In 1935, at the age of ten, Mom was sent to live the New London County Temporary Home. Grandma had been committed to Norwich State Hospital and Grandpa was not considered suitable for raising Mom on her own. When writing my family story, I couldn’t find much about this institution which she always referred to as “the county home.”
Fortunately, there is now a resource for genealogists who want to know more about their ancestors who were residents of the New London County Temporary Home. Cheryl and Chris Klemmer have compiled their research about the county home in the form of a reference book available at the Connecticut State Library in Hartford and the Otis Library in Norwich. New London County Temporary Home: History, Residents and References contains a history of home and the names of residents that were found in records. While they are not selling their book, Cheryl and Chris are willing to provide guidance about searching for former county home residents if you contact them at CTCountyHomes@gmail.com.
Thank you so much for the information. You already helped me once to decipher my great uncle’s (John Horvath) record from Norwich State Hospital. After being released from Norwich (1 Jan 1955), he then lived in South Glastonbury for 5 years before returning to Hartford (his original home). I contacted the South Glastonbury Historical Society and they said where he lived there were only farms. I wonder if Norwich Hospital sent him there. I am trying to find out if Norwich “dumped” patients at the farms when they were discharged. If you have any information, I would truly appreciate it.