Canaan Connecticut Genealogy

My name is Linda Pingel and I am the host for the towns of Canaan & North Canaan, Litchfield County, Connecticut. This page is part of both the USGenWeb Project and the American History Genealogy Project. If you have any information to contribute for the towns of Canaan or North Canaan or know of an appropriate link, please contact me via e-mail.


Information Located on This Web Site	Located on the Litchfield County AHGP Web Site You must use your Back Button to return to this Site*
Early Marriages	Rev. War Soldiers
Early History	Cemeteries
The Joshua Mudge Family	Litchfield County Map
Surnames
Queries

**Please note that if you are having trouble finding some of your data, Elizabeth (a resident of Canaan) let me know that there is always a lot of confusion over Canaan (aka Falls Village) and North Canaan, so you may wish to check under Falls Village and North Canaan which is referred to as Canaan. See the problem? Also, the zip for North Canaan (on the vital records page) should be 06018 and the phone number for the Town Clerk is 824-3138 on Pease St. If you look at the address for the Canaan Town Clerk, you will see the address is Falls Village. This is all correct. No wonder people are confused!

HARRIS FAMILY AT CANAAN MOUNTAIN, CT - Ebenezer Harris of Bozrah, CT received 278 of the 458 acres of land on Canaan Mt. purchased by his father (Gibson) at a New London auction in 1738. Ebenezer settled in Canaan about 1760. He also purchased the 180 acres given to brothers Daniel and Benjamin by their father. The Town of Canaan had been laid out in 1731 and included land north and south of Canaan Mountain. In 1858 Canaan was split into the towns of North Canaan and Canaan (called Falls Village). The 458 acre tract was located at the southwest end of Wangum Lake on Canaan Mountain. It is best reached from the center of Norfolk by driving 4.5 mile up Mountain Road off Route 272. Ebenezer & his wife Abigail Burnham had eight children, all born on the mountain. They, and their daughter Melinda are buried in the so-called Root Cemetery, which is on Steep Rd just off Mountain Rd. The ruins of a very old barn can be seen between the cemetery and the lake. On his deathbed, Ebenezer prepared a will but did not sign it. However, the children accepted it's terms. Ebenezer Jr, the oldest child, left Canaan and was a first settler in Harrisville (Medina) Ohio. His brother George acquired most of the family land by 1829 and years later, sold it to his nephew Elisha Burnham Gillette, who was born in 1829 and died in 1913 at Falls Village. He had sold all the family property before his death. Ebenezer Sr, his father, Gibson and his two brothers Daniel and George are listed as four of the sixty-two original grantees of 23,000 acres of land at Canaan, New Hampshire, dated in 1761, but it is doubtful that Ebenezer saw that property.

The Colonial Theatre of N.Canaan, Connecticut - Since April 1998, over 150 local residents have joined together to save the Colonial Theatre in Canaan, Connecticut. Once the center of cultural activity in the northwest corner, it is our goal to restore this irreplaceable community resource.

Additional History.......From the Connecticut Guide, 1935......Located on the web site of Carol Hanny.

If you have any reference material on or related to Canaan or North Canaan and would like to volunteer as a resource, or if you know of a Canaan or North Canaan link that would be appropriate to add to this page,
please e-mail me with the details. Linda Pingel

When contacting a resource volunteer, please do not forget to thank them for their time and effort.

Newspaper Abstracts - an interesting and growing collection of news articles dating back into the 1800's. You may find your ancestor, place them in time and place, and read an article about their life.

Ancestry - many sites can be searched for free but membership will get you into all the sites.
(This one is well worth the membership fees)

Surname Origins and Meanings - also includes spelling variations (excellent site) but has disappeared as of my last check 3/01. If anyone knows if this site has moved, please let me know.

My "Cemetery" Page - visit here.....not yet available..... still "work in progress".

My "Lost and Found" Photo Pages - mostly Wisconsin - mostly unknown - visit here

Berlin Public Schools 1882-1883 - teachers, staff, pupils, former graduates, and an etching of the high school - Berlin, Green Lake County, Wisconsin - visit here

Background and Black & White Graphics Courtesy of
J.O.D.'s Old Fashioned Black & White Clip Art Collection

September 11, 2001
A Day the World will Always Remember
A Day that Humanity will Always Mourn