Tuesday's Tip: Connecticut's Hale Collection

Rural Cemetery

Have you heard the name "Hale" while doing Connecticut research and don't know what it means?

Named for Charles R. Hale, the Hale Collection was created through the federal W.P.A. between 1932 and 1935. It includes headstone transcriptions for approximately 2,400 Connecticut cemeteries. Since many headstones not have survived years of rough winter weather, the Hale can be helpful in determining where your early Connecticut ancestor was buried – even if the headstone is no longer standing.

Looking for a photo of a Connecticut headstone? If you are a member of the Godfrey library, check to see if one is available through the Ed Laput Cemetery Project.

Tuesday's Tip: How To Access Our Cemetery Collections

Rural Cemetery

The goal of the Godfrey's Ed Laput Cemetery Project is to update the Charles R. Hale cemetery collection that recorded vital information from the headstone inscriptions of approximately 2,400 Connecticut cemeteries circa 1932-1935.

The Laput Project differs from FindAGrave.com in that every stone is photographed; every Hale inscription is included; information from stones post-Hale are entered; and there are no unsourced data.

The Godfrey also has other cemetery records, including Connecticut burial and sexton records from 1847 to present.

How do you find our cemetery records? Watch the video below and see.

click on button to play video

Tuesday's Tip: Help with French-to-English Genealogy Translations

We know your frustration.... You've just found an ancestor's record – but you can't read it! What do you do now?

French Manuscript

If you can read the handwriting well enough, you can try typing the information into Google Translate and hope for a good result.  You can also try using a foreign word list with English translations and hope you do not miss any important details.  A better solution is to hire a translator. A genealogy translator will transcribe (copy) and translate the record for you so that you do not have to deal with handwriting and language issues.

Godfrey currently offers French-to-English translations. If you're interested, please call the library at 860-346-4375 for more information about this service.

Tuesday's Tip: French-Canadian Collection

French manuscript

Ever wonder what books the Godfrey has on French Canada? You can see the complete list here:

French-Canadian Resources at the Godfrey