Vertical Files

Biography/Obituary Clipping File, 1939 – Present
The Law/Legislative Reference Unit maintains a clipping file of biographies and obituaries of prominent Connecticut residents. Included are persons noteworthy in the fields of politics, government, the legislature, the legal community, the arts and literature, and the community. Historical personages are also included, e.g., Mark Twain. The file is located in the Law Reading Room.

Genealogical File
Folders arranged alphabetically by family or town name include some family Bible records not included in the Family Bible Records Index, researchers’ notes, corrections to the Barbour Collection and to other records, and uncataloged periodicals. Most folders have been cataloged. To see if there is a folder on a specific family name, do a “Keyword Search”, for example, “Jones Genealogical File”, etc.

Government Information Services Clipping File
Government Information Services maintains a ready reference subject clipping file covering a wide range of topics, arranged alphabetically by subject. It is useful as an overview tool for such topics as State symbols, Connecticut artists and writers, Manners and customs, and other Connecticut-related subjects. Folders such as Desegregation in Education, Sheff vs. O’Neill, Gambling, Adriaen’s Landing, Hunger, Poverty, etc. serve as guides to full research. A list of subject headings used is available for use by in-house patrons.

History and Genealogy Clipping Files
The History and Genealogy clipping files include biographies and obituaries of prominent Connecticut residents, articles on the history of individual towns, and historical topics and events of state-wide importance from twentieth century Connecticut newspapers. The files are arranged alphabetically by surname, place, and subject. A list of subject headings used is available for use by in-house patrons.

Newspaper Clipping Files, 1939 to 1992
Located in the Newspaper Room (L-112), this collection is arranged by year, and then, within each year, by subject. It includes articles from the Hartford Advocate, Hartford Courant, Hartford Times, and the New York Times and covers major events and major issues affecting the state of Connecticut.

The subject headings used in these clipping files are generally broad in nature, e.g., “AGRICULTURE”; “HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES”; “HOUSING” and varied somewhat over the years. Exceptions were made to the broad subject heading rule when a major event or issue generated a large number of follow-up articles, e.g., COLONIAL REALTY. Lists of headings used from 1978 to 1992 are available for use by in-house patrons.

Articles on legislation in Connecticut are under the year, and then under “LEGISLATION – CONNECTICUT” or under the subject of the legislation, e.g., “POLLUTION”. Therefore, researchers should look under both “LEGISLATION – CONNECTICUT” and under the specific subject of a bill to find all articles about a particular piece of legislation.

Key legislation and court decisions from other states are included when they relate to issues in Connecticut. They can be found under the year, and then under “LEGISLATION AND NEWS – OTHER STATES” or under the specific topic, e.g., “FIREARMS”. Therefore, look under the former heading, as well as under pertinent subjects, to find all articles about a particular topic.

In addition to articles about major events affecting Connecticut are articles about major cities in the state, such as Hartford. Look under the year, and then either under the name of the city or under the specific topic, e.g. “POLICE”. Researchers should look under the city as well as under pertinent subjects to find all articles about a particular topic. News of smaller cities and towns is generally indexed only when it relates to major issues and is indexed by specific subject, e.g., “POLICE”.

Not clipped were birth and marriage announcements, obituaries, sporting events, cultural events, book and theater reviews, and advertisements. For obituaries and biographies, see the Biography/Obituary Clipping File. 1939 – present, above. National and world news articles were generally not clipped unless the event or issue had some state or local impact.

After 1992, the Hartford Courant and other newspapers are searchable online through researchIT CT, the Connecticut Digital Library.

Law/Legislative Reference Pamphlet Files
Pamphlet files in the Law and Legislative Reference Unit contain time-sensitive material about legal and public policy subjects of interest to Connecticut researchers, as well as files of unreported court cases, and biographical and obituary files for noted Connecticut residents.