Records of thirty-six Newtown marriages performed between 1794 and 1810 by Justice of the Peace David Baldwin were recently discovered in the Julia H. Brush Genealogical Collection of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown. Previously unpublished,they do not appear in town or church records. The certificates on small slips of paper, sometimes written on both sides, had long ago been pasted into a scrapbook.Careful removal from the scrapbook pages by Gary Wait of the Connecticut Historical Society has enabled us to read them all.

Though he did not affix his signature, David Baldwin wrote several of the record son the reverse of his accounts for judicial services. The significance of his varied phrasing is not known: “Administered the Marriage Covenant,” “Solemnized a consummation of the Marriage Covenant,” “Joined together in Marriage,” “Administered in ratifying a Covenant of Matrimony,” and, in one case, “Solemnly authenticated the Marriage Covenant.” Notations in addition to names and dates are listed here as “other.”

For additions and corrections to some 250 death records for Newtown see “Newtown, CT,Bills of Mortality, 1797-1821: a Supplement to the Barbour Index” in The Connecticut Nutmegger, 29(1996):395-407, by this transcriber.

Date                   Names                                                           Other
4 Oct 1801         BARNUM, Doctr Eder & Polly SHEPARD              at Doctr G. Shepards
26 May 1805      BEACH, Amos (a negro boy) & Massa HILL         at the house of Wd Mahitable Peck
                        - a certificate in the following words
                        from the Wd. & son of Hez. Beach deceased—to
                        wit: “Huntington, May 13th1805, This is to
                       certify that Amos a Negro boy belonging to
                        the estate of Hezh Beach has our leave to
                        marry a black girl named Massa Hill. /s/
                        Shelton Beach, Mary Beach.           
28 Sep 1794      BENNITT, Anna & Ezra GLOVER                         See notes under Ezra Glover
19 Dec 1798      BENNITT, James & Rue SANFORD                      at Saml Sanfords
22 Mar 1795      BOOTH, Rachel & Simeon GLOVER                     Sunday
2 Jun 1803        BOOTH, Alonzo & Volusia GLOVER                     at Cap. Sol. Glovers
29 Jan 1795      BOTSFORD, Annis & Daniel FERRIS                    he of New Milford, Thursday
15 Jan 1799      BOTSFORD, Gideon Bennitt & Betsey CLARK       at Gidn Botsfords
13 Nov 1799     BOTSFORD, Martin & Martha HAWLEY                 at Henry Woods
23 Jan 1800      BOTSFORD, Jane & Abner PECK                         at the house of her father Mr Gideon Botsford
2 Mar 1802       BOTSFORD, John, Jun. & Polly Ann HARD            at Amon Hards
13 Dec 1804     BOTSFORD, Mary Ann & Isaac BURCH                at the house of Clement Botsford
3 Mar 1808       BOTSFORD, Hersy[?] & John DIBBLE                 he of Danbury, at the house of her father Clement Botsford
13 Dec 1804     BURCH, Isaac & Mary Ann BOTSFORD                at the house of Clement Botsford
15 Jan 1799     CLARK, Betsey & Gideon Bennitt BOTSFORD       at Gidn Botsfords
11 Jun 1808     CROFUT, Anna & Samuel SHERWOOD                 at the house of her father Elihu Crofut
3 Mar 1808       DIBBLE, John & Hersy[?] BOTSFORD                 he of Danbury, at the house of her father Clement Botsford
28 Oct 1805      DIMON, Betsey & Constantine ROWELL              at my own house
14 Mar 1799     FAIRCHILD, Stephen & Ruth FOOT       
29 Jan 1795     FERRIS, Daniel & Annis BOTSFORD                     he of New Milford, Thursday
25 Feb 1798     FERRIS, Daniel & Jerusha GLOVER      
14 Mar 1799     FOOT, Ruth & Stephen FAIRCHILD       
11 Feb 1802     FOOT, Peter & Martha TIFF                                 at Peter Foot’s
11 Oct 1803     FOOT, David & Sucky [Sukey] UNDERHILL           at John Und[er]hills
16 Sep 1810     FOOT, Aurelia & Zerah MASTERS                        at the house of James Foot
2 Jun 1804       GILLET, Lois & John STILSON                             at Wd Parmalees
28 Sep 1794     GLOVER, Ezra & Anna BENNITT                          Sunday evening about 6 oClock,
                       according to the Rites &ceremonies of the
                      Episcopal Church at the house of Abel Bennitt           
22 Mar 1795     GLOVER, Simeon & Rachel BOOTH                      Sunday
25 Feb 1798     GLOVER, Jerusha & Daniel FERRIS     
2 Aug 1801      GLOVER, Simeon & Mary GREGORY                     at my house
2 Jun 1803       GLOVER, Volusia & Alonzo BOOTH                       at Cap. Sol. Glovers
14 Feb 1804     GLOVER, Esther Ann & Amos GRIFFIN                 at Elias Glovers
5 Feb 1810       GLOVER, James & Sarah PECK                           at the house of James Beach Fairman
2 Aug 1801      GREGORY, Mary & Simeon GLOVER                     at my house
22 Dec 1799     GRIFFIN, Ebenezer & Polly Ann PECK                  at Isaac Pecks
14 Feb 1804     GRIFFIN, Amos & Esther Ann GLOVER                 at Elias Glovers
3 Feb 1794       HARD, Elizabeth & Cyrenius PECK                       Monday morning about 101/2 oClock
2 Mar 1802       HARD, Polly Ann & John BOTSFORD, Jun.            at Amon Hards
8 Sep 1799       HAWLEY, Salmon & Olive WHEELER                    Revd. Wheler being present &
                         ingaging to indemnify me againstall harm
                        &c. Asa Chapman & Benjm Curtis &c
                        being present as Witnesses         
13 Nov 1799     HAWLEY, Martha & Martin BOTSFORD                 at Henry Woods
11 May 1801     HENDRIX, John & Hannah SUMMERS                  at John Summerses
23 Oct 1804      HENDRIX, Betty & Daniel WINTON                     at the house of Ezra Peck
19 Jun 1796      HILL, Seth & Polly STILSON                              on Sunday, he of Huntington
26 May 1805     HILL, Massa & Amos BEACH (a negro boy)         See notes under Beach
19 Nov 1803     JOHNSON, John & Clarry PECK                           at the house of her father John Peck
17 May 1810     LEWIS, Elizabeth & William NORTHROP               dau. of Abijah Lewis of Huntington at the house of Elijah Sanford
16 Sep 1810     MASTERS, Zerah & Aurelia FOOT                        at the house of James Foot
11 Jan 1795      NORTHROP Lewis & [blank] NORTHROP              Sunday evening
17 May 1810     NORTHROP, William & Elizabeth LEWIS              dau. of Abijah Lewis of Huntington at the house of Elijah Sanford
3 Jul 1796         PARMALEE, Hannah & Gershom SUMMERS        on Sunday
3 Feb 1794       PECK, Cyrenius & Elizabeth HARD                      Monday morning about 101/2 oClock
6 Nov 1794       PECK, Lucinda & Doctr Gideon SHEPARD            at the house of Ashur Peck
13 Jan 1797      PECK, Esther & Jonathan WHITE                        he of Fishkill
22 Dec 1799      PECK, Polly Ann & Ebenezer GRIFFIN                at Isaac Pecks
23 Jan 1800      PECK, Abner & Jane BOTSFORD                        at the house of her father Mr Gideon Botsford
19 Nov 1803      PECK, Clarry & John JOHNSON                         at the house of her father John Peck
5 Feb 1810        PECK, Sarah & James GLOVER                          at the house of James Beach Fairman
28 Oct 1805      ROWELL, Constantine & Betsey DIMON              at my own house
19 Dec 1798     SANFORD, Rue & James BENNITT                      at Saml Sanfords
6 Nov 1794       SHEPARD, Doctr Gideon & Lucinda PECK            at the house of Ashur Peck
4 Oct 1801        SHEPARD, Polly & Doctr Eder BARNUM              at Doctr G. Shepards
11 Jun 1808     SHERWOOD, Samuel & Anna CROFUT                at the house of her father Elihu Crofut
19 Jun 1796     STILSON, Polly & Seth HILL                               on Sunday, he of Huntington
2 Jun 1804       STILSON, John & Lois GILLET                            at Wd Parmalees
3 Jul 1796        SUMMERS, Gershom & Hannah PARMALEE          on Sunday
11 May 1801    SUMMERS, Hannah & John HENDRIX                  at John Summerses
11 Feb 1802     TIFF, Martha & Peter FOOT                                at Peter Foot’s
11 Oct 1803     UNDERHILL, Sucky [Sukey] & David FOOT          at John Und[er]hills
8 Sep 1799      WHEELER, Olive & Salmon HAWLEY                   See notes under Salmon Hawley
13 Jan 1797     WHITE, Jonathan & Esther PECK                       he of Fishkill
23 Oct 1804     WINTON, Daniel & Betty HENDRIX                    at the house of Ezra Peck