The Connecticut Courant Index, 1764-1799 contains thousands of entries searchable by Name, Town, or Subject taken from a slip index found in the History & Genealogy Reading Room of the Connecticut State Library. It includes advertisements by name of merchant or tradesmen, though not by individual items for sale. Names of specific articles offered for sale may be found under Merchants in (name of town). Druggists in (name of town), etc.
This index omits vital statistics, [except deaths of Connecticut people in other places], probate notices, tax sale lists, notices of cattle and horses lost and found, post office lists of letters (except by name of town, post office, letters held), and notices of farms, houses and land for sale.
In the spring of 2001, Kathryn Black, a volunteer from the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council, Inc., along with State Library staff, began entering the information on the slips to The Connecticut Courant Index, 1764 -1799 into a database in order to provide researchers remote access to this wonderful resource. After 45,857 entries, volunteers and staff completed the database in December of 2007. This database is of great significance as it will likely display entries for articles not found in the scanned and indexed Historical Hartford Courant as the machine readable software used may not have correctly read the printed word as found on the original newspaper correctly.
Database Fields
Below, researchers will find a list and explanation (when necessary) of the fields used in the database.
Last Name In addition to surnames, this field contains single names, pseudonyms, and the names of businesses and organizations.
First Name
Middle Name
Title This field includes: Forms of address; Religious, Military, and Honorary titles; Pseudonyms; and designation of participation, usually within a group.
Town The first town that appears in the entry is listed, unless it is not a Connecticut town and a Connecticut town appears later in the entry.
State The state is listed only when it is not Connecticut.
Subject Headings in this comprehensive index range from “Accidents,” to mention of the Ship “Zephyr,” with many entries in between.
County This field is only listed when it appeared on the slip.
Issue Date The dates are listed in day, month, year format, e.g. 01 Jan 1765.
Page The page number where the entry was found.
Column The column number where the entry was found.
Cross Reference “See” and “See also” references are listed here. For example, those searching for the term “Loyalists” are directed to “See” or search under “Tories.” Similarly, those searching for “Shoemakers” are advised to “See also” or also search under the term “Bootmakers.”
Important Guidelines on Searching
When searching for a first name of an individual, be sure to also check the Last Name Field, as single names and pseudonyms are listed here.
When searching for a first or last name, also check the Subject Field, as the names of businesses and organizations are entered here. Also, keep in mind that a person can be the Subject of an entry.
Check for the names of towns, states, and counties in the Subject Field as well as the individual fields.
