a record book.

Gov. Wilbur L. Cross's correspondence and subject files.

Genealogical notes, correspondence, patriotic society memberships and photographs.

Wedworth Wadsworth (1782-1860) was a member of the Connecticut General Assembly from Durham, Conn. Also represented in the collection are his sons Wedworth (1811-1876), William (circa 1817-1870), a town clerk and justice of the peace, James (1819-1891) and James' son Wedworth (1846-1926), who was a painter, art teacher, and writer.

The Commission planned for the orderly readjustment and reemployment of returning veterans and displaced war workers and coordinated the efforts of all State, local and private agencies working toward that end.

The Veteran Association of the Hartford City Guard was organized on November 26, 1867. It was composed of those persons who were active or honorary members of the Hartford City Guard prior to July 5, 1865. The Association's main objective was social with the intention "to keep alive old and pleasant memories and perpetuation of recollections of the old Company." Each year they held a reunion on the second Wednesday of January. The first reunion was held on January 8, 1868. At their 50th reunion held in 1917, it was agreed that it should be the last reunion.

On July 4, 1915, a group of women in Washington, D.C. formed the Women's Section of the Navy League. The League hoped to band women of various philosophical backgrounds under the banner of "Patriotism, Americanism, and National Defense." The function of a Comforts Committee was to knit woolen garments for men serving in the United States Navy.

October 24, 1967 was proclaimed United Nations Day by President Lyndon B. Johnson. This marked the twenty-second anniversary observance of U.N. Day. In his proclamation, the president called on all American citizens to engage in an appropriate observance of the event.

The Union Company was incorporated in 1800 to clear a channel in the Connecticut River from Hartford to Long Island Sound. After the channel was cleared, the Company was allowed to collect tolls from vessels using the river.

The Tyler Kindred of America held its first reunion in 1921. This organization is a successor to the Tyler Family Association and was formed by members of the "Branford line" and the "Wallingford line".

Truman Smith was a lawyer, Connecticut Legislator (1831-1832, 1834), US Representative (1838-1843, 1845-1849), and US Senator (1849-1854) from Stamford, Connecticut. Included in his papers are correspondence, writings, publications, legal cases, speeches, and spiritual writings.

The Transportation Accountability Board was created as an independent, non-partisan body charged with overseeing the operations of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The Board held its first meeting on January 8, 1986 and was abolished as of July 1, 1987.

These records consist of the air raid shelter survey, circa 1941-1942, official list of women voters, 1899 October 2, and employee grievance files, circa 1964-1994.

Tax records and records created by the Mohegan Tribe and the State of Connecticut, opposing sides in the movement for federal acknowledgment.

Building permit records, for the town of Darien, of buildings that have been demolished.

Includes photographs, glass negatives, clippings and correspondence of the Towner and Berry families. The majority of photographs are unidentified.

Gov. Meskill's correspondence, subject file, pending file, memoranda, public interest correspondence, yellows, agency files, legislative file, National Governors' Conference file, New England Governors' Conference file, New England Regional Commission file, other intergovernmental relations files, executive orders, speeches, messages, public relations and communications files, press releases, job requests, acknowledgements, and recommendations, federal agency relations file, scrapbook, official statements, papers of task force on refineries.

Includes the manuscript of The Bingham family in the United States and other material related to the Bingham Family of Andover, Conn.

The General Assembly created this commission in 1929 to plan for the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Connecticut's settlement.

During the Second World War, national rent controls began under the Office of Price Administration-directed offices. In 1947, anticipating the end of national controls, the Connecticut General Assembly enacted a series of standby rent control laws. One of these, Chapter 356 of the 1951 Supplement to the General Statutes, created the Temporary State Housing Rent Commission.

The Teenage Alcoholic Use Study Commission was established in 1965 to study the problem of teenage alcoholic use and implement the recommendations of the earlier (1961) Teenage Liquor Law Coordination Commission, including the holding of a state-wide education conference on the subject.

The Storrs Family Association held its first reunion in 1891 and annually thereafter until at least 1972. This collection consists of Frank H. Storrs genealogical papers and records from the Storrs Family Association.

The State Teachers' Retirement Board administers the Teacher's Retirement System that provides members, public school teachers and their beneficiaries, with retirement, disability, survivorship, and health benefits.

The State Salvage Committee informed the public of the need for conserving scarce materials and assisted in collecting and utilizing salvage during World War II.

The State Revenue Task Force was appointed pursuant to Special Act 274 of the 1969 Session of the General Assembly for the purpose of preparing recommendations for a revised Connecticut tax structure. The Task Force received suggestions and heard testimony from many government, community and business leaders, and it commissioned and studied a series of special reports on various aspects of the subject.

In 1913 the Assembly created a permanent State Park Commission charged with "supervision of all lands acquired by the state, as public reservations, for the purpose of public recreation or the preservation of natural beauty or historic association. In 1921 the name changed to the State Park and Forest Commission. The Commission now had oversight of state forests as well as parks with the authority to appoint the State Forester.

The State Library and Supreme Court Club formed in 1951 as a successor to the Ex Libris Club. It disbanded in 1986.

In 1895, the General Assembly established a three person board known as the State Highway Commission to monitor town expenditures of state funds as well as construction and improvements to public roads. In 1897, the legislature abolished the board and created the State Highway Department headed by the State Highway Commissioner. In October 1969, it merged into the new Department of Transportation.

The Commission was appointed by Governor Abraham Ribicoff in 1956 "to consider general economy in State government, distribution of State financial aid to cities and towns, limitation of State debt, and matters relating to these subjects."

The Board of Accountancy protects the users of services rendered by Connecticut licensed accountants by regulating the authorized practice of public accountancy by certified public accountants (CPA) and public accountants as well as the unauthorized practice of public accountancy by unlicensed individuals and firms.

The Stark Family Papers revolves around the family of J. Warren Stark (1862-1951) and his second wife Alione Ely Stark (1864-1953) of Lyme, Connecticut. Correspondents include William G. Stark, Marion E. Stark, Hazel Purinton who married Reginald Warren Stark, Hattie Stark Gillette, J. Warren Stark, Alione Ely Stark, Gladys Stark, and Jennie E. Stark. The papers consists of correspondence, family papers, and books.

The Stark Family Association devoted to the descendants of Aaron Stark (c. 1618-1685) was founded in 1895 and dissolved in 1954 after the deaths of its founding members and a decline in interest by those of later generations. The records consists of correspondence, family papers, business records, and printed works.

By Special Act 474, approved June 9, 1933, the General Assembly formed the "Temporary Commission to Study the Tax Laws of the State and to Make Recommendations concerning their Revision," which quickly took the name, "Special Tax Commission."

The Special Library Association was founded in 1909 in an attempt to bring together librarians whose jobs had actually created a new kind of librarianship, one geared to meet the needs of specialized situations. These records are from the Connecticut Valley Chapter.

This organization is composed of male descendants of veterans of the Union Army in the Civil War. The organization was involved in marking the graves of Civil War veterans, ensuring proper observance of national holidays, and the care and upkeep of Civil War Memorials.

The preamble to the Constitution of the Society of Descendants of the Founders of Hartford gives the following description of the objectives of the organization: "We, descendants of the Founders of Hartford, do hereby constitute ourselves the Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford, in order to further the worthy celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city. . . that original documents and historical works of merit relating to the founders and the early history of the city may be published; and to see to it that relics of the founders and of the early history of the city may be preserved."

Correspondence, notes, transcripts of oringinal records and family group sheets related to the Miner family.

This subgroup is comprised of records relating to Senator Terry Gerratana's legislative career in the Connecticut State Senate. These records include drafts of proposed, raised, and substitute Senate, House, and Governor's bills, as well as the notes, research, testimonies, and other information Senator Gerratana gathered in the course of her work.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (Public Law 783), which created the country's first peacetime draft and formally established the Selective Service System as an independent Federal agency. From 1948 until 1973, during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces that could not be filled through voluntary means. In 1973, the draft ended and the United States converted to an all-volunteer military. The registration requirement was suspended in April 1975 but was resumed again in 1980.

The Select Committee on Children was created in 1992 and began meeting in January 1993. Its purpose is to provide both greater focus and priority to such issues as child abuse, poverty, hunger, and adoption.

On January 26, 2004, House Resolution 702 formally established the Select Committee of Inquiry to determine whether sufficient grounds existed to impeach Governor John G. Rowland. Speaker of the House Moira K. Lyons (D-Stamford) appointed Arthur J. O'Neill (R-Southbury) and John Wayne Fox (D-Stamford) as co-chairmen.

On January 26, 2004, House Resolution 702 formally established the Select Committee of Inquiry to determine whether sufficient grounds existed to impeach Governor John G. Rowland. Speaker of the House Moira K. Lyons (D-Stamford) appointed Arthur J. O'Neill (R-Southbury) and John Wayne Fox (D-Stamford) as co-chairmen.

The Second Church of Christ Scientist Hartford, was organized in 1907 by 11 members of The Mother Church. The first service was held on an upper floor at 64 Pearl Street, and as the congregation grew, services were moved twice to other sites. The church building at the corner of Lafayette and Russ Streets held its first service January 4, 1925. A diminished membership prompted the congregation to sell the church building to the State of Connecticut in 2008.

The Samuel Wyllys Papers, 1668-1728, undated, are a group of 88 court documents that include 6 cases of witchcraft (42 documents), 12 cases concerning assault and battery, theft, adultery and other crimes (35 documents), and 11 other documents related to prayers of confession and petition, lists of freemen, poor relief, taxes, and titles to Indian land.

Roswell Grant was a Justice of the Peace and school district treasurer of Windsor, Conn. Also represented are his father, Ebenezer Grant (1706-1797), a merchant, and other family members.

Includes genealogical charts, records, correspondence of Hobby and allied families, 1200-1933.

Robert Satter was a prominent Hartford lawyer, a member of the state House of Representatives, a general counsel to Democratic Party legislators, and a Superior Court Judge. Included in this collection are clippings, correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, and published writings reflecting his long and distinguished legal, political, legislative, and judicial career in Connecticut.

Primarily copies of military, pension, and family records. Family names include Goodsell, Highland, Hiland, Hilands, Hoyland, Hoylands, Lowry, McKinney, Mitcheltree, Reznor, and Williams.

Gov. Robert A. Hurley's correspondence and subject files.

Richard F. Schneller was a State Senator for the 20th District from 1975-1984. He worked on the 1986 O'Neill gubernatorial campaign as well as the 1984 Mondale presidential campaign and was the chairperson of the Governor's Building Construction Advisory Committee from 1987-1988.

The Research Commission supported and encouraged research and related activities "relevant to the interests and welfare or the economic betterment of the citizens of Connecticut."

Gov. Raymond E. Baldwin's correspondence, subject files, and war orders from his second administration.

Gov. Raymond E. Baldwin's correspondence and subject files from his first administration.

Records of the Reorganization Task Force.

The Public Utilities Commission began on September 9, 1911. In 1975 it became the Public Utilities Control Authority.

On July 1, 2001, House Bill 6568 provided for the establishment of a committee to recommend to the Joint Committee on Legislative Management an artist to sculpt a statue of Prudence Crandall, the state heroine, for the State Capitol Building, and a location in the building for the placement of the statue.

Two volumes of material on Private Benjamin Denslow, who was a soldier in the American Revolution. The two volumes discuss Denslow's life, family, ancestry and descendants. Included are photostats and photograph copies of original records along with photographs.

The Post-War Planning Board, authorized by an Act of the General Assembly of June 2, 1943, was established to study problems of post-war readjustment and reconversion in the state and formulate plans to deal with them.

The Plainfield Historical Society was established in a meeting held January 8, 1916 in the Town Clerk's Office, Central Village. Judge John E. Prior was chosen chairman. The date of its last meeting was November 10, 1917.

The General Assembly created the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women in 1973. The Commission was charged to work to eliminate sex discrimination within the state.

People for Question #1 was a "Political Committee" registered with the office of the Secretary of State. Its purpose was to promote passage by the voters of the State Constitutional Amendment prohibiting discrimination on account of sex. The State Chairperson was Helen Z. Pearl.

Contains notes, correspondence, photocopies of genealogical works, and miscellaneous genealogical research on the Flowers and Moulton families and related lines.

Orville Hitchcock Platt was a teacher, lawyer, newspaper editor, probate judge (1853-1856), clerk of the State senate (1855-1856), secretary of State of Connecticut (1857), Connecticut legislator (1861-1862, 1864, 1869), state's attorney for New Haven County (1877-1879), and United States Senator (1879-1905) from Meriden, Connecticut. Included in his papers are correspondence, writings, reports, speeches, scrapbooks, memorials, and photographs.

The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America was incorporated in New York on March 18, 1896. The terms of eligibility require that every member must be descended in the male line of father or mother, from an ancestor who settled in one of the original thirteen colonies within fifty years from the settlement of Jamestown, VA, May 13, 1607.

The papers consist of material that pertains to Oliver Blackman,Theodore Blackman, and the Blackman family. Oliver Blackman served in Company D of the 23rd Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. Theodore Blackman served in the Union Navy. Included in the papers are correspondence, diaries, personal papers, publications, photographs, and artifcats.

The Office of Policy and Management is the Connecticut governor's staff agency. It provides information and analysis that the Governor uses to formulate public policy goals for the State and assist State agencies and municipalities in implementing policy decisions on behalf of the people of Connecticut.

The Office of Indian Affairs works with the Connecticut Indian Affairs Council (CIAC) and coordinates activities relating to the state's American Indian population and state Indian reservations. The CIAC's responsibility is to advise the Dept. of Environmental Protection Commissioner on matters relating to Connecticut's five tribes.

The Office of Health Care Access was established in 1994 to ensure that the citizens of Connecticut have access to a quality health care delivery system.

The Office of Family Support was established by Governor Rowland after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It assisted families of the victims in locating financial, legal, and emotional assistance.

Originally organized as the Mothers Neighborhood Circle, it became the Northwest Child Welfare Club in 1936. The Club attempted to "promote child welfare in home, school, church and community . . . raise standards of home life. . . secure adequate laws for the care and protection of women and children."

On the morning of December 14, 2012, a lone gunman shot his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and then shot and killed 26 people, 20 of whom were children. The collection documents material sent to the community of Newtown in the nine and a half months following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. The collection includes poems, letters, sympathy cards, mass cards, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous material.

The National Society, United States Daughters of 1812, was organized January 8, 1892. To become eligible for membership, a prospective member was required to trace her genealogy directly to an ancestor who had served in the United States military or civil service between 1784 and 1815. Chief among the Society's purposes was the dissemination of knowledge of American history. The Connecticut Society was organized March 2, 1906.

The Municipal Art Society of Hartford was organized on June 14, 1904 in the studio of Charles Noel Flagg. Its aim was to "be of service in preserving and enhancing the beauty of our magnificent city."

The Monday Afternoon Club was organized on January 4, 1886. The main objective of the society was "the study of history-not general nor in consecutive course, but the selection of certain periods determined by vote of members."

Includes correspondence, administrative papers, schedules, questionnaires, punched cards, tabulations, summaries, related materials on Conn. residents, industry, agriculture, and files of Charles A. Goodwin, head of the military census bureau, and Frank D. Cheney, director of the industrial survey.

The Commission was chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1929 to provide portable water and sewage services on a regional basis.

Correspondence and a notebook of the Francis McLean family of Vernon, Conn.

The papers consist of material pertaining to Mathias Spiess who was an amateur historian with an interest in Connecticut Indians and the town of Manchester. Spiess in 1936 served as a Republican selectman and in 1937 and 1938 was a police commissioner for the town of Manchester. Included in the papers are correspondence, subject files, writings, and maps.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission was established when Governor William A. O'Neil issued Executive Order Number 15 on January 10, 1986. The Connecticut General Assembly in 1989 passed Public Act 89-258, "An Act Creating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission," to ensure the "commemoration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the state is meaningful and reflective of the spirit with which he lived and the struggles for which he died." The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities is the secretariat for the holiday commission.

Marilyn P.A. Seichter (1945-2002), the first woman to graduate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, specialized in the fields of women's rights and family law. She served as the first women president of the Connecticut Bar Association among other posts.

The Mansfield Training School opened on July 1, 1917 as a home for persons with mental retardation. It closed in 1993.

The collection contains documents kept by Major Edward V. Preston, who was a quartermaster and then a paymaster in the United States Army during the Civil War. Included in the papers are muster rolls, officer pay vouchers, discharge papers, hospital notices, returns, receipts, requisitions, books, and personal papers.

Gov. Weicker's constituent correspondence, legal office files, press files, official statements, invitations accepted and regretted, subject files, and photographs.

The Connecticut Industrial School for Girls was established in 1868 as a private institution for delinquent girls. In 1917 the State took control of the school and renamed it Long Lane Farm which changed to Long Lane School in 1943. Items in this collection include documents about staff and student life, photographs, paintings and artifacts.

The Liquor Control Commission's purpose was to study modifications in governmental control of alcoholic beverages.

Genealogies of George and John Norton, correspondence, and genealogical notes.

Includes genealogy notes, correspondence, documents, photographs, cuts, news clippings and a card index file.

On the morning of December 14, 2012, a lone gunman shot his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and then shot and killed 26 people, 20 of whom were children. The newspaper covered the story - in both print and web format - from the moment the first responders were called to the school. People from around the world responded to this coverage by writing to the paper. The collection contains letters, poetry, and artwork.

Correspondence, genealogical notes, news clippings, and photographs.

Leila M. Church (1879-1932) was a writer, composer and director of plays and historical pageants primarily in Connecticut. The collection includes scripts, stories, essays, personal papers, scores and correspondence in reference to her professional artistic work.

The Connecticut League of Women Voters (CLWV) was founded at New Haven, Connecticut on January 18, 1921. The league was formed as the initiative of the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association (CWSA) came to an end with ratification of the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution giving women the right to vote. The non-partisan league was organized to educate newly enfranchised women voters and in turn use the voting power of members to press for legislative reforms. The league spent its first sixteen years advocating for the rights of women to serve on a jury in Connecticut. The records consist of minutes, administrative records, correspondence, press files, scrapbooks, and notebooks.

The League of Nations Association was formed for the purpose of stimulating American interest in the League and mobilizing support for the entrance of the United States in the League. The Connecticut Branch, with headquarters in New Haven, engaged in various kinds of public education and public relations activities.

Includes material pertinent to Healy's service as the chairman of the Connecticut Savings Banks' Railroad Investment Committee of the Banking Department (1945-1963) and a consultant to the Connecticut Commission on the Reorganization of State Departments (1935-1937).

Karen Clarke is a former staff writer for the New London Day. She covered the murder trials of Michael Bruce Ross and corresponded with him from 1986 to 2000.

Joseph S. Longo (1914-1993) served as a Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1975 to 1979.

Genealogical charts for Jon Willard Taylor, family group sheets and supporting documentation on a number of family names.

Records from the Committee's study to determine whether the various agricultural departments of the state should be consolidated.