New Horizons Genealogy

"Specializing in New England and New York Colonial American Ancestry"
Home > Connecticut Genealogy > New London County Connecticut Genealogy

New Horizons Genealogy Blog





New London County Connecticut Genealogy and History

Founded: 1646 by John Winthrop, Jr.

Named for: London, England

County Seat: New London, Connecticut (before 1960), none (since 1960)


Try our genealogy search engine


Search Free New London County, Connecticut Genealogy and Family History Records Online including census, cemetery, vital, military and other genealogical and historical records that can be used for your family history research.

New London County, Connecticut genealogy and family history page is a place where you can come in and research your genealogy and family history. We also do our best to provide a history of the area, to provide you with an overview of the time in which your ancestors lived.

We regret that we are unable to do personal research for you. All genealogical and family history records we come across are being added to this website. Please keep checking back.


Early History of New London County, Connecticut

Southeastern New England was dominated by the powerful Pequot people at the time of English encounter; they spoke the Mohegan-Pequot language and were one of the Algonquian-speaking tribes in the coastal areas. After years of conflict, the English and their Indian allies killed many and disrupted the Pequot in the Pequot War of 1637, ending their dominance. Two descendant Pequot tribes are recognized by the state today, as are three other tribes, all descended from Algonquian peoples.

New London County was one of four original counties in Connecticut that were established on May 10, 1666, by an act of the Connecticut General Court.

As established in 1666, New London County consisted of the towns of Stonington, Norwich, New London, and Saybrook. The "Homonoscet Plantation" referred to in the constituting Act was settled in March 1663, at first as Kenilworth but incorporated as the town of Killingworth in 1667. Several new towns were incorporated and added to New London over the next few decades: Preston in 1687, Colchester in 1699, and Lebanon in 1700. The settlements along the Quinebaug Valley were placed under New London jurisdiction in 1697 (later incorporated as Plainfield in 1699). By 1717, more towns were established in northeastern Connecticut (between the Quinebaug Valley and the Rhode Island border) and added to New London County.

Windham County was constituted from Hartford and New London counties on 12 May 1726, consisting of towns in northeastern Connecticut. New London County lost the towns of Voluntown, Pomfret, Killingly, Canterbury, Plainfield, and Lebanon to the newly formed county. In 1785, Middlesex County was constituted, consisting of towns along the lower Connecticut River Valley, taking away the towns of Killingworth and Saybrook from New London County. Several additional boundary adjustments took place in the 19th century: the establishment of the town of Marlborough in 1803, the transfer of the town of Lebanon from Windham County in 1824, and the transfer of the town of Voluntown from Windham County in 1881.


New London County Genealogy Records


Genealogy Research in New London County Connecticut

Connecticut Counties do not have a county government, the government is at the town level.

Town Clerks have birth, marriage, death and land records

Clerk of the Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1800

Probate Court has probate records.


Adjacent counties



Home > Connecticut Genealogy > New London County Connecticut Genealogy