General Association of Connecticut

Collection History

The General Association of Connecticut was a collection of regional groups within Connecticut formed to advocate and facilitate the communion of churches and ministers. Because most of the groups formed while Connecticut was still a colony, the local groups predate the larger statewide conference. The earliest meeting was held in Hartford County in 1709. The locations of their meetings would change yearly, switching between the various counties. The General Association incorporated multiple county churches from places like Hartford, New London, Fairfield, Tolland, Middlesex, Litchfield and Windham.

In the time of the Great Awakening, the General Association served as a place to discuss and debate questions or concerns. In 1798, some members founded the Missionary Society of Connecticut, which was officially recognized by the General Association to advance the Christianization of the newly independent United States. At the turn of the 19th century, the General Association began to have its auxiliary units absorbed into the new Congregational Christian Conference of Connecticut. By 1867, the General Association also became a part of the Conference, which held its first annual meeting in 1867. This group remained until 1957, when the current Connecticut Conference of the UCC was formed.

Many of the complementary county-level groups in this collection shared physical books for their records. We have presented the records of individual associations and consociations separately for ease of use.

 

Digital Materials

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Fairfield County, 1735-1864

This series is comprised of several sub-sections: Fairfield West and Fairfield East, both Association and Consociation. The two sub-sets of the County share books.

• Fairfield East Association, 1734-1813
  Records include a list of members preaching at public meetings, and meeting minutes.
   
• Fairfield East Association, 1813-1831
  Records contain the Association's meeting minutes: including rules of order, letters and form of license. The volume is prefaced by an index noting important pages.
   
• Fairfield East Association, 1832-1859
  Records include a list of ministers of the Association, meeting minutes, rules of the Association, and annual reports.
   
• Fairfield East Consociation, 1735-1813
  Records contain meeting minutes for the Consociation.
   
• Fairfield East Consociation, 1813-1831
  Records include meeting minutes. The volume also contains a front index which notes the location of special topics: "Mode of proceeding at ordination" (page 2) and "Rules of Order" (page 8).
   
• Fairfield East Consociation, 1832-1859
  Records contain minutes of meetings and letters from various individuals, as well as an index of relevant pages at the front of the volume.
   
• Fairfield West Association, 1779-1808
  Records contain meeting minutes for the Association.
   
• Fairfield West Association, 1809-1834
  Records contain meeting minutes for the Association.
   
• Fairfield West Association, 1834-1864
  Records include a list of members, meeting minutes, and rules of the Association (page 120).
   
• Fairfield West Consociation, 1781-1808
  Records contain meeting minutes for the Consociation and include an index of important pages in the volume.
   
• Fairfield West Consociation, 1809-1834
  Records contain meeting minutes for the Consociation.
   
• Fairfield West Consociation, 1834-1864
  The volume includes an introduction detailing the state of the church records, a list of pastors and catalogue of churches in the Consociation, as well as meeting minutes. An introductory index details pages which contain "important decisions respecting various ecclesiastical questions" (pages 133, 146, and 158).
   

Hartford County, 1708-1952

This series includes records from the Hartford South Association; Hartford South Consociation; Central Association; Central Conference; Hartford North Association; Hartford North Consociation; and Hartford Fourth Association. Types of records include: meeting minutes; membership records; lists of delegates; ecclesiastical councils; financial reports; rules and articles.

• Hartford Fourth Association, 1852-1866
  Records include meeting minutes, and the front of the volume contains the minutes of meetings preliminary to the Association's formation and the first regular meeting from November of 1852. The rules of the Association are found on page 10, the relation of the Association to churches is found on page 11, the Association's compact is found on page 12, a report on the examination of ministerial candidates is be found on page 30, the treasurer's accounts begins on page 410, and a list of Association meeting locations is found on page 426.
   
• Hartford North Association, 1708-1800
  Records include meeting minutes and church and member rolls. Beginning on page 18, there is record of the Association's discussions on the issue of singing in the church, and between pages 122 and 123 there is a tip in of a copy of a letter to the Association relating to the Missionary Society. In the front of the volume, there is an account of the Association's first meeting on May 13 of 1708 and in the back of the volume, there is a list of ministers who have been members of the Hartford North Association.
    A full transcription of this volume is available.
   
• Hartford North Association, 1801-1843
  Records include meeting minutes, member rolls, and committee reports. In the front of the volume, there is a list of the members of the Association from 1823, on page 169 there is the Association's Covenant from June of 1821, and the back of the volume contains the Association’s rules and articles and a list of the Association's members in January of 1826.
   
• Hartford North Association, 1843-1866
  Records include meeting minutes, member and church rolls, and committee reports. In the back of the volume, there are the Association's standing rules and articles, and a list of the Association's members since 1843.
   
• Hartford North Consociation, 1802-1844
  Records include meeting minutes, church and member rolls, committee reports, complaints against ministers and the Consociation's disciplinary actions towards ministers. In the front of the volume there is a tip in with an index to the records of church dismissions within the books of the Consociation and the back of the volume contains the Consociation's rules and articles, and church membership records. On page 3 of the volume, there is record of the Church of Christ in New Hartford's dismission from the Consociation, on page 8 there is record of the Church of West Symsbury's dismission, and on page 198 there is record of the North Church of Christ in Hartford being admitted into the Consociation.
   
• Hartford North Consociation, List of Churches
   
• Hartford South Association, 1743-1822
  Included in the volume are meeting minutes and member rolls for meetings. Beginning on page 150 is the Associational Compact from 1811, and on page 153 are the rules of the Hartford South Association. The result of an 1813 inquiry, requested by the General Association, regarding the deaf and mute population in South Hartford County is found on page 194. Beginning on page 220 are the meeting minutes of the Ecclesiastical Council, which extend to the end of the volume.
   
• Hartford South Association, 1823-1871
  Included in the volume are the rules of the Hartford South Association on page 1, the Associational Compact on page 3, regular and annual meeting minutes for the Association, lists of appointed Delegates to the General Association is on pages 98, 103, and 196. Meeting minutes and member rolls for the Ecclesiastical Council begin on page 123 and extend to page 195.
   
• Hartford South Consociation, 1813-1952
  Separate volumes of records for the South Consociation of Hartford County, the Hartford South Conference, the Central Conference, and the Central Association of Connecticut have been bound together in this volume and reflect the evolution of the Hartford South Consociation. An index to the records is found in the front of the volume. In the back of the volumes are lists of ministerial members and licentiates for the Central Association and financial records for the Central Association, the Central Conference, and the Hartford South Conference.

 

Litchfield County, 1752-1866

This series includes records from the Litchfield South Association; Litchfield South Consociation; Central Association; Central Consociation; Litchfield North Association; and Litchfield North Consociation. Types of records include: meeting minutes; membership records; lists of delegates; ecclesiastical councils; rules and articles.

• Litchfield Association, 1752-1852
  Records include meeting minutes, prefaced by a detailed index noting important information contained within them, such as listings of delegates to various conventions, letters, and replies. Also contains a "proposal for educating two Negros for Missionaries to Africa".
   
• Litchfield Consociation, 1752-1792
  Records include rules of the Consociation and meeting minutes. A front index details important matters discussed in the minutes and their location within the volume, including items such as recommendations, admission of new member churches, and various doings of the Consociation.
   
• Litchfield North Association, 1791-1858
  Records include the rules of the Association and meeting minutes.
   
• Litchfield North Consociation, 1791-1815
  Records include rules of order and revised rules of order, and meeting minutes. A detailed index at the front gives page locations for each item.
   
• Litchfield North Consociation, Loose Materials, 1803
  Two loose-leaf pages detailing the ordination of Rev. Thomas Robbins, as well as some proceedings of the Missionary Society of Connecticut.
   
• Litchfield North Consociation, 1816-1866
  Records include meeting minutes for the Consociation and rules. An index is included at the front of the volume, listing early meetings.
   
• Litchfield North Consociation, 1866-1881
  Records contain meeting minutes, as well as some statistics of churches in the Consociation, and biographical accounts of the Revs. Jonathan Miller and Samuel J. Mills.
   
• Litchfield South Association, 1792-1814
  Records include meeting minutes of the Association.
   
• Litchfield South Association, 1814-1845
  The volume includes meeting minutes of the Association. There is a gap in the records from 1825-1843. The secretary notes "meetings kept up during the intermediate period, but no permanent record made".
   
• Litchfield South Consociation, 1791-1815
  Records include a list of churches and ministers, and meeting minutes.
   

Middlesex County, 1787-1844

This series, unlike many of those in this collection, does not delineate between Consociation or Association records. Both volumes contain lists of members, rules, meeting minutes, and ecclesiastical councils. Aaron Hovey was the scribe for the latter half of book 1 and the entirety of book 2.

• Middlesex County, 1787-1816
  Records include meeting minutes, prefaced by a list of churches and their associated ministers, and an index of notable discussions and events.
   
• Middlesex County, 1816-1844
  Records include listings of churches and ministers, member roll, and meeting minutes.
   

New London County, 1708-1891

Series includes Association and Consociation records for the county of New London, Connecticut. These are just the bound volumes from this county. Types of records include rules, membership records, lists of delegates, meeting minutes, and confessions of faith.

• New London Association, 1708-1788
  The New London Association was established in 1708. In 1750 the Association split into the New London East Association and the New London West Association. Included in the volume are records for the New London Association dated 1708 to 1750 and records for New London West Association, beginning on page 146, dated 1750 to 1788. On the reverse and flipped back of the volume are 35 pages of records for the New London County Council, the New London Ecclesiastical Council, the New London West Consociation, and a List of the Names of the Ministers in New London County since 1708. Records for the New London Association include acts forming the Association, meeting minutes, and member rolls. Records for the New London West Association include acts and resolves of the Association, meeting minutes, and ecclesiastical council minutes.
   
• New London Association, 1750-1818
  Records include meeting minutes, ecclesiastical council meeting minutes, confessions of faith, rules and rules of order. Page 90 contains record of the Association's name change from New London Eastern Association to New London Association. On Page 188, volume 2 (contained within the same bound volume) of the records begin. Records in volume 2 include rules and rules of order, meeting minutes and ecclesiastical council meeting minutes.
   
• New London Association, 1787-1890
  Records include the Association's rules, membership records, lists of delegates to the General Association, and autographs of Association members.
   
• New London Association, 1830-1847
  Records include meeting minutes and member rolls. Beginning on page 37 are the rules and rules of order for the New London Association established in 1789. On page 150, there is record of changes to the Association's rules.
   
• New London Association, 1848-1891
  Records include meeting minutes and member rolls. Beginning on page 121 are meeting minutes relating to the death of Rev. Charles A. Boyd. On page 173 is a pasted in newspaper clipping relating to the death of Rev. Joseph Hurlbut. Between pages 194 and 195 is a tip-in newspaper clipping relating to the death of Rev. David Trumbull. The back of the volume includes a Memoranda copied from Volume 1 of the Association's records relating to the organization of the Association, rules and rules of order, and the organization's name change to the New London Association. Also included in the back of the volume is a list of locations for Association meetings and an index to the volume.
   
• New London Consociation, 1708-1787
  Records include meeting minutes as well as listings of ministers and churches.
   
• New London Consociation, 1813-1826
  Records include a tip-in copy of the Consociation's constitution, proceedings of the 1814 Ecclesiastical Convention, and member rolls. The back of the volume includes an index, a copy of the draft of the Consociation's constitution, and a copy of the adopted constitution.
   
• New London Consociation meeting minutes, 1828-1836
  Records include the Consociation's constitution, meeting minutes, and member rolls.
   
• New London Consociation meeting minutes, 1836-1846
  Records include the Consociation's constitution, meeting minutes, and member rolls.

Tolland County, 1789-1848

This series includes records from the Tolland County Association and Consociation. Types of records include: meeting minutes; ecclesiastical councils; rules and articles.

• Tolland County Association, 1789-1846
  Includes primarily Association records with a few Consociation records. Also has ecclesiastical councils. A notable case regards Abiel Abbot, who was deposed for heresy regarding Unitarianism (page 88).
   
• Tolland County Consociation, 1817-1848
  Contains minutes of meetings for the Consociation. Includes rules of the Consociation adopted in 1829 – refers to Willington. Associated Register for about 10 pages refers to meetings from the previous volume Consociation minutes with summaries of those meetings.

 

Windham County, 1723-1889

This series includes records from the Windham Association; Windham Consociation; Windham East Association; and the Windham Missionary Society. Types of records include: meeting minutes; membership records; lists of delegates; ecclesiastical councils; financial reports; rules and articles.

• Windham Association, 1723-1814
  Records include meeting minutes. These are prefaced by member rolls, a listing of those who preached and prayed in public and of "those who have performed any service for the Association", and a listing of delegates.
   
• Windham Association, 1815-1853
  Includes rules for the Association (transcribed from volume 1) and Association meeting minutes. They refer to themselves as the “Original Association”. Also contains Connecticut General Association meeting minutes; back of book has list of members and index.
   
• Windham Association, circa 1882
  Church records from Records of Ordinations prepared for Windham Co. Association. It was created circa 1882. Due to faintness of ink, water damage, lack of layout on the page and poor handwriting we can only speculate at this point that the book is arranged by town and lists basic biographical information about ordained ministers listed in chronological order. The earliest date appears to be 1660s and goes through the 1880s.
   
• Windham Association Account Book, 1835-1845
  Account book associated with Windham County Association Book 3.
   
• Windham Consociation, 1812-1843
  Records include meeting minutes for the Consociation.
   
• Windham Consociation, 1844-1880
  Includes meeting minutes and financial records.
   
• Windham East Association, 1801-1836
  Records include meeting minutes for the Association.
   
• Windham Missionary Society, 1818-1847
  Records include the society's constitution as amended at the first annual meeting in June 1813, and meeting minutes.

 

Special Thanks

This digital resource has been made possible in part by the Council on Library and Information Resources, through a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this resource do not necessarily represent those of the Council on Library and Information Resources.