Preserve the record.
Share the history.

SGC Digital Archives is a nonprofit educational research resource for the people, places and documentary evidence connected to our preservation work.

A collection that can grow.

Our collections bring together surviving references for West Cemetery in Meriden, Saint Bernard Cemetery in New Haven, Mary “Midnight Mary” Hart of Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven and West Haven churches, the Meriden boys’ home and school, and the New Haven Orphan Asylum. Industrial and recreation collections cover Meriden Britannia, Meriden silver, New Haven Clock, New Haven Carriage, West Haven Buckle, Allingtown rendering and Savin Rock. New collections document Undercliff, Elmcrest and the Colt connection, Connecticut Valley Hospital, Fairfield Hills, regional mental health institutions, trolleys and roller rinks. The collections include historical photographs, maps, advertisements, trade catalogs, burial and memorial references, related research indexes, and routes to records held by cemetery offices, libraries and municipal departments.

Each collection has its own description, edition date, source catalog, research records and downloadable files. Additional collections will be added as material is gathered and documented.

Useful for learning. Open about uncertainty.

The archive is designed for family historians, students, educators, volunteers and preservation researchers. You can browse without an account, inspect original scans, copy citations and download each available research package.

Recovered references and unverified leads appear with their evidence status. Each collection distinguishes an incomplete research index from a complete or certified cemetery register.

Preserve · Restore · Remember

Silent Grounds Collective connects cemetery preservation with historical documentation and public education. Learn more about the organization and its work at silentgroundscollective.com.

For questions, historical photographs or corrections, email silentgroundscollective@outlook.com. Include the archive record ID, original source and the detail that needs review. Silent Grounds Collective is a Connecticut nonprofit organization.

Browse the collections