The Connecticut Genealogy Index // Free searchable database of 5,531,540 births, marriages, civil unions, and deaths in the state of Connecticut. Presented by Reclaim The Records

Looking for information on somebody who was born, got married, had a civil union, or died in Connecticut?

This free searchable database provides a basic index to modern era records that were filed with the Connecticut Department of Health. This site doesn't host any actual certificates, but it can help you confirm if a record exists. You can then request a copy either from the municipality where the event took place or from the state directly.

For births, this database contains an index to all certificates that were filed with the state between July 1, 1897, which was the start of mandatory statewide registration, and December 31, 1917, the most current data available that is not under legal restriction. Earlier birth certificates, if they exist, may have been filed with the individual towns and cities, or with religious institutions, but not at the state level, and are not included here. Birth records have a one hundred year embargo in the state of Connecticut; however, births that took place more recently can still be viewed if you can provide either proof of relationship or your membership card in a genealogy organization authorized to do business in Connecticut. Birth index data for 1918-1923 will be added soon.

For marriages and deaths, this database provides an index to all records that were filed with the state between mid-1897 and December 31, 2017. Earlier records, if they exist, may have been filed with the individual towns and cities, or with religious institutions, but not at the state level, and are not included here. Marriage index and death index data for 2018-2023 will be added soon.

For civil unions, this database provide an index to all unions formally registered at the state level, which began in October 2005. Nearly all of these were automatically converted over to full state-recognized marriages in October 2010, then federally recognized in June 2015. Earlier records for domestic partnerships (which are legally distinct from civil unions), were filed with some of the individual towns and cities in Connecticut dating back to circa 1993, or with religious institutions, but were not kept at the state level, and are not included here.

Divorce index records are not currently online at this website, but the Connecticut State Library has some information on how to locate the records and obtain copies, and the non-profit website FamilySearch has an index online for 1968-1997.

Search the Connecticut Genealogy Index

All (yes, all) fields are optional, and less is more. See more tips and tricks.

The original data files which were used to create this search engine are also freely available for download:
Birth Index files · Marriage Index files · Civil Union Index files · Death Index files

Tips and Tricks

All fields are optional, only fill out as much as you know. If you can't find a record, try leaving more of the fields blank in your search.
Soundalike surnames and spelling variants are automatically searched. For example, a search for the surname Chang will also bring up results for Zhang and Chan, a search for Schwartz also finds Swartz, a search for Russo also finds Rousseau, etc.
Common nicknames are automatically searched, too. For example, a search for the given name Bill will also bring up results for William, Will, Billy, etc., and Rebecca will find Becky, Rivka, etc.

You can use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard character to search for partial names. For example, a surname search for *berg will match surnames like Greenberg and Eisenberg, or a search for a given name like Jo* will match Joanna, Josephine, JoJo, etc.
You can also use a wildcard in the middle of a name, like K*m to find Kareem, Kettleman, Keenam, etc.
Note that the soundalike name suggestions will not be as precise if you are using wildcards in your search.

Notes about the databases

About 185,000 of the records in this database (~3.35% of the total) do not have any specific town or county data listed. Most, but not all, of these records lacking any geographical data are marriage records, very old records from 1897-1910, and/or very new records from 2009-2017.
About 2.63% of the marriage data prior to 1950 (and much more often prior to 1925) is missing one or both (!) of the spouses' given names and/or surnames, often due to illegibility of the original handwritten records. When searching for an early twentieth century marriage record, you may want to try also searching for a given name only (no surname) combined with a year range and/or location information.

The marriage record data for 1969-1979 usually lists only the first five letters of each spouse's given name.
The death record data for 1969-1979 also usually lists only the first five letters of the deceased person's given name.
For these reasons, you may also want to try purposely searching for a person's name using just the first few four or five letters of a given name followed by an asterisk (*) as a wildcard character, such as searching on Jessi* for Jessica.
County names were not present in the original data set, and were automatically added here based on the town or city's modern geographic assignation; however, a few counties' borders may have changed slightly over the years, and might differ from the original record.

The marriage data for the year 2017 usually lacks the actual month and day of the marriage.
State-recognized civil unions in Connecticut began in October 2005 and nearly all were automatically converted over to state-recognized marriages in October 2010, which then became federally-recognized marriages in June 2015. Civil unions in Connecticut were not considered the same thing as domestic partnerships, which began in some Connecticut towns and cities circa 1993, but were not kept at the state level, and are not included in this dataset.

Search Results

Only the top 1,000 matches for your query will be displayed in the tables below. You can search again with more specific criteria to limit the results. You can also click on the column headings to sort the search results alphabetically or by date.

Births
Marriages
Civil Unions
Deaths

Given Name	Surname	Suffix	Date of Record	Town or City	County (inferred)

NOTES: Birth data is currently only available from July 1, 1897 to December 31, 1917. County names were not present in the original data set, and were automatically added here based on the town or city's modern geographic assignation; however, a few counties' borders may have changed slightly over the years, and might differ from the original record.

Bride (or Partner #1)			Groom (or Partner #2)
Given Name	Surname	Suffix	Given Name	Surname	Suffix	Date of Record	Town or City	County (inferred)

NOTES: Some marriage data prior to 1950 (usually prior to 1925) is occasionally missing one or both of the spouses' given names and/or surnames, often due to illegibility of the original handwritten records. Marriage data for 1969-1979 usually only lists the first five letters of each spouse's given name. Marriage data for 2009-2017 usually lacks any location information. And marriage data for 2017 usually lacks the actual month and day of the marriage. County names were not present in the original data set, and were automatically added here based on the town or city's modern geographic assignation; however, a few counties' borders may have changed slightly over the years, and might differ from the original record.

Partner #1			Partner #2
Given Name	Surname	Suffix	Given Name	Surname	Suffix	Date of Record	Town or City	County (inferred)	State File Number

NOTE: Civil Union data is only available for October 2005 to October 2015. County names were not present in the original data set, and were automatically added here based on the town or city's modern geographic assignation; however, a few counties' borders may have changed slightly over the years, and might differ from the original record.

Given Name	Surname	Suffix	Date of Record	Town or City	County (inferred)

NOTE: The death record data for 1969-1979 usually only lists the first five letters of the deceased person's given name. County names were not present in the original data set, and were automatically added here based on the town or city's modern geographic assignation; however, a few counties' borders may have changed slightly over the years, and might differ from the original record.

How to order a vital record from Connecticut

Now that you've found someone listed in the Connecticut Genealogy Index, here's how you can order a copy of the actual record.

From 1639 to the present, Connecticut’s towns have recorded vital statistics at the town level. Copies have been sent to the state since July 1, 1897. Law sets the cost of certificates at $20 for births, marriages, and deaths, although the state Department of Public Health requires $30 for birth or stillbirth certificates. VitalChek also uses this higher-cost birth certificate fee and then adds on more fees.

Order from the Locality

"Wallet Size" Long Form Faster Money Order

Ordering vital records directly from a locality (town or city) is usually a faster way to get a record than by going to the state, but it does require you to already know which locality holds the record you want.

Vital records certificates can be ordered from the local town clerk or city bureau of vital statistics. Many towns offer online ordering through their department websites. Use the online State Register and Manual’s town and cities section to find contact information for the town or city in which the event is registered. The state Department of Vital Statistics also has a list of town clerks but that list does not include website information.

Use town websites to find complete ordering information. Drill down on the website to the town clerk and then to vital records for more information about how to order them. In cities, drill down to the bureau of vital statistics.

If ordering a record directly from a Connecticut locality, you will need to get a money order made out to the town or city. Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted.

Order from the State

"Wallet Size" Long Form Slower Money Order

Certified copies of vital record certificates can also be ordered directly from the Connecticut Department of Vital Statistics in Hartford, Connecticut. They accept mailed-in applications (with proper notarized statement), or you can call them to make an in-person appointment.

You will need to fill out a form and provide a copy of your government ID and money order. For access to births that took place less than one hundred years ago, you will need to provide either proof of relationship or your membership card in a genealogy organization authorized to do business in Connecticut.

Read the Connecticut Department of Vital Statistics website for full information about how to place an order with them.

If ordering a record directly from the state, you will need to get a money order made out to "Treasurer, State of Connecticut". Personal checks and credit cards are not accepted.

Order from VitalChek

Long Form Fastest Credit Card Expensive

You can also order a copy of a Connecticut vital records certificate from the VitalChek website, which is a nationwide commercial website run by Lexis-Nexis, or by calling them to place an order over the phone. They even offer the option of overnight shipping. However, VitalChek adds on a substantial shipping and processing fee to all vital records orders, not just the overnighted ones. And after placing your order, you may still need to fax them your "tangible interest document" or notarized statement before they will process your order. They are a third-party commercial vendor, not a state or local government agency.

If you are ordering a record from VitalCheck, whether online or over the phone, only credit cards are accepted.

Note that Connecticut "wallet size" (short form) birth records and Connecticut civil union records are not offered through VitalChek's website.

VitalChek also does not have a method to allow members of genealogy organizations authorized to do business in Connecticut to have access to birth records less than one hundred years old, so if this is the legal method by which you are trying to gain access to a more recent birth record, you should apply for the record through the state or locality instead.

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Who made this website?

We're Reclaim The Records, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2015, made up of genealogists, historians, researchers, journalists, and teachers. We use Freedom of Information requests and Open Data requests to acquire and publish genealogical and archival data sets, public records that have never before been available, or which were not previously available online, or which were only previously available behind paywalls or by other restricted means.

We focus on government agencies, archives, and libraries that have previously been unwilling to share their data. And if they don't follow the law, then we often file lawsuits to make them turn over the records. As of August 2023, our organization has filed more than fifteen lawsuits against government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels, with the majority decided or settled in our favor.

We put all the data we win online for free public use, without usage restrictions. After all, our taxes already paid for it and it belongs to all of us.

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Thank You

Thank you to the Connecticut State Department of Public Health for fulfilling most (but alas, not yet all ) of our Connecticut State Freedom of Information Law requests for this data, without requiring us to file a lawsuit against them...so far.

Thank you to genealogist and researcher Jeremy Berry-Cahn for helping us acquire the first-ever public copies of multiple states' and cities' civil union and domestic partnership data sets, a historical resource that has too long been overlooked by most commercial genealogy websites and non-profit genealogy organizations.

Thank you to the Internet Archive for providing free web hosting for the raw data files.

Thank you to our network of supporters and donors who help make the acquisition and publication of this kind of public data possible. You guys rock.

The Connecticut Genealogy Index

A free searchable database containing 576,638 births, 2,180,700 marriages, 2,086 civil unions, and 2,772,116 deaths