The 1934 Index of Ridgefield cemeteries

Do you have an ancestor you believe is buried in Ridgefield, Connecticut?

There's an index that lists almost every gravestone in existence in the town in the year 1934.

In Connecticut, one of the many valuable projects that the government undertook to give people work during the Depression was recording the headstones in all of the known cemeteries.

In December 1937, a typescript index of Ridgefield's gravestones was issued by the Connecticut State Library after the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration provided money to hire gravestone transcribers.

The data were compiled in 1934 under the supervision of Charles R. Hale, the "state military necrologist," assisted by his secretary, Miss Mary H. Babin.

Their index for Ridgefield alone is more than 200 typewritten pages.

We have a copy of it here, and are happy to look up one or two names for you.

The index gives the basic, vital information found on a headstone: Names, dates, ages. It does not provide epitaphs.

It is particularly valuable since some of the gravestones recorded in 1934 have since been lost or are undecipherable.

While the index does not specify an exact  location for each stone, the listings are done geographically. Thus, names from stones nearby can give valuable clues to relationships.

If you think you have an ancestor buried in Ridgefield before 1934 and would like to know what the index may say, email us giving the full name and estimated date of death of the person you're interested in. Tell us if you need possible relatives buried nearby. The email address: jackfsanders at sign gmail dot com. Put "Cemetery Records" in the subject line.

We'll e-mail you back with whatever information we find, as soon as we get a chance to look it up. (This is a free service for one or two look-ups; if you want more, we will have to charge a small fee.)

Also check our Obituary Index (if available).

Return to Cemeteries page.