Resources for Genealogists and Local History Researchers

Because we focus on documenting the history of Wesleyan University, our resources for genealogists are limited but we are happy to answer any questions you might have. Our collection has some information about the history of Middletown, Connecticut, as well as biographical information for some students, faculty, and administrators.

Family history researchers may wish to consult with the Godfrey Library in Middletown, Connecticut, which specializes in genealogy. The Godfrey also recently made three important volumes digitally available to the public:

Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut, by David Dudley Field (originally published in 1819) includes all manner of intriguing information about events major and mundane, from murders to mining to the mysterious Moodus noises.

The 1884 History of Middlesex County with Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men, (published in 1884) includes detailed histories of each of the 16 towns in the county, highlighting religious, military, and industrial heritage along with interesting tidbits about fixtures of local life such as taverns, newspapers, and schools. It includes biographies of more than 150 notable individuals, and portraits of more than 50 of them.

The 1903 Commemorative Biographical Record of Middlesex County (published in 1903) features biographies of more than a thousand men - and a few women - that were prominent at the turn of the twentieth century, along with their family lineages, and hundreds of portraits. The majority of the biographies are of individuals with roots that extended back to the colonial era, some of whose names are still part of the landscape today, such as Russell, Wilcox, Pelton, Lyman, and Gildersleeve. However, among them are included biographies of a number of recently arrived immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, and Germany, with names like Dunn and Inglis and Kretzmer, who had prospered in their adopted homeland.

Last updated 11/18/2008