Local History & Genealogy Resources

Waterbury

          Cemetery Associations

          Riverside Cemetery, 203-808-2774; riversidecemeteryct@gmail.com

          The Friends of Riverside Cemetery

          Educational Classes/Opportunities

          Naugatuck Valley Community College (Waterbury Campus)

          750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, 06708; 203-575-8000; nv.edu

          Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

          University of Connecticut, 99 East Main Street, Waterbury, CT 06702;

          475-222-6261; olli.uconn.edu

          (Spring 2023 classes include: Connecticut’s Hidden History 1640-1848;

          Palace Theater Behind the Scenes; Ellis Island and the Search for Living

          Relatives; Riverside Cemetery Living Museum of Art, History and Nature)

          Foundations

          Connecticut Community Foundation

          43 Field Street, Waterbury 06702; 203-753-1315; info@conncf.org

          conch.org

          Genealogical Groups/Organizations/Societies

          (see Naugatuck Valley Genealogy Club under Naugatuck Valley)

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Waterbury Historical Society (Mattatuck Museum)

          144 West Main Street, Waterbury 06702; 203-753-0381

          Frances Martin, Archivist

          www.mattmuseum.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Silas Bronson Library

          267 Grand Street, Waterbury, CT 06702; 203-574-8225 (reference)

          Raechel Guest, Director

          rguest@waterbury.org; 203-574-8222

Genealogy and local history resources

          http://www.bronsonlibrary.org/genealogy

          People

          City Historian – Raechel Guest (informal)

          Other

          Blog – http://waterburythoughts.blogspot.com (written by Raechel Guest)

Naugatuck Valley (beyond Waterbury)

          Educational Classes/Opportunities

          Naugatuck Valley Community College

          nv.edu

          Foundations

          Ion Bank Foundation

          Community Awards Program

          Kathleen McPadden – Executive Director Ion Bank Foundation;

          kmcpadden@ionbank.com

          Genealogical Groups/Organizations/Societies

          Naugatuck Valley Genealogy Club, Lynn Mallery, President;

          mallory.lynn9@gmail.com

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Greater Naugatuck Valley History Consortium?

Beacon Falls

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Beacon Falls Historical Society; bfhistoric@gmail.com

          www.bfhistorical.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Beacon Falls Public Library

          10 Maple Avenue, Beacon Falls 06403; 203-729-1441

          beaconfallslibrary.org

          People

          Municipal Historian – Michael Krenesky

Bethlehem

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Old Bethlem Historical Society, 203-266-5196

          Old Bethlem Museum, 203-266-5196

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Bethlehem Public Library

          32 Main Street S, Bethlehem 06751; 203-266-7510 ext 7

          People

          Town Historian – 203-266-7628

Bristol

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Bristol Historical Society, 98 Summer Street, Bristol 06010; 860-583-6309

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Bristol Public Library

          5 High Street, Bristol 06010; 860-584-7787

          http://www.bristollib.com/research/bristol-history-room/genealogy/

Cheshire

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Cheshire Historical Society

          43 Church Drive, Cheshire 06410; 203-272-2574

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Cheshire Public Library

          104 Main Street, Cheshire 06410; 203-272-2245

          in library use of Ancestry and American Ancestors (NEHGS database)

          People

          Town Historian – Diane Calabro, townhistorian@cheshirect.org

Middlebury

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Middlebury Historical Society, Dr. Robert Rafford, President; 203-758-9798

          Libraries/Research Facilities  

          Middlebury Public Library

          30 Crest Road, Middlebury 06762; 203-758-2634

          People

          Municipal Historian – Dr. Robert L. Rafford; 203-206-4717;

          robraff@comcast.net

Naugatuck

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          The Naugatuck Historical Society, Theresa Forish, President; 203-729-9039

          naugatuckhistory@att.net

          naugatuckhistory.org

          Naugatuck History Museum at the Tuttle House

          Kyle Lawlor, Museum Coordinator; 203-729-9039

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Howard Whittemore Memorial Library

          243 Church Street, Naugatuck 06770; 203-729-4591

Oxford

          Genealogical Groups/Organizations/Societies

          http://www.oxfordpast.com ; oxfordhistorian@aol.com

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Oxford Historical Society

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Oxford Public Library

          49 Great Oak Road, Oxford 06478; 203-888-6944

          People

          Municipal Historian – Dorothy A. DeBisschop, dottie@debisschop.net

Plymouth

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Plymouth Historical Society, 860-681-7935; plymouthct.history@gmail.com

          plymouthhistoricalsociety.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Terryville Public Library

          238 Main Street, Terryville 06786; 860-582-3121

          People

          Town Historian – Judith Giguere, PO Box 8; Pequabuck 06781

Prospect

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Prospect Historical Society, Carol Brooks, President;

          prospecthistoricalsocietyct@gmail.com

          prospecthistoricalsociety.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Prospect Public Library

          17 Center Street, Prospect 06712; 203-758-3001

Thomaston

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Thomaston’s Historical Society’s museum; 860-283-5217

          http://www.thomastonct.org/content/165/264/default.aspx

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Thomaston Public Library

          248 Main Street, Thomaston; 860-283-4339

          http://www.thomastonlibrary.org

Watertown

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Watertown History Museum; 860-274-1050

          watertownhistorymuseum.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Watertown Library Association

          470 Main Street, Watertown 06795; 860-945-5360

          http://watertownlibrary.org

          People

          Town Historian – Christine Shields, shields@watertownct.org

Wolcott

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          Wolcott Historical Society, Florence Goodman, President; 203-879-9818

          wolcotthistory.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Wolcott Public Library

          469 Boundline Road, Wolcott 06716; 203-879-8110

          wolcottlibrary.org

Woodbury

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          The Old Woodbury Historical Society, Ruth Melchiori, President;

          203-266-0305; hurdhousect@yahoo.com    

          owhs.org

          Libraries/Research Facilities

          Woodbury Public Library

          269 Main Street South, Woodbury 06798; 203-263-3502

          People

          Town Historian – David Strong, Town Clerk’s office, 203-263-2144

Connecticut

          Foundations/Funding

          CT Humanities; 860-785-9640; info@cthumanities.org

          cthumanities.org

          Ion Bank Foundation

          Kathleen McPadden – Executive Director Ion Bank Foundation;

          kmcpadden@ionbank.com

          Genealogical Groups/Organizations/Resources/Societies

          Access Genealogy

          Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

          Connecticut Ancestry Society, Inc.

          Connecticut Genealogy Trails

          http://genealogytrails.com/conn/

          Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Inc.

          The CTGenWebProject

          ctgenweb.org

          FamilySearch.org

          Connecticut,_United_States_Genealogy

          Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

          Southern Connecticut Ancestry Network

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums/Resources

          ConnecticutHistory.org

          Connecticut Historical Society – museum & library

          Connecticut League of History Organizations

          Central Connecticut State University, Department of History; info@clho.org

          coho.org

          Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office

          Connecticut State Historical Records Advisory Board

          advisory-board/

          Preservation Connecticut

          Libraries/Archives/Research Facilities

          Connecticut Archives Online

          Connecticut State Library

          (History & Genealogy: Reference)

          Traveling Archivist Program

          FamilySearchCenters/FamilySearch Affiliates

          There are 12 FamilySearch Centers and 36 FamilySearch affiliate libraries in

          Connecticut, but none in the Naugatuck Valley.

          FamilySearch_Affiliate_Libraries#United_States

          Godfrey Memorial Library

          University of Connecticut Library/Connecticut Digital Archive

          Yale University

          People

          Connecticut State Historian emeritus – Walter W. Woodward;

          860-218-4703; waltwould@gmail.com

New England and beyond

          Foundations/Funding Sources

          National Historical Publications & Records Commission

          Genealogical Groups/Organizations/Societies

          New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, MA; 888-296-3447

          www.americanancestors.org

          Historical Organizations/Societies/Museums

          New England Archivists

          Libraries/Archives/Research Facilities

          National Archives at Boston

          Other (Conferences)

          New England Regional Genealogical Consortium, Inc. (biennial conference)

          Springfield, MA

          nergc.org