Town of Glastonbury records

Two people employed under the W.P.A. program arranged the records in groups of like material organized by date. The archivist has retained that rough organization and divided the materials into ten Series. Administrative records, 1762-1904, include minutes of town meetings, 1804-1818, 1822, 1829; petitions for town meetings, for building roads, and against a "taverner", 1824-1896; appointments of overseers, 1782-1842 who helped failing farmers become self-sustaining; contracts for building roads, 1825-1841, 1891-1904; and bills, receipts and accounts, 1806-1896. Selectmen's correspondence, 1824-1896, contains some letters regarding a ferry across the Connecticut River and some relating to care of the poor. Of particular note among the administrative records are votes relating to the State Constitutional Convention in 1818, and a contract for building a new Town House in 1840. Apprenticeship indentures, 1779-1822, include those in which the town bound out poor boys and girls, some to learn a trade and others to work as servants. Among the bills of sale are two documents, 1753, 1860, relating to the sale of interests in sailing vessels. There are also accounts of timber found or "taken afloat", 1818-1841.

From earliest settlement into the 19th century, New England towns refused to provide care for poor individuals who came from other municipalities. Travelers often carried a certificate indicating their residence. Poor individuals were auctioned to the lowest bidder who then contracted to care for these people, usually for a year at a time. These practices are documented in Series 2, Poor Relief Records, 1771-1791, 1839. In addition to the certificates and contracts, this series encompasses inventories of bedding and clothing of the poor, 1821-1838; correspondence with neighboring town governments, 1822-1829; and bills and accounts for keeping the poor, 1816-1824, 1896, including bills from the Hartford Manufacturing Company for fabric. Of note in these records are bills for digging a grave and building a coffin for Cato Ward, "Negro", in 1822.

Series 3 consists of land records, namely deeds, 1720-1901; boundary and road surveys, 1722-1826; and a ca. 1878 grantor index for land transactions between 1695-1878. Records of the county, state and local courts and of Justices of the Peace in Series 4 include General Assembly appointments of Justices, 1842-1847; and probate records from several estates handled by Attorney William Goslee. The bulk of the court records consist of justice files, which include writs that order the sheriff to attach an individual's goods or estate and/or summon a defendant to court, and "confest" judgments, 1730-1887. In a confessed judgment, a defendant agreed to the charge against him and made restitution without attending court. These documents are arranged by date of the judgment. The writs

were primarily issued in cases involving unpaid debts, but also include cases of assault, defamation, trespass, breach of contract, theft, shooting a hog, and support for a bastard child. A note about the hearing and the judgment for each case is usually found on the verso of the writ. For cases involving unpaid debts, the writs are often accompanied by the original promissory note signed by the defendant. Justice files are arranged by the date on the original writ or complaint with later documents following.

Law enforcement records in Series 5 consist of records of loose livestock, 1783-1816, which were reported to the constable. Men who served in the militia were often given an abatement on their taxes. Series 6 encompasses certificates proving military service that were sent to the tax assessor, lists of enlisted men, and certificates awarding a leave of absence, 1813-1825, 1841; an account for supplies, n.d.; lists of volunteers for 1863; and Caroline Wright's war claim, 1892. Certificates of military service can also be found among the tax records.

Marriage certificates written by the minister who conducted the ceremony, 1820-1855, are arranged in Series 7. Series 8, School Records, 1806-1909, includes financial records, calls for meetings, minutes, Board of School visitors' certifications, and bills for the South Glastonbury School Society, the Fourth School District, Sixth School District, and School District No. 2.

Voting Records, 1784-1890, in Series 9, include reports to the Secretary of the State on electors' votes for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, Assistants, Jurymen, and members of Congress. Local elections documented in this series consist of Inspectors of Fish, Lumber and Flour; and nominations for men considered suitable to keep houses of entertainment. Results of the town's voting in the Presidential election of 1820 are included in these records. Several volumes listing the town's electors apparently maintained by attorney William S. Goslee, contained loose papers inside the front and back covers. These relate to his private law practice and to the activities of the town treasurer. They have been arranged in folders following the volumes in which they were found.

The final Series is comprised of tax records, the bulk of which are individual lists. These lists came bundled together and tied with string. The bundles did not appear to represent a different tax assessor or a different section of town, so for ease of use they were arranged by year and then alphabetically. The spelling of the last names changed. For example, Wier was also spelled Wire, but by 1865, it was consistently spelled Weir. A note of caution to researchers-sometimes an assessor used the same form for several years, particularly if a person's personal and real estate did not change. The latest year found on the form, often on the verso, was used as the date of record.

Additional records in this Series include lists of polls and minors, 1813-1818; rate books and assessors' lists, 1829-1885; abatements; and assessments for particular items such as carriages and on specific occupations including mechanics, physicians and attorneys, 1779-1838. Of particular interest are certificates obtained by members of "dissenting" churches to release them from having to pay taxes to support the Congregational minister, 1817-1819.