Local History

The Farmington Room is the library’s research collection of primary sources related to local history and genealogy. Included in the collection are histories of Farmington and other area towns (particularly Farmington’s seven daughter towns:  Southington, Berlin, Bristol, New Britain, Burlington, Avon and Plainville), genealogies of major Farmington families, and library archives and scrapbooks. 

Highlights of the collection include the Klauser Photographs (1855-1905); original diaries, essays, letters and other documents of local historian Julius Gay (1834-1918); records of the “Town Farm” and other Farmington welfare (materials from 1787-1899); Farmington town selectmen’s records (materials between 1797-1940); and “Grand Lists,” listings of all taxable property located within Farmington and daughter towns, (1750-1829).

For more information on what is included in our local archive, see Farmington Room Collections below.

The Farmington Room is open to the public by appointment, and to walk-ins Thursdays, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Contact Jerusha Neely, Local History Librarian or the Information Desk for more information.

The Farmington Room staff seeks to preserve and provide thoughtful stewardship of historic records and materials pertaining to Farmington, Unionville, and daughter towns before incorporation (including Avon, Southington, Plainville, New Britain, and Bristol). The collection was initiated in 1967 and contains records dating back as far as the town’s settlement in the 1630s-1640s. Because of this, outdated, offensive, harmful, or biased language, imagery, or terminology exists in some materials in our collections, including in some of the descriptive and cataloging terms used in the past.

We are committed to addressing the existence of outdated and harmful vocabulary in our collections. Language changes over time, so this is an iterative and ongoing process, and we seek to keep our archival descriptive work aligned with the needs and preferences of our guests, creators, and those represented in our materials.

Community input on our archival description terminology is welcome, and suggestions will be reviewed by the Farmington Room staff. Our aim is to balance original context with the use of descriptive terms that are respectful, non-harmful, and inclusive, and we will take this into consideration when reviewing feedback, suggestions, and questions.

If you find harmful or offensive language in our archival descriptions, displays, or other local history communications, please contact the Local History Librarian (see “Request Information” at the bottom of this page.

This statement is based on those of the Yale Library, Temple University Library, and the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), and is informed by professional development trainings on the topic of reparative description.