This guide lists sources of genealogical information available to researchers in Old Saybrook, Connecticut as part of the USGenWeb project. Materials specific to Old Saybrook have been emphasized, most of which are not likely to be found elsewhere in county, state or national repositories.

First established in 1635, Saybrook Colony encompassed all or parts of the modern day communities of Lyme, Old Lyme, Chester, Deep River, Essex, Westbrook, and Old Saybrook. The town of Old Saybrook as we know it today was incorporated in 1854.

Frank Stevenson Archive

* Now Open * Public Hours: 9:00 am - noon Thursdays or by appointment Call or write to confirm hours

Snail mail: P.O. Box 4 350 Main St. Old Saybrook, CT 06475 Phone: 860-395-1635

Old Saybrook Historical Society P.O. Box 4 Old Saybrook, CT 06475-1000 860-388-2622     Archive Hours: 9 am - noon Thursdays or by appointment     Library Hours: 10:30 - 12:30 Wednesdays or by appointment		The Archive Section of the Old Saybrook Historical Society is staffed by a small group of volunteers and maintains a collection of original documents, copies, transcripts, photographs, motion pictures, and maps of historical and genealogical significance. Files are available on nearly three hundred Old Saybrook families which vary widely in depth and breadth. Many files contain only a single newspaper article or letter, but other files contain extensive genealogies, family histories, and photographs. The family records are filed alphabetically by surname, and files on ten prominent families occupy boxes of their own in the same section. Limited searches will be conducted on request as time permits. Staffers will determine whether or not the Archive has any relevant material and, if so, will provide a free estimate of research charges ($10 per hour plus expenses). Requests for extensive searches are usually referred to a professional genealogist. Write for further details to Mrs. Martha Soper at the OSHS post office box. The Historical Society also has a library of over 1200 volumes on a wide variety of topics of local interest at the Stevenson Archive. The library is indexed by a card catalog and a computer searchable database. OSHS Library Genealogy Bibliography: compilations, genealogies and family histories, biographies, autobiographies, and other works.

Saybrook Colony Founders Association New Home Page!		Since1985, descendants and historians of Saybrook Colony's original settlers have amassed a collection of files on several hundred families, many with descendant charts. The SCFA library of nearly one thousand volumes includes published genealogies, a few periodicals, books on local history, and other materials, and is stored with the Archives. Annual membership dues of $12 (plus $5 initiation fee) includes the quarterly newsletter "Hear-Saye" covering not only SCFA business, but also scholarly essays written by members, reprints from other publications, genealogical queries, and an occasional discussion regarding unresolved ancestry. SCFA members and friends recently returned from their fourth tour of England including visits to sites of interest to Saybrook Colony descendants such as Lyme Regis, Bristol, Chester, Broughton Castle, Banbury and London. P.O. Box 1635, Old Saybrook, CT 06475-1000
Lion Gardiner

Acton Public Library		The Acton Public Library maintains a modest collection of genealogical books including compilations of vital records and published genealogies of some Old Saybrook families as well as local history. While the librarians are knowledgeable, helpful, and happy to answer questions, please do not ask them to conduct searches or lookups. The majority of genealogies and related materials are found in the non-circulating, library-use-only reference section (REF). Many are kept in the back room (CASE); ask for these at the front desk. 60 Old Boston Post Rd. Old Saybrook, CT 06475 860-395-3184
Monday-Thursday Noon-8:30pm Friday-Saturday 9:00am-5:30pm Sunday 1:00pm-5:00pm

In the 1930's, Charles R. Hale organized and directed a project to record every headstone inscription in the state of Connecticut with funding from FERA and WPA. The complete collection is available at the Connecticut State Library and the Old Saybrook edition "Headstone Inscriptions: Town of Old Saybrook, Connecticut to 1934" copied by E. A. Goullin is also available at the Acton Public Library and the Stevenson Archive. A companion volume "Cypress Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions" gathered by Mrs. Frederic Bebbe is available at the Archive (Box 14).

Additional Resources USGenWeb Project Sites National Connecticut Middlesex County New London County Chester, CT Deep River, CT Essex, CT Lyme, CT Old Lyme, CT Connecticut State Library Hartford, CT Godfrey Memorial Library Middletown, CT Cyndi's List

Special thanks to Dorothy Swan, Martha Soper, Elaine Staplins, Allison Elrod, Harold Elrod, Suzanna Otto, the Old Saybrook Historical Society and the Saybrook Colony Founders Association for invaluable assistance in the preparation of this guide.

Some of the images are from