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The Ricker Compilation of Vital Records of Early Connecticut, compiled and edited by Jacquelyn Ladd Ricker, consists of an alphabetized and edited list of vital statistics and other information bearing on the inhabitants of the towns of early Connecticut. Based extensively on the Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records, the chief resource in Connecticut genealogy, it covers the period from approximately 1633, when these statistics were first recorded, to around 1850.

Containing 1.2 million records of births, marriages, and deaths from over 135 Connecticut towns, plus another 300,000 records from cemeteries, probate records, tax records, and family Bibles, the Barbour Collection is by far the largest collection of Connecticut town records ever assembled in one place. The amount of information in these records varies from town to town, but besides name, date, and nature of event (birth, baptism, marriage, or death), there is often a wealth of supporting detail—names of parents, mother’s maiden name, ages of parents, birthplace and occupation of parents, and cause and place of death.

In addition to the celebrated Barbour Collection, this compilation also includes vital statistics from several Connecticut towns not included by Barbour, as well as information gleaned from lists of source records, Bibles, and church records held in the Connecticut State Library in Hartford. Also, it includes tombstone transcriptions from over 400 cemeteries which were originally published in The Connecticut Nutmegger, a publication of the Connecticut Society of Genealogists formerly edited by Jacquelyn Ricker. The search engine, based on the popular Adobe Acrobat Reader platform, allows you to search the records by name or keyword.

System Requirements: Windows: Pentium-class processor; Microsoft Vista, Windows 98SE, ME, NT4 (Service Pack 5 or 6), 2000, or XP; 64 MB of RAM; and, 70 MB of available hard disk space. Macintosh Classic: PowerPC processor; Apple Mac OS 8.6, 9.0.4, 9.1, or OS X 10.0.4; 32 MB of RAM; and, 40 MB of available hard disk space. Macintosh OS X 10.2.2 or higher: PowerPC G3 or later processor; Apple Mac OS X 10.2.2, 10.2.4 or higher; 64 MB of RAM; and, 70 MB of available hard drive space. Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to access this CD.