Town of Southington records

Series 1. Administrative Records, 1832-1980, contain a variety of material including abatements, agreements an indentures, bonds, selectmen's accounts and correspondence, and financial records. Abatements covering 1732 to1942 list the name and amount of tax abated. By the 1870s the reason for abatement was also listed. Examples include error in original assessment, poverty, removal from town, or the fact that the person was a pensioner or soldier. Town officials were generally bonded and the records contain a number of bonds from 1879 to 1907 mostly for constables, tax collectors, and treasurers. There is also a folder of liquor license applications covering 1917 to 1919. The largest volume of records in series 1 is financial records. These contain various accounts receivable registers, check stubs, journals, ledgers, notes and bills payable, orders, permit registers, receipts and expenditures, and trial balance ledgers. Two volumes of ledgers may be from the municipal store, 1897-1903. These list individuals and items purchased with amounts paid. A group of files labeled "Special Matters" that cover 1951 to 1953 deal with some of the topics found in Series 9, Borough Records for earlier years such as highways, licenses and permits.

The bulk of Series 2. Poor Relief Records, 1909-1922, 1951-1953, is comprised of outside poor ledgers covering 1887 to 1937. Series 3. Land Records, 1877-1959, includes a volume of petitions of foreclosure, 1877-1879, and a survey index listing property owner, date of survey, surveyor, location of property, and map number for surveys performed from 1883 to 1959. Series 4. Court Records, 1858-1961, includes a volume of assignments of wages for 1888 to 1939 and one folder of justice of the peace records, the bulk from 1880 to 1886. Series 5 Military Records, 1869-1940, contain 2 volumes of militia enrollments, 1869-1939 and selective service registration cards and list for 1940. Series 6. School Records, 1846-1944, include school construction records from the early twentieth century and school registers from 1859 to 1882. Each register is for a specific district. Most of the school registers present are for the year 1869-1870 with a few from other years. Series 7. Election records, 1940-1955, consist solely of voting lists. Men and women were listed separately in 1940. From 1946 to 1949 the there were separate lists for District 1 and District 2.

Series 8. Tax Records, 1792, 1899-1989, contains a variety of records including appraisal of personal property, 1948-1953; individual tax lists for years 1899, 1907 and 1956; old age assistance tax, 1936-1946, rate books, 1931-1946; street assessments, 1899; and tax abstracts, 1792, 1917-1989. An single-sheet list for 1792 and another undated list from the same period include separate columns for name, number of polls, and various types of property such as oxen, cows, horses, land divided into several categories, money at interest, and luxury goods such as chaises and watches. The group of abstracts starting with 1917 includes a column for automobile. A separate list was kept for automobiles by 1935.

Series 9. Borough Records, 1890-1970, contain a variety of records that document the urbanization of a town. The Borough of Southington was incorporated in 1889 and consolidated with the town in 1947. Some of the records in this series replicate those in other series that are for the town. Examples are bonds, financial records including journals and ledgers, and tax rate books. A large volume of the records in this series relate to sewer connections and street and sidewalk construction. Records concerning other borough issues are also present including licenses and permits, ordinances, police, street lighting and traffic signals, among other things. A small amount of records dated after the Borough consolidated with the Town was found among the borough records during processing. They remain a part of this series.