Genealogical Data from Colonial New Haven Newspapers

Colonial newspapers are a prime source of genealogical data and early New Haven Connecticut newspapers in particular are rich in data on individuals who might not otherwise appear in the public records. This present work a joint undertaking by Kenneth Scott and Rosanne Conway contains abstracts of all items concerned with persons in New England mentioned in New Haven newspapers between 1755 and the outbreak of the Revolution providing some 20000 references to approximately 7500 persons. Such findings are normally hard won and the genealogist interested in early Connecticut has much to be grateful for. Particularly valuable for historical and genealogical research are lists of addressees of unclaimed letters left in the post offices of New Haven New London Hartford and Norwalk; and lists of members elected to the General Assembly of Connecticut of clergymen of that colony of owners of land grants of graduates of colleges especially Yale of members of committees of correspondence and inspection and committees for accepting donations for the relief of Boston. News events abstracted include shipwrecks fires murders brawls riots jailbreaks and deaths from drowning lightning or natural causes. Marriages usually of prominent persons are also covered. Advertisements concerned with auctions real estate deserters runaway apprentices servants and slaves eloping wives strayed or stolen livestock offers of goods or services and the appointment of commissioners to settle the estates of the recently deceased generally contain important information and are also abstracted in this work.