The Trumbull Papers

Gov. Jonathan Trumbull Papers (1631-1784)
 

Jonathan Trumbull (1710-1785) was governor of Connecticut before, during, and after the Revolutionary War; he was one of only two men to be both royal governors under King George III and state governors after independence was declared. His 14 years as governor from 1769 to 1784 were of immense importance to both Connecticut and the fledgling United States. As leader of "The Provisions State" Trumbull ensured that the Continental Army had the supplies it needed to keep fighting, for which his friend George Washington once called him "the first of the patriots."

Trumbull's official papers and letters, which also included significant documents pertaining to Connecticut's claims on the Susquehanna and Narragansett countries, were donated by his son David Trumbull to the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1795. This organization preserved all but volume 19, which was unfortunately lost in a fire in 1825, and donated them to the state of Connecticut in 1921. They have been preserved at the Connecticut State Library since. In 2024-5, this invaluable resource for researching the Revolutionary War period was digitized and made available online for the first time through the Connecticut Digital Archive.

A slip index to the Trumbull Papers exists in the Archives Reading Area in the History & Genealogy unit of the State Library. It has not yet been digitized or transcribed, but researchers are more than welcome to come to the library to make use of it.

Volumes 1-20: Connecticut Colonial and State Official Papers

Volumes 21-29: Misc. subjects and letter books