Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

New Haven

Located at Yale University, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library is one of North America’s premiere research libraries. Its Collections comprise one of the world’s largest selections of early American sources. Curatorial Areas include Early Books and Manuscripts, Modern Books and Manuscripts, Maps, the Yale Collection of American Literature, and the Yale Collection of Western Americana. The Beinecke Library’s holdings are especially rich in Americana and feature the personal papers and public writings of prominent early Americans. Featured among the Beinecke’s Collection Highlights are the Codex Reese, Drawings of the Amistad Prisoners, Early American Maps, the Jonathan Edwards Collection, and many more. Another important resource is the Historical Securities Collection, which the Beneicke Library curates in partnership with the Yale School of Management’s International Center for Finance. Researchers may search the Beinecke Library’s holdings with Archives at Yale, or the Yale University Library catalog, Orbis. Early Americanists may be interested in History of the Book, a Yale University program sponsored by the Beinecke Library. Much of the Beinecke Library’s material has been digitized and may be viewed through the Digital Collections at the Beinecke Library. The Beinecke Library also offers several Fellowships each year.

Connecticut Historical Society

Hartford

The Connecticut Historical Society (CHS) houses a large assortment of early American sources, including manuscripts, maps, photographs, and much more. Much of these items date back to the 17th century. Some highlights include the American Revolution Collection, the Silas Deane Papers, the French and Indian War Papers, the Haiti Collection, and the Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. Papers. CHS also provides various Family History & Genealogy resources. Several Research Tools are available, including Manuscript Finding Aids, a Subject Guide to African American Resources, and the Civil War Manuscripts Project. Items held by the CHS may be searched with its online catalog, HistoryCat. Much of the CHS’s material has been digitized and can be viewed through its eMuseum, the CHS Digital Catalog, and the Connecticut Digital Archive. The CHS also offers yearly Research Fellowships and is a participating member of the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium.

Connecticut State Library

Hartford

The Connecticut State Library serves as both the official library and the official repository for the State of Connecticut. Its State Archives department curates records dating back to the founding of the New Haven colony and the establishment of Connecticut. Standouts include the Connecticut Archives, Records of the New Haven Colony, Records of the Colony of Connecticut, Connecticut Governors Records, General Assembly Records, Judicial Department Records, Church Records. Other items held by the Library include various court records, land records, town records, and vital records. The Library also collects several Connecticut Newspapers. There are hundreds of Finding Aids available, and the Library maintains Databases of Individuals Listed in State Archives Records. Another useful resource is Uncovering New Haven, a set of subject guides aimed at helping researchers discover marginalized groups and persons in the State Archives. Much of the Library’s earlier material has been digitized and can be viewed through its Digital Collections and the Connecticut Digital Archive.

Hartford Public Library

Hartford

The Hartford Public Library keeps a solid collection of early sources related to Connecticut. Most of these sources date back to the 18th and 19th centuries are housed in the Library’s Hartford History Center. Some highlights of the Center’s holdings include the Hartford City and Town Clerk Archive and the Noah Webster Pamphlet Collection. There are several Finding Aids available, and researchers may search the Center’s holdings with the Library’s Online Catalog. Much of the Center’s material has been digitized and can be viewed through the Connecticut Digital Archive.

Homer Babbidge Library

Storrs

The Homer Babbidge Library serves as the main library for the University of Connecticut. Its Archives & Special Collections are full of early American sources. These Collections are especially strong in the 19th century, but include some 18th century materials as well. Collecting areas include Children’s Literature, Connecticut Business, Connecticut History and Culture, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Nursing History, and Railroad History, to name a few. There is also a healthy selection of Rare Books and Manuscripts. Several Finding Aids are available for the archival holdings, and published items may be searched with the Library’s Online Catalog. Much of the Library’s Special Collections have been digitized and can be viewed through the Connecticut Digital Archive.

Lewis Walpole Library

Farmington

Part of Yale University, the Lewis Walpole Library is a unique research library focused on 18th-century Great Britain and its place within the Atlantic World. Most of the Library’s Collections originally belonged to the British writer and antiquarian, Horace Walpole. They include Books and Printed Texts, much of which come from the library at Strawberry Hill, his manor house. There are also Decorative Arts, Prints, Drawings, and Paintings, and Manuscript and Archival Materials. The manuscripts not only hold the Horace Walpole Collection, but also consist of papers from other British notables the Library has acquired over the years. Finding Aids are available, and researchers may search the Library’s holdings with Yale University Library’s online catalog, Orbis. Much of the Library’s material has been digitized and can be viewed through its various Digital Resources. Among these are the Hogarth Collection, the Yale Edition of Horace Walpole’s Correspondence, and Yale University’s Digital Collections. The Library also has a Fellowship Program that offers different forms of research funding each year.

Lyman Maynard Stowe Library

Farmington

The Lyman Maynard Stowe Library serves as the health sciences library for the University of Connecticut. It is also home to the Hartford Medical Society Library, one of New England’s best research libraries for the history of medicine. Founded in 1846, the Society Library features solid Collections of 17th, 18th, and 19th century medical books and manuscripts. Archival Collections consist of the Hartford Medical Society Records, the Connecticut Society of Social Hygiene Records, and a variety of Bound Manuscripts. Other standouts include the Jarvis Collection, the Gershom Bulkeley Manuscripts, and several collections of Pamphlets. Items held by the Society Library may be searched with the Stowe Library’s Online Catalog.

Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center

Ledyard

Founded by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center seeks to transform how indigenous culture and peoples are studied and represented. The Research Center houses archival materials related to the Pequot and other indigenous peoples, while the Museum conserves and displays Native artifacts. Of note is the Museum’s featured collection, On Our Own Ground: Pequot Community Records, 1813-1850, which has been digitized as part of of the Native Northeast Research Collaborative.

Mystic Seaport Museum

Mystic

The Mystic Seaport Museum is one of the nation’s leading maritime research institutions. Its Collection Research Center manages over two million nautical items. These Collections consist of Art & Objects, Books, Maps & Charts, and Ships Plans. There is also a robust selection of Manuscripts, including ships’ logs and journals, ledgers, diaries, personal and business papers of sailors and prominent mariners, and various other records dating back to 1720. Finding Aids are available, and items held by the Museum may be searched with its Online Catalog. The Museum operates several Databases that provide statistical information about early American shipping, such as the Connecticut Ship Database, 1789-1939, American Offshore Whaling Voyages, and many others. Much of the Museum’s material has been digitized and may be viewed through its Digital Library. The Museum is also currently constructing the 19th Century American Merchant Marine Digital Library, which will be a digital archive of over 100,000 images taken from ship registers, rare books, and other primary sources.

New Haven Museum

New Haven

Formerly the New Haven Colony Historical Society, the New Haven Museum maintains a large amount of sources related to Connecticut’s colonial history. Its Collections consist of thousands of artifacts and other objects that chronicle the material history of Connecticut from the 17th century to the 19th century. The Museum’s Whitney Library houses 400 Manuscript Collections. Highlights include the Afro-American Collection, the Benedict Arnold Collection, the Civil War Collection, the Sherman Family Collection, and the Women’s Collection. Also of note are an extensive collection of New Haven Maps and the Early Records of New Haven, which are a mix of original and microfilmed collections of colonial and town records. Research Guides and a Manuscript Collection Subject Guide are available. The Whitney Library’s holdings may be searched with its Catalog of Manuscript Collections. Some of the Museum’s holdings can be viewed through its Online Exhibitions.

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art

Hartford

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art has a solid selection of early American sources. Several Art Exhibits are displayed by the Wadsworth, showcasing its diverse Collections. Many of the paintings and material objects originate from early America. The Wadsworth’s Auerbach Art Library is one of the finest of its kind in New England, maintaining a strong collection of scholarly monographs, exhibition catalogs, fine art periodicals, museum bulletins, and auction catalogs. Also at the Wadsworth are its Archives, which are comprised of various manuscripts from prominent members of the art world dating back to the Atheneum’s founding in 1842.

Watkinson Library

Hartford

Located at Trinity College, the Watkinson Library is home to various early sources related to early America. Its Collections include the Trinity College Archives and a sizeable selection of Rare Books, Prints, & Maps. The Watkinson Library also has a robust collection of Manuscripts that date to the 17th century. Some highlights are the American Indian Collection, the Maritime History Collection, and the Watkinson Library Ornithology Collection. Researchers can learn more about the Watkinson Library’s holdings by browsing its Finding Aids and searching the Trinity College Libraries’ online catalog, OneSearch. Much of the Watkinson Library’s materials have been digitized and can be viewed through the Trinity College Digital Repository. The Watkinson Library also offers several Opportunities for research funding.

Other Connecticut Archives

The State of Connecticut maintains a list of local Historical Societies. Various Connecticut towns still retain their earliest records. Check with town clerks’ offices for more information on what each town has available. A useful resource for New England town research is the bibliography of Edward M. Cook, Jr., The Fathers of the Towns: Leadership and Community Structure in Eighteenth-Century New England (Baltimore, 1976). For digital resources, check Connecticut’s Archives Online, which allows researchers to search dozens of Connecticut repositories at once. Another useful resource is the Connecticut Digital Archive, which provides online access to digitized materials from various archives and research libraries in Connecticut.

Several regional repositories hold early sources for Connecticut. Check with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the John Carter Brown Library, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New-York Historical Society, the New York Public Library, and the Rhode Island Historical Society. Connecticut sources can also be found at the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Connecticut was once a borderland between the competing colonies of New England and New Netherland. As such, sources on early Connecticut can be found at the United Kingdom’s British Library and National Archives at Kew, the Netherlands’ Nationaal Archief, and various other repositories in both nations.