The Hamden History Room
Our collection in the room at the Miller Library is known as the Hamden Historical Society Library. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and make available historical materials relating directly and significantly to Hamden. This Historical Society Library, inaugurated in 1984, provides a safe, central place to research Hamden’s past. It is the only facility in Hamden dedicated for these purposes. The Library’s holdings are listed on reQuest, a statewide database catalogue of materials in over 130 Connecticut Libraries, and in the National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections.
The Library is staffed by a part-time professional archivist and assisted by trained volunteer catalogue specialists. Our existing records are continually developed with additional documents from donors interested in preserving Hamden's past. These records can be used for historical, sociological and genealogical research.
Can you Research Here?
Yes! You may research our archives without charge. We encourage you to come in and research the records yourself. The Archives are open to researchers on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 12:00 or Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00. Some exceptions to these hours may be made by special arrangement, please call (203) 626-5321. Appointments are necessary because of our limited space and equipment. Please call (203) 287-2686, History Room extension #37 during our regular hours or email joepepe1@comcast.net to schedule an appointment. There will be charges for copying material.
What we can research
We are happy to do the research for you. All records are available to be searched. Our Hamden Historical Society, a nonprofit organization, offers this research to the public. There will be nominal charges for copying material and donations for research. We can respond to requests for more specific information. An example such as, "Please search for the founding date and governing board members of the Hamden Free Public Library." Another example would be, "Please check for the burial records of my great-grandparents William and Anna Hudson. William died in 1881 and Anna died in 1900."
What we cannot research
Since we do not have a computerized database and because many of our records are handwritten, and many of the early records are hard to read - each record has to be individually read. With that in mind...We cannot respond to requests for general searches. Those would include a request for all records on a certain surname or all records on a certain family during a large time span or within a general locality. For example, we cannot respond to such a request such as, "Please send me information on the Webb family in the 1800's..."
What we need from you
To facilitate research, please supply us with approximate dates (within 10 years) of the event, locations (neighborhoods) where the subject(s) lived, background of the family members or organization and other relevant information. Please send the information you do know to us by email or by letter.
We also welcome donations of artifacts and relevant records from the public!