GENEALOGY

Genealogical Research

Cemetery records, town records, and census records are good places to start when researching genealogy.

Center Cemetery is the oldest of Norfolk’s burial grounds, established in 1757 on Old Colony Road. Here can be found the grave of James Mars, who in 1798 at the age of eight years was the last slave bought and sold in Norfolk. The gravesite is now a stop on the African-American Freedom Trail in Connecticut. Other cemeteries in Norfolk include Pond Town, located near Doolittle Lake; South Norfolk Cemetery opened in 1790; and Grantville Cemetery on Winchester Road near the hamlet of Grantville. Remnants of a burial ground can also be found in Meekertown, once a well-populated settlement in the southwest corner of the township. The Catholic Church acquired three cemetery areas on North Street: the Old Cemetery given to the parish by the Ryan family; St. Mary’s Cemetery located across the street; and additional land given in memory of William O’Connor. The Norfolk Historical Society is in the process of digitizing Norfolk’s cemetery records.

Town records include vital statistics and can be found in ledgers stored in the vault at Town Hall.

Census records are searchable online and available for browsing at the Norfolk Historical Museum.

For those interested in the Battell Family, this family chart may clarify the relationships of Norfolk’s leading family from the late eighteenth century until 1939. (Click on image for a larger view) Descended from town pastor Ammi Robbins whose daughter married wealthy merchant Joseph Battell, four generations of the clan [Robbins, Battell, Eldridge, Stoeckel] improved nearly every aspect of the village, providing a wide variety of structures for community use. For more on the Battell family, The Magnificent Battells is available on our Products page.