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Connecticut Digital Archive

The Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA) is the primary home for the Connecticut State Library's digital collections. This includes historical content from the State Library's collections that has been digitized, as well as current digital materials. New materials are being continually added. Main collections include:

Connecticut State Library collections on the CTDA
Connecticut Law and Legislation
Legal and legislative documents and indexes.
Newspapers of Connecticut
A collection of historical Connecticut newspaper titles from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection was originally focused on the Civil War era in Connecticut, and it now includes local newspapers contributed by libraries and historical societies from around the state, as well as prison newspapers published by incarcerated people in Connecticut.
State Archives
Records, photographs, and manuscript collections.
Connecticut State Publications
State government publications, both historical and current. We recommend searching for state publications in the library catalog.

Connecticut State Library's Digital Collections (CONTENTdm)

Early digital collections created by the Connecticut State Library are hosted on the digital collections platform CONTENTdm. Content on this site is being migrated to the Connecticut Digital Archive. The main collections include:

State Publications
Official publications of the agencies of the State of Connecticut. Many of the documents are born-digital and are not readily available through any other portal. We recommend searching for state publications in the library catalog.
Aerial Photographs
In 1934 Connecticut became the first state to complete a statewide aerial survey. The State Library has several aerial surveys of the entire state, along with some partial surveys, and has put the 1934, 1938 (partial survey), and 1965 surveys online.
Henry Whitfield House Restoration and Landscaping Projects, 1900-1940
The Henry Whitfield House, also known as the "Old Stone" house, was constructed in late 1639 and throughout 1640 in Guilford, Connecticut. The house was built by Henry Whitfield, a Puritan minister from Ockley, Surrey, England. It is the oldest house still standing in Connecticut. This digital collection presents 274 scanned digital objects of selected primary source images and documents from the Henry Whitfield House records (RG024:001). The restoration and landscaping images, correspondence, architect's journal, and other materials document the restoration of the Henry Whitfield House in Guilford, Connecticut from 1900 to 1940.
Chauncey Hosford War of 1812 Papers
During the War of 1812, Chauncey Hosford (1784-1855) enlisted as a first lieutenant in Capt. Elizur Warner's Company of the United States Infantry Thirty-seventh Regiment on April 30, 1813. His prior military service included a commission as ensign in the Third Company of the Fourteenth Regiment of Connecticut Militia as of April 28, 1810. The Thirty-seventh Regiment was stationed at Fort Griswold in New London.
Samuel Wyllys Papers
The Samuel Wyllys Papers, 1668-1728, undated, are a group of 88 court documents also known as Depositions on Cases of Witchcraft, Assault, Theft, Drunkenness, and Other Crimes Tried In Connecticut 1663-1728. The papers include 6 cases of witchcraft (42 documents), 12 cases concerning assault and battery, theft, adultery and other crimes.
September 11, 2001 - Connecticut State Government Responds
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the State of Connecticut was propelled to action. The initial response focused on securing Connecticut and its citizens and offering assistance to New York. This collection documents those actions.
Treasures of Connecticut Libraries
Treasures of Connecticut Libraries is a joint project of the Connecticut State Library and the Library Connection consortium. It is a collection of items that has been digitized and made available online for searching. The items in the collection come from libraries and their partnering cultural institutions across Connecticut.
WPA Architectural Survey
Often called "The WPA House Survey", the Census of Old Buildings in Connecticut, 1934-1937 was a Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) project. Survey forms provide descriptions of nearly 5,000 buildings. Photographs were taken of most buildings and clipped to the survey forms. Some forms also include sketches of interior and/or exterior architectural details and a brief history of the building.

Connecticut State Library Archive-IT

The CT State Library Archive-IT collection utilizes web archiving to capture web-published and born digital content to preserve and provide access. Web page content is captured on an interval basis. We have three main collections:

Connecticut Document serials
This collection includes select Connecticut Document publications that are exclusively published online and include the Digest of Administrative Reports to the Governor.
Connecticut State Agency web sites
This collection includes all state agency and quasi-state agency web pages. Web pages are captured monthly.
Connecticut State Archives
This collection houses select archived web pages of the Connecticut Forest & Park association.

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a digital library of web sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Selected items from the State Library's collections were digitized by and are available in the Internet Archive.

Connecticut State Library Collection in Internet Archive
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Site continued: "The Connecticut State Library includes the State Archives and the Museum of Connecticut History and is an Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. Our mission is to preserve and make accessible Connecticut's history and heritage & to advance the development of library services statewide."

FamilySearch

The State Library has partnered with FamilySearch to digitize materials from the State Archives collections. Collections include:

Ancestry.com

Items from the State Archives are available on the genealogical website Ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com: CT State Library Collections
The Connecticut State Library Collections in Ancestry.com include:
- Connecticut, Passport and Birth Certificates, 1852-1928
- Connecticut, Military Census, 1917
- Connecticut, Military Questionnaires, 1919-1920
- Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999
- Connecticut, Hale Cemetery Inscriptions, 1629-1934
- Connecticut, School Age Certificates, 1904-1911
- Connecticut, Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920
- Hartford, Connecticut Probate Records, 1639-1700
- Selected U.S. Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880
- U.S. Federal Census - 1880 Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes
- U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885
To access the State Library's materials on Ancestry.com, you will need to create a free, individual account with Ancestry.com. In doing so, be aware that you may receive large amounts of e-mail from Ancestry.com unless you choose to opt out of receiving those e-mails.

Flickr

The State Library has assorted photo collections on the photo-sharing site Flickr. Main collections include:

Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company Images
Gladys Bragdon Suffrage Interviews Notebook
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"Bragdon recorded in the small black notebook the men’s names, job title or position in government, party affiliation, if they signed a petition,Gladys Bragdon Notebook, Section B, Page 01 interests, changed views, and if they supported the federal amendment. The interviews helped the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association (CWSA) and the New Haven Equal Franchise League (NHEFL) gather information about who and who did not support voting rights for women."
On March 23, 2011, the League of Women Voters of Connecticut donated a notebook containing a record of suffrage interviews to the Connecticut State Library at a ceremony held in Memorial Hall of the Museum of Connecticut History.
Freedom Trail Quilts
World War I - Digging into History
Works Progress Administration Art

Historypin

The State Library has a number of tours and collections on Historypin, a site that allows "pinning" of photos and other media to a map.

CSL Collection on Historypin
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
A look at the sites (and sights) the Comte de Rochambeau and his French Army saw as they marched through Connecticut on his way to and from Yorktown in 1781-1782.
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In progress, check back periodically.
Connecticut Medals of World War One
A collection of medals created by towns around Connecticut to honor their World War One soldiers.
News of Everyday Life in Connecticut, 1909-1922
This collection consists of newspaper clippings from two historic Connecticut newspapers, the Norwich Bulletin and the Bridgeport Evening Farmer.
Colt Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company
The collection consists of a sampling of some photographs of the Colt Patent Fire Arms Armory, employees and scenes from around Coltsville, the community that Samuel Colt built for his employees.
Blizzard of 1888
The collection consists of 28 photographs documenting the aftermath of the Blizzard of 1888 in downtown Hartford.
WPA Architecture
Often called "The WPA House Survey", the Census of Old Buildings in Connecticut, 1934-1937 was a Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) project. Survey forms provide descriptions of nearly 5,000 buildings. Photographs were taken of most buildings and clipped to the survey forms. Some forms also include sketches of interior and/or exterior architectural details and a brief history of the building.

New England's Hidden Histories

Through a partnership with the Congregational Library & Archives in Boston, Massachusetts, early Congregational Church records from the State Archives were digitized in 2024 and are available in the New England's Hidden Histories online collection.

Digital Archive for the Congregational Library & Archives
Church Records Digitized by the Congregational Library & Archives
A complete list of the digitized church records with direct links to the volumes online.

Chronicling America

Historic Connecticut newspapers digitized as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program are available in the freely accessible Chronicling America database provided by the Library of Congress.

Connecticut Newspapers in Chronicling America

Native Northeast Collaborative

We are so pleased to be in partnership with the Native Northeast Collaborative, formerly the Yale Indian Papers Project. The Collaborative’s aim is to bring together materials from a number of participating archives about New England Native Americans. Included in this ongoing effort are many papers from the Indian Series of the Connecticut Archives, New London County Court Records, Land records and more. In many cases digitized images of the documents are available as well as a transcription.

Native Northeast Research Collaborative
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Site: "The Native Northeast Research Collaborative (formerly The Yale Indian Papers Project) is an inclusive digital humanities endeavor that engages tribes, scholars, educators, students, and the general public in the study of the Native presence in the Atlantic Northeast."