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CollectionsChurch burial records

COLLECTION 004 · SGC-CH-004

Church burial & death records

New Haven & West Haven, Connecticut

Follow a name through church registers, annual death lists and historical inscriptions. Read the surviving text, open the original pages and find the next volume to request.

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PARISHES & PEOPLEThe church
record roomRegisters · Death lists · Inscriptions
CENTER CHURCH ORGANIZED1639
PRESENT CENTER CHURCH BUILDING1812–1814

This collection covers several congregations and has no single opening date. These dates refer to Center Church on the Green; register dates are identified separately.

633church reference rows
1,441searchable source pages
9volumes with full OCR text
14register catalog leads
Coverage · September 8, 2026. Includes the supplied 605-row Catholic table, 27 newly transcribed Center Church deaths and one death-list correction. Full OCR text and selected scans are included; complete volume scans are linked to their repositories. West Haven’s death and funeral register scans have not been obtained. This is a growing research collection, with incomplete coverage of both cities.
Read the full history

EXECUTIVE HISTORY

Church records connect people, places and generations.

This collection brings together several congregations, so it has no single institutional opening date. Center Church traces its organization to 1639. Its present meeting house was built in 1812–1814 over part of the old town burial ground, preserving graves beneath the sanctuary. Center Church history.

The New Haven and West Haven sources include early Catholic burials, printed church death lists, historical gravestone inscriptions and catalogs of surviving manuscript registers. They were created for different purposes: a death list may identify a congregation member without naming a cemetery, while a gravestone transcription may describe a monument that was later moved.

For West Haven, the First Congregational Church catalog identifies death and funeral subseries beginning in 1774 and 1863, alongside a volume of deaths for 1881. Those are record-series dates, not the congregation’s founding date. The collection retains their access leads while manuscript scans are still being sought. Read the register catalog.

THE ILLUSTRATED ARCHIVE

The places behind the parish records

Center Church, documented in 1967

June 1967

Center Church, documented in 1967

The congregation was organized in 1639. Its fourth meeting house, built in 1812–1814, enclosed part of the town burial ground beneath the sanctuary. This later architectural photograph provides context for the Center Church records in the archive.

Robert Fulton III, Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress. Public domain. · Reuse termsRead the source
An older burial ground beneath the sanctuary

12 October 2025

An older burial ground beneath the sanctuary

When Center Church was built in 1812–1814, the graves beneath its footprint remained in place. The church reports 137 surviving gravestones. The brick floor visible in this modern photograph replaced a concrete floor in 1990 as part of efforts to manage moisture around the stones.

Marty Aligata / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display. · Reuse termsRead the source
The third sanctuary on West Haven Green

13 October 2013

The third sanctuary on West Haven Green

First Church began in 1719 after local farmers petitioned for a place to worship closer to home. Their original meeting house was replaced in 1851; after that building burned in 1857, the congregation built the present sanctuary in 1859. This photograph shows the later building, not the sanctuary used when the earliest church records were created.

Paperchaser 29 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for display. · Reuse termsRead the source
From a congregation’s list to a person’s history

Church records were created for particular communities and purposes. A funeral entry, a death list and a monument transcription may refer to the same person while recording different events. Their dates and terms need to be read in that context. A death among congregation members does not automatically establish burial in a particular cemetery, and a moved inscription may no longer occupy its original location.

Center Church’s 1639 organization and the 1812–1814 construction of its present meeting house illustrate the difference between a congregation and a building. Graves beneath the sanctuary preserve an earlier burial landscape within a later structure. Photographs of the crypt, exterior or inscriptions can help explain that layered history, provided each image’s subject and date remain explicit.

The West Haven register leads identify death and funeral subseries with their own date ranges. They are a route toward original manuscript evidence, not a claim that every page has already been copied. The archive’s searchable text makes scattered references easier to discover, but OCR can misread names and numbers. Returning to the scan is part of the historical method: discovery produces a candidate match, and comparison of original records determines whether it belongs to the person being researched.

Center Church’s printed 1869 death list, beginning at the bottom of page 22

NEW TRANSCRIPTIONS · 1869–1870

Center Church annual death lists

27 dated deaths and an earlier correction, with original page images.

Read a record

WEST HAVEN · LOCATED HOLDINGS

Three death and funeral subseries

First Congregational Church’s catalog identifies these volumes:

  • Volume 8: deaths, 1774–1843
  • Volume 10: funerals, 1863–1916
  • Volume 11: deaths, 1881

Film 6269 · Digital image group 8615152
Originals: Connecticut State Library

Read the catalog and access notes

THE SEARCHABLE CATALOG

Find a person or a source

Source dates describe the catalog or publication. General church-record dates do not establish the dates of a burial subseries. “Not obtained” means the register images are not in this archive.

15 matching sourcesPage 1 of 1

CH-B002 · New Haven · Membership and death references

United Church membership catalogue, 1742–1855

Coverage / edition: 1855

Searchable text obtained; full scans linked

Includes member death markings and dates. White-Haven is part of this New Haven congregation’s historical name; it is not West Haven. Overlaps the 1867 North Church manual.

Open source or catalog Repository PDFBrowse searchable pagesDownload text
Source credit & reuse

Church of Christ in the United Society (New Haven, Conn.); digitized copy contributed by Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Historic U.S. publication before 1931; public-domain assessment based on publication date. Internet Archive does not necessarily provide an explicit license. Preserve publication and digitizing credits.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C001 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Christ Church (Episcopal) — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1856–1928

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C002 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Church of the Redeemer — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1838–1933

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C003 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

First Church of Christ and Ecclesiastical Society (Center Church) — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1639–1926

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C004 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

First Ecclesiastical Society — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1715–1937

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C005 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Grace Episcopal Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1871–1898

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C006 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Hope Baptist Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1876–1902

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C007 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Howard Avenue Congregational Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1865–1935

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C008 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Second Baptist Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1842–1865

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C009 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

St. James Church (Fair Haven) — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1843–1925

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C010 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

St. Paul’s Protestant Episcopal Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1845–1940

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C011 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

St. Thomas’s Protestant Episcopal Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1848–1931

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C012 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethesda Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1883–1925

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C013 · New Haven · Register catalog / access lead

Third Congregational Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1842–1872

Catalog link located; burial content unverified

Collection dates and link were located through The Ancestor Hunt’s Connecticut church-record directory. The individual burial/death subseries and completeness have not been verified. No register images from this catalog are included. A general church-record collection may contain only some types of entries.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

CH-C014 · West Haven · Register catalog / access lead

First Congregational Church — church records catalog

Coverage / edition: 1724–1916 (collection-level catalog title)

Death/funeral subseries verified; scans not obtained

Catalog identifies v.8 deaths 1774–1843; v.10 funerals 1863–1916; v.11 deaths 1881. Film 6269; DGS 8615152. Microfilm of originals at Connecticut State Library. These are subseries dates, not a claim of continuous or complete records. Digital-image access conditions remain unverified.

Open source or catalog
Source credit & reuse

FamilySearch catalog; discovery: Kenneth R. Marks, The Ancestor Hunt, Free Connecticut Online Church Records, https://theancestorhunt.com/blog/free-connecticut-online-church-records/

Link and factual catalog reference only. Reproduction rights for register scans have not been established.

Accessed September 8, 2026.

READING THE EVIDENCE

Keep the churches and record types distinct.

Christ’s Church / St. John’s: the supplied table concerns New Haven’s early Catholic congregation. It is distinct from the Episcopal Christ Church parishes in New Haven and West Haven. Memorial transfers to Saint Bernard do not by themselves establish reinterment.

Death, membership and burial: a church death list records a member’s death; a membership catalogue may contain admissions, removals and death annotations. Neither necessarily identifies the grave. Dexter’s inscription volumes describe historical stones, including some moved from the Green. Typographic distinctions and original locations require the scans.

Work still needed: West Haven’s First Congregational register images; Episcopal Christ Church and Trinity burial subseries; other Catholic, Protestant and independent parish registers; later and undigitized volumes. No complete census of every congregation’s surviving records has been established. Sign-in, reading-room access or permission may be required by a custodian.

Using the download: extract the ZIP and open START_HERE.html to search without an account or an internet connection. It includes the supplied PDF, selected historical pages, all acquired OCR text, source notes, JSON data and a searchable SQLite database. Repository links need internet access.

Download the collectionRead selected scans PDFResearch guide