Enfield History Resources

Finding Aids

Subject Collections (Record Groups):

Artificial collections of material grouped by subject. The primary resources of the Enfield Historical Society. Each record group contains many accessions and has been added to continuously over the years.

RG 01: Schools

RG 02: Businesses     (updated 6/9/2025)

RG 03: Government (includes police, fire, libraries, post offices, civil defense, prisons, etc.)

RG 04: Buildings

RG 05: Clubs, Organizations, and Societies

Carpet Companies

Debell & Richardson

Early Enfield

Hazard Powder Company

Hazardville

Military     (updated 10/14/2025)

Shakers     (updated 11/19/2025)

Helpful Links

The Challenge of Change, which is a history of Enfield published by the Enfield Historical Society for the United States Bicentennial. While written almost 50 years ago, it is still a useful reference covering many areas of Enfield history up to 1976. https://archive.org/details/challengeofchang00ruth/page/n1/mode/2up

Francis Olcott Allen’s History of Enfield, which is a compilation of Enfield church and government records up to about 1850. Full free readable copies of all three volumes are available on Google Books. These are the links:

Allen’s History of Enfield Volume I

Allen’s History of Enfield Volume II

Allen’s History of Enfield Volume III

A Genealogical and Historical Record of the Descendants of John Pease, Senior, Last of Enfield, Conn. https://archive.org/details/genealogicalhist00peas/page/n7/mode/2up

Digital content (photos, documents, etc.) posted by the Enfield Historical Society on Connecticut Collections: https://ctcollections.org/index.php/Detail/entities/10333

Cemetery plot maps posted by the Enfield Historical Society on Connecticut Collections: https://ctcollections.org/index.php/Detail/entities/10333

The Connecticut State Library History and Genealogy online reference: https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/home

Connecticut Genealogy Index, by Reclaim the Records. It has indexes that the Connecticut State Library doesn’t: https://connecticutgenealogy.org/

Scans of town and church records: FamilySearch.org

Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the War of the Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War: https://archive.org/details/waroftherevolution00recorich

Record of Service of Connecticut Men in the War of the Rebellion (U.S. Civil War): https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.d0000140178&view=1up&seq=7

Smith’s Map of Hartford County (1855): https://www.loc.gov/item/2001620484/

Baker & Tilden 1869 atlas map of Enfield and Scitico: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3783hm.gla00222/?sp=16

Baker & Tilden 1869 atlas map of Thompsonville and Enfield: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3783hm.gla00222/?sp=17

Baker & Tilden 1869 atlas map of Hazardville: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3783hm.gla00222/?sp=18

The Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of Thompsonville are very useful for identifying individual buildings and streets. The following years are available at the Library of Congress:

1885: https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01187_001/

1892: https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01187_002/

1905: https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01187_003/

1912: https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn01187_004/

1908 Birds-eye view of Enfield: https://www.loc.gov/item/91680391/

MAGIC – UCONN Library Map and Geographic Information Center: Parts of the site are no longer updated and may not be fully functional. These links may still be useful:

MAGIC home page: https://magic.lib.uconn.edu/

Historical Maps: https://magic.lib.uconn.edu/historical_maps_connecticut_towns.html

1934 Aerial survey of Connecticut:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/aaad6f9df80048f38e43024199a9f086/?draft=true&org=UConnCLEAR

The Thompsonville/Enfield Press online, as well as other local history resources at the Enfield Public Library: https://www.enfieldpubliclibrary.org/history

Chronicling America at the Library of Congress has lots of digitized Connecticut and Massachusetts (including Springfield) newspapers: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

2022 Historic and Architectural Resources Inventory for the Town of Enfield:
https://www.enfield-ct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/20956/Enfield-Historic-Resource-Inventory-Survey—March-2022?bidId=

While not Enfield-specific, the following links may help you research your family’s history.   Let us know if you have suggestions for other links.   Inclusion of these links is not an endorsement of the businesses or organizations that host them.

Greece and Greek Heritage: https://www.greekcitizenship.net/exploring-greece-and-your-greek-heritage/

Polish Heritage: https://www.polishcitizenshipbydescent.org/family-history-and-genealogy-glossary/

Using ships’ passenger lists: https://www.hmy.com/researching-your-familys-history-from-ships-passenger-lists

Looking for a Different Enfield?

There are many Enfields around the world. You may be looking for information about one these others:

The second Enfield, Massachusetts is under the Quabbin Reservior and is one of the towns featured in the Swift River Historical Society’s museum: https://swiftrivermuseum.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/swiftrivermuseum/.

Enfield, New Hampshire is home to the Enfield Shaker Museum https://shakermuseum.org/.
For general information about that Enfield’s history contact their town historian https://www.enfield.nh.us/town-historian.

Enfield, England is a suburb of London. Its history is documented in the Enfield Local Studies and Archive
https://www.enfield.gov.uk/services/libraries/enfield-local-studies-and-archive.
More information and books on Enfield, England history are available through the Enfield Society https://enfieldsociety.org.uk/.

Enfield, Australia Please contact us if you have any information about Enfield in Australia. Thank you!

Looking for or have information about yet another Enfield? Please let us know and we will add the information here.