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Research

The Connecticut Historical Society Research Center is your point of access to the millions of objects, manuscripts, photographs, prints, books, maps, and historical documents in our collection. Begin your search below.

To find out more about our collection, Connecticut history, and the behind-the-scenes work of the CHS, don't forget to check out the Inside the CHS blog.

Online Catalogs

HistoryCat Library Catalog
Books, manuscripts, broadsides, maps, serials, newspapers, and audio/visual materials.

eMuseum
Clothing, furniture, weapons, needlework, tools, household objects, photographs, painting, prints, drawings, and more.

Connecticut History Online
A collaborative digital collection of more than 15,000 historic images, documents, maps, oral histories, and objects from the CHS and partner organizations.

Finding Aids & Subject Guides

Manuscript Finding Aids
Finding aids are guides to manuscript collections. Each provides background and a description of the collection's contents. See a list of finding aids that are currently available.

Subject Guide to African American Resources
A thematic guide to artifacts, manuscripts, and books in the Connecticut Historical Society collection, created in 1994. Although incomplete, it provides a partial view of African and African American-related materials in the collection.

Civil War Manuscripts Project
An in-depth survey of the Civil War manuscript holdings of the Connecticut Historical Society compiled in the 1990s, with some later additions. Browse by name, residence, or regiment. Includes some detailed examinations consisting of transcriptions, content analysis, genealogical or biographical information, and more.

Online Resources

Mary Morris Social Scrapbooks
An invaluable resource for Hartford-area social history, these 52 scrapbooks of newspaper clippings were compiled between 1873 and 1924.

Civil War Monuments Survey
Originally published by the CHS in 1997, this survey was compiled by David F. Ransom and funded in part by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Connecticut Historical Commission. PLEASE NOTE: the content and the photographs have not been updated.

The catalogs and subject guides available online are a great introduction to the many materials available for research at the Connecticut Historical Society but represent only part of our vast collection. Additional non-electronic catalogs and resources may be searched on-site. We encourage you to contact us at research_center@chs.org or (860) 236-5621 for more information or help searching our collection.

Researchers of all ages and interest levels are welcome. Appointments are not necessary, but to make a preliminary inquiry about available materials or to request access to fragile or large items, please contact Diana McCain, Head of the Research Center, at (860) 236-5621 x213 or research_center@chs.org.

Arrangements for groups can be made by contacting education_assistant@chs.org or (860) 236-5621 x232.